In the July 2024 Book Notification newsletter, we asked readers one question:
Which authors are there whose books you blindly buy?
We received over 15,000 responses with over 6,000 different authors cited, which is great to see. We love to see that level of trust in authors.
This close race had us on the edge of our seats. The top two were far and away the most popular choices among readers, and every e-mail would change the leader. With that many responses, the top answer literally won by just 16 votes.
#1: Michael Connelly
If you blindly buy books by an author, you show incredible trust in that author’s ability to consistently deliver quality.
Having read the entire Bosch Universe of 41 stories and counting, I’m not surprised to see Michael Connelly at the top of this list.
I can’t think of any “bad” books in this series. Whether it’s Harry Bosch, Renee Ballard or the Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly always brings the goods, and it’s great to see him at the top of this list.
#2: Louise Penny
It wasn’t a surprise to see the votes pile in for Louise Penny and her Inspector Gamache series.
That series transcends all other series; they aren’t just books or characters to readers. The members of the Three Pines community feel like family. People don’t buy these books just for the stories; but because it feels like a reunion.
It’s an incredible series whose popularity is driven by the characters within. Fans of the series don’t need to know what the book is like or what the storyline is prior to purchase; they’re blindly buying the books because they can’t wait to revisit Three Pines again.
The Rest of the Top 10
#3: David Baldacci
It’s been interesting looking at the answers to this as many of the authors answered primarily write the one series. So it makes sense that people blindly buy books by that author – they have been invested in that particular series for a long time.
That isn’t the case with David Baldacci, who has written various series over the years, such as the Amos Decker, Camel Club and Travis Devine series. It’s a credit to his writing skills to see him ranked so highly, as it shows that no matter what series he is writing, readers have that blind faith in his ability.
#4: JD Robb / Nora Roberts
This one combined Nora Roberts and her pseudonym, JD Robb. However, she would still have made the top 10 based purely on the “JD Robb” answers, and many answers said Nora Roberts but cited the “In Death” series.
Everyone loves Eve Dallas, and it’s no surprise to see the police procedural series ranked so highly.
#5: Lee Child
The author of the Jack Reacher series may be hanging up his writing boots, but people are still prepared to blindly buy his books. Numerous answers state that they still consider Reacher novels “his,” even if his brother Andrew is taking over the series.
Andrew Child also received many votes and fell just short of the top 20.
#6: CJ Box
The Joe Pickett series featuring the Wyoming game warden is an incredibly popular series here on Book Notification, and we weren’t surprised to see this one getting a lot of answers. All of the books are highly rated, with the majority of them receiving a rating over 9/10 on Book Notification.
#7: John Sandford
The Prey/Lucas Davenport series has been ongoing since the late 1980s/early 1990s, and many readers agree that the quality has remained strong throughout. It’s great to see that all these decades later, John Sandford’s books are still going strong.
#8: Stephen King
It’s not surprising to see Stephen King make the list. Whether it’s a standalone novel or a book in a series, King is always topping the bestseller lists, and people know that no matter the genre, if you buy one of his books, you’re getting your money’s worth.
#9: William Kent Krueger
The Cork O’Connor series began in 1998 and is still highly rated and regarded today. William also occasionally takes a break from it to pen a standalone novel – but the series featuring private investigator Cork O’Connor has people blindly buying Williams books year after year.
#10: Nick Petrie
Seeing this entry make it into the top 10 really warmed my heart. Not just because it’s one of my favourite series, but I recommend it all the time at one of our sister sites, Book Series in Order. It’s the easiest “If you like this, then you’ll love that” recommendation I ever make. “If you like Jack Reacher, you’ll love the Peter Ash series by Nick Petrie”.
Not to jinx it, but I’ve been saying that exact thing to thousands of people for 6+ years now, and everyone who has replied has thanked me for such a great recommendation. Many of the people who wrote in to answer ‘Nick Petrie’ also let me know it was due to my recommendation from years ago that they discovered him, which was really cool to see.
Thanks to everyone who submitted answers. We loved seeing all of the feedback. And if you’re one of the people who nominated Lee Child, be sure to check out Nick Petrie.