THE THOMSON FAMILY SCRAPBOOK Compiled From Original Scrapbook Of David McCullough Thomson By David McCullough Thomson

Over the past 45 years (beginning in 1977) I have become an avid reader of fiction books. Now I am addicted to reading fiction by a multitude of authors. My reading habit began when my 2nd wife, Mary Ann, left me, with our son, Chris, to live with her parents.

This meant that, once again, I was lving alone, which means I had quite a bit of "free time". Normally, being maried means I was almost always interacting with my wife and doing thing together and hardly ever alone.

Libraries have books for the public to read. So, I went to the Upper Arlington, OH, library (where I was living) and asked a librarian if she could suggest some authors who wrote spy and thrilerr stories. She suggested Rober Ludlum as a good author to start with. Naturally, all the library books were "hard-back".

Soon I was reading, or had read, several of his books and was "hungary" for more. Now, I have read books by over 90 authors who together wrote over 500 books.

Jeanne and I moved to Anderson, South Carolina to to build our new home on a nice lot on a cove of Lake Hartwell. We moved to "escape" the Ohio winters and to be closer to Jeanne's oldest son, Larry, who lived in Easley, 25 minute from from our new home.

Anderson has an exceptional county library. I began checking out books on a regular basis.

Anderson, fortunately, had a used paperback books store, the Book Exchange, where you could buy and exchange books. Books were 50% of book price and the exchange was 25%, a credit. You could buy lots of books really cheap and after reading them, return them for credit on you next purchase. It soon became "standard" to turn in 6-10 books and buy 5-8 that I hadn't read yet.

By buying, as yet unknown (to me) author's books, I eventually discovered most of the author below. Using the internet to look for "Authors that write like ________", I have found many other great authors.

All the fiction books were shelved, almost to the ceiling and down to the floor, along three walls with an island between that held books too. They also has a small column of recently returned books where you could find new releases people purchased elsewheres and, after reading them, exchanged them.

Unfortunately, the Book Exchange closed their door forever late in 2021. There was another "book exchange" in but it was very small (about 10% the size of the Book Exchange) with a limited number of authers. So, I had three choices, all of which is used.

    1. buy paperback book at the local WalMart or Books-A-Million,
    2. visit the Anderson Country Library, or
    3. buy paperback books on the internet.

I chose #2, Anderson County Library as they have a huge collection of the authors I like and similer authors.

Over these past 45 year(begining in 1967) I have compiled a list of authors whose books I have read along with their various title. It is amazing that I compliled a list of 93 authors along with their 472 titles of their books.

My Top 17 are listed below along with a list of their books, 547 total. I orginally wanted my top 10 but there were so many great authers after 10 that I just could stop there.

Here is a list of those authors whose books I have enjoyed most. They fall into three catigories, Spy, Thriller, and Crime (court rooms), and sometime a combination of all three.

