Recommendations based on Straightby Dick Francis

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Echo Burning

    by Lee Child
    A former military man is hired for a dangerous job to protect a woman and her daughter from an abusive husband.

    Jack Reacher breaks a bully's nose and finger after being repeatedly provoked in a Texas saloon, so when the bully turns out to be a local cop and shows up with three of his colleagues the following ... (Wikipedia)

  2. These Happy Golden Years

    by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    A young girl's journey of self-discovery as she moves through adulthood.

    As the novel begins, Pa is taking Laura 12 miles from home in the dead of winter to her first teaching assignment at Brewster settlement. Laura being only 15 and a schoolgirl herself, is apprehensive ... (Wikipedia)

  3. The Beach House

    by James Patterson
    A family's summer holiday turns into a life-or-death struggle when their beach house is targeted by a ruthless criminal.

    Jack Mullen is a driven student of the law. His brother Peter is a servant of the rich, parking the cars of the Hamptons' elite –- and perhaps satisfying their more intimate needs as well. Then ... (Goodreads)

  4. Death Masks

    by Jim Butcher
    A magical detective's mission to protect an ancient artifact from a powerful necromancer.

    Harry shares a TV panel with a Vatican priest, Father Vincent, and São Paulo University Professor Don Paolo Ortega , a disguised Red Court Vampire noble. Father Vincent hires Dresden to recover the ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Presumed Innocent

    by Scott Turow
    Prosecutor Rusty Sabich is accused of murdering his colleague and mistress. He must prove his innocence while navigating a web of lies and deceit.

    The novel begins with the discovery of Carolyn Polhemus, dead in her apartment. She is the victim of what appears to be a sexual bondage encounter gone wrong, killed outright by a fatal blow to the ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Desert Heat

    by J.A. Jance
    Detective Beaumont investigates a case of murder in the Arizona desert.

    A cop lies dying beneath the blistering Arizona sun—a local lawman who may well have become the next sheriff of Cochise County. The police brass claim that Andy Brady was dirty, and that his shooting ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The 6th Target

    by James Patterson
    A serial killer targets mothers and their children in San Francisco. Detective Lindsay Boxer races against time to stop the killer before it's too late.

    When a horrifying attack leaves one of the four members of the Women's Murder Club struggling for her life, the others fight to keep a madman behind bars before anyone else is hurt. Lindsay Boxer and ... (Wikipedia)

  8. The First Four Years

    by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    An account of the hardships endured and lessons learned in the first four years of marriage.

    The novel gets its title from a promise Laura made to Almanzo when they became engaged. She did not want to be a farmer, but decided to try farming for three years. Laura keeps house and Almanzo ... (Wikipedia)

  9. 4th of July

    by James Patterson
    An ex-FBI agent takes on a case of a missing girl, uncovering a dangerous conspiracy.

    When Lindsay Boxer gets a lead on a recent murder of two teenagers, she responds to the call and joins Warren Jacobi on a stakeout of a Mercedes. When the car takes off, a high speed chase ends in a ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern

    by Anne McCaffrey
    Epic science-fiction story of a fatal plague and a brave heroine's quest to save her world.

    The story begins with Moreta, the senior Weyrworman of Fort Weyr, traveling with her queen dragon Orlith (who is near the end of her pregnancy) to the Gather at Ruatha Hold. At the Gather there is ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Curtain

    by Agatha Christie
    An amateur detective investigates a murder at a country estate, uncovering a mysterious plot.

    A specific person is unsuspected of involvement in five murders by both the police and family of the victims. In all cases, there was a clear suspect. Four of these suspects have since died (one of ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Godwulf Manuscript

    by Robert B. Parker
    Detective investigates a mysterious case involving an ancient manuscript.

    Set in the early 1970s, this novel serves as the introduction to Spenser , a private investigator in Boston . Spenser, who served as an infantryman in the 1st Infantry Division during the Korean War ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Death of an Expert Witness

    by P.D. James
    A detective investigates a suspicious death in a hospital laboratory, uncovering a sinister conspiracy.

    Dr. Lorrimer appeared to be the picture of a bloodless, coldly efficient scientist. Only when his brutally slain body is discovered and his secret past dissected does the image begin to change. Once ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Poet

    by Michael Connelly
    A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's descent into darkness, as he unravels a web of deceit and murder.

    Denver crime-beat reporter Jack McEvoy specializes in violent death. So when his homicide detective brother kills himself, McEvoy copes in the only way he knows how–he decides to write the story. But ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Renegades of Pern

    by Anne McCaffrey
    A group of rebels must protect their planet from a deadly plague and a powerful enemy.

