A Very Chatty Thriller Novel Book Haul
Hello, Book Lover!
So, way back at the end of April, I decided I wanted to start filming a regular thriller novel book haul on my YouTube Channel every month. I aimed to share them here on this blog, because I’m a bit of a bibliophile and a game nerd, as you can see by the wall of bookshelves behind me in the video. In my defence, the books and games aren’t all mine. My husband, Roland also has a bit of a book problem – he’s a book nerd and a game nerd. Actually, he came with the games and some of them are super cool, but I digress.
A Classic Over-Thinker
As you can see from the content on this blog, I failed to follow through with my plans to film a monthly thriller novel book haul. Well, I did the book purchasing and put them in piles according to purchase dates, then I kept putting it off because I’m a classic over-thinker. Instead of buying books, then filming myself talking about why I purchased said books, I over-thought the book haul process. I convinced myself that I needed to talk about why I purchased the book, accurately discuss the synopsis and all of those things.
In this particular book haul, I’ve included books in the mystery, thriller, suspense, and crime genres, because I write in and most of the books I read are in these genres. But occasionally, I’ll read fantasy or historical fiction. In saying that, many of the books I read, regardless of genre, have elements of crime, thriller, and suspense, because it’s what I love to read. I like something that’s fast-paced, but I’ve started purchasing fantasy novels, but that’s for a different haul. In this haul, I’m going to keep it strictly to thrillers because I’m a bit of a thriller novel nerd.
My Book Buying Habits
Just a side note, my husband I live in London, and we buy our physical books from two different chains of bookstores called Waterstones and Foyles. These the two brands are the biggest chains of bookstores you can find in London. In London, you can find independent bookstores, but generally where we’ve lived there has been a Waterstone’s or Foyle’s bookstore close to us and no independent ones. So, that’s where I buy physical books. I do read via audiobook and ebook as well and purchase from Amazon. So, my reading list is out of control.
About This Thriller Novel Book Haul
The books that I’m about to show you I purchased during May through to August. At the time of this filming, in September I hadn’t purchased any thriller related any books. My September book purchases had been fantasy, but I’ll do a separate haul at the middle of the month and be more on top of my book haul game. Spoiler alert, since it’s been a while between the filming of the video and the creation of the blog post, I did manage to buy a couple of thriller novels. What can I say? I couldn’t resist.
Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
So, the first book I purchased was Glory In Death by J.D. Robb. I started reading the first book in this series which is called Naked in Death, and I discovered that it was surprisingly sexy. This discovery was quite shocking to me because I read thrillers that are action-packed and are full of suspenseful moments; although Glory In Death, does have those elements. This series is a part of the crime genre because the protagonists, Eve Dallas, a lieutenant in the police force. And, this series is set in the future.
So, I’ve read Glory In Death, and I liked it. There’s a part of me that is invested in the relationship between Roarke and Eve even though it’s highly dysfunctional. In saying that, both of these characters are dysfunctional. So, therefore, their relationship is going to be a little bit dysfunctional as well. I’m absolutely hooked on this series. The next book I aim to read is going to be Immortal In Death unless I need to read something else for writing-related reasons. Naked In Death only took me like two or three days to read and absolutely loved it.
Imitation in Death and Celebrity in Death by J. D. Robb
And, while we’re on the topic of J.D. Robb, I purchased a few other books. Imitation in Death is book 17 in the series and was purchased during a trip to Brisbane in a bookstore called Dymocks. Celebrity in Death is book 34 and was purchased in Waterstone’s in London. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with this series. Just a side note, I don’t intend on buying all of this series in paperback.
No matter where I go I always seem to find bookstores and buy books. The other problem I have is, it’s not really a problem, but my husband also finds books for me. He’ll notice I’ve got a book in a series on the shelf at home and he’ll be wandering around Waterstone’s on a Sunday afternoon and pick up a book and say to me “you have a book in this series at home, you should get this too.’ And, I’ll pick it up, then I’ll walk past a table with two books for a certain price, and more books will find their way into my cart. Bookstores are clearly a trap for me.
Camino Island by John Grisham
So, while I was in the St Pancras International, I was in a bookstore called Hatchards, which is actually a division of Waterstones. It was in that shop that I saw Camino Island by John Grisham on the shelves facing out. What intrigued me about this is the synopsis or blurb at the back. Valued at twenty-five million dollars, five manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald only novels go missing. I think that alone made me pick up this book.
Very rarely do I go and flip a book over and read the blurb. Usually, it’s the genre, title, and cover that encourage me to buy books. I’m an impulse book buyer and I generally like the books that I’ve picked up. Occasionally there’ll be something in the book’s narrative that I don’t like, but generally, I do. And, if I’m still undecided about whether I want the book I will turn it around read the blurb, but I generally I buy books from authors that I know.