AUTHOR	MY COMMENTS ON THE AUTHOR NOTE: Italic paragraphs are from author's home pages as well as content from other webpages.
#1 David Baldacci 38 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"American thriller writer whose 30 adult novels have sold sold more than 110 million copies in more than 80 countries worldwide." "The best-selling thriller writer David Baldacci tells stories about the American Secret Service and the Washington DC corridors of power. Many of his plots and characters are based on his real-life contacts with undercover agents." Titles: "Delivery Us From Evil" "Last Man Standing" "King & Maxwell" "One Summer" "Saving Faith" "Simple Genius" "Split Second" "Stone Cold" "The Camel Club" "The Collectors" "The Sixth Man" "The Simple" "The Target" "Total Control" "True Blue" "Wish You Well" "Zero Day" "Memory Man" "The Guilty" "The Last Mile" "The Finisher" "The Escape" "The Fix" "Hour Game" "Divine Justice" "Hell's Corner" "The Fallen" "End Game" "The Winner" "The Whole Truth" "No Man's Land" "The Forgotten" "The Innocent" "One Good Deed" "Redemption" "Long Road To Mercy" "A Minute To Midnight" "Walk The Wire" Books Made Into Movies/TV     Absolute Power (1997 film), starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, and Ed Harris.\      King & Maxwell (2013 TV series), starring Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romijn      Wish You Well (2013 film), starring Mackenzie Foy, Josh Lucas, and Ellen Burstyn. In my opinion, David Baldacci is the #1 fiction author (2022). <= David Baldacci's Home Page/
#2 Michael Connelly 29 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Michael is the bestselling author of thirty-seven novels and one work of non-fiction. With over eighty million copies of his books sold worldwide and translated into forty-five foreign languages, he is one of the most successful writers working today. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly's 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller." Michael's book are a joy to read. Terrific plots without an undully amount of descriptions. Titles: "The Burning Room" "Dragons" "Lost Light" "The Overlook" "Truck Music" "The Lincoln Lawyer" "The Crossing" "The Scarecrow" "The Closers" "The Fifth Witness" "The Black Box" "The Reversal" "The Brass Verdict" "The Narrows" "Void Moon" "The Concrete Blonde" "The Last Coyote" "City of Bones" "The Wrong Side of Goodby" "Angles Flights" "The Drop" "The Late Show" "Two Kinds Of Truth" "Blood Work" "Dark Sacred Night" "The Gods of Guilt" "The Night Fire" "The Law of Innocence" "The Dark Hours" Three Of His Books Made Into Movies     Lincon Lawyer - "Mick Haller is a defense lawyer who works out of his Lincoln. When a wealthy Realtor is accused of assaulting a prostitute, Haller is asked to defend him. The man claims that the woman is trying to get some money out of him. But when Haller looks at the evidence against him, he learns that this case might be linked to an old case of his."     Blood Work - "During a federal investigation into a local homicide, FBI Special Agent Terry McCaleb goes outside to address the media, but spots the so-called "code murderer" in the crowd. He chases the man and wounds him, but the chase ends when McCaleb suffers a heart attack."     Black Echo - "For LAPD homicide cop Harry Bosch - hero, maverick, nighthawk - the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal. The dead man, Billy Meadows, was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who fought side by side with him in a nightmare underground war that brought them to the depths of hell. Now, Bosch is about to relive the horrors of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city to the tortuous link that must be uncovered, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit." In my opinion, Michael Connelly is #2 fiction author in 2022. (2022). <=Michael Connelly's Home Page
#3 Lee Child 24 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Lee Child has written more than 20 bestselling Jack Reacher novels. Tom Cruise starred as the intrepid investigator in two movies, Jack Reacher and Never Go Back. After being fired from his job at age 40 as a director in the British television industry because of corporate restructuring, Child wrote his first Jack Reacher novel, Killing Floor. With the overnight success of the Jack Reacher series, Child became a bestselling writer. Many readers read short-story collections in snippets, one at a time. However, readers will definitely read No Middle Name in one or two sittings because the stories are so fascinating!" A great author who has a large collection of books. Titles: "61 Hours " "A Wanted Man" "Die Trying" "Bad Luck & Trouble" "Echo Burning" "Gone Tomorrow" "Killing Floor" "Never Go Back" "One Shot" "Running Blind" "Persuader" "The Affair" "Personal" "The Enemy" "Without Fail" "Worth Waiting For" "Worth Dying For" "The Hard Way" "Tripwire" "Night School" "The Midnight Line" "No Middle Name" "Past Tense" "Blue Moon" Books Made Into Movies     Reacher (2012) Starring Tom Cruise     Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) Starring Tom Cruise Lee, and many Hollywood people, were very critical of the producers using Tom Cruise (5'7", 170 lbs), as Jack Reacher (6'5", 250 lbs). I highly recommend this author!. <=Lee-Child's Home Page
