I picked up a copy of this book today. It is the first Alex Cross novel by Patterson. Have never read any of his stuff and was in the mood for a mystery/thriller. Figured I'd start with the beginning.

Any other authors y'all would recommend?

Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island, Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone)

Also, Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto is great. He's the guy that wrote True Detective.

Michael Connelly

Raymond Chandler

I've only read one Alex Cross novel. Maybe I picked the wrong one, but it was laughably bad. Haven't dared to try another. Maybe it's me...

Harlan Coben.

This caught my eye, as I just started this audiobook myself. I like it so far!

I'm a huge Stephen King fan myself, but I know I could spend forever just trying to get caught up on his catalog, so I've been dabbling in what I would consider mystery "classics" by different authors.

I read "The Maltese Falcon" by Hammett, then Agatha Christie's first Hercule Poirot book, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", the first Perry Mason novel "The Case of the Velvet Claws", and the first Sherlock Holmes novel "A Study in Scarlet". It's interesting to see the different styles, as well as dialogue and situations that are from entirely different times and places from what we're used to.

So I might suggest that you jump around a bit to see what you like and to get a variety!

Appreciate all the suggestions. I used to read Robert B Parker's Spencer novels. Always loved them but have not read in the genre much besides those.

I'm a big fan of the "Prey" series by John Sanford - been reading them for years - that led me over to the Virgil Flowers books - They ain't fine literature but I get real enjoyment out of them - started them back in paperback but now I love the audiobooks