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? :)