#4 Vince Flynn 7 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"After college he went to work for Kraft General Foods where he was an account and sales marketing specialist. In 1990 he left Kraft to accept an aviation candidate slot with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officers Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program, due to several concussions and convulsive seizures he suffered growing up. While trying to obtain a medical waiver for his condition, he started thinking about writing a book. This was a very unusual choice for Flynn since he had been diagnosed with dyslexia in grade school and had struggled with reading and writing all his life. Having been stymied by the Marine Corps, Flynn returned to the nine-to-five grind and took a job with United Properties, a commercial real estate company in the Twin Cities. During his spare time he worked on an idea he had for a book. After two years with United Properties he decided to take a big gamble. He quit his job, moved to Colorado, and began working full time on what would eventually become Term Limits. Like many struggling artists before him, he bartended at night and wrote during the day. Five years and more than sixty rejection letters later he took the unusual step of self-publishing his first novel. The book went to number one in the Twin Cities, and within a week had a new agent and two-book deal with Pocket Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint." Born: April 6, 1966, Saint Paul, MN Died: June 19, 2013, Saint Paul, MN Kyle Mills now writes Lee Child books. Titles: "Act of Treason" "Extreme Measures" "Executive Powers" "Consent To Kill" "Kill Shot" "PUrsuit of Honor" "The Third Option" "Memorial Day" "Protect and Defend" "Separation Of Powers" "The Last Man" "The Survivor" "Order to Kill" "The Third Option" "Lethal Agent" Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns. Books Made Into Movies     American Assassin - "Mitch Rapp, an undercover CIA counter-terrorism agent whose primary objective is thwarting terrorist attacks on the United States and portrayed with having an aggressive stance (aka no non-sense) attitude as he takes measures that are more extreme than many might consider commonly acceptable." I highly recommend this author!. <=Vince Flynn Home Page
#5 BEN COES 9 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Ben Coes was born in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in West Simsbury, Connecticut. He attended the Groton School, a boarding school in Massachusetts which counts Franklin D. Roosevelt among its alumni. Coes attended Columbia College in New York City, where he was awarded the university's writing prize, the Bennett Cerf Memorial Award.[3] Coes started his career as a White House intern under President Ronald Reagan, and then served as the White House-appointed speechwriter for former U.S. Secretary of Energy James D. Watkins under President George H. W. Bush. He also wrote speeches for T. Boone Pickens and was campaign manager for Mitt Romney's 2002 run for governor of Massachusetts. He is a managing partner at The Mustang Group, a private equity firm, which has invested in a number of companies, including Cascade Lacrosse, Vermont Teddy Bear, Scribe Software, Mr. Youth, CrowdTap, Country Club Enterprises, Net Direct Merchants, and SOG Specialty Knives, and is a former fellow of the Harvard University Institute of Politics." wikipedia.org Titles: "Power Down" "Coup D'etat" "Blood Sunday" "Independance Day" "Trap The Devil" "EYE For An Eye" "The Last Refuse" "The Island" "First Strike" Ben's principal characture is Dewey Andreas. "Former Army Ranger turned elite operative Dewey Andreas is America's best line of defense in the War on Terror in New York Times bestselling author Ben Coes's action-packed thriller series, the Dewey Andreas Novels. Since his first appearance in Power Down, Andreas has taken on military and political enemies, both foreign and domestic, on covert-op missions that have had him hailed as "a hero who ranks with the protagonists in a Vince Flynn or Brad Thor thriller" (The Associated Press)." I found Ben's books in the Anderson County Library in 2023 after a Google search for "Authors like Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, and Lee Child. I highly recommend this author!. <=Ben Coes Home Page
