SteveScaffardi

I have read quite a few True Crime novels, mainly about the mafia. Two of my favourite books are Donnie Brasco and a book called Double Cross. Donnie Brasco is based on FBI agent Joe Pistone who spent 6/7 years undercover in the mafia back in the 70s/80s. Really interesting read (they made a film about his life starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino). Double Cross is great if you love conspiracy theories, as it is written by the brother of Chicago gangster Sam Giancana. According to the book, it details the mobs involvement in the JFK assassination, Marylin Monroe's death, and Frank Sinatra's relationship with the mafia. Other books I find quite interesting are books about people who get arrested (mainly for drug smuggling) in foreign countries and have to spend some HARD prison time abroad. The Damage Done about a Thai prison is a really good read.

I ask this question because last year I published my first novel. I never set out to write a 'chick-lit' novel, but the more reviews my book got, the more it got referred to as 'chick-lit for men.' On one hand I was pleased to get positive reviews, but on the other I was slightly concerned that I may have ended up writing the one style of genre I always gave my girlfriend a hard time for reading! I have read novels by Mike Gayle and Nick Spalding, and as a man I can relate a lot more because the stories are often told from a guys point of view. But do female chick-lit fans find the male point of view as interesting or as fun as when told by the girl? I have tried picking up a few of my girlfriends chick-lit novels and I struggle if I'm honest (but that could be my male pride and ego refusing to allow me to enjoy the book!). It would be interested to see what genuine chick-lit fans think the major differences are, and what they consider to be positive or negative when a guy writes chick-lit. From my point of view, I think I steer more away from romance and more towards the comedy element that everyone finds themselves in at some point when it comes to the dating game or relationships. Don;t get me wrong - falling in love is great and all that, but I can't help but find those stories all a bit too 'nice'. I find it much more fun to read about all the things that go wrong! I could be completely wrong here, especially as my knowledge of the works of Louise Bagshawe and co is rather limited. (And I only know that name because I just took a peek at my girlfriend's book collection!) I am in the process of writing my second novel, so it would be good to get an even balance of what works from both the male and female perspective.

Imagine a story about gangsters, Kung-Fu Monks, an Elvis-impersonating bounty hunter, and swarms of vampires all living in a world that is a cross between The Lost Boys and From Dusk Til Dawn (and not a Twilight reference in sight)! Do I really need to say anything else to get you excited?! Ok, I suppose I better had otherwise it would be a pretty pointless review...! Miles Jensen is a detective in the mould of Fox Moulder from the X-Files, and he is sent to the lawless town of Santa Mondega to investigate a spate of vicious murders. Unbeknown to Detective Jensen is that the root of all this evil is down to a mysterious blue stone known as The Eye of the Moon and all of the low-lifes and blood-sucking creatures of the night that prowl Santa Mondega will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. It soon becomes very apparent that all of the victims have one thing in common - they have all read the ancient Book With No Name and not one of them has lived to tell the tale. Detective Jensen will need to piece together all the clues if he is to work out what the hell is going on, and he meets some very strange characters in the process, including The Bourbon Kid - who just happens to be a serial killer, blasting his way through the undead, but not before he has a sampled a shot of his beloved whiskey! A special mention has to go to my favourite character - Sanchez the bartender. The guy is such a weasel, but you can't help but like his self-obsessed and bleak outlook on life. Then again, if you owned a bar and all your clientele were blood suckers, you probably wouldn't be too happy-go-lucky yourself! This book packs a punch from the very first page and is laced with black humour that will have you chuckling away despite all the blood, gore, and guts that comes in between. The author, who remains anonymous to add further intrigue to the story, manages to convey his story in such a way that it is never a chore to read, and you are always looking forward to picking it up again. The quickest way I can sum up The Book With No Name is by calling it a Quentin Tarantino movie in the making. It is such a pleasant change to read a proper good old-fashioned vampire story without a ridiculous love triangle splattered all over it. And if that ticks all the boxes for you then make sure you get yourself a copy of this book !

