Jack Reacher was my go-to series for being on an airplane, but sadly Andrew Child is a terrible writer, and I no longer read these.
I have a big trip coming up and need something for the plane. It has to be light, rather easy to read when fatigued and uncomfortable, and fast-paced. What could potentially be my new travel series?
The alphabet series by Sue Grafton are also fun. They start in the early 80’s, so are a bit of a time machine
DarthDregan on
Opinions will differ on the best distraction. For instance, No Country For Old Men was my best travel distraction, and that was before I got used to Mccarthy and his aversion to punctuation. And I’m 6’5″. So for me, the best distraction in an airplane is about the most effective, immersive shit in the world to get my brain out of there since my lanky ass is wedged into a seat. But I’ll give it a go.
The closest junk-food reading to Child that I’ve found is the Pendergast novels by Preston & (a different) Child. Light. Fun. Immersive.
Then there’s James Rollins. With him you have two options. His earlier books are essentially him picking up where Michael Crichton left off when he died. They’re mostly stand-alone and archeology based thrillers. Few years after that he started a series called “Sigma Force,” which are techno-thrillers.
And if you find detective novels distracting enough, try Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series.
And you’re right. Andrew Child has no idea what he’s doing.
Ok_Difference44 on
Lee Child’s inspiration, John D. MacDonald.
I agree that Andrew is really bad; Lee has hurt his own legacy by letting Andrew take over. There’s a good (non-action) novel by J Robert Lennon, The Funnies, about a son taking over his father’s comic strip.
DimensionConnect9242 on
Michael Connelly’s Bosch books are the best for me! Start with Black Echo. I’m jealous of anyone who has yet to enjoy them all.
Dungeoncrawlers on
I’ve really enjoyed John Sandford’s novels. Cop thrillers centered around Minnesota so you get some hunting and fishing side stories. Three main characters, so you can pick what you like the most. Lucas Davenport is a cop that bends the rules on occasion to get the job done in the early 80s. Virgil Flowers works for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is my favorite. Letty Davenport is most modern stories and most accurately portray modern topics and technologies. The audio books are really well done also.
bananacatdance8663 on
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike (#1 The Monkey’s Raincoat) by Robert Crais. These are deeply inspired by Parker’s Spenser books, which are also worth reading.
Peter Ash (#1 The Drifter) by Nick Petrie. The new one just came out. Sort of a Reacher clone but a veteran with claustrophobia and PTSD. I think all of these are as strong or stronger than any of the Reacher books.
Pants_trick on
The John Rain series by Barry Eisler. I can get lost in those books. Plus if you’re listening to them Barry does his own narration and he’s very good.
Farmer_Ted_ on
The Orphan X series from Gregg Hurwitz is worth checking out.
8 Comments
The first few Mitch Rapp books are pretty good.
The alphabet series by Sue Grafton are also fun. They start in the early 80’s, so are a bit of a time machine
Opinions will differ on the best distraction. For instance, No Country For Old Men was my best travel distraction, and that was before I got used to Mccarthy and his aversion to punctuation. And I’m 6’5″. So for me, the best distraction in an airplane is about the most effective, immersive shit in the world to get my brain out of there since my lanky ass is wedged into a seat. But I’ll give it a go.
The closest junk-food reading to Child that I’ve found is the Pendergast novels by Preston & (a different) Child. Light. Fun. Immersive.
Then there’s James Rollins. With him you have two options. His earlier books are essentially him picking up where Michael Crichton left off when he died. They’re mostly stand-alone and archeology based thrillers. Few years after that he started a series called “Sigma Force,” which are techno-thrillers.
And if you find detective novels distracting enough, try Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series.
And you’re right. Andrew Child has no idea what he’s doing.
Lee Child’s inspiration, John D. MacDonald.
I agree that Andrew is really bad; Lee has hurt his own legacy by letting Andrew take over. There’s a good (non-action) novel by J Robert Lennon, The Funnies, about a son taking over his father’s comic strip.
Michael Connelly’s Bosch books are the best for me! Start with Black Echo. I’m jealous of anyone who has yet to enjoy them all.
I’ve really enjoyed John Sandford’s novels. Cop thrillers centered around Minnesota so you get some hunting and fishing side stories. Three main characters, so you can pick what you like the most. Lucas Davenport is a cop that bends the rules on occasion to get the job done in the early 80s. Virgil Flowers works for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and is my favorite. Letty Davenport is most modern stories and most accurately portray modern topics and technologies. The audio books are really well done also.
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike (#1 The Monkey’s Raincoat) by Robert Crais. These are deeply inspired by Parker’s Spenser books, which are also worth reading.
Peter Ash (#1 The Drifter) by Nick Petrie. The new one just came out. Sort of a Reacher clone but a veteran with claustrophobia and PTSD. I think all of these are as strong or stronger than any of the Reacher books.
The John Rain series by Barry Eisler. I can get lost in those books. Plus if you’re listening to them Barry does his own narration and he’s very good.
The Orphan X series from Gregg Hurwitz is worth checking out.