Top 10 best books with Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie

I love Hercule Poirot. I decided that I would start with this confession, because the hero created by Agatha Christie reminds me of childhood, youth, years of study and work. That's how much it took me to read most of the adventures of the famous Belgian detective.

My ranking of the ten best novels with Hercules Poirot is an attempt to interest people who have never read Christie's work before, or read a few and discouraged or stories did not interest them enough to read more books. Belgian detective comes together in more than 30 novels. I suggest choosing from these ten titles your adventure with this character.

These novels are worth to read! I believe that even though almost a century has passed since Agatha Christie wrote her novels, everyone will still read them with pleasure and growing curiosity.

Sure, sometimes the action develops slowly, there are no sudden twists, but these are classic detective stories! It's not about dynamism, it's about the mystery, the questions: who killed? What really happened? How did this happen?

First and the last novel with Hercule Poirot
The first book was published in 1920 - The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The last one appeared in 1975 and is called Curtain. The stories are fascinating. Every time I had fun, maybe sometimes I did not quite like the narrative or the pace of the story, but I have no objections to the chosen ten :-) If you decide on one of these books, then there will be no time wasted!

What is the best novel by Agatha Christie with Hercules Poirot? In my opinion, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an absolute masterpiece that reads fantastically and with unflagging curiosity. Every lover of detective stories should know this novel!

In my ranking I have not placed collections of stories, because due to the number (over 50) they deserve a separate article :-)

Here is my ranking of the best books by Agatha Christie with Hercule Poirot:

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (see description on Amazon)
2. Murder on the Orient Express (see description)
3. Five Little Pigs (see description)
4. Death on the Nile (see description)
5. Hercule Poirot's Christmas (see description)
6. The A.B.C. Murders (see description)
7. Cards on the Table (see description)
8. The Mysterious Affair at Styles (see description)
9. Peril at End House (see description)
10. Murder in Mesopotamia (see description)

At 11th place I would place Curtain (see description on Amazon) - this is an important book, sad, because the last of Hercule Poirot. I must admit that although I was interested in the criminal riddle, I read this novel primarily because of curiosity about the fate of Poirot.

What book do you like best?

Top 10 best books with James Bond by Ian Fleming

When I was a teenager, I liked reading Ian Fleming's books. I did not read them all then, but when I graduated high school I finally did it :-). And I still liked the adventures of James Bond. If, however, you are not planning to read novels one by one, after the date of their publish, but you are looking for the best Ian Fleming's books, check my ranking of James Bond books.

I think everyone knows James Bond, an agent with code number 007, a spy of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), which countless times saves the world from terrorists. He is a hero not only of Fleming's books but also of other novelists; he appears in movies and computer games.

However, it is worth reaching to the source - books written by Ian Fleming. If you're even a fan of James Bond movies (and you probably have your favorite actor who plays best this character), be sure to read at least a few novels by Ian Fleming. They are still great spy novels!

Spy novels with the participation of James Bond have been popular for decades. Fleming wrote the first novel with Bond in the main role - Casino Royale - in 1952.

While reading Fleming's books is impossible to get bored. Each is a well-told story, with expressive heroes, good dialogues and well-conducted action. Some - in retrospect - may sometimes seem naive, but continue to provide a lot of pleasure while reading :-).

Here's my list of top ten best books with James Bond written by Ian Fleming:

1. Goldfinger (see description on Amazon)
2. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (see description)
3. From Russia, with Love (see description)
4. Casino Royale (see description)
5. Dr. No (see description)
6. Thunderball (see description)
7. Diamonds Are Forever (see description)
8. You Only Live Twice (see description)
9. Moonraker (see description)
10 Live and Let Die (see description)

If you haven't read anything written by Ian Fleming, buy one of these book first. You won't be disappointment! 

Which novel or a movie :-) do you like the most?

Best books by Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler's style can not be mistaken with any other writer. It is so distinguishing  as the main protagonist of his novel - a private detective Philip Marlowe. That's why I like to go back to Chandler's novels. If you have not read any of them yet, here is my ranking of best novels written by Chandler.

Raymond Chandler (1888 - 1959) was a novelist and screenwriter. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939. This detective fiction writer popularized the genre called Hardboiled.

I'm a fan of crime novels written by Chandler. Every few years I read one of them again, because I like Chandler's style of writing, Philip Marlowe and I'm simply having fun reading about the adventures of probably the most famous private detective in the history of crime novels.

