# Recent Mystery Books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271 "2010-04-07T13:51:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/1 "2010-04-07T13:51:29Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/2 "2010-04-13T07:09:04Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/3 "2010-04-13T10:17:27Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/4 "2010-04-13T13:22:25Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/5 "2010-04-13T14:25:40Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > 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. Do you mean that you want books written recently, or books with a modern setting? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/6 "2010-04-13T14:49:08Z")
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_ > [@](#): > > Kemelman’s 1964 mystery launched the Rabbi David Small series and snagged an Edgar for best first novel. The plot finds the rabbi investigating the murder of a nanny no more than a stone’s throw from his synagogue. His investigation, however, turns up heaps of evidence pointing to the killer’s being him. > **[Harry Kemelman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Kemelman)** > > Harry Kemelman (November 24, 1908 – December 15, 1996) was an American mystery writer and a professor of English. He was the creator of the fictitious religious sleuth Rabbi David Small. > Harry Kemelman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1908. > After receiving a B.A. in English Literature from Boston University and an M.A. in English philology from Harvard, he taught at a number of schools before World War II. During the war, Kemelman worked as wage administrator for the United States Army T... ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/7 "2010-04-13T15:07:44Z")
I thought that this thread had died with not posts. Almost a week of nothing and then replies. Thanks. > [@Eleanor of Aquitaine](#): > > Do you mean that you want books written recently, or books with a modern setting? 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. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/8 "2010-04-13T15:41:40Z")
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. > **[P. T. Deutermann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Deutermann)** > > Peter T. "P.T." Deutermann (born December 27, 1941) is an American writer of mystery, police procedural and thriller novels. > Deutermann served in the United States Navy for 26 years, earning 19 medals and decorations and retiring with the rank of captain. He served as the commander of the USS Tattnall between 1981 and 1983. He also served on the USS Morton, USS Hull, USS Jouett and USS Charles F. Adams, while also serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. > Deutermann was born in Boston, t... Cam Richter novels _Nightwalkers_ is his best. It just came out last year. _Cat Dancers_, _Spider Mountain_, _Moonpool_, _Nightwalkers_ ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/9 "2010-04-13T16:39:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/10 "2010-04-13T18:05:36Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/11 "2010-04-14T00:43:26Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/12 "2010-04-14T00:47:28Z")
My professor of Criminal Procedure just released her third novel: [212](http://www.amazon.com/212-Novel-Alafair-Burke/dp/0061561223) 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. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/13 "2010-04-14T01:05:53Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I really like Tony Hillerman’s Navajo Tribal Police mysteries. 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_. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/14 "2010-04-14T04:15:11Z")
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](http://www.amazon.com/River-Darkness-John-Madden-Mystery/dp/0143035703/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271218210&sr=1-3), [The Blood Dimmed Tide](http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Dimmed-Tide-Rennie-Airth/dp/0143171038/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271218279&sr=1-4) and [The Dead of Winter](http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Winter-Madden-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/B003A02R6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271218332&sr=1-1); 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_. ---
**Author:** ![arachnologus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@arachnologus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnologus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/15 "2010-04-15T03:55:40Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > 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. 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). ---
**Author:** ![Alpha834](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Alpha834](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha834)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/16 "2010-04-16T22:55:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-mystery-books/535271/17 "2010-04-17T01:51:09Z")
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](http://beverlyconnor.net/default.htm)