So bored of the ‘Girl on a Train’Genre! HELP!

Don't read 'The Wife Between Us' then.

Very good twist at the end but the jumping backwards and forwards was so distracting I gave up caring about whichever wife I was supposed to care about.

If you haven't read them I recommend Jojo Moyes.....Me before you, After you and Still me. It's a trilogy. Like you I needed something different and they certainly fitted the bill. I loved them and am going to re-read them shortly.

Merlotgran, exactly. Its advertised as having ‘a shocking twist you didnt see coming’
GRRRRR. Yet another bad Richard and Judy recommendation.

MarinaL, have never tried Jojo Moyes. Will give one a try, and going to delete half the rubbish books on my kindle.

I have enjoyed Amanda Brookfield and Judith Lennox in the past.

Ann Cleeves?

My friend is a published author, she now has three books and a fourth is on the way. Her books are not to my taste but they are well written and sound like the sort you are looking for. Her name is Lesley Eames and I have seen them on Amazon and in my local library.

I’ve just seen ‘The trapped wife* on Amazon Kindle for 99p the description really intrigued me. I have no idea if it is any good but I shall buy it tomorrow.

I started reading the Jojo Moyes trilogy last year, I was blown away by them and can remember all the characters now. Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster. ‘Me before you’ is book 1.

Lots of scope- Lucinda Riley’s books are well researched, well written and entertaining. Sadly she died recently but left a lot of really enjoyable books.
Have you tried Kate Atkinson or Kate Morton?
Victoria Hislop is massively popular (and prolific) too.
So many to choose from but I can’t think of any books written in the second person (you) ) - do you mean third (he/she) ?

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. An excellent tale.

Another vote here for Jo Jo Moyes.

Also. Jenny Eclair books. I particularly liked, Life, Death and Vanilla Slices.

Have you read Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler books ?

Good gentle detective stories ,set in a cathedral city, entwined with Simon’s family and relationships .

I’m looking forward to the next one on October 7th .

I enjoyed The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. I learned about the blue skinned people of Kentucky which I had never heard of

Have you tried Lynda La Plante ? Her Jane Tennison series is well worth a read.

I also like political thrillers. The President is Missing and The President's Daughter by James Patterson and Bill Clinton were both good.

Tom Bradby, the ITV news anchor, writes very good thrillers.

So many books, so little time.

Not a big fan of JoJo Moyes I'm afraid. If you want crime novels try Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books or, for a refreshing change, try Sujata Massey's books about a lady lawyer in 1920s India.

Something different; Lindsay Davis' novels set in the Roman Empire. The Falco series is both humorous and intriguing as Falco, an informer for the Emperor Vespasian, uncovers dirty dealing in both high and low society.

If you like police thrillers you can't go wrong with the Peter James ones ( they all have Dead in the title - Dead Simple, Looking Good Dead, Not Dead Enough etc) out of 17 books, there have only been 2 that I found a little disappointing.

I really enjoyed the Jane Tennison series Sar.Also second the recommendations of Ann Cleeves and Kate Atkinson.As you say so many books, so little time!

Recommend anything by Susan Lewis

I’m definitely not a fan of JoJoMoyes but another vote for Kate Atkinson especially Life after Life and A God in Ruins and Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler stories (terrific in audio format).

I’ve also enjoyed Kate Morton and Victoria Hislop novels.

Margaret Atwood is hard to beat whichever genre she’s writing in. The Blind Assassin and The Robber Bride are stand out.

Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead series is beautifully written.

Recently, I’ve also enjoyed books my Madeleine St John, Elizabeth McCracken, Emily St John Mandel, Monique Roffey and Margaret Forster.

Look at Virago for classic and contemporary fiction by women writers- maybe try their 2021 bookclub list. I’m just finished The Wedding by Dorothy West (not on the list) which is an extraordinary novel about colour. How about this list? Just what came up when I was searching for the West novel. An eclectic mix.

www.virago.co.uk/?s=the+wedding

I’m currently on a bit of an Ali Smith binge. Her Seasons Quartet - read them in the order Autumn through Summer - is excellent.

It’s the centenary of Patricia Highsmith’s birth. The Ripley novels are old-fashioned (he’d never get away with it now) but page-turning thrillers.

Check BBC Radio 4s A Good Read. Lot’s of back editions to listen to.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v8jn/episodes/player

Also, of you are looking for similar writers to those you have enjoyed, take a look at Who Else Writes Like? - you can sign in with a library card.

www.whoelsewriteslike.com/authors

Reading choices are very subjective and not a lot of thrillers in here but I do hope there’s something to inspire you.

I realise, I’ve only nominated woman so to address the balance a little, Anthony Doerr and Richard Powers are just two of many male writers whose books I have enjoyed. Powers is currently Booker shortlisted for his latest, Bewilderment.

I know what you mean Sophiasnana those books are overhyped and not to my taste either. Another vote here for Kate Atkinson and Susan Hill. Well written with interesting characters. I also like MJ Lee and the Ridpath books.
Marian Keyes is usually good. I also like Elly Giffiths and her Ruth Galloway books.

I couldn’t put down ‘The Four Winds’ or ‘The Nightingale’ by Kristin Hannah. Now I’m reading another of hers ‘The Great Alone’. All cracking reads IMO.

Totally agree with you about ‘Girl on the Train’.! Beyond tedious.

I’m another big fan of Kate Atkinson, and she definitely fits the bit of romance/bit of thriller bill. I’ve just recently discovered Jonathan Coe - I’ve really enjoyed the trilogy starting with The Rotters’ Club. Not much of a thriller, but there are a couple of family mysteries in there that are solved eventually. Another oldie I always used to love is P D James.

For straightforward good writing (but no thrills), I’d recommend trying Ann Tyler.

MaggieMaybe Good choices. If you like Jonathan Coe, what about John Lanchester? I enjoyed Capital. There was a TV series but the audio book was better (imo).