I’ve been enjoying the historical mysteries of Boris Akunin featuring Erast Fandorin. They need to be read in order. I’ve read the first three and they’ve all been different, and the character is maturing. They’re quite readable, and Murder on the Leviathan (the second one, I think) had some sly humorous touches.
Another good series is by Owen Parry. His Abel Jones mysteries are set during the Civil War, and I especially like how the action happens on the sidelines. Lots of ordinary people, major historical figures not so much. I’ve read three of those too.
The cool thing about these is (I think) they could have been written and enjoyed contemporaneously – 19th century readers would be comfortable with them. The manners are correct but not stodgy, and Parry in particular captures the sensibilities – he’s not PC. When he firstmeets a well-educated African-American, he’s surprised and a bit patronizing.
I still read Robert B. Parker, but Spenser books are more comfort reading now than anything else: Spenser lapsed into comfortable somnolence long ago with Susan, Hawk, and that damned dog. I liked them much better when Spenser had a harder edge, he wasn’t billing and cooing with Susan about their goddamn perfect relationship the whole goddamn time, and Hawk was a bona fide badarse who didn’t work for free. Shit, when was Hawk last bad?
Myself, I’d like to see Spenser run off with Hawk, since they’re clearly queer for each other with all those goddamn homo-erotic gym workouts together, and have Susan brutally kill Pearl out of spite and then use her psychiatrist mojo to plot and enact a diabolical and twisted revenge that takes out most of Spenser’s quirky cop and mobster buddies along the way, possibly while sending them bits of the dog as mementoes.
I really shouldn’t read threads from the bottom up. Yeah, School Days was a big improvement, actually: no Susan or Hawk, a witness whom he fails to protect and dies horribly, a couple of excellently drawn and repulsive villains who come out of left-field and aren’t quirky hitmen, a nice cameo from Major Johnson, who does not appear to have gone secretly good, and best of all, in a surprising twist…
{special Spoiler alert: do not read this if you are actually planning to read the book. It will spoil the ending. Seriously. I mean it. No peeking, now. Unless you’re sure. Ready?}
…the messed-up kid he was hired to clear actually did it…kinda.
I have a good friend who’s orthodox, and had an orthodox roommate for two years (yeah, that was interesting), so I’ve had plenty of personal exposure to that world. I guess that’s why the novelty wore off more quickly for me.
Someone else recommended The Quality of Mercy – I’ll have to check it out.
rockingchair – I’m not sure if I’ve read one Nevada Barr or none – I do like the Amelia Peabody books, though she’s also getting a bit too perfect. (It’s a problem when the author falls in love with the lead character, isn’t it?)
BTW – overall, I’m reading fewer mysteries these days, which is fine, since I’m reading more of other sorts of stuff – it’s just sad when a reliable pleasure gets jettisoned.
I like historical fiction, but I never used to read mysteries at all until I ran across the Brother Cadfael series. Since then I’ve picked up a few other historical mystery series.
Margaret Frazer’s Dame Frevisse books are set in 15th century England. Those were good for a long time (there’s 14 of them) but I thought the newest one, A Widow’s Tale, was pretty dull.
Sharan Newman’s Catherine LeVendeur series is set in 12th century France. I have enjoyed all of those. Heloise and Abelard are minor characters in that series, and it led me to look up their sad story. One of the strong plotlines in this series is a Jewish family trying to survive in France.
I like all of Sharon Kay Penman’s books, and her mystery series is only getting better. The fourth one, Prince of Darkness, was very good. They’re set in England during Richard I’s reign, and the “detective” works for Eleanor of Aquitaine, in her old age.
AuntiePam, I’m going to try the authors that you suggested.
I keep hearing that The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series is good. I’m going to try to get the first of those from the library today.
I tried Patricia Cornwell on a friend’s recommendation. I like a good old-fashioned murder as much as anyone, but I can’t stomach her gruesome serial killers, so I don’t read her.
I need to try Dan Simmons’ mysteries. I like his science fiction.
I loved Ruth Rendell, but is 13 Steps Down the one about the housing developement and the riot?
I kept reading that one and kept thinking, most riots don’t take this long to start up… :rolleyes:
How about Josephine Tey? Her Alan Grant is wonderful. And Caroline Graham? I like her, too. Georgette Heyer has some good mysteries–try the library for Tey and Heyer.
There is also a Canadian author who writes about the west coast of Canada–she’s ok.