I can not do your typical ranking of the ten best novels of the author for a simple reason - Raymond Chandler wrote only eight. Therefore, here's a list of all Chandler's novels starting from the best:

1. The Long Goodbye (see description)
2. Farewell, My Lovely (see description)
3. The Big Sleep (see description)
4. The Lady in the Lake (see description)
5. The Little Sister (see description)
6. The High Window (see description)
7. Poodle Springs (see description)
8. Playback (see description)

So if you have not read any Chandler's books, start with The Long Goodbye – it's a great novel. And then I encourage you to read them all :-)

What is your favorite book written by Raymond Chandler?

Top 10 best novels by James Patterson with Alex Cross

James Patterson is a great thriller and crime writer. He created many stand-alone novels and several famous cycles. One of them - with Alex Cross in the main role - I like the most, what's why I created ranking of best James Patterson books with Alex Cross.

Patterson has written more than 100 novels, some as a co-writer. I do not know them all, maybe when I'm retired, I will have the time to read them :-), so I wanted to focus on a particular segment of  Patterson's work. To be more specific – on the Alex Cross series.

Alex Cross is a former FBI agent and psychologist who works in Washington DC. I like this character, because he is so different from the typical detectives in most crime novels.

Cross first appeared in the novel called Along Came a Spider published in 1993 (in 2001 the novel was filmed by Lee Tamahori with Morgan Freeman in the lead role).

Since then, readers got 22 novels with Alex Cross in the lead role. The last one is from 2014 and it is titled Hope to Die.

Which is best in my opinion? Below I present my top ten best novels with Alex Cross:

1. Alex Cross, Run (see description)
2. I, Alex Cross (see description)
3. Along Came A Spider (see description)
4. Hope to Die (this is the continuation of Cross My Heart) - (see description)
5. Kiss the Girls (see description)
6. Pop Goes the Weasel (see description)
7. Four Blind Mice (see description)
8. Jack & Jill (see description)
9. Cross Fire (see description)
10. Mary, Mary (see description)

If you are looking for a good thriller turn your attention to Patterson's work, the Alex Cross series in particular!

Top 10 best novels by Jo Nesbo

I like Jo Nesbø's  books - each of his crime novels is well written and have interesting plot. If you don't know this Norwegian author, see which of the Jo Nesbo novels are the best.

Jo Nesbo sold over 23 million copies of his Norwegian novels. He is best know as an author of series with inspector Harry Hole. His first novel ever written was The Bat (1997), which is also the first part from Hole's series.

These best selling crime novels are very interesting for several reasons: have distinctive main character, a surprising turns in the plot, good dialogues and detailed background story. That's why I was never bored reading any of the Nesbo's books.

But you must to know that Nesbo is an example of a writer who has steadily improved his skills. This means that his later novels are better than earlier titles.

Of course, I recommend reading Jo Nesbo books in order (you can check the chronology e.g. on the official website of the author). Especially when it comes to novels with inspector Harry Hole.

But, in my opinion, best book by Jo Nesbo is The Son, which is a stand-alone novel. You should read this book first. It's great!

This is my ranking of top ten best novels by Jo Nesbo:

1. The Son (see description)
2. Police - Jo Nesbo latest book (see description)
3. Nemesis (see description)
4. Phantom (see description)
5. The Redeemer (see description)
6. The Bat - first book of Harry Hole series - (see description)
7. Cockroaches (see description)
8. The Snowman (see description)
9. The Redbreast (see description)
10. The Leopard (see description)

If you want to know the style and atmosphere of books written by Jo Nesbo you must read The Son. It is a stand-alone novel, so you do not need to know the other titles by this author. When read the rest :-)

Enjoy!

Top 10 best books by David Baldacci

David Baldacci has a law degree and practiced law for nine years, but he doesn't creates stricte legal or court thrillers. This novelist writes thrillers that have more action in them and hes doing it really well. So if you are looking for titles from this genre, you should definitely get one of books written by Baldacci.

This American writer has published more than 20 titles and created several series (including Camel Club and with Sean King and Michelle Maxwell), as well as many stand-alone novels.

Baldacci made his debut in 1996 with the novel Absolute Power, which immediately became the worldwide bestseller. A year later, the novel was made into a movie - Absolute Power (1997) - with Clint Eastwood (who is also a director of this movie), Ed Harris and Gene Hackman.

