Oh, I can give you lots of mystery recommendations, but it depends on what type of mystery you like to read. You got your cop stories, your P.I. story, your amateur detective stotries, your cozies, your noir, your psychological thrillers, historical, victorian, medical, whodunnit, suspense, courtroom mysteries, british mysteries… even things called mini-genres like “Culinary Mysteries, Feline Mysteries, Craft Mysteries.” In general, I stay away from the gimmicky stuff. I don’t like all the culinary mysteries out there, I’ve never read a single one that was worth the money the library paid to have it on their shelves. But that’s just me. And, I like amateur detective stories, but you have to be careful. For some reason, there are a lot of hair dressers solving mysteries these days. Latest trend in amateurs. With the exception of Dame Christie and Elizabeth Peters, I’ve stayed away from the cozies, as well.
I like grittier stuff, and I like noir. When I first made the switch from young adult mysteries to grown up mysteries, one of my favorite authors was Rex Stout, who wrote the Nero Wolfe series. And that remains one of my favorites to this day. Set in the 30’s, lots of noir, lots of style and wit. I’ve read every single one of his books, several times over. Raymond Chandler, also very good. Robert B. Parker is famous for his Spenser series, but I can’t read them without picturing Robert Ulrich in my head and I don’t want him in my head. So I stick to his other character series, Sonny Randall. I also like stuff with forensics in it, I like to read about collecting evidence.
Maybe I should just make you a list of some of my favorites. Almost everyone has some element of humor in it.
Robert Crais – Elvis Cole Series. He has two other non-Elvis books as well. He’s funny and dark, and I can’t resist either one of those.
Laura Lippman – Tess Monoghan series, she starts out as an unemployed reporter and turns into a PI. Not a silly female detective series, she gets seriously messed up at times.
Sue Grafton – Kinsey Milhoun Alphabet series. A staple in any mystery library.
Sparkle Hayter – any of her books, she’s what you might call Tart Noir. You might call her that, because that is what she calls herself.
Rex Stout – Nero Wolfe series…. brilliant…. genius.
Agatha Christie – duh.
Elizabeth Peters – Amelia Peabody series. Set in turn of the century Egypt, usually, it’s full of historical, political, archeological goodness. Plus, Amelia is sassy.
Jim Butcher – Harry Dresden series. Won’t be found in the mystery section, but rather sci-fi, as he is a wizard. Full of fun preternatural stuff.
Carl Hiaasen – wacky environmental mysteries set in Florida.
Elmore Leonard – he’s great with the dialog, kinda old school.
Raymond Chandler – you won’t go wrong there.
And, I cannot recommend this book enough, even though it is probably not in the Mystery section,
Down on Ponce, by Fred Willard. One of your better buddy/crime novels. I wish I could write like this guy. This is actually the first Satan’s Bookclub Selection, so you might as well get started now.
General tip, stay away from any books that mention cats doing something in the title, anything that starts with “The Cat Who…” or any books that give partial author credit to a cat.
PS: Go read “Down on Ponce.”
Holy crap, that is great! I currently like the spy novels and some war stuff. So, any mystery books that would lean towards the spy stuff would be great bridge. Interesting on the foresnics side. I have started watching that CSI stuff on TV and it just makes me think… I am copying you post and saving it for when I get around to reading. Ever since I have gotten off the road for work, I just do not read as much….damn blogging.
Thanks again!
forensic stuff… i’ve read all of kathy reichs stuff. the reason i like her is she based her character on her own life. a forensic anthropologist who works both in s. carolina and quebec. she knows her stuff.
patricia cromwell [i think that’s her last name] is famous for her kay scarpetta series, although everyone says it starts out good, but ends week. so if you want a book with a corner, start at the beginning of that series. i’ve read one or two.
i don’t know much about war thrillers [i tend to think of them as thrillers, rather than mysteries] i like spy stuff, but i guess i just haven’t read much lately.
you say you like gritty? i suggest, “garnethill” by denise mina. plus it takes place in glasgow, scotland. tres cool. there are 3 books in the series. all good. not your typical mysteries.
i’m gonna check out that book, down on ponce, when i get a chance.
I’d like to read, but I usually get pissed off at a writer’s style or pace and give up.
Oddly enough, I can stomach even the worst movie.
do you have any authors you like, that don’t annoy you like that?
I’ve read Garnethill too, it is good although very grim. It’s the first in a trilogy although I haven’t read the other two yet.
I’m testing my new Typekey thingy that Jodi said I should get – did it work?
