hey all, i need a good crime fiction novel to read for an assignment, any ideas?

Try Raymond Chandler "The thin Man", one of my favs.

Anything by Tami Hoag or Iris Johanssen. Lots of people like Patricia Cornwell, but I find her Kay Scarpetta books somewhat pretentious.

I will have to say go with the classics and recommend either A Study in Scarlet (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes novel) or Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

If you want something a little different, try one of the Judge Dee novels by Robert Van Gulik. They are set in China during the 7th century. "The Chinese Nail Murders" is a good place to start.

The Man Who Killed His Brother - Stephen R. Donaldson

Hardcase - Dan Simmons

Both are damned good. I prefer Hardcase, with the caveat that it's extraordinarily brutal in places.

John Connolly
Every Dead Thing
Dark Hollow
The Killing Kind
The White Road

They are about a P.I named Charlie "Bird" Parker. Some of you will recognize that name from the Jazz musician. In Every Dead Thing you learn that Charlies wife was killed by serial killer he's come to all The Travelling Man. And it's about his investigation to find him. It's really well done. You'll admire Bird even though he does some horrible things to worse people, his friends a gay interracial couple Louis (a hitman) and Angel (theif) will make you laugh. It's just a really good book. The whole series is good.

Tureckij Gambit - The Turkish gambit. Boris Akunin - he is actually Georgian.
They just made a movie about it as well. It is a good reading.

ANYTHING by Agatha Christie.

@Ragusa

what's The Thin Man about? It sounds vaguely familiar, can't place it though. :confused:

Val McDermid, Denis Lehane, John Connelly or Ed Mcbain's books.