Hey Brian, Sex on the Moon is about a trainee NASA scientist who stole Moon Rocks worth about a billion dollars! I like Mezrich's style of writing - another good one is Ugly Americans or Busting Vegas. I'll be sure to check out The Great Casino Heist - thanks! Friends Like These is a good Danny Wallace book. I actually preferred it to Yes Man, which I still quite enjoyed.

Wow, I have never heard of this list! Off to check it out now...!

I have just finished reading Sex on the Moon, and whilst I don't think it was Mezrich's best book (I'm still a big fan of Bringing Down the House), it is certainly worth checking out if you like your non-fiction. Another author I would put in this bracket is Danny Wallace. Completely different style of writing but very funny and original books.

How many Adrian Mole books are there in total?

Try Jeff Abbott - I have not read one of his books yet that I didn't like.

I'm reading a book at the moment called The Devil's Graveyard where the owner of the casino has sold his soul to the devil - does that qualify?!

So far this year I have read Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich - not bad, but not as good as his previous books. And I am nearly finished with The Book With No Name trilogy. This is probably not everyone's cup of tea, but if you are a fan of Quentin Tarantino films, then you will love this book!

Not sure if anyone has suggested this already, but I really like Jeff Abbott. I have just read Adrenaline, which was really good. Try Panic and Run too.

Hey, thanks for the review! Really appreciate you taking the time to read the book and for posting your comments on Amazon too!

Hey, just seen this post! Sorry - I completely missed it! I'll check it out now!

I have to say that if I am told to do anything I tend to have a shorter attention span, even if I secretly enjoy what it is I end up doing! I think it is the rebel in me! The good thing about books is that after a few chapters, I tend to know whether I'll enjoy the book or not. But if we are talking about someone saying you have to read this from cover to cover, then I would find that hard. There was one book they made us read at school (it was so bad I have blocked it out and can't remember the title) and it was so boring. But I think it was made worse by the fact that after reading a chapter we had to disect the whole thing. That for me takes the whole pleasure out of reasing a book!

If you like crime then check out Jeff Abbott. Also, it might be worth looking at Ben Mezrich. I wouldn't exactly say he is a crime writer, but his stories about Las Vegas are really interesting. If you like true crime, check out Donnie Brasco. Amazing what that guy did!

One of my all-time favourite books is The Godfather - I love that book! I have just finished reading The Godfather Returns (and previously the Godfathers Revenge) by Mark Winegardner. I think Winegardner really did the series and characters justice, and I wondered if anyone has read anything else by Winegardner and what they think?

Hey, has anyone ever come across a website called BookCrossing.com before? The idea is that you send your old books out into the 'wild' by leaving them on a train or in a coffee shop for someone else to pick up. You can add a special ID number to the book, and whoever finds it can then go on to the website and leave their comments. Seems like quite a fun idea and wondered if anyone else had ever come across something like this before or found any other quirky book websites?

I've read Fluke and Nobody True and really enjoyed them both. Has anyone read Creed? I've heard good things - might give that one a go next.

I have read Fever Pitch and loved it, and I am planning on reading another Hornby book - any recommendations?

I have heard lots of good things about Irvine Welsh so I picked up one of his books, but I have to say I really struggled with it. I'm not sure if he does this with all his books, but in the book I read (sorry, can't remember the title now) it was written in Glaswegian slang and I couldn't really follow it. I found I had to keep re-reading it to work out what had happened. In the end I gave up

I have to say that I was really disappointed with the film Papillon after reading the book. The book was epic - so much detail and content, and the film missed out so much!

Have you tried Jeff Abbott. He writes really good crime thrillers. Run and Panic are two of my faves.

Thanks! Let me know what you think. Any fan of vodka is alright by me!

I discovered Jeff Abbott a few years ago when picking a out book at WH Smith from Heathrow Airport before jetting off on holiday, and I have to say I really like his books. I have read 4 or 5 of his novels and can't say a bad word about any of them. I wondered if anyone might be able to recommend a similar type of author?