Books for 14yo ds to get him reading again

[northender]

Ds really frustrates me as he was an avid reader until he went to high school when he just seemed to give up. His absolute favourite was the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz but that was 3 years ago. He likes adventure/crime stories (and loves watching American crime tv drama), definitely not sci fi or fantasy.I would like to get him something for Christmas which might inspire him again, but not sure where to start. I haven't found anything that jumps out at me in the teen section of the library or bookshops so would love suggestions or maybe adult books.

He might be older enough now for some of Horowitz's adult fiction. Has he tried the Jack Reacher series? Lots of boys I know of that age get on with Reacher if they don't like sci-fi and fantasy.

You could also try some of the absolute classic Crime novels - Dashiel Hammett, Raymond Chandler if he doesn't mind the slightly out of date tone.

Or you could get him some of the best crime mysteries by modern authors. I recommend Tell No One by Harlen Coben.

We have a similar problem - DS loved Alex Rider when he was younger. But Horowitz is such a hard act to follow as no one does suspense as well as him. DS2 got hooked on Stephen King for a while but that's more horror than crime.

Might he like something like Christopher Brookmyer - admittedly they are a bit gory (and very sweary!), but there's lots of humour alongside the suspense?

I wonder if something like Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks would appeal to a teenager.

Wow, that was quick, thank you. Duck ds was devastated when he finished the last Alex Ryder book. He even cried (normally not a crier) and said he just felt no book would ever be as good! Which is all well and good but, as you say, makes it a very hard act to follow. Jack Reacher sounds the likeliest at the moment I think but I'll have a look at the others you and sadik have mentioned.

How about the Walking Chaos series - DS enjoyed that and he was an Alex Rider fan too. He also liked the Tunnels series.

I wouldn't say either are particularly fantasy, but aren't real life either if that makes sense?

I've just ordered Agent Zig Zag which is a non fiction book about a double agent during the cold war which has come highly recommended.

northender I feel for him. Horowitz got my non-reader hooked on reading but once he'd read all the Alex Riders he stopped because nothing in YA was quite as good. And so much YA is sci-fi based. If they prefer realistic adventure, there's less choice. (Also Horowitz is addictive. I read the first chapter of the first Alex rider aloud to DS when we were on holiday because I wanted to try and get him reading, then ended up reading the whole thing all night long by torchlight.)

Did he ever read Charlie Higson's Young Bond series? They are really good too - though he might be too old for them now.

David Morrell - Brotherhood of the Stone series? They are written for adults, but I don't remember them being overtly unsuitable for teens. They are about assassins. He also wrote the Rambo books.

Dan Brown? Hardly great literature, but they are page turners, and not all Davinci Code type based.

Ian Rankin - Rebus series, (crime) might be a bit too grown up with the themes it deals with.

Does he do historical? I know my nephews like the Sharp books (Bernard Cornwell).

They also really liked the Red Dwarf books and Pratchett, but I know these aren't really the genre you are looking for.

Robert Muchamore's Cherub series

Nelson DeMille Plum Island is the first in a good crime series.
Wilbur Smith's Africa adventure/crime books eg Elephant Song turned my nephew into a reader.