I just got on Amazon and they had a bunch of recommendations for me.  I weeded through them and found a few I might want to try.  I was just wanting some feed back as some of them are new to me. 

These I was recommended because I read the true blood series which I did like.  Has anyone read some on her other work if so is it similar or are there great difference in her writing.

Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 1)

by Charlaine Harris (Sep 26, 2006)

Shakespeare's Landlord (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 1)
by Charlaine Harris (Nov 1, 2005)
Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 1)
by Charlaine Harris (Dec 4, 2007)

These I’m not sure why they were recommended but would like to know about the authors.  If you read Abandoned it would have had to be and ARC but if you did was it an interesting read it looks like it could be (Also is it a series?). If you have read these books are there any you would recommend.    

Abandoned: A Thriller (Smoky Barrett)
by Cody McFadyen (Oct 27, 2009)

Christine Falls: A Novel
by Benjamin Black (Jan 22, 2008)

14
by J. T. Ellison (Sep 1, 2008)

Heart-Shaped Box
by Joe Hill (Mar 25, 2008)  (I keep picking this up at my library and putting it back down bacause its about a haunted suit,I think I find the story line kind of weird.  So any one who has especially read this I would like to know if this is a good book. )

I haven't read any of the books that you have listed,  but I am amazed at how good Amazon.com is at giving me recommendations.  Not that I have tried anything they have recommended,  but nearly 60% of what they recommend to me in books, DVD's or CD's, I have already either already read, watched or listened to.  I find it very creepy sometimes, kind of like they have me under survaillance.

Some other authers I read are Jeff Lindasy, Tess Gerritson, and  Chelsa Cain.  These are all the mystery and thrillers.  I also read some of the paranormal i guess they are romances by Kat Richarson, Charlaine Harris, Particia briggs, Kelley Armstrong.  These are just some of the autors I like incase it will help you in deciding to recomend a book or not. 

Thanks if you read this.

Yeah joyce I've found this to be similar it is kinda creepy isn't it.  I have gotten a few strays that i did buy or pick up that I totally hated like The Shack and i bought the whole series of Blood Books By tanya huff and read them since i bought them but didn't like them that much.  Those were some they recommended so now i like to err on the side of caution before going ahead and getting them.  I dont want to invest time and money if there not any good. 

Also have you found that some of the amazon reviews are not so helpful.  I found that people get the books free to review them so they dont alwasy give an honest review.  So now I just dont trust there reviews.

Let's see, I've read some of these

C. Harris' Harper Connolly series - I've read all three of them and, they were ok.  The relationship between Harper and her step brother sort of skeeves me out.

C Harris' Aurora Teagarden series - I read all of these, but the more I read, the less I liked them.  It was like Harris couldn't really decide WHAT kind of person she wanted Aurora to be.  And the way she ended the series pissed me off.

C Harris' Lily Bard - Read all them.  It took me some time to warm up to Lily, but eventually I did like her.  I liked how Harris ended this series

I tried reading Heart Shaped Box several times.  It was the fourth try I think that I finally made it more than half way through.  I just didn't care for it.

LOL yeah thanks I don't think i'll pick up heart shaped box anymore then.  I don't know what it is about the cover that makes me want to read it, it just grabs me.  Then i read the back and say "what"!

I'm not into step brothers and sisters getting together so if thats what its about i'll leave those out too.  I might tryi the Lilly bard if they end well I like happy endings and I do enjoy this author.  I just dont want to read them if someone else feels like she was pushed to make a dealine or wasn't sure about the story herself. 

Thanks for your help.

I have read all of Charlaine Harris's books.  I really like them all.  I love the Lily Bard series.  It really hit me for some reason.  I usually collected all the books and then read them back to back.  If I had to put them in order I would say.  Keep in mind the other series are not as funny as the Sookie series.  I find everything else to be much more serious.

1. Sookie Stackhouse

2. Lily Bard

3.  Harper Conley

4.  Aurora Teagarden

I must be the only person on the planet who does not find the Sookie Stackhouse books funny.

Elizabeth, I love the Cody McFayden series there is a scene in book 2 that you will never forget!  NEVER.....

I did like the Sookie Stackhouse series, until I got to the last 3 or so....she just seemed to slip off the rail or something.

