A few months ago I read Blue Edge of Midnight by Jonathon King, and now I'm about half way through his follow-up, Visible Darkness. They're both detective stories set in Florida. I really enjoy his writing style. He has a knack for devloping the setting and the characters in such a way that I feel like I'm really there, watching things as they happen.

Anyone else read him?

I've read all of Jon's book, and reviewed a couple of them. He's very good. Not quite Connelly territory, but still highly recommended.

His most recent book, Eye of Vengeance (out last spring), was a standalone.

Nice guy, good writer.

Dang, David, you read everything. And you've got some great tastes, too, from the looks of your blog and reviews. I'm going to have to dive into your top ten list one of these days...sadly, I haven't read a single one.

I try to read as much as I can -- 27 so far this year. But I feel like a piker compared to some of the people I know.

Wow. That's like a book every other day. And I was happy I was able just to read 7 books this year.

I've read all his books and enjoyed them. I also agree that Connelly is better, but King's books are a good read.

What makes Connelly better? I'll admit to not reading Connelly because I met him at a signing once and he was a complete ass. I'm sure it was because he was tired from traveling and he probably had another signing that night, but he was still an ass.

But maybe I should reconsider....

I'm surprised to hear that Connelly wasn't friendly. That's totally not like him. I've always observed him to be a very nice guy.

I think that Connelly puts together the whole package -- top-notch plotting and characters (storytelling), along with clean, sharp prose -- better than just about anyone else in the business.