Series Authors

"Read-Alikes"

Many readers enjoy the experience of re-encountering characters from an author's book in later books. The reading experience mimics life; situations and relationships change, the characters themselves change, grow, usually for better when it's the lead character, but not always (witness Highsmith's "Ripley" books). The phenomenon pretty much started way back with Anthony Trollope, whose Barchester and Palliser novels remain models for sequel-sequence fiction, and many authors popular today have followed suit, among them: Nevada Barr, Patricia Cornwell, Bartholemew Gill, Sue Grafton (whose Milhone books are about to go into a second alphabet), Martha Grimes, Tony Hillerman, A. N. Wilson. If you are a reader who likes to amplify the reading experience, here are some emerging authors of series fiction to try out.

• Ethan Black: his lead character is NYPD's "richest detective," Conrad Voort, whose family predates the City itself, and whose caseload generally includes the sinister. Begins with The Broken Hearts Club (1999).
• P. M. Carlson: The Marty (short for Martine) Hopkins mysteries are as smooth and surprising and tortuous as the limestone pools and quarries and caves of southern Indiana, Marty's home. They also pack some very strange surprises. Starts with Gravestone (1993).
• Stephen Dobyns: Detective reading "lite" set in nearby Saratoga from a former Syracuse resident. These books have mysteries involving laid-back semi-PI Charlie Bradshaw, but they are often more hilarious than mysterious. Starts with Saratoga Swimmer(1981)
• Robert Eversz: The California series featuring papparazza Nina Zero has maintained the tense zaniness it began with in Shooting Elvis (1996)
• Steve Hamilton: his ex-Tigers-farm-system-catcher turned reluctant semi-PI with a fondness for native Canadian beer brings to life Michigan's starkly beautiful upper peninsula. Starts with A Cold Day in Paradise (1999).
• Jonathan King: most recent in a group of authors finding things in Florida more deadly that alligators (although they're there too), these featuring a reclusive ex-Philly cop now doing some P. I. work from his remote cabin in the Everglades. Starts withThe Blue Edge of Midnight(2002).
• Virginia Lanier:The Bloodhound series mixes humor, edginess and sleuthing in stories mixing a mail plot withe several self-contained and interesting episodes. Set in Georgia, down by the swamps. Starts with Death in Bloodhound Red (1995).
• Cathie Pelletier: Her serio-comic (and she goes either way with agility) series about the MacKinnons, Giffords et al. of Mattagash (based really in the tiny Allagash, up by Fort Kent) is quirky must-reading. Begins with The Funeral Makers (1986)
• Preston, Douglas with Lincoln Child: the novels featuring FBI Special Agent Pendergast (some of theirs don't) have an eerie supernatural vibe, esp. since the jury's still out on what to make of the Agent's "Vampiric" traits. Begins with The Relic(1995).
• Ben Rehder: Blanco County Texas game warden John Marlin finds a lot of fishy business going on in his territory, a lot of it very funny, with plenty of red herrings. Begins with Buck Fever (2002).

Does    =     ?

No. No author is truly exactly like another. But writers do share similarities in style, subject matter, atmosphere, attitude, and many intangibles. Here are some author groups with some shared characteristics. Either go by a target author to the drop-down list, or find an author you like in the drop-down list and try others in the group. So, no, Parker does not equal Pelecanos--but there's a good chance if you've read all of Parker or become tired of him for a time, Pelecanos might just be a welcome change.