Now this author has millions of sold copies of his novels. Fully deserved!

I like books by David Baldacci – they are well written, dynamic, always with an interesting story and a surprising ending. It's worth to read his novels, which is why I choose the books which in my opinion are the best novels written by David Baldacci. I encourage you to read them.

This is my ranking of best novels by David Baldacci:

1. Absolute Power (see description)

2. Stone Cold (see description)

3. Wish You Well (see description)

4. The Winner (see description)

5. Divine Justice (see description)

6. Split Second (see description)

7. The Innocent (see description)

8. The Hit (see description)

9. The Target – latest David Baldacci's book (see description)

10. Total Control (see description)

I think if you are looking for a new thrillers or wondering which of the books written by Baldacci to read first - see one of the titles above. I guarantee it will be a good read :-)

Top 10 best books by Lee Child

Dynamic, well-written and interesting - this is how you can characterize Lee Child's books. So if you are looking for a great thriller, I encourage you to buy one of titles written by this author.

Lee Child, whose real name is Jim Grant, is a British thriller writer. He made his debut in 1997 with the novel Killing Floor, which won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. A great character - Jack Reacher, a former Major in the United States Army Military Police Corpsfor, has made his first appearance in this book.

Jack Reacher is 6'5" tall (1.96 m) with a 50-inch chest, and weighing between 220 and 250 pounds (100–115 kg). He has ice-blue eyes, dirty blond hair and very little body fat. If you watched the movie One Shot from 2012, based on Child's excellent novel, it is clear to you that Tom Cruise does not fit that description at all, right? ;-)

But this was a little off topic. Back to Child's work - his first novel was a bestseller, so naturally Child began to write another one with enthusiasm :). Each of his books has an interesting story, situations, and above all, an incredible action and amazing twists in the plot. In particular, I encourage you to read the first two Child's bestsellers from my list of his best thrillers. They are awesome!

Child has written more then dozen novels with Jack Reacher in the lead role. Not all hold the same high level, that is why I recommend you to read the titles from my ranking of Lee Child's best books.

This is my list of top ten great novels by Lee Child:

1. The Hard Way (see description)
2. Gone Tomorrow (see description)
3. Without Fail (see description)
4. One Shot (see description)
5. Persuader (see description)
6. The Enemy (see description)
7. Killing Floor (see description)
8. Never Go Back (this is the latest Lee Child's novel - see description)
9. The Affair (see description)
10. Worth Dying For (see description)
 
What is your favorite novel written by Lee Child?

Top 10 best books by Michael Connelly

Novels written by Michael Connelly are an excellent page-turners, well-written crime stories with interesting plots, great dialogues and memorable characters. That is why I recommend them to anyone who asks me "what to read?". If you are also looking for a new book or do not know this author  yet, see my list of Michael Connelly's best novels.

In many interviews he says that Raymond Chandler inspired him to become an crime and detective author. Michael Connelly studied journalism and creative writing on the University of Florida. After graduation, he began working as a crime reporter and wrote mostly about crime beat. He was also worked as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

Everything has changes when he published the first book with LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch in 1992 titled The Black Echo. It won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Since than this author has written 17 more books with Hieronymus Bosch in the lead role.

But Harry Bosch series is not the only one, which he creates. Michael Connelly bibliography includes also standalone novels and others series (ex. with Mickey Haller or Jack McEvoy). All his fiction books are very popular in the world - they have been translated into over 30 languages and have won many awards! I think that Hollywood also helped this writer. When Lincoln Lawyer movie had a premiere, many of movie-fans started to take interest in this author's detective novels. 

I like Michael Connelly's best selling books, because they always have expressing characters, interesting plots and good dialogues. I never get bored reaching for crime novels by Connelly. I particularly like the Bosch series, but this is not a ranking of the best books with this detective. Below is a general list of books which in my opinion are the best novels written by Michael Connelly.

See my ranking of top ten crime fiction books by Michael Connelly:
1. The Poet (see description)
2. The Black Echo (see description)
3. The Last Coyote (see description)
4. The Lincoln Lawyer (see description)
5. The Concrete Blonde (see description)
6. The Drop (see description)
7. The Black Box (the latest book by Michael Connelly - see description)
8. Angels Flight (see description)
9. Lost Light (see description)
10. Trunk Music (see description)

I choose the books which in my opinion are the best crime novels by Michael Connelly, but I encourage you to read  a series of Harry in chronological order. You can find the list of Bosch novels set in order for example on Wikipedia. If you are looking for full Michael Connelly's bibliography - see his website.

