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James L. Thane

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Mary Ma...
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James L. Thane

Goodreads Author


Born
in Hamilton, Montana, The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences
Everyone from Raymond Chandler to Lawrence Block to T. Jefferson Parke ...more

Member Since
March 2010

URL


James L. Thane was born and raised in northwestern Montana and has worked as a janitor, a dry cleaner, an auto parts salesman, a sawyer, an ambulance driver and a college professor. While working as an historian, Thane wrote one non-fiction book and a number of magazine and journal articles. But he always loved reading crime fiction and so decided to take a crack at writing a suspense novel. The result was NO PLACE TO DIE, the first Sean Richardson novel. The next three, in order, are UNTIL DEATH, FATAL BLOW, and SOUTH OF THE DEUCE. Thane has also written two traditional mystery novels, CROSSROADS, which is set in Montana, and TYNDALL, which is set in South Dakota. He has also written two stand-alone thrillers, PICTURE ME GONE, which was re ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

James L. Thane I'm not sure I'm qualified to be giving advice to any other writers, aspiring or otherwise, but I think the most important thing you can do is to put …moreI'm not sure I'm qualified to be giving advice to any other writers, aspiring or otherwise, but I think the most important thing you can do is to put yourself in the chair and write every day. That's the way you learn the craft and hone your skills. I think it's also important that you read a lot, think critically about the books you read, and learn from other authors. I never cease to be amazed by people who tell me that they're thinking of writing a book and when I ask them who they read, they respond by saying, "Oh, I don't have time to read; I just want to write a book. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way...(less)
James L. Thane This is really a difficult question, John. There are so many crime novels that I love that it's virtually impossible to narrow the list down to five. …moreThis is really a difficult question, John. There are so many crime novels that I love that it's virtually impossible to narrow the list down to five. But these are five that I've read any number of times and that remain important to me for one reason or another:

Sins of the Fathers, by Lawrence Block. This is the first novel in Block's Matthew Scudder series, which remains, hands down, my favorite crime fiction series of all. Scudder is one of the great characters in crime fiction and it's important to follow the arc of the character from the beginning.

Trunk Music, by Michael Connelly. This is the fifth novel in Connelly's Harry Bosch series. I think that Connelly is writing the best of the modern police procedural series, and this is my favorite of the series.

Rules of Prey, by John Sandford. This is the book that introduced Minnesota police detective Lucas Davenport. I love the character and the wry humor in the books; the plots are always entertaining, and twenty-six books later, Lucas is still going strong.

The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler. This is the classic of all classic P.I. novels, and paved the way for much of the crime fiction that would follow.

The Winter of Frankie Machine, by Don Winslow. I could have put any number of Winslow's books on this list--I love virtually everything he's written, but I have a particular fondness for this book, which I imagine I'll be rereading for years to come, as is the case with all the other books I've listed here.
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Average rating: 4.05 · 1,144 ratings · 320 reviews · 9 distinct worksSimilar authors
No Place to Die (Sean Richa...

4.04 avg rating — 700 ratings — published 2010 — 6 editions
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Until Death (Sean Richardso...

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 202 ratings — published 2011 — 8 editions
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Fatal Blow (Sean Richardson...

4.17 avg rating — 72 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions
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Crossroads (Dave Matthews #1)

4.10 avg rating — 49 ratings — published 2019 — 2 editions
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South of the Deuce (Sean Ri...

4.15 avg rating — 41 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions
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Tyndall

3.84 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2021 — 2 editions
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Picture Me Gone

4.17 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions
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A Shot to the Heart

4.47 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2023 — 2 editions
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A Governor's Wife on the Mi...

4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 1976 — 2 editions
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More books by James L. Thane…

L. A. REQUIEM Is the Best Book Thus Far in the Elvis Cole Series


The eighth entry in the Elvis Cole series is easily the best to date. It begins when Elvis's partner in the detective agency, Joe Pike, calls and asks for his help. Frank Garcia, a very wealthy and well-connected businessman, is an old friend of Joe's. Garcia's daughter Karen, who is thirty-two, has been missing for a little over twenty-four hours. Garcia has called the police but, not surpris Read more of this blog post »
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Published on June 24, 2021 16:20
No Place to Die Until Death Fatal Blow South of the Deuce
(4 books)
by
4.04 avg rating — 1,015 ratings

Crossroads
(1 book)
by
4.10 avg rating — 49 ratings

James’s Recent Updates

James Thane is now friends with Jo-anne Atkinson
Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos
"

In this second book in the 'Porter Beck' series, the Nevada sheriff deals with espionage and smuggling on his patch. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Sheriff Porter Beck and his twelve officers uphold the law in Lincoln County, Nevada.



