I want a great horror/ mystery novel to read over christmas break.....

[liberalitch]

Any ideas?

[notadmblnd]

1. it's an old book but contains all the ingredients you've asked for

It titled The Ultimate Evil. A true story about satanic cult, murder and evil.

[liberalitch]

2. Who by?

[notadmblnd]

4. I believe it's by Maury Terry

[EFerrari]

3. Have you already read Shirley Jackson?

:)

[MineralMan]

5. It's not published yet, but

The Bush Legacy should fill your needs, I'd think. It's horrifying, and the mystery of how a moron became PresenUnitedStates will keep you on the edge of your seat.

[barbtries]

6. the moonstone

http://www.amazon.com/Moonstone-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486424510/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228599730&sr=8-2
a classic

[flyingfysh]

19. for a good old-fashioned melodrama

also by Wilkie Collins, I also recommend "The Woman in White". It's a real page-turner, impossible to put down.

It was originally published in a newspaper a chapter at a time, keeping readers eager to know what incredible thing happens next.

This was published in Victorian England, the author's editor was Charles Dickens.

[hack89]

7. Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Scared the hell out of me.

Joe Hill is Stephen King's son.

[DonEBrook]

8. Maybe scare up a copy of the Patriot Act...

:silly:

[mikehiggins]

9. Origami Rose

Book is on a website called GreatAuthorsOnline.com

You can download the first half for free, the rest costs like $4.00 or so.

By a guy named Mike Higgins.

Oh, hey. That's me!

Seriously, give it a looksee. One reader called it a "cult classic." Of course, she might have had the Branch Davidian's in mind, or maybe those folks who killed themselves to hitch a ride on a comet.

Go figure ;^)

[TheWraith]

10. I know the perfect thing. Eleven Days, by Donald Harstad.

It's all the better because Harstad, before he became an author, was one of the Iowa deputy sheriffs investigating the murders that the book is based on.

[SoCalDem]

11. Serpentine...engrossing and based on a true story

Serpentine
Author: Thomas Thompson

ISBN: 0385130171
Pages: 563
Book Binding: Hardcover
Get this book delivered to your door for only $3.50
(no tax, and shipping is included!)
Not a member? Click here to sign-up.
Already a member? Click here to login

Book Summary:
With compelling style and suspense this true-crime book reconstructs the bizarre, bloody journey of a mesmerizing but sinister young man named Charles Sobhraj. Sweeping back and forth over half the globe -- from the boulevards of Paris to the slopes of Mount Everest to the underbellies of Bangkok and Hong Kong -- Sobhraj left in his wake a trail of baffling mystery and inexplicable horror. He also led the police of a dozen nations on a chase that ended at least twelve and possibly twenty-four corpses later with a mere seven-year prison sentence in Delhi. Besides offering a riveting narrative of serial murder and a years-long manhunt, this singular volume examines the lives not only of the intelligent, charismatic, conscienceless, and thoroughly dangerous Sobhraj but also of the unsuspecting victims that he drugged, robbed, sometimes tortured, and without a qualm often killed. A chilling tale of deadly coincidences set in exotic, glamorous locales, Serpentine offers a reading experience as frightening as it is unforgettable.

Reader Comments:

Fantastic book, I could not put it down. Unbelievable that this man was able to operate for so long and not get caught or when caught, was either released or giving a short sentences, without further investigation. And was able to escape several times. Even though his family is partly to blame I feel that one takes responsibility for one life when becoming an adult. He knew full well what he was doing. Has he ever been extradited to any other countries where he committed murder etc.? It is sad to think that this kind of policework and justice may still be prevelent in India and other Asian countries. I know this man has now been released. My question to any of you readers is,has there ever been any knowledge of other crimes he may have committed now that he is out. Do we know where he went after being released and what kind of life is he living now? And what of Marie-Andree Leclerc? Did she eventually get released, did she indeed get charged with more crimes and serve more time or is she now back in Canada? The book should most certainly be read by any persons thinking of traveling in the East, certainly when going alone. To be aware there are most likely other people like hime who prey on tourists. However one would hope that security and borders are now better. But when one looks back at Sept. 11, is it really that much better?
......................................................
I really enjoyed this book by Thomas Thompson, an author who redefined the true crime genre and shaped it further after the Capote classic "In Cold Blood." The author makes you feel that you really know all the characters involved with the murderer and antisocial Charles Sobhraj. The descriptions of Charles's crimes really seem like fiction they are so incredible, it is scary to read. I wish that Thomas was still alive to be able to do a followup.

