Mystery book recommendations
- Thread starter nancy324
- Start date
Hard question - you've probably read a lot already. I like mysteries, too, and some of my current favorites are Laura Lippman, Janet Evanovich, Elizabeth George, Peter Robinson...I did just read a really terrific, if unusual, one by Leonie Swann, called Three Bags Full. The description makes it sound a little cutesy and silly but it's actually seriously good!
Lisa
Lisa
deanie
Cathlete
Okay, Nancy, get your pencil ready 
:
Ayelet Waldman writes Mommy Track Mysteries - cute and quirky, but good mysteries
Kerry Greenwood writes a 1920's mystery with the same woman detective: Phryne Fisher, set in Australia
Rhys Bowen writes a few series, 2 of which I enjoy:
Molly Murphy (Irish woman comes to NY at the turn of the century - 1900s) I have recommended this series to a couple friends and they really enjoyed it.
Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie (cute campy down on her luck aristocrat in London in the 1920sish)
Jill Churchill writes a Grace and Favor series: mysteries from the 1930's solved by a brother and sister
Jasper Fforde wrote a VERY cute mystery series, very different but good, starting with The Eyre Affair. If you read and like classic lit. you will enjoy this mystery.
Rick Riordan writes a great mystery series (present time) about a detective in TX named Tres Navarre
Anne Perry writes wonderful victorian england mysteries featuring either Inspector Pitt and his wife, or Monk and Hester.
I just finished an interesting/exciting historical mystery "Mistress of the art of Death" I forget who wrote it, but it was very good. A mystery in the 1100s. (In case you couldn't tell, I like period mysteries. I like the way the solve the mysteries with out all the tech. stuff. I find it more interesting)
I really enjoy mysteries, hope there was something in there you like.
I also enjoy Janet Evanovich and Harlan Coben (he is more thriller than mystery) and the earlier Faye Kellermans are very good as are the early Jonathan Kellermans.
:Ayelet Waldman writes Mommy Track Mysteries - cute and quirky, but good mysteries
Kerry Greenwood writes a 1920's mystery with the same woman detective: Phryne Fisher, set in Australia
Rhys Bowen writes a few series, 2 of which I enjoy:
Molly Murphy (Irish woman comes to NY at the turn of the century - 1900s) I have recommended this series to a couple friends and they really enjoyed it.
Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie (cute campy down on her luck aristocrat in London in the 1920sish)
Jill Churchill writes a Grace and Favor series: mysteries from the 1930's solved by a brother and sister
Jasper Fforde wrote a VERY cute mystery series, very different but good, starting with The Eyre Affair. If you read and like classic lit. you will enjoy this mystery.
Rick Riordan writes a great mystery series (present time) about a detective in TX named Tres Navarre
Anne Perry writes wonderful victorian england mysteries featuring either Inspector Pitt and his wife, or Monk and Hester.
I just finished an interesting/exciting historical mystery "Mistress of the art of Death" I forget who wrote it, but it was very good. A mystery in the 1100s. (In case you couldn't tell, I like period mysteries.
I like the way the solve the mysteries with out all the tech. stuff. I find it more interesting)I really enjoy mysteries, hope there was something in there you like.
I also enjoy Janet Evanovich and Harlan Coben (he is more thriller than mystery) and the earlier Faye Kellermans are very good as are the early Jonathan Kellermans.
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garance
Cathlete
I'm a real mystery nut as an antidote to all of the academic reading I do. Sooo--I just finished Tess Gerritsen's The Keepsake (grisly but pretty good), and before that Ian Rankin's The Falls. The first time for him, but now I've opened a vein of good stuff and plan to gradually read all of his. Before that it was Deborah Crombie's Where Memories Lie, another new author and a series I will pursue. Before that it was Elizabeth George's Careless in Red. Love Lynley and Havers. Now I'm just starting The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which has some rave reviews at Amazon.com. I have high hopes.
Have fun!
Have fun!
I'm not a fan of the genre, but I have thought of reading some of the classic detective mystery writers, like Daschel Hammet, Mickey Spillane, Arthur Conan Doyle, Raymond Chandler, Ellery Queen, Agatha Christie, etc. Just seems like it would be fun to read the novels that seem so cliche now, because they've been quoted and imitated so much.
nancy324
Cathlete
Okay, Garance, I just picked up Ian Rankin's The Falls. With so many good recommendations, it was hard to choose, but I read the first page and wanted to read more, so it seemed like a good choice. Now I've got my subway reading! Thanks so much to all who responded!
