# Need Mystery Recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494 "2009-08-06T02:25:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/1 "2009-08-06T02:25:01Z")
I’ve got (;)) a hankerin to read a mystery or three. Any suggestions for interesting authors or specific titles to find? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/2 "2009-08-06T02:58:08Z")
Hard to go wrong with Sherlock Holmes, if you haven’t read any of Conan Doyle’s stories before, or if it’s been a long time. “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” “The Red-Headed League,” “Silver Blaze,” “The Speckled Band,” “The Musgrave Ritual” and “The Norwood Builder” are particular favorites of mine. For a much more recent hard-boiled crime novel with a dark sense of humor, I’d suggest _Gun Monkeys_ by Victor Gischler. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/3 "2009-08-06T03:08:18Z")
Might I recommend: [Kinky Friedman](http://www.amazon.com/Kinky-Friedman/e/B000AP9A7Y/ref=ep_sprkl_at_B000AP9A7Y?pf_rd_p=482609291&pf_rd_s=auto-sparkle&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=kinky%20friedman&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1TGRTN0ST7YSK1CCEC71) [Janet Evanovich](http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B000APXTY4) ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/4 "2009-08-06T06:01:52Z")
It really depends on the type of mystery you want. I mean … “mystery” encompasses a large range of authors and styles, from Mickey Spillane pulp to Umberto Eco lit. Do you like the “cozy,” aka the traditional, English-style mystery? Think small villages, bicycling vicars, country houses, wealthy (or at least comfortably-off) families, dotty locals, gruff policemen, sinister secrets hidden within the ivy-covered walls? Investigators tend to be amateurs, e.g. one of the dotty locals or a dilettante (but extremely bright) member of the peerage, although sometimes you do get a local Detective Chief Inspector in charge of the case. Good authors to recommend: Agatha Christie is the _ne plus ultra_ of this genre, but also Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers (not personally recommended but most people disagree with me), Elizabeth Daly. Related in style but not _quite_ the same genre would be the Eccentric Genius, which began brilliantly with, of course, Sherlock Holmes and continued with authors such as John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, and Rex Stout (more on him below). In the seventies this genre saw more ‘realism’ and grittiness, coupled with some ambitions toward psychological depth. Good authors: Georges Simenon, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Josephine Tey, Martha Grimes (who varies between twee and dark), Elizabeth George. More ‘nichey’ takes on this same genre include the historical (Anne Perry’s Victorian mysteries and Ellis Peter’s Cadfael series taking place in the 12th century) and the comedic (Robert Barnard, Edmund Crispen). Diametrically opposed to the “cozy” style: the hardboiled style. This is the world of tough guys and dames, of rain-slicked streets and smokey nightclubs filled with mobsters. The best authors here would include Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and for a more modern take, Robert B. Parker and Ross Macdonald. Nichey takes include Tony Hillerman (Native American detective), Jonathan Kellerman (child psychology), Joseph Hansen (gay detective). Ah, but what if you can’t decide? What if you want something in-between? Something with wit, grit, elegance, eccentrics and a window into a historical era? Somehow combining the tough guy genre with the old school genius detective genre _and_ the “lives of the wealthy families” motif? Then go no further than Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries. The best all-round, IMO. Terrific first-person narrative by wise-cracking, somewhat tough guy with a heart of gold Archie Goodwin, who’s the “leg man” / assistant / dogsbody to super-genius, super-sized, quasi-agoraphobe Nero Wolfe. Wonderfully picturesque eye into mid-20th century New York, when men wore hats and women wore gloves. But most of all it’s the interplay between snarky ladies’ man Archie and erudite misanthrope orchidophile gourmand Wolfe. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/5 "2009-08-06T06:29:47Z")
I like Minette Walters. My introduction to her work was [The Echo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Echo_(novel)). I also enjoyed her other works, including The Ice House, The Scold’s Bridle, The Dark Room and Fox Evil. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/6 "2009-08-06T12:32:26Z")
Choie, excellent summary! I’ll add a couple of period authors: Jacqueline Winspear with her Maisie Dobbs novels, set after World War I, Will Thomas, who writes about an enigmatic detective and his assistant, and Andrew Martin’s Jim Stringer novels about a turn-of-the-century railroad detective. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/7 "2009-08-06T14:51:21Z")
And for just plain off-the-wall, try [Tim Dorsey](http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1249570253/ref=a9_sc_1?ie=UTF8&search-alias=aps&field-keywords=tim%20dorsey). ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/8 "2009-08-06T15:15:17Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Ah, but what if you can’t decide? What if you want something in-between? Something with wit, grit, elegance, eccentrics and a window into a historical era? Somehow combining the tough guy genre with the old school genius detective genre _and_ the “lives of the wealthy families” motif? Then go no further than Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries. The best all-round, IMO. Terrific first-person narrative by wise-cracking, somewhat tough guy with a heart of gold Archie Goodwin, who’s the “leg man” / assistant / dogsbody to super-genius, super-sized, quasi-agoraphobe Nero Wolfe. Wonderfully picturesque eye into mid-20th century New York, when men wore hats and women wore gloves. But most of all it’s the interplay between snarky ladies’ man Archie and erudite misanthrope orchidophile gourmand Wolfe. Second recommendation for the Wolfe novels - they are quite “satisfactory.” \*\* Elendil’s Heir\*\* already commented on Sherlock Holmes, and he is correct in every particular. For a more modern take, allow me to suggest [Gun, with Occasional Music](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun,_with_Occasional_Music) and [Motherless Brooklyn](http://www.amazon.com/Motherless-Brooklyn-Jonathan-Lethem/dp/0375724834), both by the very talented Jonathan Lethem. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/9 "2009-08-06T15:48:48Z")
The Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris are a great read. First book in the series is Dead Until Dark. And those are the only mystery books I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/10 "2009-08-06T17:49:08Z")
choie is right about how many options there are, so I’ll just plug one of my favorite series that I’ve read lately: CJ Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, set in Tudor England. Other favorite authors: Sayers, Francis, Peters, Buckley, Wentworth. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/11 "2009-08-06T18:52:33Z")
Thanks all. You know where I’ll be the rest of the summer! **choie** , thanks for the great variety. I am frankly up for anything entertaining right now so I appreciate your laying out some groundwork for me. [ruby runs off to the bookstore] ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/12 "2009-08-06T18:57:27Z")
I second the Tony Hillerman mysteries. Always recommend them in similar threads. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. Great stuff. Plus I’ve always been partial to Umberto Eco’s _The Name of the Rose_. A murder mystery set in a 14th-century monastery library. Better than the film adaptation. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/13 "2009-08-06T19:13:04Z")
I’m currently reading [Silent in the Grave](http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Grave-Deanna-Raybourn/dp/0778325245/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249585934&sr=8-1) and I’m really enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/14 "2009-08-06T21:56:40Z")
I’m currently reading a collection of short stories by Raymond Chandler called The Simple Art of Murder. I’ve enjoyed everything of his I’ve read, especially The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. I’m a huge fan of Dashiell Hammett, too, particularly The Maltese Falcon, Red Harvest, and the Continental Op series. For a more modern author, I really enjoy Arturo Perez-Reverte, who wrote The Club Dumas (on which the movie The Ninth Gate was loosely based), The Flanders Panel, and The Nautical Chart. Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind is quite good, too. ---
**Author:** ![furlibusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/15 "2009-08-06T23:27:06Z")
I love Sharyn McCrumb ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/16 "2009-08-07T00:13:06Z")
I agree with most of **Choie’s** recommendations, but Ngaio Marsh’s class consciousness drives me nuts! In the same genre I would like to add Georgette Heyer. She is better known for her historical romances but some of her murder mysteries are very good. My favourite is Death in the Stocks. Sue Grafton can be good. I wouldn’t overdose on them, but they are a good light read. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/17 "2009-08-07T00:32:10Z")
The literature map is excellent for this. Enter a favorite mystery author and see who else is nearby. [http://www.literature-map.com/](http://www.literature-map.com/) ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/18 "2009-08-07T01:37:26Z")
My favorites tend to be of the female legal professional (PI, cop, lawyer, judge, legal/medical forensics) series variety. Some of my favorites: Karen Kijewski - Kat Colorado series Chassie West - Leigh Ann Warren series Marcia Muller - Sharon McCone series Julie Smith - Skip Langdon series Sara Paretsky - V.I. Warshawski series Linda Fairstein - Alex Cooper series Margaret Maron - Judge Deborah Knott series Linda Barnes - Carlotta Carlisle series Nevada Barr - Anna Pigeon series Kathy Reich - Tempe Brennan (author of TVs _Bones_, character name and occupation is the same, but otherwise a different person) If you want something mostly for laughs, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, Deborah Adams’ Jesus Creek series or Joan Hess’ Maggody series will keep you in stitches. Other favorites, not necessarily fitting either of these genres: Susan Wittig Albert - China Bayles Earlene Fowler - Bennie Harper Dana Stabenow - Kate Shugak Sue Henry - Maxie McNabb Steven Womack - Harry James Denton Jan Burke - Irene Kelley Virginia Lanier - Jo Beth Sidden (assisted by Bobby Lee and her other assorted bloodhounds) Sharyn McCrumb - the Ballad series (these have an element of the supernatural) Lawrence Block - Matthew Scudder Tony Hillerman - Jim Chee and Lt. Joe Leaphorn As you may be able to tell, mystery makes up most of my fiction shelf. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/19 "2009-08-07T05:14:32Z")
If you are interested in gambling, James Swain wrote a fine series featuring retired detective Tony Valentine and his business, Grift Sense, which is also the title of the first book in the series. His specialty is in exposing crooked gamblers, and he is much in demand by casinos. Even if you have no interest in gambling (I don’t) The insights into the world of gaming and cheating are fascinating. You will even learn a whole new vocabulary of cheating. Do you know what a “hairy leg” is? A financial backer for a gambler ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494/20 "2009-08-07T05:17:27Z")
Have you considered watching _Scooby Doo_? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-mystery-recommendations/505494.md?page=2)