These Roots authors come directly from my reading journals covering the years 1987–2000. Many of them helped lay the foundation for my lifelong love of mystery, detective, and thriller fiction. The numbers in the table below reflect how many books by each author I recorded reading during those years.
What strikes me now is how many of these writers are still part of my reading life. Some are old favorites I still return to, while others remind me that there are unfinished series, missed books, and a lot of catching up still ahead.
Of the 41 autors rthat are on this lis, five have released books within the last two years
- James Lee Burke – His latest book The Hadacol Boogie is currently on my library reading shelves
- Douglas Preston – Pendergast the prequel to the Agent Penderqast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is there, too.
- Robert Crais His 2025 release The Big Empty was on my 2025 library shelves but I didn’t get around to reading it! But it will be back!
- Daniel Silva – I have many Daniel Silva books on my shelvesbut after having read many f the
- Gabriel Allon series I stopped and couldn’rt get started again. However I believe i will restart with .The Collector.
- Stephen Hunter – The Gunman Jackson Swagger was released in 2025. The novel is a western and Jackson Swagger is Bob Lee Swagger’s great-great grandfather! Sounds like fun!
Roots Authors Who I Wish Wrote More Books
Rick Boyer – Boyer’s Doc Adams seres is one of my all-time favorites’ Boyer only wrote 7 bools in the seeies. I haven’t yet read the last book. Maybe it’s my subconsious not wanting to see the sweeies end
Frank McConnell – I loved the Henry Grnish series from Frank McConnell. The series features Sister Bridger O’ Toole who inferis her father’s investigative agency., and Henry Garnish her chain-smoking , hard-drinking , salty mouthed assistant
Damn! I Should Have Read More of Their Books
Robert Wright Campbell – I loved the Jimmy Flannery books I read fourof them in the 90s. OppsImissed he actually wrote a total of nine books in that series. (Get busy reading, Edward!)
David Handler – Ok, so I only read one book in the Stewart Hoag series, but I liked it! Then I didn’t read the next 16 books. Yws there are 17 books in the series. The latest released in 2025! Last month I started reading The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes (Stewart Hoag #9) I need to get back to it!
Randy Wayne Wright – Only one Randy Wayne Wright book is book #4 in the Doc Ford series Captiva. Thanks to one Goodwill Haul the first four books are on my shelves! Oh boy, if I read those four booksI only have 23 more Doc Ford books to read! Book 27 was released in 2024.
Roots Authors Read 1987-2000
| Author | No of Books | First book/(Series) | Main Character |
| George C. Chesbro | 15 | Veil | Mongo Frederickson |
| Bill Pronzini | 14 | Quicksilver (Nameless Detective #11) | Nameless Detective |
| William G. Tapply | 14 | Dead Winter | Brady Coyne, |
| Parnell Hall | 13 | Strangler (Stanley Hastings #4) | Stanley Hastings |
| Lawrence Block | 11 | When the Sacred Ginmill Closes (Matthew Scudder #6) | Matt Scudder |
| Loren D. Estleman | 11 | Motor City Blue (Amos Walker #1) | Amos Walkewr |
| Bill Granger | 10 | The El Murders | November Man |
| Stuart M. Kaminsky | 10 | A Cold Red Sunrise (Porfiry Rostnikov #5) | Porfiry Rostnikov |
| James Lee Burke | 9 | The Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux,#1) | Dave Robicheaux Clete Purcel |
Tony Hillerman | 8 | The Ghostway (Leaphorn & Chee, #6) | Joe Leaphorn Jim Chee |
| Richard Hoyt | 6 | Trotsky’s Run (James Burlane Thriller #1) | James Burlane |
| Rick Boyer | 6 | The Whale’s Footprints (Doc Adams #1) | |
| Paul Levine | 5 | Slashback (Jake Lassiter, #5) | Jake Lassiter |
| Aaron Elkins | 4 | Curses! (Gideon Oliver, #5) | |
| David Morrell | 4 | The League of Night and Fog (Mortalis #3) | |
| J.C. Pollock | 4 | Payback | |
| Robert Wright Campbell | 4 | Hip-Deep in Alligators (Jimmy Flannery #3) | (Jimmy Flannery |
| Terry C. Johnston | 4 | Long Winter Gone | |
| Walter Satterthwait | 4 | Wall of Glass (Joshua Croft #1) | Joshua Croft |
| Doug Hornig | 3 | Dark Side (Loren Swift Mystery) | Loren Swift |
| Frank McConnell | 3 | Murder Among Friends (Harry Garnish Series #1) | Harry Garnish |
| Jonathan Valin | 3 | Fire Lake (Harry Stoner #8) | Harry Stoner |
| Lawrence Sanders | 3 | Eight Commandment (The Commandments #3) | |
| Robert Crais | 3 | Voodoo River (Elvis Cole #5) | Elvis Cole Joe Pike |
| Vince Kohler | 3 | Banjo Boy | |
| William Marshall | 3 | Perfect End (Yellowthread Street #7) | |
| Clive Cussler | 2 | Treasure (Dirk Pitt, #9) | Dirk Pitt |
| Daniel Silva | 2 | The Unlikely Spy | |
| David Baldacci | 2 | Absolute Power | |
| David Hagberg | 2 | Countdown (Kirk McGarvey #2) | Kirk McGarvey |
| Douglas Preston | 2 | Relic (Pendergast #1) | |
| Ethan Canin | 2 | Blue River | |
| John Dunning | 2 | Booked to Die (Cliff Janeway, #1) | Cliff Janeway |
| Peter Straub | 2 | Koko | |
| Robert B. Parker | 2 | The Judas Goat (Spenser, #5) | Spenser |
| Stephen Hunter | 2 | The Day Before Midnight | |
| Timothy Hallinan | 2 | The Four Last Things (Simeon Grist Mystery, #1) | Simeon Grist |
| Walter Mosley | 2 | Devil in a Blue Dress (Easy Rawlins, #1) | Easy Rawlins |
| David Handler | 1 | The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald (Stewart Hoag, #3) | Stewart Hoag |
| Frederick Forsyth | 1 | The Negotiator: A Novel | |
| James Patterson | 1 | Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1) | Alex Cross, |
| Randy Wayne White | 1 | Captiva (Doc Ford Mystery, #4) | Doc Ford |
| Tom Clancy | 1 | The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3) | Jack Ryan |
Science Fiction/Fantasy Author’s Read From My Reading Journals 1987 -2000)
| Author | No of Books | First book/(Series) |
| Orson Scott Card | 5 | Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga #1) |
| David Eddings | 4 | The Diamond Throne (The Elenium #1) |
| Greg Bear | 2 | Blood Music |
| Terry Pratchett | 4 | Sorcery (Discworld, #5; Rincewind, #3) |
| Terry Brooks | 2 | Running with the Demon (Word & Void #1) |
Ben Bova | 1 | Mars (The Grand Tour, #4; Mars #1) |
And Sometimes You Just Need to Laugh – Books That Brought Laughter (1987-2000)
| Author | No of Books | First book/(Series) |
| Christopher Moore | 2 | Practical Demonkeeping (Pine Cove, #1) |
| Dave Barry | 3 | Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States |