BTW - this year a new book by Michael Connelly will be out - called The Gods of Guilt. Publishing date is set on December 2! See more details >

What's your favorite Michael Connelly's novel? :)

Dennis Lehane - top 10 best books

It is always a pleasure to read novels written by american writer Dennis Lehane. I like his style of writing, the ability to create a interesting and memorable stories. That's why I think that any fan of mystery and crime novels should know Lehane's books.

If you've never read his novels, maybe you may heard about or even watched their adaptations? The two most popular film adaptation's are: Shutter Island directed by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role (more about the book and the film in the text) and Mystic River directed by Clint Eastwood, with actors such as Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon.

Bestsellers by Dennis Lehane
This American author began writing after a literary success of his Kenzie and Gennaro series of novels. Lehane presented the pair of detectives in his debut novel A Drink Before the War in 1994. Since then, those two private investigators have appeared in five more of his books.

Why you should know Dennis Lehane? With a couple of reasons. Here are some of them: original stories, surprising twists, memorable characters and great dialogues. And the perfect writer's workshop.

This is my top ten books by Dennis Lehane
So if you are looking for interesting novels to read, here's my ranking of the best of novels written by Dennis Lehane. Below is a book list:

1. Shutter Island (see description)
2. The Given Day (see description)
3. Mystic River (see description)
4. Prayers for Rain (see description)
5. Gone, Baby, Gone (see description)
6. Darkness, Take My Hand (see description)
7. Live by Night (this is Dennis Lehane new book - see description)
8. A Drink Before the War (see description)
9. Sacred (see description)
10. Moonlight Mile (see description)

What's your favorite Dennise Lehane's novels? The best of the best book written by Lehane? :)

Joyland by Stephen King - review

Finally! There is a new book written by the king of horror. Stephen King - to the delight of his fans – still writes great novels. His latest one - Joyland - is a must read for everyone who likes crime and mystery!

Some time ago I wrote about 10 best books by Stephen King. I think that if someone did not read his earlier novels, he should start with any of the previous titles.

However, if you already read some of the books written by King you should reach for the Joyland immediately, because in tis one the writer confirms that he is a great author with extraordinary imagination and workshop skills. He perfectly creates the characters, a mood and a story.

What is Joyland about? 
"Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever" (see full description on Amazon).

Interestingly, the book is available only as a paperback. Why this decision?

"I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book." - said Stephen King.

What is my opinion about Joyland? The book is great, I highly recommended it. So if you have a birthday soon and the family asks you what you would like to get for a present - Joyland is a good answer :). Everyone else should buy a novel for themselfs, for example on Amazon :)

Top 10 best books by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben is - in my opinion - the master of unexpected twists and turns in the novels. This American author of thrillers often was able to surprise me with the story's ending what's why, if someone wants a great crime novel that sucks you in action from the first page, I recommend to read one of Coben's books.

Harlan Coben's work can be divided into three parts:

First one consists of a series in which the main character is Myron Bolitar - a former basketball player and sports agent in one person. He first appeared in the book Infamous in 1995.

Second - stand-alone novels.

Third - new young adult series with the nephew of Myron - Mickey. For the first time he appeared in the novel, Shelter in 2011.

I like Coben's books because of interesting characters, great dialogues and unexpected twists. It is impossible to be bored while reading his novels. I remember that I literally could not get away from reading Tell No One. Instead of going to sleep I sat most of the night, until I read the last page.

He has written more than twenty novels. I chose the books which in my opinion are the best novels by Harlan Coben. Below is a list:

1. Tell No One (see description)
2. Gone For Good (see description)
3. Deal Breaker (see description)
4. Fade Away (see description)
5. Promise Me (see description)
6. The Innocent (see description)
7. Back Spin (see description)
8. One False Move (see description)
9. Caught (see description)
10. Darkest Fear (see description)

What is your favorite novel written by Coben? :)

Top 5 best books by Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell is a very popular Swedish writer known around the world. His books have been translated into over 40 languages. On my blog I will only concentrate on his novels where Kurt Wallander is the main character although Mankell is not only a crime novels author.

Kurt Wallander is a fictional police inspector living and working in Ystad. This character has brought Mankell his fame and made ​​him one of the best-selling writers in the world. This is another example that a interesting, memorable character is already a half of success in writting a bestseller novel :).