Kiss The Girls by James Patterson
So, the next book in my haul is, Kiss The Girls by James Patterson. James Patterson is known for his prolific writing. Is that what you call it? He seems to do a tonne of co-writing, but this particular Alex Cross series he writes on his own. I’m super keen to read something that only he has written. I have the first book in the series on my bookshelf it’s called Along Came A Spider, and apparently it has an ambiguous ending.
What made me purchase the first book in the series, was my annual subscription.I’m halfway through James Patterson’s class on writing fiction. In the lesson on ending,s James mentions the ending of Along Came A Spider, and I think that’s what made me purchase the first book in the Alex Cross series. And, I then realised I wanted the sequel. I’ve also got a big beautiful hardback on my bookshelves that I bought earlier this year. The title of that book, The People vs. Alex Cross, spoke to me, and it ended up in my cart. You’re sensing a theme here; aren’t you?
The Heretics Treasure by Scott Mariani
The next book is The Heretics Treasure by Scott Mariani. The first book that I read in the Ben Hope Series was The Babylon idol which is book fifteen. I was in the big Waterstone’s in Piccadilly Circus and for some reason, I thought Scott Mariani was an Independently Published author, so when I saw his books on the bookshelf I was embarrassingly happy. The Heretics Treasure is four and this book, The Bach Manuscript is book sixteen. I’ve read books one, two, three, and fifteen via Kindle Whispersync for Voice.
Kindle Whispersync for Voice
If you’re not familiar with Kindle Whipersync for Voice, it’s a feature on Amazon when you buy the audio and the ebook through the Kindle bookstore. The kindle follows along with audiobook and essentially reads to you. It’s not available on every title, but on some books, you purchase the audiobook from audible for an extra £2.99 or £3.99. I forget what the U.S. price for the audiobook is because I can’t purchase audiobooks and Kindle books through the US Amazon store. My Kindle is locked to the UK store.
A Female Stereotype
Up until this book, The Heretic’s Treasure I’ve loved the Ben Hope series. It’s not the story that I hated. I like Scott Mariani’s writing style because it’s fast-paced and I’m pulled through the book right to the end, and the endings are usually satisfying. To put it bluntly, I can’t stand the female protagonist, not only is she Australian which annoys the hell out of me. She’s a cliche who uses her sexuality to get what she wants. It’s as if that’s the only card in her deck that she can play. Why can’t she be intelligent or have another impressive skill set? She resorts to seducing men to achieve her goals.
Adults in Insta-Love
I hate the fact that she’s playing the Insta-love card. And to top it off, Ben Hope who must be in his 40s falls for this act. The love story is super cliche, and it casts Ben in a bad light. At the risk of spoiling the first books in the series, Ben has been through a bit of a tragedy, and as a result, he should be super sceptical of love at this point. He should be jaded. A fully grown man in his forties shouldn’t be able to fall for someone that quickly. You don’t fall in love with someone. Insta-love isn’t a thing, it’s something you believe as a teenager or young adult, but you grow out of that, but he’s 40 and still believes in Insta-love. Sorry, I’ll end the rant here, but I’m sure you get my point.
The Bach Manuscript by Scott Mariani
I’m super excited to read The Bach Manuscript, because of the title. The cover looks super cool. I’ve written one of one of my books Silence is actually set in Oxford which is where part of The Bach Manuscript is set. The books in the Ben Hope Series are set across multiple locations usually throughout Europe and Africa. I think that’s why I like this series. It reminds me of a series by J.F. Penn, but with her books, you get an extra side of the supernatural which I really love. I’m currently waiting for her to publish the next ARKANE novel. So, I’m reading all of these other things while I wait.
Jack The Ripper: Case Closed by Gyles Brandreth
The next book is a historical crime thriller. I was looking at this book, Jack The Ripper: Case Closed by Gyles Brandreth in Waterstone’s in July and the sales assistant stopped me as I was looking at the title and he told me it was really good. So, it went into my cart, but I had already decided to purchase it based on just how beautiful it looks and the title. I’m fascinated by Jack the Ripper and the fact that he wasn’t caught. Part of the reason is because at the time the police didn’t treat crime scenes like they do today. The wealthy upper class were able to go the crime scenes and see everything and contaminate the evidence. And, there was multiple suspects and all sorts of crazy things. Basically, the general gist of this book is Oscar Wilde, investigates Jack the Ripper, and as you can see by the title, it’s called Jack the Ripper: Case Closed. Apparently, Oscar Wilde must solve it. So, that one went into my cart, purely because I’ve got an obsession with Jack the Ripper. I haven’t been on the London Jack the Ripper’s tour, yet. I probably should do that.