A fictional account of the crimes of Charles Sobhraj, a total psychopath, most infamous for his horrific spree of murder across several Asian countries in the seventies. Known by several different aliases, he would cruise major hotels and tourist areas looking for tourists to ingratiate himself with, then drug and rob them. Eventually he began to kill his victims, even burning some of them to death, moving from country to country using stolen passports, his blatant and arrogant attitude seemed to know no bounds. It required police detectives from many cities and embassies to merge their efforts to catch him and even acknowledge that there was a serial killer on the prowl, this took quite awhile and after all the effort by the end of this novel his only conviction was the one in India for 7 years

Born in 1944 in Vietnam, to an unmarried Vietnamese mother and an Indian father , unwanted by both parents, Charles spent his childhood in Vietnam, France, Africa and India moving from place to place and belonging nowhere. He was highly intelligent and had a natural aptitude for languages, but early on in his life, perhaps because of his unstable childhood and rejection, he turned his abilities to the dark side of life. From a young age Charles was able to manipulate and control others, a skill he developed throughout his life, becoming articulate in many languages and changing identities at the drop of a hat, able to convince otherwise innocent people to commit crimes for him and give him their money. Caught for many of his crimes, he was able to slip from custody countless times with the help of others who remained fiercely loyal to him.

I had never heard of Charles Sobhraj before reading "Serpentine", have since discovered that he was released from prison sometime ago, profiting greatly from selling his life story, truly shocking. While this book does have a sensational style of writing and not totally balanced, typical of pulp fiction from the seventies, I still enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it for readers of the true crime genre.

[notadmblnd]

30. I read it years ago. Very good read.

[hermetic]

12. Support a fellow DU'er

Daveparts. Buy "The Servants of Pilate"
http://theservantsofpilate.com/
Read his op-eds in the DU Editorial Forum. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x407111

His novel is funny, smart, emotionally rewarding, and long. Something to read while you stand in that long line, coming your way soon.

IMHO.

Thank you for reading books.

[pinto]

13. I tend to shorter stories so suggest a series -

classics:

Shelley's - Frankenstein, or Prometheus Unbound

Poe's - The Fall of the House of Usher

newer stuff:

Ellison's - Chatting with Anubis

and:

early Dean Koontz novels. Any of them.

[barbtries]

29. if she goes with dean koontz,

i'd recommend buying several. i went through about one a day or so last year.

[villager]

14. The Bottoms, by Joe Lansdale. Or really...

....pretty much anything by Joe Lansdale.

[kristopher]

15. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons nt

[la la]

16. Duma Key

by Stephen King

[Imagine My Surprise]

17. It's not new, but The Alienist is great (IMHO)...

it's a term applied to when psychology was first introduced into police investigations at the turn of the 20th century. Good historical fiction.

[pinto]

18. I've heard good things about this. Was made into a movie, as well, no?

[yellowdogintexas]

36. yep get 'The Alienist", and 'The Angel of Darkness', the sequel. Then read

'Shroud of the Thwacker' a totally ridiculous sendup of these two books.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

20. An oldie I just loved.........

"Salem's Lot."

Yeah, I'm sure you've seen the TV movie, but, honestly, the novel itself is absolutely riveting. It was written before King became a mass producer of really awful crap.

Just thinking about some scenes in that book still make me sit up and look around........................

[madmom]

22. You got that right, I first read Salem's Lot when I was in my 20's, had a

1 year old and a hubby that worked nights. We lived in a trailer in the middle of no where with no phone and hubby had the only car at work. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much at night.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

26. I read it when it came out in paperback

Stuck on an island off the coast of Maine in the summer, no one else around, married to a man I'd soon divorce, a phone that worked only occasionally, and there was no way I was going to open a window in our house.

I wrote a letter to King, telling him what real horror is - my situation on the island as I read his book - and got back a postcard from him, handwritten, urging me to buy his new book.