I like to read the Mankell's books, because they always have a well-constructed plot, carefully and curiously described. Sometimes the pace of the action is pretty slow, but after reading a few thrillers in a row, where the action is practically on every page, this is a nice change.

Therefore, I recommend to read Mankell's novels were we can expect long conversations, descriptions of tedious witnesses' questioning and Kurt checking all leads, because the story always illustrates what changes are taking place in modern Swedish society as the whole world changes, what problems people are facing nowadays etc.

So if you are looking for a good crime story, with a intresting and troubled policeman in the lead role, the novels of Kurt Wallander will be perfect for you!

Since Kurt as the main character appeared in only nine novels, I decided to choose five titles that I think are absolutely worth reading.

So below is a list of books which in my opinion are the best novels written by Henning Mankell with Kurt Wallander.

1. Faceless Killers (see description)

2. One Step Behind (see description)

3. Sidetracked (see description)

4. The Pyramid - short stories about Wallanders' early years in the police (see description)

5. The Fifth Woman (see description)

Of course, when you read those books, get the rest :).

Top 5 novels by Dan Brown

Usually, I make a list of the ten best books of the author, but with Dan Brown this is not possible, because he wrote only five novels :). That's why this time I created a list of all novels sorted from the best to the weakest.

First Dan Brown's novel I have read was The Da Vinci Code - like I guess most people did. The novel had spectacular marketing, but for me all the things which are associated with this book, all the conspiracy theories, criticism of the Catholic Church, etc. didn't really matter.

What matters is that The Da Vinci Code reads really well. I was fascinated by the writer's workshop, the narration (short chapters ending at an important time, which force you to read further just to see what happens next) and the general plot and characters. This is a good thriller.

I got interested in other novels by Dan Brown and that is why I read his earlier books: Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and his newest - Last Symbol - which came six years after the publication of The Da Vinci Code.

I recommend to read The Da Vinci Code first, which is probably not surprising. I think that the plot is more interesting is Angels & Demons, but the structure of this book is not quite as good as in The Da Vinci Code (narration is slow in the beginning, there are too much explanations, the real action starts just somewhere in the middle). That's why Angels & Demons you should read second :).

This is my list of best novels by Dan Brown:

1. The Da Vinci Code (see description)

2. Angels & Demons (see description)

3. Deception Point (see description)

4. The Lost Symbol (see description)

5. Digital Fortress (see description)

If you already known adventures of world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, get the Deception Point – very interesting, surprising and well-written political thriller, where NASA is involved in the plot. You certainly won't be bored!

Stephen King - top 10 best books

I waited a long time to write about one of my favorite writers, because I love most of Stephen King's works and it's very difficult to pick his best works from over fifty books which he wrote. 

Almost all of them I read with great pleasure and I think that most deserves attention. But to encourage people, who don't know his books at all or are wondering what to read next - this is my top ten Stephen King's best novels.

I think that each book written by Stephen King have memorable characters, excellent atmosphere and dialogues and great plot. Without hesitation I can even say that some of his works (such as The Stand) are the most important novels of the twentieth century.

Why I love King? For his passion, hard work and that he always surprised me, because each book brings something new. That's why I encourage everyone to read his books!

After a long struggle with myself and looking over and over his bibliography, here is the list of top ten best novels by Stephen King:

1. The Stand (see description)

2. Misery (see description)

3. The Shining (see description)

4. It (see description)

5. The Green Mile (see description)

6. The Dead Zone (see description)

7. Duma Key (see description)

8. Under the Dome (see description)

9. Carrie (see description)

10. Salem's Lot (see description)

And special mention: The Dark Tower series.

Of course, it would be easier to write which King's novels you shouldn't read (for example: The Regulators, Dreamcatcher or Roadwork), than which ones you should, because where are so many good books written by Stephen King – e.g. I didn't mention the Firestarter, Pet Sematary, Lisey's Story, Bag of Bones, The Long Walk, Cujo or 11/22/63, which I recently finished reading. All whose titles you should also read, because they are great!

My list also don't include collections of short stories (I recommend them all, but especially Night Shift, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Skeleton Crew, Full Dark, No Stars, Hearts in Atlantis and Different Seasons). In my list of best books I chose only between the novels. 

About non-fiction - Danse Macabre and On Writing - I will write in in the future, because these titles require "special treatment" :).