#6 James Patterson 37 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	James' books had to be on my list as he is, after all, the #1 best seller of books in the world. "James Patterson is the world's bestselling author. His enduring fictional characters and series include Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and Ali Cross, along with such acclaimed works of narrative nonfiction as Walk in My Combat Boots, E.R. Nurses, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. Bill Clinton (The President Is Missing) and Dolly Parton (Run, Rose, Run) are among his notable literary collaborators. For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal. The National Book Foundation presented him with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, and he is also the recipient of an Edgar Award and nine Emmy Awards. He lives in Florida with his family." 28 titles I have read out of 322 he has written (2022). Titles: "7th Haven" "3rd Degree" "Black Market" "Midnight Club" "Judge & Jury" "London Bridges" "Kill Alex Cross" "Kiss the Girls" "Mary, Mary" "The 6th Target" "The Quickie" "The 8th Confession" "The Judgment" "The Dangerous Days of Daniel" "You're Been Warned" "Violets Are Blue" "Witch & Wizard" "When the Wind Blows" "Triple Homicide" "Hope To Die" "Cross Country" "Home Sweek Murder" "Murder Beyond The Grave" "Criss Cross" "See How They Run" "Private India" "The Jester" "First To Die" "The Postcard Killers" 3 Books Of His Books Made Into Movies     Kiss the Girls (1997) - "The protagonist is Alex Cross, a sharp Washington D.C. cop, and forensic psychologist. His niece is kidnapped and held captive by a serial killer by the name of Cassanova. One of his victims who escaped, Kate, joins forces with Alex to find his niece."     Along Came a Spider (2001) - "Another movie in the Alex Cross series, Morgan Freeman returns as the titular psychologist and detective. Alex loses his partner on the job. Experiencing insurmountable guilt, he retires from working in the field. That is until a senator's daughter is kidnapped and the criminal will only deal with Alex.     First to Die (2003) - "Homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer is dealing with a lot. In the case of her career, her team successfully captures a serial killer but she also finds herself falling for her partner. All the while, she is secretly handling a life-threatening disease. I highly recommend this author!. <=James Patterson Home Page
#7 Kyls Mills 7 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read. (Does not include some books written under other author's name.)	Kyle Mills is a Best Seller author. He was selected by Vince Flynn's family to write books under Vince's name. "Kyle Mills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two political thrillers, including Total Power, Lethal Agent, and Red War for Vince Flynn and The Patriot Attack for Robert Ludlum. He initially found inspiration from his father, the former director of Interpol, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism. Avid outdoor athletes, he and his wife split their time between Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Granada, Spain. Visit his website at KyleMills.com or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @KyleMillsAuthor." Titles: "Sphere of Influence" "Burn Factor" "Rising Phoenix" "The Second Horseman" "Smoke Screen" "Burn Factor" "Storming Heaven" "O'Reilly, Victor" I highly recommend this author!. <=Kyle Mills' Home Page
#8 Robert Ludlum 21 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	The first author I started reading. He writes very convolutted plots that, at times, have too must detailed description of events. "Many of Ludlum's novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Covert One: The Hades Factor, a book co-written with Gayle Lynds, was originally conceived as a mini-series; the book evolved from a short treatment Ludlum wrote for NBC. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material." Titles: "Apocalypse Watch" "The Matarese Countdown" "The Paris Option" "The Amber Warning" "The Bancroft Strategy" "The Janson Directive" "The Icarus Agenda" "The Tristan Betrayal" "Prometheus Decption" "The Cry of The Halidon" Books Of His Books Made Into Movies     The Bourne Identity - When the actions of Jason Bourne spark a fire that threatens to burn down decades of research across a number of secret intelligence agencies, Eric Byer (Edward Norton), the man who built the programs, decides he must sacrifice one of them: Outcome. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), one of Outcome's six agents, and research scientist Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) go on the run when Byer targets them for termination. But Cross proves to be a far deadlier target than Byer realizes."     The Bourne Supremacy - Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is living in India when he is framed by Russian agent Kirill (Karl Urban) for the theft of millions from the CIA. Kirill begins to pursue Bourne, intending to assassinate him -- but while Bourne and his girlfriend, Marie (Franka Potente), are on the run, a shot meant for him kills her instead. Vowing revenge, Bourne sets out to prove his innocence and bring the culprits to justice, but he has to evade CIA head Pamela Landry (Joan Allen), who is convinced he is guilty."     The Bourne Legacy - When the actions of Jason Bourne spark a fire that threatens to burn down decades of research across a number of secret intelligence agencies, Eric Byer (Edward Norton), the man who built the programs, decides he must sacrifice one of them: Outcome. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), one of Outcome's six agents, and research scientist Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) go on the run when Byer targets them for termination. But Cross proves to be a far deadlier target than Byer realizes."     