Any fiction ideas for a middle aged man please.

[brianixon]

Done all Len Deighton. Gavin Lyall, Sherlock Holmes,, Campion Sayers.
History based would be nice. Enjoyed Bernard Cornwell Sharp and US Civil War.
Liked some Georgette Heyer, Toll Gate and Reluctant Widow have unique plot devices. At least I have not seen them before.
Not liked Sci-fi, Fantasy etc.
I like to suspend disbelief but have to be almost possible for me.

Very dated, but Arthur Hailey's novels are gripping. Try 'Hotel.'

How about Andrew Taylor's historical thrillers set in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London? The first one is called The Ashes of London.

Also Laura Shepherd-Robinson's Blood and Sugar, and Daughters of Night , also historical thrillers set around 1780-ish

Try Guards Guards by Terry Pratchett.

The Information by Martin Amis, Black, black, black comedy. Thing Peep Show meets Black Books. In hell.

Another vote for Terry Prattchet. The fantasy world is very much based on this world and the characters are very human despite their varying species.

Patrick 0’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin series,
Allan Mallinson Matthew Hervey series,
Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series,
CJ Sansom’s Shardlake series,
Ngaio Marsh,
Josephine Tey,
Lindsey Davis’ Falco series,
Mary Renault,
John le Carré.

Lee Child
Dick Francis
Alistair McLean
Ira Levin - only wrote a handful of books but they're all fantastic. The Stepford Wives, Rosemary's Baby, The Boys From Brazil etc.

Dh likes Don Winslow books - “manly” but intelligent

Liked some Georgette Heyer, Toll Gate and Reluctant Widow have unique plot devices

The Spanish Bride - very detailed about Wellington's campaign in Spain and based on the true story of Sir Harry and Lady Smith

An Infamous Army - the weeks before the battle of Waterloo with a cracking description of the battle that for years was used at Sandhurst

Royal Escape - the escape of Charles II after the battle of Worcester

CS Forrester Hornblower novels

Try The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden. My DF used to enjoy similar books and he enjoyed ones by this author. He also enjoyed Ken Follett.

C. S. Forester: Hornblower books

C. J. Sansom: Shardlake series (I highly recommend these)

How about Robert Graves? He wrote a lot of historical fiction. I Claudius is the obvious place to start (and if you've never seen the TV series, I urge you to get the DVD boxset), but he wrote plenty more. There is a novel set during the American war of Independence, for example, which is great. He was a superb stylist, and really knew his stuff – very readable and enjoyable though. If you like him, you could try his autobiography Goodbye to all That as well. It covers his time as an infantry officer in WW1. My fav book of all time.

I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan as well. If you are drawn to that era (late Victorian/early Edwardian), how about M R James' ghost stories? Try watching the Mark Gatiss documentary on him and see what you think (you can find it on youtube).

Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, set in WW2, is also superb. And I'd recommend Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End, set in WW1.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Both my dad and uncle loved this book

Dh is currently really enjoying Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

You might enjoy George Macdonald Fraser's "Flashman" series.

Thirding Terry Pratchett too. Making Money, Going Postal and Raising Steam are my favourites.

My favourite novel (with a fair bit of counterfactual history in) is the Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. I must have read it a dozen times.

Mick Herron's Slow Horses series?

Shardlake and gentleman in Moscow also good calls.

I loved “I am pilgrim” by Terry Hayes, spy novel.

Thanks for so many ideas, I can tick off the Shardlake, Hornblower and Evelyn Waugh already. I forgot that I had read them.
I am building a list to take to the library. I will probably take the first one from the list that I see and one carefully chosen.

I can also recommend to both men and women, The Body on the Doorstep by AJ MacKenzie. A series of 3 I think. Romney Marsh, Napoleonic. Very interesting Social Commentary. A fully developed community. There is a little about guns but it won't affect the understanding if you know nothing.

I loved it too!

CJ Sansom Dominom - what if the Nazis won?

Anything written by Sebastian Faulks, I love Birdsong but have enjoyed all of his books

Simon Scarrow- historical books, easy to read
Ben Cane - Lionheart, Crusade plus one other in the trilogy.

Slow Horses series by Mick Herron , very good.

The Seeker books by SG Mclean (historical, Oliver Cromwell era)

I enjoy Robert Harris. Both his WWII & Rome books are outstanding. I would start at the beginning, with Fatherland.
In a similar vein, Frederick Forsyth’s early thrillers are of their time, but remain peerless in terms of plot detail & depth of research.

Robert Harris was my first thought also.