Which author's success is a complete non-mystery to you?

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

I will start by pitching fairly low with JILLY COOPER!
Although I have read the latest two.

Haven't read, I meant to say.

agree, although earlier ones (Polo, Rivals, etc.) by far the best.

also Janet Evanovich

dan brown

da vinci code was so overrated

JC's latest one is back on target, the one to do with the murder mystery and then next one about picture fraud were rather dull but the one set in the school is excellent, i loved the girls name series, ie Harriet Emily etc, Harriet was my favourite of those!

I still have happy memories of reading RIDERS underneath a financial balance sheet when I worked in a bank. Very naughty.

Don't tell them. ;)

Anthony Horowitz

Alex Rider is, like, soooo cool!

tiredemma, sweetie, I think you are very tired

Dick francis. the man's a genius.

ha ha! completly misread thread title!

don't worry, have a chocolate.

Kate Atkinson. She writes a corking read!

Robert Harris - fantastic plots and lots of interesting details.

Wm Shakespeare.
What that man could do with words

ENIGMA is a book I've frequently reread. I think he's very good at conveying the grotty, grey world of the later years of WW2.

I agree Eliza. His Rome books are also great. I loved Pompeii.

I'd been holding off from those, SUnshinemummy. But now I've had a recommendation, I shall have another look.

Oh yes, Kate Atkinson is fab!

Pompeii is great and Imperium good also but a little more serious. Also his new one - The Ghost Writer - is fab too.

Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet books are fan-bloody-tastic

Sarah Dunnant. Fab.

Love E_J Howard--esp. the Cazalets. Such a shame that the Joanna Lumley/Verity Lambert production team couldn't finish the second TV series.

Eliza, I didn't see the TV series and quite glad not to for usual reason of having all the characters' appearances firmly fixed in my mind and not wanting them changed, thank you very much!

All her other stuff is also brilliant.

Ian Rankin. Love Rebus.

Yes, yes to Rebus! Fantastic.