I had read a couple of Grisham's works some years ago and found them enjoyable. I thought I had never read Crichton (just not into dinosaurs) until I realised

I had read a couple of Grisham's works some years ago and found them enjoyable. I thought I had never read Crichton (just not into dinosaurs) until I realised that I have infact read his State of Fear many years ago. However, I have no recollection whatsoever of its story. Another author who uses formula seems to be Dan Brown: everything happens within 24 hours, there's a hero with lots of travel (atleast an Atlantic crossing and back — which if you think about it screws up the 24 hour timeline IRL) a pursuing villain who's low-key psychopath, a parallel storyline... It's quite enjoyable if you're reading him for the first time, but by the time you're into 3rd book you'll start to see the formula and then whatever you're reading instantly loses its appeal. I have decided that, life's too short to be reading low-quality work, and now I try to read classics and other renowned works. Of course, with this strategy you might end up missing good works by independent authors. So, keep an open mind.