And just so I’m not being totally useless here’s alink to another video by that same band but this one’s not animated.
http://www.bikinifilms.co.uk/mv/philippeandre/reel/es.htm
i adore Crais (and picture him as Elvis), i enjoy Parker (and picture him as Spencer, so no prob w/the Ulrich thing), loved Grafton up until P (bleagh!), can’t wait for the new Butcher (Harry is my fictional boyfriend since Elvis is apparently taken), and Christie’s Man in the Brown Suit is probably one of my all time favorite books. i’ve read one Sparkle book, loved it and bought a few others, still unread. i enjoyed the one Hiaasen book read, but haven’t gone out of my way to read any more of his stuff. haven’t tried the other authors you listed, but most are on my ‘Authors I’d Like To Read When I Have The Time And Money And Am Done Reading The Gazillion Books I’ve Bought But Haven’t Read Yet’ list.
not on your list is Ellery Queen. very old school mystery writer and probably my favorite ‘author’ of all time. even though sometimes i have to have a dictionary with me with i read his stuff because every few pages is a word i don’t know. fun!
oh, and i tried a ‘Cat Who…’ book once, because i’ve seen them everywhere and assumed that meant they were good, and the book totally sucked. bleagh! so yeah, stay away from cat books. 🙂
one more thing – seriously – then i’m done. 🙂
another good mystery writer that i enjoy is Lawrence Block. particularly his Burglar series. i’ve enjoyed the one or two short stories i’ve read about the hit man guy. those were… interesting. 🙂
” adore Crais (and picture him as Elvis)”
i picture elvis a bit scruffier. in a good way… all those Hawaiian shirts, he seems almost Magnum PI like.
harry comes out in may! 3 months early. stoked about that. i just read the first three chapters online today, at jim butcher’s website.
luckily, in my brief foray into feline mysteries [i swear, i was just skimming them because there was an interesting secondary character int he series, i was just reading the parts with him in it. honest] it was not the “cat who…” series. louise always made fun of me reading the cat books, but she’s since read cross stitch mysteries, so she is no longer able to mock me. i think her shame is greater because it came with a cross stitch pattern. mine were set in vegas! so much cooler than cross stitch. and i am totally over those cat books. seriously.
oh wait, one more thing, loon… did you notice there is a new In Death book out? however, after the last one, i have decided that they are not worth the price of a hard back. i don’t know why they started going down that path. they are perfectly enjoyable books, but strictly mass market paperback. so i’m on the hold list at the library. because… you know… Roarke.
all this talk of books i’ve not read, and i feel uncomfortably out of the loop.
when i was a kid, i’d always liked agatha christie, nancy drew, trixie belden, the hardy boys, encyclopedia brown, etc. but i’ve just started adding more mystery genre books to my repertoire again. for many years there were no fun books (while in school) and then before that, there were primarily sci fi/fantasy with an occasional mystery.
today, i like the martha grimes’ richard jury books. i haven’t figured out why yet. and i read one anne perry, but wasn’t really drawn to her stuff.
but some of the ones you guys are talking about (minus the cat ones) definitely sound like books for me.
have any of you read caleb carr’s ‘the alienist’?
harry in 3 months!!! i’ve read the first few chapters too and am now officially *dying* to read the rest of it.
i did notice there’s a new In Death book. but since i haven’t read the previous one yet, i’m not in a hurry to read the new one. i won’t be buying them, but they have them at my library. so maybe when i pick up the new Crais i’ll check them out.
loon, i also put the audio books for the first two harry books on hold at the library, for my commute. and they are narrated beautifully by james marsters. wheee. the new harry book will be in hardback, tho. just a warning. start saving.
river, YOU need to read the harry dresden series, by jim butcher. if you like sci-fi/fantasy and mystery, it’s both wrapped up in one. and funny. very enjoyable. lots of badass demon fighting. i have not read caleb carr, should i put that on my library list?
i recommend the alienist by caleb carr.
well, there you go, there are two rec’s for the alienist by caleb carr. i’ll put it on my library list.
yeah, i recommend it. that was what i was doing…all subtle like. 😉
i LOVE cinderella and am all for cinderella stories…except for those involving jerry lewis…anyway, i was looking at the list of books you have read and saw not only MANY MANY cat mysteries, but also that you read ‘the fairy godmother’ by mercedes lackey (whom i’ve always liked).
didn’t it suck?!
ok, here is the thing with the cat mysteries. in the apartment complex of the main character, lived a man named matt, who was an ex-preist. fresh out of preistness. it was his story that was interesting. it was like a story within a a story, when the mysteries started getting dull, and stupidness started to enter the series, i just started skimming them, to read his story. IT’S NOT MY FAULT!! even NOT skimming, i could read one of those books in about two hours. they are baby books. they hardly count.
at least these books are not written by a woman AND her cat.
stay away from the cat books.
i don’t even remember what “fairy godmother” was about, actually. i know i finished it. it must not have made much of an impression.