STIEG LARSSON

Those of you who are included as one of my "friends" on Facebook or a "follower" on Twitter know how much I am captivated by the writing of Stieg Larsson.  The characters this man has written just leap off the pages as you become more and more engrossed and drawn into the story and plot of each novel in his Millennium Trilogy. 

1.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2.  The Girl Who Played with Fire
3.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

From the get-go Larsson's female protagonist Lisbeth Salander is mesmerizing in a most unusual sense.  She isn't like any other protagonist you'll find in thrillers and murder mysteries.  She is beyond unique as you'll discover when you read the novels.  And I do recommend you read them as soon as you can get your hands on them.  They're in ebook form, too.  Paperback, hardcover, and ebook.  Your choice.  They've been heading up all the best-selling lists for weeks now. 

The sad part of it all is that Mr. Larsson died before the novels were published.  He had a heart attack at age 50. When you read his history and his books you'll understand why some say his death wasn't a natural one ... that it was foul play.  But his long-time live-in lover, in interviews (you can see them on U-tube), says his death was by heart attack.  But she does say that for the last two years before he died he'd had numerous death threats, and they lived in constant fear.

Again ... these books are well-worth reading.  It is writing as it should be.  We all can learn from writers of his caliber. 

Jack Whyte comes to mind when I talk about the high caliber writers ... he's another great one!   His 9 novels in The Arthurian Saga as well as The Templars Trilogy are superb!    I'll devote a later post entirely to him ... such a wonderful writer! 

And now I'm reading David Morrell ... his SCAVENGER is incredible, a cleverly-written thriller that is a must read, too.  He's written over 30 books and is still going strong at it; is also the co-founder of the International Thriller Writers Association, or better known as ThrillerFest. 

All three of these men show prime examples of outstanding writing technique and unique voices.  They're all best-selling authors and we can certainly follow their lead by taking heed.

Mustn't forget KEN FOLLETT!  Hell no!   More on him later, too.

But next, I'm going to talk about some of my favorite FEMALE writers ... so watch for that post soon ...