The Bourne Ultimatum - A former CIA assassin continues his quest to fill in memory gaps. When a `Guardian' reporter stumbles onto his trail, the man spies his chance to blow the Blackbriar black-ops brigade wide open. With some very powerful people intent on keeping their skeletons buried, he is in more danger than ever before, as his former paymasters send a series of elite killers after their reformed ex-colleague."     Jason Bourne - "It's been 10 years since Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) walked away from the agency that trained him to become a deadly weapon. Hoping to draw him out of the shadows, CIA director Robert Dewey assigns hacker and counterinsurgency expert Heather Lee to find him. Lee suspects that former operative Nicky Parsons is also looking for him. As she begins tracking the duo, Bourne finds himself back in action battling a sinister network that utilizes terror and technology to maintain unchecked power." I highly recommend this author!. <=Robert Ludlum's Home Page
#8 William Bernhardt 15 Titles * - Number of his books I have read.	"Bernhardt has sold more than 10 million books in the United States and around the world. He has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award 17 times in three categories (Fiction, Poetry, and Young Adult) and has won twice, in 1995 and 1999. In 1998 he received the Southern Writers Guild's Gold Medal Award. In 2000, he was honored with the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award, given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." " Titles: "Capitol Offense" "Criminal Intent" "Cruel Justice" "Dark Justice" "Death Row" "Deathly Justice" "Extreme Justice" "Murder One" "Silence Justice" "Primary Justice" "Double Jeopardy" "Capital Murder" "Capital Betrayal" "Hate Crimes" "Perfect Justice" <= William Bernhardt's Home Page Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns. I highly recommend this author!.
#9 Mark Greaney 7 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Mark Greaney is the #1 NYT Bestselling of The Gray Man series, the 12th of which, Burner, will be available in February 2022. He is also the author or co-author of 7 Tom Clancy Jack Ryan novels and Red Metal, co-written with Lt. Col. Rip Rawlings. In research for his works, Mark has traveled to dozens of countries, visited the Pentagon, military bases, and intelligence agencies, and trained alongside military and law enforcement. The Netflix adaptation of The Gray Man, staring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas, was released in July, 2022. Court Gentry, a former CIA operative, now an international hired assassin. To those who lurk in the shadows, he's known as the Gray Man. He is a legend in the covert realm, moving silently from job to job, accomplishing the impossible and then fading away." **** It was about 2020 when I first found Mark's books. The Gray Man is an outstanding character. Mark lives and works in Memphis, TN." Titles: "Agent In Place" "The Gray Man" "Mission Critical" "Back Blast" "Gunmetal Gray" "One Minute Out" "Dead Eye" I could have place Mark much higher in my list. Mark has written 7 Tom Clancy Jack Ryan novels and Red Metal. His books are easy to read books! This is another of my "Highly Recommend" author's book. <=Mark Greaney's Home Page
#10 Joseph Finder 13 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Joseph Finder is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen previous suspense novels, including JUDGMENT, THE SWITCH, THE FIXER and SUSPICION. He introduced "private spy" Nick Heller in VANISHED, an instant bestseller, and the continuing series includes BURIED SECRETS, GUILTY MINDS and HOUSE ON FIRE. Joe's novels HIGH CRIMES and PARANOIA have been adapted as major motion pictures. GUILTY MINDS and COMPANY MAN won the Barry Award for Best Thriller. An international bestseller, KILLER INSTINCT won the International Thriller Writers' Thriller Award for Best Novel. BURIED SECRETS won the Strand Critics Award for Best Novel. A founding member of the International Thriller Writers, Joe is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Russian Research Center, and lives in Boston." Titles: "Buried Secrets" "Company Man" "Extraordinary Powers" "High Crimes" "Paranoia" "The Zero Game" "The Stalking Man" "Killer Instinct" "Power Play" "Vanished" "Guild Minds" "Suspicion" "The Fixer" <= Joseph Finder You won't regret reading any of Joe's books! I highly recommend this author!.