If you are looking for full Stephen King's bibliography – visit his official website :). 

Which is your favourite book by Stephen King? And those of you who haven't read any book written by this author I encourage to do so. Check the Amazon website which Stephen King's books are available today!

Top 10 best novels by Dean Koontz

Dean R. Koontz is an extremely hardworking American writer. He published dozens of novels, short stories, graphic novels and how-to books. That's why it's worth to know where to start with books written by Koontz to come to like him like I do :)

I have great respect for Koontz and I'm full of admiration for his work. Of course, I did not read everything he wrote. Maybe when I will be retired, I manage to do that :). But I have read his novels with pleasure for years.

I think Koontz as a writer is quite uneven. He writes either a bad novel or a great one. So many of my friends says that they don't like Koontz at all. During the conversation, it turn out that they simply read one of his weak novels, and that's why they have such opinion about him. So I decided to create a list of my favorite novels, to help all of you read Koontz's books and have fun. The choice was really difficult, because he wrote so many good novels, that it's hard to pick only ten. But after much thought, I have finished the list.

This is my list of top ten great novels by Dean Koontz:
1. Lightning (see description)

2. Watchers (see description)

3. Whispers (see description)

4. The Voice of the Night (see description)

5. Hideaway (see description)

6. The Face (see description)

7. Velocity (see description)

8. The Vision (see description)

9. Cold Fire (see description)

10. The Bad Place (see description)

From the list you can see that I like older novels by Koontz from ones published recently. I think it is so, because they have more action, better plots and less journalism. Characters are also more interesting (e.g. I didn't like Ryan Perry, the main character in novel Your Heart Belongs to Me, the book itself is also not very good in my opinion).

So if you don't read Koontz and you're wondering where to start, take into consideration the titles listed above. Certainly you won't be disappointed!

Shutter Island – should you read a novel or watch a movie first?

Recently a friend of mine asked me what to do first - read a book by Dennis Lehane or watch the movie by Martin Scorsese with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role? Since I know both, I could honesty advise him.

I answered - read the novel and then watch the movie. Why? First of all, because you won't be limited in any way. You will be able to create in your own imagination everything what Lehane portrayed in his writing. Otherwise the film will eclipse the novel, because it's simply great, with superb creations of actors Leonardo DiCaprio (as Teddy Daniels), Mark Ruffalo (as Chuck Aule) and Ben Kingsley (as Dr. Cawley).

Of course, adaptation is not 100% perfect. But if anyone of you watched the movie first, don't be discouraged. You won't be surprised by unexpected changes in plot, but you will certainly appreciate the language, scenes which are missing in the film, and generally - the climate of the novel.

In my opinion this is one of those movies and books to remember and reminisce for many years. Definitely you will give thought about the story and ending.

If someone doesn't know anything about Shutter Island, I publish some brief information below:

Shutter Island is a novel by Dennis Lehane, published in April 2003. A film adaptation was released in February 2010. Laeta Kalogridis wrote a screenplay of the movie and it was directed by Martin Scorsese, who in my opinion is one of the best directors alive today.

Description from Amazon.com: "The year is 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new ­partner, Chuck Aule, have come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple-murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on them, a strange case takes on even darker, more sinister shades—with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal countermoves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems".

In a nutshell – it's a great novel and a good psychological thriller :).

Best legal thriller ever

I recently wrote about the top ten legal thrillers by John Grisham. I think he is the king of this genre, but in my personal ranking best title in this category does not belong to any of Grisham's novels, but to Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow.

Scott Turow is a writer, a practicing attorney and author of eight novels and two nonfictional books. Presumed Innocent, published in 1987, was his first fiction book. It tells the story of Rozat "Rusty" Sabich - chief deputy prosecutor of Kindle County. One day he must deal with the brutal murder of Carolyn Polhemus - prosecuting attorney, who was once his mistress. His boss, Raymond Horgan, who is going for re-election, wants the case to be closed quickly since he believes that it will score on it  political capital. So Sabich starts to work on finding Polhemus' killer, but with poor results. There is no evidence nor idea who could do it.

During this time, Horgan discovers the truth about Sabich's relationship with Carolyn, and he pulls him from the case. From that moment evidence begin to turn up that Sabich may have killed Polhemus. Sabich is accused and suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted. Even his wife, who knew about the affair, begins to suspect his guilt.