It's a " Read more of this review »
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
"First of all: RIP CJ Sansom. I didn’t know until I started this that he had recently died, and sadly just before Shardlake, a tv series based on these books, was released on Hulu.

I read Sansom’s Dominion years ago and thought it was decent. I grabbed" Read more of this review »
The Death of Us by Lori Rader-Day
"I was hoping to like this one more than I did.
Unfortunately, I called it from the beginning. Once I got the general setup and what happened, I thought I knew who did it and I was correct.

Fifteen years previously, Ashley left her newborn son Callum " Read more of this review »
James Thane rated a book liked it
The Case of the Lazy Lover by Erle Stanley Gardner
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The thirtieth entry in this long-running series is pretty par for the course. Perry Mason has an unreliable client who will lie to him all along the way, digging herself deeper and deeper into trouble, until only Perry Mason himself could manage to e ...more
The Last Dark Place by Stuart M. Kaminsky
" Great review, Jeanette. "
The New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke
" Fred wrote: "Nice review. I tend to agree with your sentiments."

Thanks, Fred.
...more "
James Thane rated a book really liked it
The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen
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This is an excellent debut thriller with a great cast of characters, a totally plausible and entertaining plot, and a pace that will keep readers turning the pages at a blistering pace.

When the economy is in the dumpster, what is a young person suppo
...more
Goodbye Look by Ross Macdonald
" Great review, Dave. "
The Second Mrs. Strom by Kaira Rouda
" Great review, Linzie. "
More of James's books…

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Mystery/Thriller ...: Bouchercon in retrospect 39 129 Nov 05, 2010 01:53PM  
The Next Best Boo...: This topic has been closed to new comments. The Last Letter Game 2246 2328 May 30, 2013 12:41PM  
The Next Best Boo...: This topic has been closed to new comments. The Title Game 20235 14519 May 30, 2013 12:53PM  
2013 Books!: 2013 Book List 1167 419 Jan 01, 2014 09:34AM  
Goodreads Reviewe...: Thriller 78 350 Mar 20, 2017 02:17AM  
Goodreads Reviewe...: Nancy's Reviews 73 300 Mar 31, 2017 07:39AM  
Goodreads Reviewe...: Crime 60 225 Apr 03, 2017 11:17PM  
Goodreads Reviewe...: Mystery 73 330 Apr 04, 2017 03:06AM  
19126 The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group — 28436 members — last activity 2 hours, 17 min ago
“It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over the ...more
72899 International League of Super Reviewers — 59 members — last activity Jun 05, 2014 03:14PM
The International League of Super Reviewers is a group dedicated to defending the earth against alien menaces and super-villains by writing superior b ...more
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This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
5165 Detectives! — 227 members — last activity Feb 20, 2018 09:36AM
Do you love a good mystery? You've come to the right place! No matter where it's a police procedural, suspense, thriller or a classic whodunit, we rea ...more
225 Hard Case Crime — 773 members — last activity Jan 01, 2024 06:31PM
"They do write 'em like they used to." —Publishers Weekly on Fade to Blonde Look for a similar group on Facebook ...more
2862 Dick Francis Reading Group — 168 members — last activity Feb 04, 2024 09:30AM
All Dick Francis fans are invited to join! Also visit our website for information on joining our email discussion group.
41598 Anything Goes — 450 members — last activity Jan 15, 2023 04:14PM
We are all here to see what life throw at us and read plenty of recommended books!! Please grab a comfy seat and read along with us!
47133 Ask Bestselling Author Lawrence Block a Question — 112 members — last activity Apr 03, 2012 06:32AM
Grandmaster thriller writer Lawrence Block will answer your questions! This group is in celebration of the release of Block's latest book, A Drop of t ...more
48653 Top Online Sales Tips & Strategies — 253 members — last activity Sep 22, 2017 03:25PM
How can you get your blog or book to go viral? Through my decades experience writing, publishing and interviewing authors and other self promoters, I ...more
74725 Ask Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott — 978 members — last activity Oct 10, 2014 06:54AM
Join us on Tuesday, August 14 for a special discussion with Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn. Two authors with two of the hottest books of the summer, G ...more
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Comments (showing 16-65)    post a comment »

message 65: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "Wow, you are becoming quite the prolific author. I checked with my library, and they don't have your stuff yet, but I'll keep looking. Hope you are doing well. Have a Merry Christmas. Carol"