ETA: TeTe, I read all that stuff 30 years ago or more, and enjoyed it. Don't know if I would enjoy it today, but give it a try and see what you think. I fear it may seem a bit old hat.
Thanks so much to all who responded!ETA: TeTe, I read all that stuff 30 years ago or more, and enjoyed it. Don't know if I would enjoy it today, but give it a try and see what you think. I fear it may seem a bit old hat.
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lioness
Cathlete
Here are my favorites.
John D. MacDonald - Travis McGee Series (from the 60's and 70's)
Sue Grafton - Alphabet Series
Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum Series
Lee Child - Jack Reacher Series
Michael Connelly
James Lee Burke - Dave Robicheaux Series
Sara Parestky
Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford Series
Harlan Coben
Greg Iles
John D. MacDonald - Travis McGee Series (from the 60's and 70's)
Sue Grafton - Alphabet Series
Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum Series
Lee Child - Jack Reacher Series
Michael Connelly
James Lee Burke - Dave Robicheaux Series
Sara Parestky
Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford Series
Harlan Coben
Greg Iles
Roxie 1965
Cathlete
Patricia Cornwells are good to but I really recommend Sue Graftons and Kay Hooper has some real good ones.
amyg
Cathlete
Awe Nance it was absolutely NO problem!!! I think of you all the time and it was fun to send you stuff!
My faves of the above, in no particular order:
Parker- he is a funny guy with a fantastic dry sense of humor; his characters have great dialogues
Cornwell- very suspenseful books; main character is medical examiner so they're graphic more often than not
Paretsky- traditional female gumshoe from Chicago; similar to Grafton's female gumshoe (from CA); very strong women with pretty good plots (and there are a lot of them so if you like one you can keep going!)
Evanovich- very funny female lingerie saleswoman turned bounty hunter in NJ; her parents live close by and she has interesting and very entertaining love interests; the mysteries themselves are more suspense novels than they are mysteries
Child- really more like thrillers since they are written so tightly and keep you turning the pages; the male main character is dark, smart, and very interesting
Coben- male sports agent with funny dialogue like Parker; he went to law school and now represents sports figures who have a skeleton or two in their closets and need his help; his friends are funny too
Parker and Grafton have the most books out so if you enjoy them you'll be set for many subway trips. If you're looking for real page turners you can always check out James Patterson- his books usually have about 74 chapters, LOL, so you have a new chapter every two pages or so! They're more suspense than they are mystery.
I also enjoy Mary Higgins Clark (haven't read her in years though) and Lisa Scottoline (legal suspense) and Nevada Barr (tracking lost people), Michael Connelly (suspense thrillers with cop detective), Richard North Patterson (more legal suspense), and Perri O'Shaughnessy (pretty good legal suspense all the time).
LOL, okay, so that's my 10 minute rundown.
My faves of the above, in no particular order:
Parker- he is a funny guy with a fantastic dry sense of humor; his characters have great dialogues
Cornwell- very suspenseful books; main character is medical examiner so they're graphic more often than not
Paretsky- traditional female gumshoe from Chicago; similar to Grafton's female gumshoe (from CA); very strong women with pretty good plots (and there are a lot of them so if you like one you can keep going!)
Evanovich- very funny female lingerie saleswoman turned bounty hunter in NJ; her parents live close by and she has interesting and very entertaining love interests; the mysteries themselves are more suspense novels than they are mysteries
Child- really more like thrillers since they are written so tightly and keep you turning the pages; the male main character is dark, smart, and very interesting
Coben- male sports agent with funny dialogue like Parker; he went to law school and now represents sports figures who have a skeleton or two in their closets and need his help; his friends are funny too
Parker and Grafton have the most books out so if you enjoy them you'll be set for many subway trips. If you're looking for real page turners you can always check out James Patterson- his books usually have about 74 chapters, LOL, so you have a new chapter every two pages or so! They're more suspense than they are mystery.
I also enjoy Mary Higgins Clark (haven't read her in years though) and Lisa Scottoline (legal suspense) and Nevada Barr (tracking lost people), Michael Connelly (suspense thrillers with cop detective), Richard North Patterson (more legal suspense), and Perri O'Shaughnessy (pretty good legal suspense all the time).
