[Travis McGee]

I think John MacDonald had a lot more influence than some sceenwriters are willing to admit. McGee's ghost can be seen in hundreds of works, if you look. Rockford Files, Magnum: P.I., Riptide, all of these shows and more owed their existance to the captain of the Busted Flush.

I agree. The late great John D. is probably the most ripped-off without credit writer in history.

[Jet Jaguar]

Favorite books of mine. (Some not conservative)
Earth Abides-Stewart
Lord of the Rings-Tolkien
The World According to Garp-Irving
Treason-Coulter
The Screwtape Letters-Lewis
Senatorial Privledge-Danmore
The Stand-King
Servant of the Bones-Rice

[Trinity_Tx]

Like most of you other bibliophiles, I have way too many favorites to list. Clancy, Rand, old classics and historical bios...

But having read the thread and noticed a trend in our tastes, I'm going to limit myself to recommending this one that might have been missed, but I really think most of y'all would love: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. (He also wrote Snow Crash and others...)

It is an incredible techno-thriller novel that goes between ww2 and present day... with a lot of nonfiction elements, delving deeply into the beginning of computer tech, cryptography (awesome depth there), espionage, and the present day Internet. If you like Clancy, you'll love this.

I found it impossible to put down... fast paced (tho very long)... intelligent... And aside from some rough language, I really love Stevenson's style.

(Off to order Travis' book now...)