Sabich has to battle to prove his innocence. He hires lawyer Alejandro "Sandy" Stern to defend him. In this way prosecutor participates in the process from the "other side".

It is interesting to see how a prosecutor thinks and how a defender acts, the methods they use and what is their attitude to work. While reading you can clearly see that Turow has a law degree and wast experience in this profession (he prosecuted several high-profile corruption cases as the Wikipedia states). He created world full of evocative descriptions, great dialogues (especially in the courtroom) and realistic characters.

I remember that while reading Presumed Innocent every moment I was impressed by things that I've learned, turn-based literary workshop, as well as the development of history, because he invented it very credible, it was logically drawn, probable and ends with a surprising finale.

I won't write a detailed review of this book, I would just like to encourage everyone to - if you haven't done it already – to read this book. Certainly you won't regret it! You can buy Presumed Innocent on Amazon.

PS. The novel was adapted for the screen with the same title in 1990 directed by Alan J. Pakula with Harrison Ford in the main role. See description and reviews.

Top 10 best books by John Grisham

When I talk with someone about legal thrillers the first name that always comes up in the discussion is John Grisham. And no wonder. He is one of the most popular writers in the world!

What I like in Grisham's career is his determination  - he didn't get discouraged by the rejection of his first novel - A Time to Kill. It was rejected almost 30 times (!) before Wynwood Press decided to take the risk and publish a novel of an unknown author.

This is another example of a writer, who believed in his work and did not give up easily. As you can see, his hard work and determination paid off :). Up till now he has published over 25 titles! If someone does not know Grisham's biography, you can read it e.g. on Wikipedia.

Earlier I wrote about the ten best novels written by Deaver, this time here is my list of ten favourite and best novels by John Grisham.

One note: I didn't read all Grisham's book. When I'll have more free time - you know this explanation, don't you? :) - I'll definitely read The Street Lawyer, The Innocent Man, The Confession or The Chamber.

I have read about fifteen of his books and I choose ten novels, which I think anyone who wants to know John Grisham's talent should read. You can do it on the bus, train, airplane, in bed, lying on the beach or sitting in the comfortable chair :).

Here is my top ten:
1. The Firm (see description)
2. The Runaway Jury (see description)
3. A Time to Kill (see description)
4. The Pelican Brief (see description)
5. The King of Torts (see description)
6. The Rainmaker (see description)
7. The Client (see description)
8. The Testament (see description)
9. The Brethren (see description)
10. The Partner (see description)

The latest Grisham's book was publish in October - The Litigators (see description). If you know someone who loves Grisham - this is a good title for a Christmas gift! You can find other suggestions for presents in my previous post.

What are your favorite books by Grisham?

Jeffery Deaver – top 10 best books

I like Jeffery Deaver's novels for several reasons. The most important is: subject matter of each of his book is different, that's why I learn a lot on different fields of interest (e.g., how voltage works in "The burning wire" or details about the art of magic in "The Vanished Man"). 

The author firmly prepares to write each and every novel (I've read that Deaver spends about eight months on research before he starts to write!), so the background is always very detailed, and the plot – interesting and logical. I should also mention that he is a very good writer :). Dialogues in Jeffery Deaver's books are simply great and a pleasure to read!

I like the sudden action twists, used by Deaver all the time. Guessing who ultimately turns up to be the bad guy is fun for me. Therefore, friends who ask me what to take for a long plane flight or a train ride – I tell them: take Deaver!  

Why? Since the action is dynamic, with believable heroes, you still want to read further and further. Chapter after chapter, till you reach the end. What's why your travel will pass very fast :).

Below is a list of books which in my opinion are the best novels written by Jeffery Deaver:

1. The Coffin Dancer (see description)

2. The Cold Moon (see description)

3. The Broken Window (see description)

4. The Bone Collector (see description)

5. Edge (see description)

6. The Vanished Man (see description)

7. The Sleeping Doll (see description)

8. The Burning Wire - but read The Cold Moon first!  (see description)

9. The Empty Chair (see description)

10. The Bodies Left Behind (see description)

A small notice: I haven't read Roadside Crosses and Garden Of Beasts yet, so I can't say anything about them. But that titles are on my wish list – I hope I'll read them in near future :)

If you are looking for full Jeffery Deaver's bibliography – visit his website :).

What's your favorite Jeffery Deaver's novels? :) And those of you who haven't read any book written by this author I encourage to do so. Check the Amazon website which books by Jeffery Deaver are available today.