Margaret Attwood is pretty good. She won the Booker for "The Blind Assassin" a few years ago which is excellent. The classic is "The Handmaids Tale" which is freaky and thought provoking. Have also read Alias Grace. She is Canadian so gives a slightly different perspective.
Have you read any Nicholas Evans? He wrote "The Horse Whisperer" (not seen the film). I'd say it was more story than literature, but his characters are excellent. He puts women in impossible situations emotionally and writes them really well. Just finished "The Smoke Jumper" which was very good.
Paullina Simons for a slightly more story approach. "Red Leaves" is a murder mystery with an interesting emotional twist. "Tully" can't remember. "Eleven Hours" is page-turning but not to read if you are pregnant. Her latest two are a series and a bit of a departure. "The Bronze Horseman" is set during the seige of Leningrad in WWII and is essentially a love story but with interesting historical backdrop. It's quite engrossing. The 2nd I've not read yet as I'm not sure it's out over here. A friend who loved "The Bronze Horseman" bought the 2nd "A Bridge to Holy Cross" in New Zealand and said it was brilliant. I believe over here it's being launched as "Tatiana and Alexander" - presumably to stop people thinking it's a thesis on solving primary school access problems in Belfast.
My favourite author at the moment has to be Claire Francis for shere storytelling. "Night Sky" is my favourite and is set in occupied Brittany during WWII. It is absolutely compelling (at one point a friend and I were comparing the best ways to read it under the desk at work without being spotted). I've just finished "Wolf Winter" which is set in Cold War northern Norway.
I'll stop now!