The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I enjoy murder mysteries but also ones based on suspenseful action. I'm not interested in horror, zombies or gore, just well-done tension. Examples would be Mayday by Nelson DeMille or Exit Plan by Larry Bond. Does anyone have good recommendations of this type?

Russell wrote: "I enjoy murder mysteries but also ones based on suspenseful action. I'm not interested in horror, zombies or gore, just well-done tension. Examples would be Mayday by Nelson DeMille or Exit Plan by..."

Hi Russell , there are so many, but I recommend Gregg Hurwitz, Linwood Barkley, William Kent Krueger, of course Lee Child, Daniel Silva and Vince Fjynn, David Balducci......just to name a few .

June wrote: "Russell wrote: "I enjoy murder mysteries but also ones based on suspenseful action. I'm not interested in horror, zombies or gore, just well-done tension. Examples would be Mayday by Nelson DeMille..."

Willam Kent Kruger is the best. I've read all the Cork O'Conner novels but one, Really enjoy them.

June and Temple, I appreciate these suggestions and will definitely try some of these when I'm in the mood for a murder mystery, but I think I wasn't clear in my OP. I get tired of murder mysteries. I'm looking for tension-filled, action packed stories that do NOT involve murder.

Russell wrote: "I get tired of murder mysteries. I'm looking for tension-filled, action packed stories that do NOT involve murder. "

My first suggestion would be to try some of the 'classics' if you haven't already ... try Alastair MacLean and Desmond Bagley. They are certainly older books but I don't think anyone does action/adventure better. Goodbye, California is one of my favorite Maclean books and High Citadel is one of my favorite Bagley books.

Clive Cussler and David Golemon also have some good ones.

Check out James Rollins. I read Sandstorm, the first of his Sigma Force series and really enjoyed it.

I also really likes the first two Shane Schofield books by Matthew Reilly, Ice Station and Area 7.

Both of these series are military/covert-ops/special-ops type of stories. There is some mystery involved, but the action is what really drives the narrative. I tore through all three books very quickly.

Almost all action books involve a murder or two. If there is not the chance of death there is not much suspense.

John wrote: "Almost all action books involve a murder or two. If there is not the chance of death there is not much suspense."

You have a point. The chance of death can heighten suspense, but as an absolute statement, I have to disagree. It is true that the two books I mentioned involve deaths, but neither involves murder per se. In one case a horrible accident puts lives at risk and in the other the action is military. The suspense in both cases is whether and how the main characters will be able to survive a life-threatening situation. So many murder mysteries involve serial killers or hired hit men, both of which are so implausible that it becomes hard to buy into the story. If you find the plot and characters bogus, there is no suspense or tension.

Russell wrote: "So many murder mysteries involve serial killers or hired hit men, both of which are so implausible that it becomes hard to buy into the story. If you find the plot and characters bogus, there is no suspense or tension...."

Again a good point. Wallace Stroby's Barbed Wire Kiss was compelling, the atmospheric tension of the setting added to the suspense. But his later hit woman book - couldn't get through it because it was so implausible and oh-so-convenient with action sequences

I really liked 'Run' by Jeff Abott. It's a kind of Everyman-forced-to-be-an-action-hero type book, and is actually very pacy and pretty exciting.

His book 'Adrenaline' was also very good.

I also liked 'Velocity' by Dean Koontz, although I reckon that the ending did slightly let it down.

Still, all three are great action-y books!


Edit: I've just looked for 'Run' on Goodreads but can't find it for some reason. I've found it on Amazon so it does still exist though...honest!

I've put Barbed-wire Kiss and Adrenaline on my list at the library. They didn't have Run. Thanks for the recommendations.

Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger books might what you are looking for.

Hmmmm... so, you want a book that is, basically, a true "thriller" with no deaths of any sort in the telling? True thrillers have deaths in them by circumstance, but they're not about the solving of a mysterious death...but you don't want those either?

I'm almost done with Barbed-Wire Kiss and I really enjoy the atmospherics and low-key style. I'm not so sure it fits this thread that closely, but I'm enjoying it. I also loaded the CD audiobook of Adrenaline in my car. I'm listening to the second disk now and I'm not far enough along to judge it yet. It, too, doesn't fit the "not murder" part, but it's not a traditional detective story with a cop or ex-cop doing the solving.