I second An Instance of the Fingerpost. Great novel.
Thirded
Thirded. I adored it. Also Eco’s The Name of the Rose, but I’m going to have to try again to read Foucalt’s Pendulum. IIRC, I had a newborn the first time I tried, and just couldn’t focus on the novel. And McCollough’s Masters of Rome. I mostly like Ken Follett for quick, entertaining reading, but hated, hated hated Pillars of the Earth: stupid soap opera/morality tale set against the backdrop of a medieval construction project! (Which is a pity, because that had the potential to be interesting!) I also enjoy most of Leon Uris’ work - definitely action-packed, but often heartbreaking.
Personally I’d class *The Name of the Rose *and Foucalt’s Pendulum as literary mysteries rather than thrillers. I enjoyed them both very much, but everything else by Eco has left me cold.
The book I’m currently reading, Elizabeth Catton’s The Luminaries, is in the same category I think. It’s excellent thus far (I just finished the first part last night). I guess it’s kind of like a cross between *Deadwood *and Foucalt’s Pendulum. If it stays this good to the end I’ll certainly recommend it.
This and this.
Plus anything by Patrick O 'Brian.
Maureen McCullough? You mean Colleen, no?
Good shout. The Aubrey/Maturin novels combined are the very definition of a long literary action/thriller, plus a load of other stuff. Jane Austen, with more explosions, as someone wise once said.
I haven’t read much of his later stuff, but the early novels “The Key To Rebecca” and “Eye Of The Needle” were both good reads.
Herman Wouk’s “The Caine Mutiny” should fit the bill for the OP (the book is much better than the movie). It wasn’t until recently that I found out that the story of the Caine (and especially the Captain Queeg character*) were heavily based on real life events and people.
*so much so (with an additional unflattering detail or two) that I’m surprised Wouk didn’t get sued for defamation.
Sorry, I can’t hear you over the sound of my palm smacking my forehead.
A couple of well-written alternate history thrillers: Fatherland by Robert Harris and Resurrection Day by Brendan DuBois.
Second this.
Also King’s 11/22/1963. A book everyone should read.
Well he also had a Greek love slave. I imagine that would fall under your tastes.
Loved the first, didn’t care for the second.
Well, I don’t know about everyone, but yes, I just finished it recently, and it was very good.
Ooo, and I’ll add David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. A big, sprawling epic novel spanning several centuries, all about civilization and barbarism, kindness and cruelty, and the ties which connect us all - whether or not we notice them.
Nobody’s mentioned Michener yet? He’s probably most famous for Hawaii, but they’re all pretty good. My personal favorite is Centennial.
Picked it up based on this offhand comment – and I’m unable to put it down. Missed my stop on the train this morning (something I’ve never done in more than 25 years of public transportation) because I was so engrossed.
It ain’t great literature, but damn it’s readable!
It would, if she’s handled well. And often!
If you like that, try Raptor (the story of a hermaphrodite wandering adventurer in early Dark Ages Europe) and The Journeyer (Marco Polo’s story as told by himself). (It is from the latter that we get this column of the Master’s.)
Cool! Thanks! (Will definitely wait till vacation, though – reading a 900-page book in half an hour here, half an hour there is so less than ideal …)