LOL, okay, so that's my 10 minute rundown.
trixie108
Cathlete
Jane,
I just got into the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, and I absolutely LOVE them!! Although I can never put the book down, so I'm usually reading into the wee hours of the morning!!
Also, I know a few people watch the Dexter series on HBO, but that actually started as a book, not sure the author, but another good series to check out. Although I think there are only 3 so far...
I just got into the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, and I absolutely LOVE them!! Although I can never put the book down, so I'm usually reading into the wee hours of the morning!!
Also, I know a few people watch the Dexter series on HBO, but that actually started as a book, not sure the author, but another good series to check out. Although I think there are only 3 so far...
LauraMax
Cathlete
OMG Nancy, if you haven't read any of Evanovich's books you must run......don't walk........to your local Borders! Start with One for the Money, it will have you roaring w/laughter! They're really more humor than mystery though.
I'm in the middle of The Lost Constitution by William Martin. It's right up your alley, & it's actually set in modern day AND the national period. It's about a treasure hunter searching for an annotated copy of the Constitution circa 1787 (annotated by the founding fathers, if that wasn't obvious). It's a really fun read & I couldn't put it down all w/e.
Evidently it's #3 in a series, I plan on getting #s 1 & 2 when I'm done.
I'm in the middle of The Lost Constitution by William Martin. It's right up your alley, & it's actually set in modern day AND the national period. It's about a treasure hunter searching for an annotated copy of the Constitution circa 1787 (annotated by the founding fathers, if that wasn't obvious
). It's a really fun read & I couldn't put it down all w/e. Evidently it's #3 in a series, I plan on getting #s 1 & 2 when I'm done.
nancy324
Cathlete
Okay, I'm almost finished with The Falls. I'm really enjoying it, and can't wait to find out how it ends. The only issue I have with it is that everyone is drinking all the time. I can almost smell the whiskey and cigarette smoke in all the bars they hang out in. How do they get their police work done being so inebriated all the time? But I really like it. Thanks for the recommendation, Garance.
I want to buy my next book to have it ready. What should I get next? I need a real mystery to keep my attention. Funny by itself may not be enough for me, as I'm very easily distracted.
Parker? Evanovich? Child? Martin? Cornwall? Grafton? HELP!!
I want to buy my next book to have it ready. What should I get next? I need a real mystery to keep my attention. Funny by itself may not be enough for me, as I'm very easily distracted.
Parker? Evanovich? Child? Martin? Cornwall? Grafton? HELP!!
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garance
Cathlete
Hi Nancy--
If you can afford a hardback, I would go with Elizabeth George's Careless in Red or Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. They are both very good mysteries qua mysteries--with clues along the way to help you figure them out. If you want some paperback, meticulously plotted mysteries, go with P.D. James. The early Cornwells are pretty good, but thumbs down on the later ones.
I am currently reading Candace Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue. It's fun so far but not a mystery.
If you can afford a hardback, I would go with Elizabeth George's Careless in Red or Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. They are both very good mysteries qua mysteries--with clues along the way to help you figure them out. If you want some paperback, meticulously plotted mysteries, go with P.D. James. The early Cornwells are pretty good, but thumbs down on the later ones.
I am currently reading Candace Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue. It's fun so far but not a mystery.
fox2star
Cathlete
Hi Nancy,
A really great series, by Lawrence Block is his one with the hit man, that goes by the name of Keller. He resides in NY city, has a good friend Dot, who lives in the outskirts of NY that sets up his jobs.. You really have to read them in order...they kind of end at one page and start up at the first page of the next one...A real good story and series...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/series/93817/ref=pd_serl_books?ie=UTF8&edition=mass%5Fmarket
Deb
A really great series, by Lawrence Block is his one with the hit man, that goes by the name of Keller. He resides in NY city, has a good friend Dot, who lives in the outskirts of NY that sets up his jobs.. You really have to read them in order...they kind of end at one page and start up at the first page of the next one...A real good story and series...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/series/93817/ref=pd_serl_books?ie=UTF8&edition=mass%5Fmarket
Deb
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LauraMax
Cathlete
Nancy, have you ever read any Laurence Sanders? Both humor & mystery, some of my all time favorites. The Archie McNally serious is absolutely hilarious--Archie is a rich guy who lives in Palm Beach, flunked out of Yale law, & started a business that specializes in "discreet inquiries" (basically a PI service for the wealthy who don't want their business going public). Lots of fun & some pretty good mysteries too.