I suck at author’s names, sorry. Some day, I mean to write them all down for reference.
I can no longer read Cornwell–I don’t even like Scarpetta any more. How much violence, stress and terror can BE in one woman’s life? Meh.
I am reading an E. George right now. Or should I say, plodding through it. It’s *A Place of Hiding * or A Hiding Place or some damn thing. After A Traitor to Memory (which I call A Traitor to Your Characters and Mysteries in General), I am giving her one last try.
Her character, Deborah–the one married to Simon St. James? I want to drown her–what an immature, selfish, spoiled moron!
I like Parker, but don’t read him much. I tend to prefer female authors (I don’t like gum shoes and hard boiled/mean streets stuff–I liked Scarpetta for the forensics).
Lord, that had Wexford in it? wow. And I like Wexford!
Twickster --I might try 13 Steps, but I have come to a resolution in light reading (and in any reading, unless I get into grad school and then it will have to change!)–I give the book 50 pages. If I am not interested in 50 pages, I stop.
I used to feel incredibly guilty about this. But I am in my 40’s now and really have no time to waste on fiction that does not interest me…
Deborah is now yelling at Simon for his condemnation of her wandering off with something from the crime scene…gah–she’s not even intelligent.
Stupid git. (can one say that about a female? Lovely insult, IMO.)
That’s my usual policy – for some reason, I kept going, then around page 150 spent about half an hour both reading and thinking “why am I reading this?” – after which point I was invested, dammit.
You’ll note I mentioned Elizabeth George in the OP – the first few were excellent, but the last one I tried started with this long, digressive, and actually extremely quite boring shit about Havers and her neighbors – I stopped (before 50 pages) and put her on the “don’t bother” list.
Has anyone here tried Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlings books? One was made into a watered down movie,Devil in a Blue Dress with Denzel Washington.The series begins in the forties and each book travels the decades,reflecting Easy as he ages,but also race relations.Easy is a little perfect but the series hums with tension.
Having had a couple days to digest the book, I think I want to take back some of the hyperbole of my previous post. On reflection, “relentlessly detestable” was a bit strong. twickster’s simple “grim” is a much better was to describe the book.
I think I had such a strong reaction because I really love Ruth Rendell’s books. She is a very good writer – even this book moves along. The characters come to life, the dialogue is sharp and each character has motivations that are unexpected and (sometimes) interesting. So, what’s not to like?
There isn’t one character in the book that I care about. I didn’t learn anything I want to remember and will only look back on the book and shudder. All that fine writing wasted on bringing such a forgetable, soulless story to life.
Oh, God, I hate, hate, hate Deborah. She is a boring, self-centered, immature, stupid pain in the ass. I cannot for the life of me figure out why Simon and Tommy are/were in love with her.
I agree that E. George went through a dreadful stage of writing but I think she redeemed herself with her most recent book, With No One As Witness (although the Amazon reviewers disagree).
DON’T READ THE SPOILER IF YOU PLAN ON READING THE BOOK, BECAUSE IT WILL RUIN THE BOOK FOR YOU:
I give her credit for killing off Helen–I’d love to know WHY she killed her off and I’d like to plead with her to please, please, please kill Deborah.
OK-I was a good scout and didn’t read the spoiler.
Just finished the E. George–Deborah started argueing with Simon in the middle of a stake-out when the police were waiting for the killer …and because the killer was a friend of DebbyDumb’s–she had to argue with Simon about their being there at all.
I screamed (ok, yelped) in frustration–get this chick OFF the pages of these novels. China River (yes, that it her name), a character in this book, at one point calls Deb entitled, soft, everything works out for you, no real losses in your life Deb (or words to that effect). I was sticking my fist in the air, calling “yes!”.
Deb looked puzzled and hurt by all this venom. But, she whined–my mother died when I was little. I lived in someone else’s home…Simon doesn’t take me seriously. These are huge tragedies to Deb. China’s dad is in prison. China grew up in a transient hotel with a mother who ignored her.
Oy. Thank god she can’t reproduce. Simon can sooo much better.
(maybe I should not read the next one for a bit. Maybe I should back away from the books and lay down for awhile… ).
Wow, the first mystery author (leaving out Dan Brown) that popped to mind was Stuart Woods. Read one book by him and immediately crossed him off my list. Just a terrible, terrible book - and by extension, author.
Maybe I should try him again? Though really, really hesitant to waste any time with it.
).