#11 Harlan Coben 26 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Harlan Coben is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists." "With over 75 million copies of his books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the #1 New York Times author of thirty three novels including WIN, THE BOY FROM THE WOODS, RUN AWAY, FOOL ME ONCE, TELL NO ONE and the renowned Myron Bolitar series. His books are published in 45 languages around the globe." Titles: "Back Spin" "Caught" "Darkest Fear" "Deal Breaker" "Gone For Good" "Just One Look" "Hold Tight" "Long Lost" "Live Wire" "Play Dead" "Promise Me" "Miracle Cure" "Missing You" "No Second Chance" "One False Move" "Six Years" "Stay Close" "Tell No One" "The Innocent" "The Woods" "The Final Detail" "The Stranger" "Fool Me Once" "Fade Away" "Home" "Don't Let Go" TV Series and Mini-Series (View Trailers) Hold Tight - "When a young man goes missing soon after his friend dies, life in a tight-knit, affluent Warsaw suburb slowly unravels, exposing secrets and lies."        Stay Close - "The lives of a photojournalist, a soccer mom and a homicide detective are disturbed by a terrible event from the past.        Gone for Good - "Guillaume thought he had drawn a line under the terrible tragedy which saw the two people he loved the most die. Ten years later, Judith, whose love has made his life worth living again, suddenly disappears during his mother's funeral."        The Innocent - "An accidental killing leads a man down a dark hole of intrigue and murder. Just as he finds love and freedom, one phone call brings back the nightmare."        The Woods - "In Warsaw, a prosecutor's hopes rise after a body is found and linked to his sister's disappearance 25 years earlier."        The Stranger - Follows the lives of suburban families whose secrets and lies are made public by the appearance of a stranger."        Safe - After his teenage daughter goes missing, a widowed surgeon begins uncovering dark secrets of the people closest to him."        The Five - A mystery series created by author Harlan Coben. Jesse, a five-year-old boy, goes missing. Twenty years later, his DNA shows up at a crime scene." Titles "Bones" "Compulsion" "Evidence" "Flesh and Blood" "Guild" "Mystery" "Monster" "Rage" "Survival Of The Fittest" "The Comspiracy Club" "Twisted" "Victims" "Over The Edge" "Self-Defence" "The Clinic" "Dr. Death" "Half Moon Bay" "Kerley, Jack" Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns. <= Harlan Coben
#12 Steve Martini 17 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Steve Martini was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area and Southern California. An honors graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, Martini's first career was in journalism. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles and as a correspondent at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, specializing in legal issues, before gaining his law degree from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law. In 1974 he entered private law practice in California where he appeared in both state and federal courts. During his law career he worked as a legislative representative for the State Bar of California, served as special counsel to the California Victims of Violent Crimes Program, and was an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer. In 1984, Martini turned his talents to fiction. COMPELLING EVIDENCE, the novel that introduced attorney Paul Madriani, was published by Putnam in 1992. A national bestseller, that novel earned Martini a critical and popular following. Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns." Titles: "Critical Mass" "Compelling Evidence" "Double Tap" "Guardian Of Lies" "Shadow Of Power" "The Judge" "Prime Witness" "The List" "The Arrangnment" "The Attorney" "The Jury" "The Rule of Nines" "Trader of Secrets" "Undue Influence" "The Enemy Inside" "Blood Flag" "The Simeon Chamber" Movies & Mini-Series "THE JUDGE aired as a two part miniseries on NBC in May 2001. Cast of characters included Chris Noth as Paul Madriani and Edward Olmos as Judge Acosta. In addition, UNDUE INFLUENCE aired as a television mini-series in 1996, starring Brian Dennehy and Patricia Richardson. Currently, there are no other plans for movies." <= Steve Martini I highly recommend this author!.
#13 Jonathan Kellerman 16 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a TV movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999), as well as the illustrated art book, WITH STRINGS ATTACHED: THE ART AND BEAUTY OF VINTAGE GUITARS. Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine." Titles: "Bones" "Compulsion" "Evidence" "Flesh and Blood" "Guild" "Mystery" "Monster" "Rage" "Survival Of The Fittest" "The Comspiracy Club" "Twisted" "Victims" "Over The Edge" "Self-Defence" "The Clinic" "Dr. Death" <=Jonathan Kellerman Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns.
#14 Brad Meltzer 9 Titles * - Number of his books I have read.	"Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Rod, The Escape Artist, and eleven other bestselling thrillers. He also writes non-fiction books like The Nazi Conspiracy, about a secret plot to kill FDR, Stalin, and Winston Churchill at the height of WWII - and the Ordinary People Change the World kids book series, which he does with Chris Eliopoulos and inspired the Emmy-nominated TV show on PBS KIDS, Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. His newest kids books are I am Dolly Parton and I am IM Pei. In addition to his fiction, Brad is one of the only authors to ever have books on the bestseller list for Non-Fiction (The First Conspiracy), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children's Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and even comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award." Titles: "The First Counsel" "The Tenth Justice" "The Zero Game" "The Millionaries" "Fifth Assassin" "The Book of Fate" "The Book of Lies" "The Escape Artist" "Dead Even" <=Brad Meltzer Excellant thillers. Definately an author to invistigate.