    As long as the people of Pern could remember, the Holds had protected them from Thread, the deadly silver strands that fell from the sky and ravaged the land. In exchange for sanctuary in the huge ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Client

    by John Grisham
    A young boy is thrust into a legal battle, as he tries to protect himself and his family.

    Boyd Boyette, a United States Senator from Louisiana, goes missing. Because of his vocal opposition to a proposed major toxic landfill project by a company known to be Mafia-backed, murder is ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Heartstone

    by C.J. Sansom
    An historical mystery set in 1540s England, exploring the power of secrets and loyalty.

    Summer, 1545. England is at war. Henry VIII's invasion of France has gone badly wrong. Meanwhile Matthew Shardlake is given an intriguing legal case by an old servant of Queen Catherine Parr. He is ... (Goodreads)

  18. Strong Poison

    by Dorothy L. Sayers
    A murder mystery novel combining romance and suspense as a woman is accused of poisoning her lover.

    The novel opens with mystery author Harriet Vane on trial for the murder of her former lover, Phillip Boyes: a writer with strong views on atheism, anarchy, and free love . Publicly professing to ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Centennial

    by James A. Michener
    Epic journey through the history of the American West, painting a vivid picture of its people and culture.

    Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener’s magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Twelfth Card

    by Jeffery Deaver
    Detective Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs investigate a case involving a mysterious killer and a secret from the past.

    The story starts out in a museum where Geneva Settle, a high-school student in Harlem, is researching information for a paper about her ancestor, Charles Singleton. While she is looking at an old ... (Wikipedia)

  21. A Darkness At Sethanon

    by Raymond E. Feist
    Epic fantasy of a kingdom's battle against a powerful evil force.

    Arutha , Prince of Krondor, uses an attempted assassination as a ruse to fake his own death so that he may travel north to confront Murmandamus. In his travels to the Northlands, Arutha finds his ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Mystery of the Blue Train

    by Agatha Christie
    A young woman investigates a murder on the luxurious Blue Train.

    Poirot boards Le Train Bleu , bound for the French Riviera . So does Katherine Grey, who is having her first winter out of England, after recently receiving a relatively large inheritance. On board ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Queen of Sorcery

    by David Eddings
    The second book in the Belgariad series follows Garion and his companions as they continue their quest to defeat the evil god Torak.

    The Trail of Prophecy... Legends told of how the evil God Torak had coveted the power of the Orb of Aldur, until defeated in a final battle. But prophecy spoke of a time when he would awake and again ... (Goodreads)

  24. Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

    by Oscar Wilde
    Collection of witty, satirical and thought-provoking works from the iconic playwright.

    The Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde is the only truly complete and authoritative single-volume edition of Oscar Wilde’s works.Continuously in print since 1948, the Collins Complete Works of ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. The Undomestic Goddess

    by Sophie Kinsella
    A lawyer's unexpected journey into domesticity, learning the joys of a simpler life.

    Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable: she’s made a huge mistake. A mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Dance Hall of the Dead

    by Tony Hillerman
    A Navajo tribal policeman investigates a murder on an Indian reservation.

    Ernesto Cata is in training to play his role as Shulawitsi the Fire God in an upcoming Zuni religious ceremony. He sees a kachina that can be seen by the initiated, which he is not, or by those about ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Relic

    by Douglas Preston
    Scientists investigate an ancient secret, hidden deep in the South American jungle.

    In September 1987, Dr. Julian Whittlesey is leading an expedition through the Amazon Basin , in the Brazilian rainforest , in search of the lost Kothoga tribe. He hopes to prove that they still do ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Anne of Avonlea

    by L.M. Montgomery
    A young girl's coming-of-age in rural Prince Edward Island, full of adventures and misadventures.

    Anne is about to start her first term teaching at the Avonlea school, although she will still continue her studies at home with Gilbert, who is teaching at the nearby White Sands School. The book ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Where the Red Fern Grows

    by Wilson Rawls
    A young boy embarks on an adventure with his beloved hunting dogs, learning valuable life lessons.

    An old man named Billy Colman rescues a redbone hound under attack by neighborhood dogs. He takes it home with him so that its wounds can heal. In light of this event, he has a flashback to when he ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Next Accident

    by Lisa Gardner
    A serial killer is on the loose, targeting young women. Detective D.D. Warren must race against time to catch the killer before he strikes again.

    FBI Agent Pierce Quincy is haunted by his daughter's death in a drunk-driving accident. Pierce knew about his daughter's problem with alcohol, and about her loneliness. And so, he is sure, did the ... (Goodreads)