W. Somerset Maugham
Each year I look forward to new books from my favorite authors, and I discover new talent that adds to that favorite author list. So far this year has been filled with books that have kept me enthralled while teaching me new bits of information. I have also been having fun reading books that you recommended that are ten, fifteen and twenty years old. Some of them truly stand the test of time, and I am so happy for the recommendations.
I decided to return the favor and share with you the books that had an effect on me through the years. I am not sure that you will be able to purchase some of them anymore, but i am sure that your local libraries will be able to help you.
The first book that comes to mind when I think of my all time favorites is Fallback by Peter Niesewand. It was published in 1981 and not currently available on Amazon. It is available on ebooks.com though, and I promise it is worth hunting down. Niesenwand was a journalist and novelist who was born in South Africa but grew up in Rhodesia. His criticism of the government and the conditions there landed him in solitary confinement after a political arrest. He was then deported and made his home in London where he died of a heart attack at 38 years of age.
The story is about a terminally ill computer genius and an intelligence agent who join forces to stop a threat to America. I will say no more, because I refuse to ruin any surprises, but I will say that at one point I got so upset that I threw the book across the room. It is an amazing story, and Niesenwand’s early death was a loss to us all.
Norman Garbo wrote a number of best sellers in the twentieth century, but my favorite is Gaynor’s Passion, about the sole survivor of a plane crash who is convinced he must act as a vigilante against criminals and extremists. Garbo kept my interest at a high peak in that book as well as in his novel, Turner’s Wife. In that book Paul Turner is tracking down the murderer of his wife. He becomes involved in Cold War politics, international intrigue and organized crime, and the reader rarely has time to catch his/her breath. Amazon might be a good place to start for these two.
Robert Kimmel Smith wrote quite a few books that touched the heart of his readers. I enjoyed Jane’s House, a love story between a man and a woman and the memories of his dead wife. Since there were children involved, this pulled on the heartstrings from the first page and kept the reader rooting for a happy ending. I believe Amazon is a possibility for this book too.
Of course John Grisham’s The Firm and Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent are a must for anyone who missed them. They were both career launching thrillers that many other authors tried to emulate. Although I have read quite a few books by these two, I do believe that their first books were my favorites.
If you haven’t read these books yet you might enjoy wandering through the past with these exceptional authors. If you are looking for a more current book, the book that I read/reviewed this week is The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman. Kellerman takes Alex Delaware through another series of adventures in this fast moving thriller.
As always, a complete review of this book follows my blog.
Happy reading,
- Beverly