John Connolly

Picked up The Unquiet by John Connolly at an airport with very low expectations but have been delighted by the quality of the writing. I've only ever read a bit of Stephen King, 20+ years ago, and thought he was really hacky. Despite the detective/thriller angle, Connolly is everything I wanted King to be. Like magic in Tolkien, there is only just enough "horror", and it is wrapped in ambiguity allowing for (and sometimes arguing for) simple madness, rather than the bug-eyed-monster-realism of King horror.