#15 William Coughlin 7 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"William Jeremiah Coughlin (1929 - 1992) is the popular author behind such novels as The Twelve Apostles, Her Father's Daughter, Her Honor, In The Presence Of Enemies, and Shadow of a Doubt (1991). He also wrote Cain's Chinese Adventure and The Mark of Cain under the pseudonym Sean A. Key.[1] Coughlin combined a career as a United States administrative judge in Detroit with that of a best selling novelist. It is often thought that his experience as a judge may have been some inspiration for his law- and courtroom-themed thrillers." Titles: "7th Haven" "3rd Degree" "Black Market" "Midnight Club" "Judge & Jury" "Shadow Of A Doubt" "In The Presence Of Enemies" "Death Penalty" "Proof of Intent" "The Court Judgment" /dl> "Dobbs, Lou and James O. Born" <=William Coughlin Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns.
#16 Robert Tanenbaum 11 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Robert K. Tanenbaum is the author of thirty-two books-twenty-nine novels and three nonfiction books: Badge of the Assassin, the true account of his investigation and trials of self-proclaimed members of the Black Liberation Army who assassinated two NYPD police officers; The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer; and Echoes of My Soul, the true story of a shocking double murder that resulted in the DA exonerating an innocent man while searching for the real killer. The case was cited by Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren in the famous Miranda decision. He is one of the most successful prosecuting attorneys, having never lost a felony trial and convicting hundreds of violent criminals. He was a special prosecution consultant on the Hillside strangler case in Los Angeles and defended Amy Grossberg in her sensationalized baby death case." Titles: "Reversible Error" "Material Witness" "Justice Denied" "Corruption of Blood" "Falsely Accused" "Irresistible Impulse" "Reckless Endangerment" "Act of Revenge" "True Justice" "Enemy Within" "Absolute Rage" <=Robert K. Tanenbaum Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns.
#17 Brad Thor 17 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Brad has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Analytic Red Cell Unit. He has also lectured to law enforcement organizations on over-the-horizon/future threats, and has been a keynote speaker for the National Tactical Officers Association annual conference. In 2008, Brad shadowed a Black Ops team in Afghanistan to research his thriller, The Apostle. Brad graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California where he studied creative writing, film, and television production. Prior to becoming a novelist, Brad was the award-winning creator, producer, writer and host of the critically acclaimed national public television series, Traveling Lite. Titles: "Path of the Assassin"" "State of the Union" "Blowback" "Takedown" "The First Commandment" <=Brad Thor Another of the early authors I read. Always interesting plot with lots of turns."
#18 Steve Berry 12 Titles* * - Number of his books I have read.	"Steve Berry and his wife, Elizabeth, travel the world both researching and promoting his books. One comment they hear repeatedly concerns the dwindling supply of funds available to preserve our heritage. So Steve and Elizabeth launched History Matters to assist communities around the world with restoration and preservation. What if these rarities are not preserved? The answer is clear. Those links to our past will be irretrievably broken. Money for historic preservation and conservation is one of the first things cut from both governments' and individuals' budgets. Steve and Elizabeth thought it was time to come up with an innovative way to raise money. On April 4, 2017, Steve and Richard Stamm, Curator of the Smithsonian Castle and a character in The Lost Order, led a group of 50 people on a special behind-the-scenes tour as a History Matters fundraiser for the Smithsonian Libraries of the Smithsonian Castle. The group explored all of the Castle's nooks and crannies, visiting secret places the public never sees, places that are part of The Lost Order. Prior to that, earlier in the day, Steve and Rick led a group from C-SPAN on the same tour which was broadcast on Sunday, August 13 on C-SPAN3." Titles "The Amber Room" "The Patriot" "The Charlemagne Pursuit" "The Columbus Affair" "The Kings Deception" "The Paris Vendetta" "The Romanov Prophecy" "The Templar Legacy" "The Third Secret" "The Lincoin Myth" "The Emperor's Tomb" "The Lost Order" Writes very good stories. <=Steve Berry Some of his books are somewhat "hard" to get through. But, still a very interesting author and one to consider in the future.

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