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BOOKS
I do a lot of reading, some for fun, some for research. But the two almost always coincide. Here are some
of my recent favorites:
Patricia Highsmith
Strangers on a Train
The Price of Salt (as Clare Morgan)
The Blunderer
Little Tales of Mysoginy
Expedition Whydah. [By Barry Clifford with Paul Perry]
The true story of the world's first excavation of a pirate treasure ship, and the man who found her.
Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly is the author of the Harry Bosch detective series, and I might go so far as to say that he is the Ross
Macdonald of our generation.
Ross Macdonald
Ross Macdonald's real name was Kenneth Millar. If any writer can be said to have inherited the mantle of Dashiell
Hammett and Raymond Chandler, it was he. Between the late 1940's and his death in 1983, Ross Macdonald gave the American
crime novel a psychological depth and moral complexity that his predecessors had only hinted at. He served as the president
of the Mystery Writers of America and was awarded their Grand Master Award, as well as the Mystery Writers of Great Britain's
Silver Dagger Award.
- Random House
The books I have read are:
David Poyer
Author of the Tiller Galloway series, which I am a big fan of. Those books, in order, are "Hattaras Blue," "Bahamas
Blue," "Louisiana Blue," and "Down to a Sunless Sea." But that's just the tip of the iceburg. His website includes
many of his published articles and speeches, with advice to aspiring writers.
Thomas Harris
Author of the Hannibal Lecter trilogy, with quite possibly the best batting average of any writer you could name.
All four of his published novels have been national bestsellers, and have spawned FIVE major motion pictures.
Red Dragon (first filmed as "Manhunter" by Michael Mann)
Hell's Angel. [By Ralph "Sonny" Barger, with Keith and Kent Zimmerman]
The life and times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle
Club.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. [By Peter Biskind]
How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.
Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos, and Letters. [By Richard Hack]
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. [By Michael Ledwidge]
By far the best run-and-gun book I have ever read!
Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes. [By Noah Dietrich]
Click here to read my review of this book on Amazon. (That lousy
no-good misleading greedy corporation.)
LAbyrinth. [By Randall Sullivan]
LAPD Detective Russell Poole investigates the murders of Tupac
Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the implications of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the origins of the Los Angeles Police
Scandal.
Farewell, My Lovely. [By Raymond Chandler]
The Kid Stays in the Picture. [By Robert Evans]
This book is awesome. It deals with a struggling new company which harvests clean energy from the sea, and an eco-terrorist
unit that is plotting to destroy it. They are also under investigation by the FBI, and there is a surprisingly good
love story as well. The writers' attention to detail and great premise make this an impressive and enjoyable read.
Shoot Out: Surviving Fame and (Mis)Fortune in Hollywood. [By Peter Bart and Peter Guber]
The Da Vinci Code. [By Dan Brown]
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member. [By Sanyika Shakur, aka Monster Kody Scott]
Bringing Down the House: How Six MIT Students Took Vegas for Millions. [By Ben Mezrich.]
The Family Crucible. [By Augustus J. Napier and Carl Whitaker, PhD]
Wild Side. [By Steven Gould]
The Sun Also Rises. [By Ernest Hemingway]
Cracked: A Doctor's Story. [By Dr. Drew Pinsky]
The Bourne Identity. [By Robert Ludlum]
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