The Riviera Express by TP Fielden
This next book in this haul is called The Riviera Express by TP Fielden. It’s a Cozy Mystery and I’m thinking about writing a series of Cozy Mysteries. And, the only mystery novels that could be classed as Cozy are the Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie and I’ve just started to read the Hercule Poirot series. I like Miss Marple because she’s an elderly busy-body and people don’t really see her coming and don’t expect her to solve the crime. There’s something about an old lady walking around a small village solving crimes that I absolutely love. I love how the series is not based on the horror side of a crime scene, it’s more about so solving the facts. I want to read The Riviera Express to give me a taste of a modern Cozy Mystery. The cover is the reason why I purchased this book. I love these little illustrative style covers they’re really cute.
The Late Show by Michael Connelly
I purchased The Late Show by Michael Connelly because I thought I had it on my bookshelf in hardback. I swear I purchased this in hardback, but it was the book before this called The Wrong Side of Goodbye. Because I go to bookstores on a frequent basis, I think I saw The Late Show in hardback so many times that I convinced myself I already purchased it. And I haven’t, so that’s why I purchased this book.
I guess you could say it’s like a police procedural mystery. Upon purchasing the book, I thought it features a different protagonist, Harry Bosch. I liked him; this book has a different detective Renee Ballard. Well, I purchased this thinking it was in the Harry Bosch series, but it’s not. Harry Bosch is my favourite character because the truth and justice is something that’s important to him as a detective. He doesn’t want to close a case and do the paperwork or avoid doing the paperwork, as a fictional police officer I do respect him. But, I purchased this mainly because of the title. I found it super intriguing but this detective Renee Ballard works what is referred to as the ‘Late Show,’ or the late shift at in the LAPD.
Vengeance in Venice by Philip Gwynne Jones
When Roland and I first moved to where we are now, there’s a short bus ride to our nearest Waterstone’s. I found the first book in this series which was called The Venetian Game. I’ve been to Venice. On my trip to Venice, I got eaten alive eaten alive by mosquitoes and Roland didn’t. And, the second in the series is called Vengeance in Venice. I like the concept of a murder or a crime novel being set in such a beautiful city like Venice. So, basically there’s a crime, someone’s murdered in Venice and I guess the story is probably about the protagonist figuring out who did it.
The Gangster by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
These next two books are more action- adventure or suspense and this one is called The Gangster by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. This book is a part of the Isaac Bell Adventure Series. So, basically these novels are set in the early 1900s and it’s sort of an action-adventure police procedural mystery. Isaac Bell works for a private investigating firm called the Van Dorn Detective Agency. This is another series where I started reading a book that was towards the end of the series and I have a whole heap of books to plough through.
The first book that I read was called The Cutthroat. I read The Cutthroat in a matter of two or three days, I tore through the book it was so good. So, I’m hoping this book is just as good. I’ve also read the first in the series called The Chase and I read it via Kindle Whispersync for Voice, and it was amazing.
The Grey Ghost by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell
This next book is called The Grey Ghost by Clive Cussler and Robin Burcell and is another action-adventure. They’ve opened a new bookstore, a WH Smith in St. Pancras, towards the end near the big Marks & Spencer and I saw this big beautiful hardback on the bookshelf. I do love hardback novels and I adore them. I purchased this because I wanted to try out another one of Clive Cussler’s co-authored series. This book is a Fargo Adventure, and it’s with this has Isaac Bell in it. I brought this book towards the end of August.
The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
This next book is called The President Is Missing and it’s by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. Part of the reason why I purchased this was because; Bill Clinton wrote a book? Obviously, he co-wrote a book with James Patterson. While I’m not a fan of Bill Clinton, I’m curious as to what insights he’s provided for The President Is Missing. It’s so beautiful. I love this trend with the red colour pages that are happening at the moment in the book world, and it’s just beautiful.
Concluding Thoughts
So, that’s my epic book haul. I foolishly thought to myself, “Oh, will only take ten minutes” and I’ve literally recorded twenty-seven minutes of footage. Hopefully, I can cut this down to something a little bit more reasonable. So, it’s not twenty-seven minutes worth of me babbling on about books I purchased.
Thank you for reading this blog or watching to the end of this super long video.
Amelia xx
* DISCLAIMER: This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. The commission helps support the blog and allows us to continue to make content like this. Thank you for the support. 🙂
I’m Amelia. I write mystery and thriller novels under the pen name A. D. Hay and I’m the author of Missing the first book in the James Lalonde series. I’m the host of the Book Nerd Podcast and The Authorpreneur Podcast. Right now, I’m editing my soon to be published mystery novels, The Candidate, Duplicity, 24 Hours, and Immunity. When I’m not writing, hosting my podcasts or coaching aspiring authors, I love to travel around Europe with my Husband Roland, drink tea, and eat pizza.