Recent Mystery Books

I am looking for recommendations for recent mysteries to read. I have not read a lot of mysteries so I am pretty open to anything.

Thanks

There are several series of books that you could read, The ABC books writen by Sue Grafton, the 123 books by Janet Evanovich, the V.I. Warshawski books by Sara Paretsky, the Inspector Linley series by Elisabeth George, and also try books by Patricia Cornwell, Jonathon Kellerman, and Kathy Reichs.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have a great series of mysteries–the first is Relic, then they go from there. They’re not numbered, but I recommend reading them in the order they were written. Interesting creepy mysteries, fantastic characters–I was completely bummed when I ran out of their available work. Now I have to wait around for new releases along with everybody else.

Ed McBain was the Grand Old Master of the realistic detective mystery. Andrew Vachss’s Burke mysteries are good roman noir and Kinky Friedman is just plain fun.

Do you mean that you want books written recently, or books with a modern setting?

Harry Kemelman’s Rabbi series is good. Rabbi David Small solves all sorts of murders.

start from the beginning with Friday the Rabbi Slept Late

I thought that this thread had died with not posts. Almost a week of nothing and then replies. Thanks.

I meant books written recently like say in the past 10 or 15 years. But mostly I want some good ideas of what to read that isn’t Agatha Cristie.

The traditional mystery with a detective has declined in the past few years.

Thrillers have become more popular. P. T. Deutermann started writing thrillers in the early 1990’s. He recently switched to more traditional mysteries with his character Lt. Cam Richter. He works in the Sheriffs Office.

Cam Richter novels Nightwalkers is his best. It just came out last year.
Cat Dancers, Spider Mountain, Moonpool, Nightwalkers

Try the Erast Fandorin novels, by Boris Akunin. It is a Russian series with a detective in 19th century Russia, and each book is in a different mystery genre, or as an homage to the style of a certain mystery author. Unfortunately for me, the American editions have stopped coming out, but the series is apparently still popular in Britain, so the English translations are still coming out.

I really like Tony Hillerman’s Navajo Tribal Police mysteries.

I also like historical mysteries:
For ancient Rome, try Steven Saylor or Lindsey Davis. Davis’s books are pretty funny. Both authors are still writing.

C.J. Sansom has a really good new series set in Tudor England during the later years of Henry VIII’s reign.

They’re older, but Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael books, set in medieval England, are popular.

I’ve just started a mystery series by Barbara Hambly that is set in the 1830’s in New Orleans.

I’d recommend listening to a good mystery.

Judy Kaye does a great job on the ABC mysteries. Kinsey Milhone is a great protagonist.
And S is for Silence is the second-best mystery I’ve ever read.

The first? Flashback by Nevada Barr. Balances a modern mystery with one from the past. Wonderful series with a Natl. Park Ranger who gets assigned (conveniently enough, for the readers…) to a new Park for each book.

A treat to listen to, though I don’t get grabbed by them the same when I read a dead-tree-pulp version: the Cat Who… books by Lilian Jackson Braun. George Guidell nails the atmosphere of the town Four Hundred Miles North Of Anywhere, and the voice of the world-weary journalist from Down Below.

Hmm, watch for an “audiobook mystery recommendations?” thread soon…

My professor of Criminal Procedure just released her third novel: 212 by Alafair Burke.

I don’t read mysteries, but she’s one hell of a Crim pro professor, and got a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly so I’ve been thinking of taking a swing at it. :smiley:

I just listened to Listening Woman while driving across Arizona. Excellent.

If you like a touch of demented humor in your mysteries, try Carl Hiaasen’s Skinny Dip, Lucky You or Stormy Weather.

I don’t know if they are mysteries in the strictest sense or more police procedurals but the three John Madden books by Rennie Airth are really engrossing - River of Darkness, The Blood Dimmed Tide and The Dead of Winter; they may be a little difficult to locate at the local Borders or Barnes & Noble though.

I would also heartily second anything by Carl Hiaasen, particularly Skinny Dip.

Sorry if this is off topic, because my reading preference in fiction is the first half of the 20th century and so I can’t talk about the writings of the last 15 years, but I can certainly recommend some older stuff that isn’t Agatha Christie.

Number 1 would be John Dickson Carr. He published approximately 100 classic mysteries so if you try him and like him, you’re all set for years! He had several different series each with a different leading detective character. There’s the Gideon Fell series (detective is a rotund fellow based on the real-life author G.K.Chesterton); the Sir Henry Merrivale series (detective is a hearty, irascible upper-class Englishman who works for the Ministry of Defense); the Henri Bencolin series (detective is a satanic-looking Paris police official), as well as a number of one-offs including his justly famed historical-novel mysteries such as The Devil in Velvet, Scandal at High Chimneys, etc.

I’m also fond of Dorothy Sayers and Josephine Tey but I imagine you’re already familiar with them. If by any off chance you haven’t read Sayers (her mysteries mostly feature Lord Peter Wimsey) you might start with Clouds of Witness or Murder Must Advertise. It doesn’t matter which Tey you read first, as they’re mostly one-offs.

Another mystery writer from the same period and in the same general style, but nowhere near as well known, is John Rhode (mostly featuring an armchair detective with a day job as a chemist, Dr. Priestley).

One source you might want to check out is the book *The Lineup: The World’s Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives * edited by Otto Penzler. While some of the entries are aimed more to readers already familiar with the character, the information given about the main character might allow you to decide if the books would appeal to you.

Some of the authors I have enjoyed include:

Robert Parker-Best known for his Spenser series, the Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall books are also worth the read.

Robert Crais-His Elvis Cole\Joe Pike books have an appeal similar to the Spenser series.

Lee Child-The Jack Reacher series.

Beverly Connor is a favorite of my moms.
her character - Diane Fallon is a Forensic Anthropologist and the Director of Rivertrail Museum of Natural History in Georgia.

Whenever a stray human bone is found, the cops ask Diane to aid in the Investigation. Forensic Anthropologist study remains and can determine cause of death. Even from just a few bones.

This is a current series. She published a new book last year. I’d recommend reading this series in the published order. One Grave too Many introduces the character.
http://beverlyconnor.net/default.htm