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.

Also, you may like John Marr books, which are set in the near future. Not sci fi, more modern or recent history. For example, Passenger is set around driverless cars.

I second this.

The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. Book one is the most complicated to follow, so I would start at book two (Queen's Play).

C J Sansom , the Shardlake series.
Or the Morse books ?

Sorry see you've read Sansom. What about Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy ?
Or any of hers ?
Also Pat Barker ?

Try RR Haywards, The Undead series or the Extracted Trilogy.

LJ Ross books based in Northumberland
Elizabeth George police whodunits, but always with a psychological twist.

Read a brilliant series about Cromwell's new model army during the jacobite rebellion. Was free with Kindle membership, but can't remember who wrote them.

Colin Forbes sort of secret service books

Have you read Le Carre's Smiley books? Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?

What about Somerset Maugham, especially the Ashenden stories.

Margery Allingham is good, can't remember the name of her detective hero.

Neville Shute

More modern, the Mick Herron Slow Horses series.

Dick Francis
Peter May
Ngaio Marsh

DH (who never reads) downloaded a couple of books for holiday. Absolutely loved Strange Sally Diamond and The Maid

Many excellent suggestions already - OP do you know this site? Five Books.
https://fivebooks.com/
Worth a browse and has lots of fiction recommendations.
Georgette Heyer is excellent - you might enjoy this article by Stephen Fry, who is a huge fan.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/oct/01/stephen-fry-on-the-enduring-appeal-of-georgette-heyer
The literary podcast ‘Backlisted’ by John Mitchinson and Andy Miller is worth listening to - always interesting and entertaining and throws up all sorts of recommendations. Highly recommend.

Another Flashman fan here (George MacDonald Fraser). Re-read the whole series several times over the years. Also enjoy the Fleming Bond novels.

Fitzroy McLean's Eastern Approaches (autobiography of his early life as a diplomat and traveller in Soviet Russia in the 1930s and his experience as a member of the fledgling SAS in the Western Desert Campaign and then his experience with Tito in WW2) is a phenomenal read. It's scope is vast.

I also enjoyed Jonathan Dimbleby's books on the Battle of the Atlantic and the WW2 Desert Campaign (of the top of my head don't remember the exact titles) as well as Ben Macintyre's SAS: Rogue Heroes and Colditz. Also, Across an Angry Sea by Cedric Delves (fairly recently published autobiography of former SAS commander on their role in the Falklands Campaign).

Just realised I must be a bit of a military history fan!

Definitely Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther books. Dh loved these.

Sorry, I just cottoned on to the fact you said fiction. Hope these are helpful suggestions nonetheless.

Robert Harris An Officer and A Spy is good - about the Dreyfus affair. Have you read any Ian McEwan? Really enjoyed Lessons - as an epic journey through a life and history from 1950’s.

Wyndham and Banerjee series in colonial India by Abir Mukherjee.
New author Robbie Morrison in 1920's Glasgow Edge of the Grave and Cast a Cold Eye.
Victor series by Tom Wood, professional assassin who hates swearing.

Authors my DH has enjoyed:

Robert Harris
Gordon Stevens - really underrated imo, SAS political/terrorist thrillers
Leon Uris
Jonathan Coe- modern social history, wry observation

Fitzroy McLean's Eastern Approaches (autobiography of his early life as a diplomat and traveller in Soviet Russia in the 1930s and his experience as a member of the fledgling SAS in the Western Desert Campaign and then his experience with Tito in WW2) is a phenomenal read. It's scope is vast

Cracking book and superbly written. Also, The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk - the struggle between imperial Britain and Imperial Russia to control India. Non-fiction, though.

I add my vote for Fleming’s Bond books. He was actually a very good writer; in places the prose is first rate. The Bond books are like Lord of the Rings - victims of their own success. Because the brand is so famous, people tend not to bother with the source. They just stick to the films. But if you go back to the original work, they’re really, really good. Same goes for Sherlock Holmes.

And I also add my vote for the Flashman books. The author was a British officer in Burma in WW2, and saw active service against the Japanese. Men like him, and Ian Fleming (and Tolkien), had seen war up close, and it shows in their work. I often think that when I watch old war films. If you Google the actors, you often find they were soldiers in WW2, or even WW1. Christopher Lee had even been in the SAS! God, when you compare them to a ridiculous pretty boy like Tom Cruise it’s laughable.

Adding to the Robert Harris recommendations. Both DH and I love them.

The Aubrey & Maturin series. They are absolute thieves of time. The online community is astonishingly friendly too.

I will also give a recommendation for the Bond books, just be fully aware they are definitely of their time.

Gerald Seymour's Harry's Game

If you don't mind manga/graphic novels, I'd also throw the "Lone Wolf & Cub" series into the mix. It's long even by Japanese standards but by God, it's so worth it.

This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson. Sadly he died after this book was published.
About Captain Fitzroy's travels in the 19thC - after whom the shipping forecast area is named. Great book.

Me too!

David Downing's "Station' series, set in Berlin just before and during WWII
Ben Aaronovitch "Rivers of London"
Stephen Booth's Cooper & Fry series - detective stories set in the Peak District

Also agree with previous posters re Mick Heron