That was the last good thing he wrote, in my opinion.

[notadmblnd]

31. Rose Madder was an obscure but excellent book by King

About a woman who escaped her abusive husband that was a cop. She found a painting in an antique store and gained strength and independence via it.

[Hanse]

34. The opening sequence in that book is one of the most dramatic things I've ever read.

The rest is kind of a let down. Although he does treat women's shelters a lot better then he did in Insomnia. Maybe he got a lot of complaints and did some research after that one.

It's a good read if you're a sucker for all the Dark Tower books and tie-ins.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

27. when I read Salem's Lot

I had to go outside and read on the porch as I was so scared! And it was in the middle of the afternoon. So I decided to walk down to the pony keg to get a pop to read, and when I came back and opened the front door there was a old bench in my front hall that I had never seen before! Talk about freaked out. Here my sister had picked it up for me and dropped it off while I was around the corner.

[madmom]

32. That made me chuckle! : )

[StClone]

21. John Fowles Master storyteller

Read his super duper writings for starters I recommend "The Collector." Disturbing though the mystery is revealed as you move through the novel it is absolutely spellbinding. No way to put it down and the problem is you may read it in one sitting.

http://www.fowlesbooks.com/novelsof.htm

[barbtries]

28. the magus

one i've read three times.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

23. The Alienist by Caeb Carr

Sort of a Victorian era CSI with a serial killer if I remember it correctly but at the time nobody had tried CSI type tactics. You can probably find it in a used bookstore cheap. Real page turner, Sort of Sherlock Holmesy and it is a fairly thick book so you won't burn through it too quickly.

[jwirr]

24. This may not be what you are looking for but I am going to read

"World Made by Hand" by James Howard Kuntsler. It is a novel based on his book "The Long Emergency".

[OffWithTheirHeads]

25. Oh, Oh, Oh! The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

A vampire/ Vlad the Impaler meets the Da Vinci code type book. Incredibly well researched, historically accurate. One of the best works of fiction I've ever read! I kept googleing her facts and learned all sorts of cool stuff. Also a fat book to chew on for a while.

[yellowdogintexas]

37. Great Book. Loved it. nt

[flyingfysh]

40. The Historian is superb!

You pick up a lot of Medieval and Byzantine history in the process of reading the book, and the story is a hoot.

[pitohui]

33. instance of the fingerpost by iain pears

his other books are sorta airplane books but this...this is astounding

oh, that and the dream of scipio, also excellent

(these are pure mystery not horror, sorry)

[Hanse]

35. You want something that's both horror and mystery?

To follow up on the Stephen King suggestions above, "Bag of Bones" has some good mystery elements in it.

"A Winter Haunting," by Dan Simmons is a good one. It's a follow up to "Summer of Night," which is a great horror novel in and of itself, although with less of a mystery element. You don't have to read the latter first. In fact I suggest you don't.

[yellowdogintexas]

38. check out Brian Lumley's stuff.

here is link to his website:

http://www.brianlumley.com/

I acquired "Necroscope" and a couple of the sequels in a bag of books at a yard sale or something, anyway I got through about 5 of them, then couldn't find the next one locally. I want to get back into this series and read some more.

These are a different take on the origin of vampirism, combined with people who have interesting para normal powers, and a secret British agency of said people, with counterparts in other countries ..sort of Dracula meets Robert Ludlum with a touch of Stargate. These things develop as you read along.

I thoroughly enjoyed them

[Paladin]

39. "Ghost Story" by Peter Straub

Scariest book I ever read. (Skip the crappy movie they made of it.)

[Scout]

41. Bag of Bones by Stephen King

or Gerald's Game by same...

[RebelOne]

42. You can go wrong with any novel

by Dean Koontz or Stephen King.

[ailsagirl]

43. I loved "Nine Coaches Waiting" by Mary Stewart

It's more of a mystery-- no blood to speak of...

[Mz Pip]

44. Cabinet of Curiousities

by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Someone on DU recommended it and I couldn't put it down. It's a creepy mystery set in NYc revolving around some very old murders.

[DUgosh]

45. The Mangrove Coast

...................................by Randy Wayne White...........................