Russell Banks Paul Auster Robert Boswell Stephen Dobyns Michael Dorris Richard Ford Kent Haruf Matthew Jones Richard Russo Scott Smith	Maeve Binchy Lois Battle Barbara Taylor Bradford Richard Paul Evans Susan Howatch Rosamunde Pilcher Belva Plain Anne Rivers Siddons Nicholas Sparks Danielle Steel Joanna Trollope	James Lee Burke Colin Bateman Lawrence Block Robert Crais Ed McBain Walter Mosley Bill Pronzini John Sandford Andrew Vachhs Stuart Woods
Tom Clancy Larry Bond David Boyne Dale Brown Stephen Coonts Harold Coyle Thomas Gifford W. E. B. Griffin David Poyer Martin Cruz Smith Craig Thomas	Mary Higgins Clark Sandra Brown Carol Higgins Clark Joy Fielding Tami Hoag Victoria Holt Susan Isaacs Judith Michael Barbara Michaels Karen Robards Nora Roberts J. D. Robb Phyllis Whitney	Pat Conroy Ernest Gaines William Hazelgrove John Irving Michael Jaffe Wally Lamb Tim O'Brien Jane Smiley Rebecca Wells
Patricia Cornwell Caleb Carr Michael Connelly Robin Cook Jeffrey Deaver Bartholemew gill Reginald Hill Jonathan Kellerman Lynda LaPlante Dennis LeHane Jennie Melville Carol O'Connell	Helen Fielding Melissa Banks Rafaella Barker Christina Bartolomeo Kate Christenson Jennifer Crusie Katie Fforde June Green Sparkle Hayter Tama Janowitz Marian Keyes Sue Margolis Caroline Preston Laura Zigman	Sue Grafton Nevada Barr Rita Mae Brown Agatha Christie Janet Evanovich P. D. James Sara Paretsky Anne Perry Elizabeth Peters Kate Wilhelm
John Grisham William Bernhardt Jay Brandon Harlan Coben William Coughlin William Diehl Philip Friedman Joseph Garber John Lescroart Philip Margolin Steve Martini Brad Meltzer Patrick O'Shaughnessy Richard North Patterson Barry Reed Nancy Taylor Rosenberg Lisa Scottoline Carsten Stroud Robert Tannenbaum Scott Turow	Carl Hiaasen Edna Buchanan S. V. Date Ben Elton Janet Evanovich Joe Gores Pete Hautman Elmore Leonard John D.MacDonald Lawrence Shames Lana Witt	Tony Hillerman Rudolfo Anaya David Cole Margaret Cole James D. Doss Jean Hager Jamie Harrison J. A. Jance Thomas King Michael McGarrity Linda Shuler Dana Stabenow Aimee Thurlo
Alice Hoffman A. Manette Ansay Edwidge Danticant Margaret Drabble Laura Esquivel Kaye Gibbons Robert Girardi Oscar Hijuelos Barbara Kingsolver Gabriel Garcia Marquez Sharyn McCrumb	Robert Jordan Terry Brooks David Drake David Eddings Raymond E.Feist Terry Goodkind Robin Hobb George R. R. Martin J. R. R. Tolkein	Garrison Keillor Rita Mae Brown Peter De Fries Fannie Flagg Jon Hassler Lorna Landvik Billie Letts Howard Frank Mosher Cathie Pelletier Adriana Trigiani
Stephen King Richard Bachman Clive Barker Dean Koontz John Saul Peter Straub Whitley Stieber F. Paul Wilson Chelsea Quinn Yarbro	Terri McMillen Connie Briscoe Bebe Moore Campbell Pearl Cleage Olivia Goldsmmith Elinor Lipman Gloria Naylor Dawn Turner Trice	Robert Parker Ethan Black Loren Estleman Michael Gruber Steve Hamilton Jonathan King Lisa Miscione James C. Mitchell George Pelecanos
Miss Read E. F. Benson Robert Delderfield James Herriott Jan Karon Terry Kay Nancy Mitford Janette Oke Barbara Pym Angela Thirkill	Anita Shreve Rosellen Brown Kathleen Cambor Jane Hamilton Colin Harrison Jo-Anne Mapson Dierdre McNamer Jacquelyn Mitchard Jane Urquhart Marianne Wiggins	Amy Tan Isabel Allende William Boyd David Guterson Gish Jen V. S. Naipaul Mei Ng Whitney Otto Vikram Seth
Anne Tyler Elizabeth Berg Mary Cahill Kaye Gibbons Shelby Hearon Ann Hood Sue Miller Anna Murdoch Howard Norman Ann Patchett E. Annie Proulx Carolyn See Carol Shields