If you like John le Carre

by Debbie Rosenberg

Tuesday, October 19th would have been the 90th birthday of British author, John le Carre who is considered a master of the spy novel.  His stories are realistic, and explore right and wrong. His third novel in the George Smiley series is The Spy who came in from the cold and is a great place to start to find out why he is so good.

If you like John le Carre you might want to try some of these other authors who also write spy or suspense novels. 

 Henning Mankell writes about Swedish police detective Kurt Wallander. His plots are complex and deal with modern life in Sweden. Start with Faceless Killers.

 Ian Rankin writes the Inspector Rebus mysteries which take place in Edinburgh, Scotland. They are the story of a good man dealing with evil.  The first title in the series is Knots and crosses.

 Michael Connelly writes one of my favorite mystery series about L.A. detective Harry Bosch.  He's a Vietnam Vet and is a bit of a loner.  Start with The Black echo.

 Canadian author Louise Penny writes police procedurals about Armand Gamache and his team in Canada's Surete du Quebec.  Today, she is one of my very favorite authors.  You do want to read these in order since the characters continue through the stories.  Start with Still Life

Debbie Rosenberg is a member of Fond du Lac Public Library's reference department.