The Thrill Ride Questionnaire!

 

For details of this week, go to Tea Time with Marce's Blog!

What is your favourite genre out of Thriller, Mystery, Suspense and Horror? Why?

• Mystery, because I like Who Dunnit! Leave me clues and let me guess! I love twists and turns. I love story that takes me by surprise. That's why I don't really like reading chick-lit type of books because they are too predictable
  
• I don't know exactly how thriller and suspense differ, but I do like reading legal & medical thriller, and psychological suspense. Horror is probably my least favorite out of the four genres.

Who are your top 3 authors in those genres?

• Jeffery Deaver
• Jeffery Deaver
• Jeffery Deaver!
• Need I say it one more time? :) The reason he is my top author is because his story has so many twists and turns, and I can't always guess what'd happen. I love that his books included technical forensic science details, but not so much that they get boring. I don't think other authors are close to his style... anyone think of any?

Tell us who your favourite male and female authors are in the genre?

• Do I need to repeat my favorite male author again? :) Though I have to say, I much prefer Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series ("The Bone Collector" - a detective turned quadriplegic forensic scientist with a brilliant mind), than his stand alone books. The Kathryn Dance series is also good but not as good as Lincoln Rhyme (she is an interrogator and body language expert with the California Bureau of Investigation) but it is a relatively new series yet.
  
  
• Patricia Cornwell used to be a favorite - her Kay Scarpetta series is similar to that of Lincoln Rhyme. In the beginning Scarpetta  was the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia and works in Richmond. It provided some technical pathological information that was very interesting, and I learned something new from every book. However, the recent books weren't that good anymore... the characters I once loved became unlikable. The twists and turns just weren't there anymore. The series just went downhill... I can't even remember from which book on it started to get bad... I kept giving her 2nd chances, or 3rd and 4th chances... I even borrowed the latest but ended up returning it to the library without reading it. Very sad that the series is dying before your eyes. I'd still recommend you read the early books! So now my favorite female author is probably Tess Gerritsen with her Rizzoli/Isles series (Jane Rizzoli is a cop and Maura Isles is a medical examiner though Dr Isles wasn't introduced until Book 2). Tess Gerristen was a doctor herself before she turned into a full time writer. So I liked that her book has medical knowledge too.

What book do you remember loving but don't remember the details? Maybe you should read it again now.

• To be honest, I don't usually remember much of the details after I finish reading this genre. This genre is the "fluff" for me, I read it for fun (did I guess the killer?). The only one I really remember is Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane just because it has a brilliant ending similar to that of the Sixth Sense. I don't usually re-read books though.. and there are so many new authors and books out there that I want to try first!

What has been your favourite book this year so far:

• I don't know if The Human Bobby: A Novel by Gabe Rotter really falls into this genre (since it said "A Novel" instead of "A Thriller" or "XYZ Mystery"), but it is so fast paced and so full of twists that it almost reads like a suspense novel - the basic story is that Dr Bobby Flopkowski used to have everything - a loving wife, a cute son, and a successful pediatric practice. But things went downhill after their son disappeared - who took the son?
  
  
• If The Human Bobby doesn't count, then Revelations by Laurel Dewey. This is the 3rd Jane Perry (a cop) novel and I haven't read the rest of the series. I like the characters, and I like how Dewey ended the book

What series or trilogy would you recommend in these genres?

• Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver (surprise!)
• Kathryn Dance series by Jeffery Deaver (surprise surprise!)
• Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell (early books)
• Rizzoli/Isles series by Tess Gerritsen
• Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley (if you like a very cute protagonist! Plot is a bit weaker)

Recommend 1 or 2 books that you think more around the blogosphere should read.

• The Human Bobby: A Novel by Gabe Rotter. I really am blown away. Almost returned it to the library without reading it because the first chapter was so-so, but I am glad I kept on reading!

What authors have you tried and look forward to reading more from them? 

• Apart from the names I keep repeating above, I'd read Laurel Dewey's Jane Perry series, and if I am in the mood for a cute read, then the Flavia de Luce seires by Alan Bradley. 

• I am a bit torn about whether I will continue with the I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells series - I really like the main character, but there was one element of the book (sorry to be vague, but it'd be a spoiler) that I doesn't appeal to me... does Book 2 and Book 3 get better or at least give more of an explanation to that element?

•  Creep by Jennifer Hillier - this was her debut and I may give her next book a try if she continues to write
  
  
• The Shepherd by Ethan Cross - this too was his first novel and is set up to be a series (I think!) so will probably read the next one to see if the main character develops further
  
  
• Iron House: A Novel by John Hart - my first Hart book. It was good but not great, and people had mentioned his earlier books were better

What authors in the above genres are on your TBR list but you haven't tried yet?  Who should I read soon?

• Jefferson Bass (note - "Jefferson Bass is the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson. Dr. Bill is a Forensic Anthropologist and Jon Jefferson is a veteran journalist, science writer, and documentary filmmaker." They have also written some non-fiction books on the topic.) I may have read one of their books but I don't remember. I'd like to try them again as it seems like they will include forensic details I like

• Marcus Sakey - I had read many good reviews of The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes so I want to give him a try!

• Sam Hayes - because Tea Time With Marce gave such a glowing review of her book Tell-Tale!

• Linwood Barclay - recently read many positive reviews of his latest The Accident: A Thriller. Some mentioned to start with his earlier works, No Time For Goodbye and Too Close to Home.

• Michael Connelly - heard that the Lincoln Lawyer is pretty good?

• Jo Nesbø - the Harry Hole (seriously!) is supposed to be good too.

PS - Here are a list of books I'd read this year so far under this genre. Let me know if you have questions about any of them! I haven't reviewed a lot of them yet...

•     A World I Never Made by James LePore 
•     Still Life by Joy Fielding
•     The Shepherd by Ethan Cross
•     The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1) by Alan Bradley
•     Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon
•     Odd Jobs by Ben Lieberman
•     Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
•     I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
•     The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
•     Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
•     Revelations by Laurel Dewey
•     Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel by S. J. Watson
•     These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf 
•     Creep by Jennifer Hillier
•     Iron House: A Novel by John Hart
•     The Human Bobby: A Novel by Gabe Rotter

Go to Marce's blog to read everyone else's answers! 

:)

Thanks for organizing, Marce!