Tattenham Library contains thousands of books, but the typical readers are children and older members of the population. The library would like to encourage more people to read as an alternative to television and the internet. Its free and easy to join – you just need to provide proof of an address in Surrey such as a driving licence.
But a possible issue for prospective readers is what authors they may enjoy reading. Do you like romance, crime, historical, political , thrillers, science fiction? – the list can go on and on.
The purpose of this article is to suggest a particular author to read – and over time we can include a number of authors from different reading genres. If any readers have suggestions for their favourite authors, we would welcome your assistance with future articles – just email john@tandpr.org.uk with your suggestions.
We are going to start with a prolific crime writer, Michael Connelly.
Michael Connelly writes crime fiction, and his key character is Hieronymus Bosch (named after the Dutch painter), a Los Angeles murder detective. Bosch is a complex character. He could be described as cantankerous, a loner, anti-authority and a rule breaker but above all, he is a very astute and capable solver of crimes.

Connelly usually has two plots intertwined in each book and keeps readers hooked throughout the story. Bosch likes to eat out and the text is full of different meal experiences. He also loves Jazz and there are often frequent mentions of favourite jazz artists. Bosch’s upbringing was rough. His mother was a single parent prostitute who was murdered when he was a child, and he spent his younger years in care. Before joining the LAPD, he served in Vietnam as a tunnel rat (soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War).
Connelly has published 24 Bosch novels dating from 1992 to 2022. They range across different parts of his career – from LAPD murder cop, to closed cases investigator and lastly as a private detective in retirement.
His first Bosch story, The Black Echo, concerns a routine drug overdose case that turns personal when Bosch recognises the victim and is determined to bring the killer to justice. This book won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

The latest, Desert Star, has Bosch working with another LAPD detective Renée Ballard to hunt the killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

All 24 are exciting and entertaining reads and most are available at the library or can be ordered.
Michael Connelly was a crime writer for the Los Angeles Times before becoming a fiction author. But he always wanted to write fiction after discovering Raymond Chandler at university. He has published a total of 38 books to date and hopefully there are more to come.
In addition to the Bosch stories, Connelly has published six Lincoln Lawyer books featuring Mickey Haller a very sharp and unconventional defence lawyer who operates out if the back of a Lincoln Continental car. He is Harry Bosch’s half-brother and stories are often interlinked between the two characters.

There are also three Jay Envoy books, a crime reporter, and more recently five Rene Ballard stories, a female LAPD detective.
So there is plenty for a reader, who doesn’t mind hard hitting and sometimes gruesome murder plots, to read. The library staff are happy to help you choose a title and order any that are not already on the shelf. Visit https://www.michaelconnelly.com for a details of all his titles. Enjoy!