Most readers of this of this blog probably haven't read too much Patricia Cornwell, but her earlier Kay Scarpetta novels are wonderful.  What separates them from the herd is the rare combination of good writing and meaningful plot.  While it may be "all about the characters," characters, by themselves, do not a novel make.  Likewise, all the plot in the world doesn't help much if the characters are nothing more than cardboard cutouts, the literary answer to "Buddy Jesus."  In case you're not sure what I mean, I refer to you to Terry Goodkind's entire body of work.  Unfortunately, even good writers tend to go bad after awhile; Patricia Cornwell's most recent books are complete drivel.  Now, many people have this--these days somewhat sacrilegious--complaint about the last few novels in the Wheel of Time Series, but trust me, in comparison to Predator, they're all action packed.

Which brings me to Simon R. Green.  He's an ambitious writer; his offerings span the gamut, from crime novels to satires to Laurell K. Hamilton rip-offs.  I know, because I've read most of his books, even though, well, to be honest, they aren't very good.  He's like that good for nothing boyfriend most of us remember from college: he's incapable of having a real conversation, you'd die of embarrassment if your family ever met him, but somehow you can't quite bring yourself to break up with him.  Green's books fill a similar void: I go back to them when I'm between series, because they're dependable.  I sort of care about the characters, I'm mildly interested in what happens to them, and I have no guilt about abandoning them if something better comes along.  Until recently, I'd meandered through about half his catalogue, and I was pretty confident I knew what he was about.  So, imagine my surprise when I picked up the first book in the Deathstalker series, read a few chapters...and discovered that it was actually good!