Thanks, Carol. Hope you have a great Christmas too.


message 64: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Wow, you are becoming quite the prolific author. I checked with my library, and they don't have your stuff yet, but I'll keep looking. Hope you are doing well. Have a Merry Christmas. Carol


message 63: by Carol (last edited Jul 04, 2021 08:52PM)

Carol  Jones-Campbell Thank you for the book review and Andreis and James for your comments.
Appreciate you both. Carol


message 62: by James

James Thane Judie wrote: "I recently read a series by Jonathan Dunsky about a Tel Aviv PI who had been a policeman in Hungary before he was sent to Auschwitz. The stories take place around 1950, soon after Israel became a s..."

Sounds interesting!


message 61: by Judie

Judie I recently read a series by Jonathan Dunsky about a Tel Aviv PI who had been a policeman in Hungary before he was sent to Auschwitz. The stories take place around 1950, soon after Israel became a state. The sixth book in the series takes place in Auschwitz and explains a lot about who he is in the earlier stories. Unexpected endings in all of them.


message 60: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Thanks bundles for the like. You are spoiling this old girl, but I like it anyway. Hope things are going well with you!!!!


message 59: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Jim - Hello hello Hello. My curiousity is up. What did they do for algorithms that slowed things down. HMMM. Was happy to see your name. Take care.
No, you certainly haven't done anything to disappoint me, and now that you've sent me a message, it occurs to me that I haven't seen any of your reviews in my feed for a while, which is why you haven't had any reaction from me. It looks like GR has changed their algorithms again, and suddenly, I'm not getting nearly as many reviews from my friends in my digest as I was earlier, which probably accounts for this.


message 58: by Carol (last edited Mar 19, 2022 11:59AM)

Carol  Jones-Campbell Thanks loads for the nice "at a girl". I really liked this book, and was interesting reading both Barack's and Michelle's books. Both very Commanding people. Highly recommend. Thanks again. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and stay away from Coronavile.


message 57: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "Thanks James for the like. I'm happy for you and the release of your new book. I'll need to check to see if any of our libraries have copies of your work. Proud of you!!!"

Thanks, Carol.


message 56: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Thanks James for the like. I'm happy for you and the release of your new book. I'll need to check to see if any of our libraries have copies of your work. Proud of you!!!


message 55: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "I owe you an apology. I was writing a comment, then all of a sudden, POOF your "Like" disappeared. I'm very sorry. I appreciate the life. Feel free to re-enter if you don't mind!!!!"

Not a problem. GR can sometimes be mischievous!


message 54: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "Congrats on your new book! Looks like a winner!!!"

Thanks, Carol. I'm really looking forward to the release.


message 53: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Congrats on your new book! Looks like a winner!!!


message 52: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell I owe you an apology. I was writing a comment, then all of a sudden, POOF your "Like" disappeared. I'm very sorry. I appreciate the life. Feel free to re-enter if you don't mind!!!!


message 51: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "Howdy James. Got a question for you. By Some chance have you entered my name into the Scottsdale Library. I was so surprised."

Hi Carol. No, I didn't. Not sure what you might be referring to.


message 50: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Howdy James. Got a question for you. By Some chance have you entered my name into the Scottsdale Library. I was so surprised.


message 49: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "Have a very Happy New Year! And many happy hours of reading and writing. Best Wishes. Carol"

Happy New Year to you too, Carol!


message 48: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Have a very Happy New Year! And many happy hours of reading and writing. Best Wishes. Carol


message 47: by James

James Thane Melliott wrote: "James, I have a review of Sue Grafton's Millhone series coming out on my blog on Monday, if you're interested:

http://bookadept.com/blog

9:30 Pacific time."


Very nice piece, Melliott.


message 46: by James

James Thane Melliott wrote: "James, I have a review of Sue Grafton's Millhone series coming out on my blog on Monday, if you're interested:

http://bookadept.com/blog

9:30 Pacific time."


Thanks; I'll check it out,


Melliott James, I have a review of Sue Grafton's Millhone series coming out on my blog on Monday, if you're interested:

http://bookadept.com/blog

9:30 Pacific time.


message 44: by James

James Thane Carol wrote: "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"

To you too, Carol.


message 43: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


message 42: by James

James Thane Ginger wrote: "Thanks James for the friend request!
Happy reading!
Ginger"


Thanks, Ginger. Looking forward to reading your reviews.


message 41: by Ginger

Ginger Thanks James for the friend request!
Happy reading!
Ginger


message 40: by James

James Thane Marty wrote: "Hi James - Thanks for the friend request. I often skip requests from authors, but I saw that I already had your first book on my list, plus I see we have a lot of books in common. I look forward to..."