I have the J. T. Ellison series on my tbr, but I just haven't gotten to them yet.

I don't know if you have read any of these but the William Lashner's series is great and so is Robert Crais's series and I just finished up the Izzy McNiel series by Laura Caldwell that I thought was very good.

Good Luck in your hunt!

Out of all those, the only one I've read was Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris. Actually I listened to the audio version, and I've enjoyed that whole series so far. I also tried to read Harris' "Shakespeare's Landlord" but ended up DNFing it, think I got about 40 pages in before I quit. The rest I've no idea about!

Cheryl

ThanksEveryone! 

I thought the Cody McFayden one was a series just wasn't sure.  I might have to pick up the previouse ones because this one actually looked interesting and its not out yet so while i'm waiting on it i should probably read the others first. 

I also found the sookie books to have humor in them.  I think i might like her books more thought if they were serious so I might try out one of the other series just to see.  I've found though that just becuse i like on book or one series an author does theres a good chance i might not like other series or different books.  So i'm continulaly changing authors. 

The TJ Elliot I think i will pick up it looks really interesting.  I'm going to try to find the first one in the series and see what there like. 

I haven't tried any of the  authors you suggested brat1 but I will look up there sites and check out the books.  Thanks for the help!

You are welcome, Elizabeth....have you ever tried literature-map.com?  They do a pretty good job of matching you with authors you already know you love.  Sooo many books, so little time!

I liked Harris' Harper Connelly series, but I read it before I read the Sookie Stackhouse series and other than being paranormal mysteries, they weren't very similar, in my opinion.  The Harper series is darker and more serious.  I've read the first in the Lily Bard series and I think Lily and Harper are more similar in personality than Harper and Sookie, even though both Harper and Sookie have a paranormal disability that makes it hard for them to be part of regular society.

I should add, I actually listened to the Harper Connelly series as well as Sookie Stackhouse.  I sometimes find that with a good reader, I end up enjoying the audiobook more than if I had read it in book format, so that might be part of it too.

Christine Falls is very bleak and excellent. But if you like a book with a happy ending, this isn't it. Black serves up very fitting justice to some truly disgusting people.

I've read all the Sookie books and some of each of the othor series. I have a love-hate relationship with Harris's work. I think the Sookie series is funny--probably more so than Harris means for it to be. I like the Aurora Teagarden series because I used to live in suburban Atlanta and she pegs the society and culture of the area, as I remember it, to a T. But I frequently am annoyed with the female characters. Most of them aren't confident enough for my taste.

I have enjoyed the Harper Connelly books because I am fascinated by the portrayal of her psychic abilities and how they are often as much of a burden as a blessing.  For me that part of the stories is so intriguing I don't think much about the stepbrother/sister part.

Elizabeth I definitely recommend to read McFadyen's previous books first. It's a great developing series plus, the first book in the series was one I'll never forget. 

I've read and enjoyed all the different series by Charlaine Harris.

I've also read Heart Shaped Box.  It's a little different than what I usually read but I enjoyed it. 

I've read all of the series by Charlaine Harris too. It took me some time to warm to Lily Bard, but I really like the series. The Harper Connelly series is, to me, the best of all of Harris's series. I love Harper's psychic ability. I wish she'd get a little tougher, and the relationship between her and her brother can get tiresome, but I still like the books, very good stories and love the Southern locales. Not so much the Aurora Teagarden books. Just don't get into them, still I read all but the last two so far.

If you want some wildly funny vamp books, read Mary Janice Davidson's Queen Betsy/Undead series. These are more sexually graphic than the Sookie books, but they're just hysterical. There are 8 of them. The last one was blah, but the others, especially the first two, are the funniest books I ever read. Seriously, they are too funny. Actually, the first book of this series is so funny to me, I've read it three times since picking it up over the holidays! I have never read a book more than once, unless I had to back in school. This is the only series I've read that I wish I hadn't so that I'd have them to look forward to reading for the first time. Weird, I know...  : )

 J.T. Ellison 

1.  ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS (READ 11/08)

2.  14 – (READ 11/08)

3.  JUDAS KISS – (READ 2/09)

My newest, favorite author. I can hardly wait until her next book in 2010. She writes about serial killers and is pretty explicit.  I highly recommend if you like that type of mystery.