Mark Harmon as Lucas Davenport is a he!! of a lot better than Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.
An excellent point. I see Davenport as more like Thomas Gibson, who plays SSA Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds. But Davenport may be a little craggier. He was once a hockey player and has a brutal streak in him. This may seem funny, but Dallas once had a city manager who reminded me of Lucas Davenport, now that I think of it. I won't post his name, but residents may be able to think of who I mean.
I like David Lindsey's books, esp., "A Cold Mind", "Spiral", and
"Mercy" Some of his others are good, but a few seem to wander a little and not have outstanding vllains.
A reviewer once called Lindsey "the master of the small scene", and he is. You'll feel as if you can literally see what he's describing. No, he doesn't take three hours to describe the wallpaper, as one fellow posted above. But he writes on a more cerebral level than those who rely on an excess of action to propel their novels. His characters are very well described and wholly, coldly plausible. The enforcer/chief bodyguard for a refugee Mexican politician left his trade mark on his victims by pounding a nail into their skulls and tethering an ant to it, his trademark. The insane sociopatth in, "A Cold Mind" used rabies to murder. He put infected drops into the solution in one victim's contact lens case, so the virus would enter her body via the optic nerves. What you'll read about rabies in that book will make you walk very wide of stray dogs or skunks, etc. I won't offer further spoilers, but it is a truly chilling book. And you may want to sample the Brazilian songs mentioned, although one didn't do much for me. Not quite Brasil 77...He is a meticulous researcher and if you don't learn a few things in most of his books, you have limited curiosity and deserve to read just action books.
Lindsey now writes as Paul Harper. I read his first book under that name. It's pretty good, if not his best after a seven year hiatus, but is set in San Francisco and involves a different protagonist. I think he did better with homicide Sgt. Stuart Haydon in Houston. He lives near Austin, but rode with homicide detectives in Houston extensively while doing research, and he has Houston down pat, describing the heat and humidity and the glare off those plastic-looking buildings so well that you'll almost start to sweat and want to turn up the A/C while reading. Haydon and his architect wife and the other continuing characters all ring VERY true to life, inluding the big Lt. who once wrenched the skin loose on the face of a scumbag thug who preyed on especially defenseless victims.
BTW, the most plausible police gunfight that I've read in fiction is when Haydon killed the perp who had just slain his partner from a row of shrubs at an old estate. He never mentioned the model of Beretta that Haydon carried, but given the time of writing and other relevant factors, I'd guess a M-92-SB. It'd have a polished blue finish and walnut grips, and lack the flare at the front of the grip (receiver) of the M-92FS. But it is what was made then. These books date from the 1980's-1990's. I think they're still in print in paper, but your bookseller may need to order them. Used book stores and libraries often have them. They are well worth seeking out .
My son, then 14, asked Lindsey if writing is easy. He thought briefly, and replied,"No. In fact, it's quite hard." Entirely true, but something that you have written well and for which you receive accolades makes it all worth it. BTW, he signed all of my hardcovers, despite the grumbling of the store manager, who wanted only books bought that day to be signed. He used a black Mont Blanc pen, like Haydon's. And he used brown ink, which may mean something psychologically. Haydon has rare black periods, in which he loses track of things when he becomes despondent. Maybe no connection. Lindsey explained that he has to use that pen, because his wife gave it to him. I suspect that Stuart Haydon closely resembles the author, right down to his preference in tailored Italian suits. But Lindsey has worn a neat beard, very improbable for a working Houston detective. He does not have the beard in the books, and I am not otherwise suggesting that Haydon is a product of what writers call Mary Jane Syndrome, in which the author injects himself/herself into the books. I know a famous outdoor writer who has great trouble avoiding this in some short stories that he's sent me. It's somehing that an author needs to avoid.
BTW, Suzanne Arruda
www.suzannearruda.com also signed her books for me at my car, after a store signing in which the manager didn't want older books being signed in his store that night. She and her husband, who designed her fine site, walked me to my car and were very cordial after her clever and creative appearance in which she gave out some party favors and answered questions. She credited me in some of her later books for weapons advice. I appreciate it, although she didn't take all of that advice. But she upgraded heroine Jade's rifle and chose well for her lover Sam's Colt M-1917, which he had carried as a pilot in WW I. (The books are set in 1920's Kenya, and she does meticulous reearch, extending to reading Nairobi newspapers of that day.)
I have seen a high correlation between a writer's gun knowledge and whether I like his/her books. The more creative, authentic ones seem to do at least some gun research. And they know more than average about other matters, too.
Finally, I'll plug the Modesty Blaise books by Peter O'Donnell. They are more adventures than mysteries, but are very well written with fine characterization and droll English humor. They were published from 1965-1996, when the author retired and banned anyone else from using his characters. Probably a wise decision, considering what happened to James Bond in the hands of writers after Ian Fleming died...
John Sandford left newspaper writing after his books became a success, I think.
Those who liked Tony Hillerman's books about the Navaho Tribal Police might enjoy Steven Havill's books set in a small New Mexico town. Some here may especially identify with his aging undersheriff, who eventually retired and became a cattle inspector with another character taking the sheriff job. His undersheriff then became a female deputy who's married to the primary local doctor. All three are Hispanic. This may be for PC reasons, but I don't feel slighted as an Anglo in reading the books. He made the change seem logical in that department and the characters are all good people. The sheriff even hunts. The old cop is still present, and the godfather of the doctor and the undersheriff's kids. He wears a S&W M-19 and the others seem to favor SIG's. I can live with that, although I don't like the old guy leaving an empty chamber in his cylinder for the first chamber to come under the hammer, in case his gun is grabbed.
I've tried the books by the other authors mentioned. I think Patterson uses a lot of co-writers to maintain his high production and some/all are credited. Sandford credited a newspaper pal who has helped to write some of his books, especially right after his wife died. That man did a superb job. I can't tell his prose from Sandford's. i am pleased to learn here that he seems to have paid him $100,000. It is unusual for a new author to get over $50,000 for a THREE BOOK contract.
Finally, i want to praise C. J. Box and his stories about a Wyoming game warden. In the early books, his guy seemed a little too naive for a cop, but he's gotten better, and Mr. Box gave me some good advice about becoming an author. I saw a post on this (?) board in which a member also said that Mr. Box was very cordial to him at a signing, and he also signed books not bought in that store on that day.
I find Robt. Crais to be pretty good, if without the edge that distinguishes the authors whose books I prefer. The others mentioned here disappointed me. After reading an interview with the author of the Jack Reacher books, I have no interest in his character. But I can easily see why Tom Cruise was badly miscast to play him in movie roles. It is pretty rare for an actor to resemble a book character. Sean Connery managed as James Bond, but that was an exception. Jeremy Brett was good as Sherlock Holmes.
Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.