Thanks, Marty; I appreciate it. It's a bit awkward sending friend requests because I know a lot of people are automatically going to think that you're doing it because you're trying to sell books and not because you're genuinely interested in following their reviews. I'm looking forward to seeing your reviews.


message 39: by Marty

Marty Fried Hi James - Thanks for the friend request. I often skip requests from authors, but I saw that I already had your first book on my list, plus I see we have a lot of books in common. I look forward to reading your reviews and books.


message 38: by James

James Thane Sofia wrote: "Hi James, glad to meet you :D"

Looking forward to reading your reviews!


message 37: by Sofia

Sofia Hi James, glad to meet you :D


message 36: by Carol

Carol  Jones-Campbell Thanks James, Ingrid, and Bobby. Hope you all are enjoying your new reads. Enjoy!!


message 35: by James

James Thane Hi William,

Sorry the book doesn't seem to be working for you, but I certainly understand that it won't appeal to every reader; peoples' tastes are different.

The more violent chapters are earlier in the book, and there's much less violence of this type in Until Death.

Hope that helps,

Jim


message 34: by William

William I'm sorry, but how many chapters of sick violence towards victims can I expect from McClain in "No Place to Die"?

Can I just skip those chapters without losing the plot?

I'm really trying to like your book, James.

May I ask if this style is repeated in subsequent books?


message 33: by James

James Thane Carolyn wrote: "Thanks for the friend request James. Thanks also for your 'like' of my review for I Hear the Sirens in the Street. I'm a big fan of Adrian McKinty's work."

You're welcome. I'm looking forward to reading more of your reviews.


message 32: by Carolyn

Carolyn Thanks for the friend request James. Thanks also for your 'like' of my review for I Hear the Sirens in the Street. I'm a big fan of Adrian McKinty's work.


message 31: by James

James Thane I'm really looking forward to the new book too, Cindy, although it may be a while before I get to it. My TBR stack is completely out of control. Sandford will be at my local bookstore in a couple of weeks to promote the book and I'm looking forward to the event. He's always a lot of fun.


message 30: by Cindy

Cindy Newton Thanks for the friendvite! I believe John Sandford, Stephen King, and Carl Hiassen provide a stable foundation for a friendship. I look forward to discussing Golden Prey with you!


message 29: by James

James Thane Jim wrote: "Thank you for the friend invite James! I enjoyed "Extreme Prey" and am looking forward to the publication of "Golden Prey" later this month."

I'm really looking forward to it to. Sandford will be here on the 25th to promote the book; it's always fun to see him.


message 28: by Jim

Jim Thank you for the friend invite James! I enjoyed "Extreme Prey" and am looking forward to the publication of "Golden Prey" later this month.


message 27: by James

James Thane Carolyn F. wrote: "Thanks for the friend invite James!"

You're welcome, Carolyn. I'm looking forward to your reviews.


Carolyn F. Thanks for the friend invite James!


message 25: by James

James Thane You're welcome. I enjoy reading them and you've alerted me to several books that I've added to my TBR list. (Of course the list is so long now that I will probably NEVER get to most of the books on it!)


message 24: by Linda

Linda I have been wanting to tell you thank you for reading and liking my reviews. I appreciate that very much!


message 23: by James

James Thane Ivonne wrote: "Thank you for the Friend request. It's wonderful to meet another fan of Peter Robinson, Lawrence Block, and Barry Maitland."

You're welcome, Ivonne--and thanks for accepting it. I'm looking forward to reading your reviews.


message 22: by Ivonne

Ivonne Rovira Thank you for the Friend request. It's wonderful to meet another fan of Peter Robinson, Lawrence Block, and Barry Maitland.


message 21: by Skip

Skip No Jussi Adler-Olsen on your bookshelves?


message 20: by James

James Thane Tfitoby wrote: "Hey James, are you also Gerri Russell? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."

Wow--don't know where that's coming from. I'd better get after GR...


message 19: by Toby

Toby Hey James, are you also Gerri Russell? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...


message 18: by Joy

Joy I started following you on Twitter. I'm @joyfulng. :-)


message 17: by James

James Thane Mona wrote: "Thanks for liking my review of Gone Girl :)"

You're welcome. I'm really looking forward to getting to this one.


message 16: by Mona

Mona Garg Thanks for liking my review of Gone Girl :)


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