# Recommend me a new mystery series.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759 "2004-09-02T13:30:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/1 "2004-09-02T13:30:47Z")
OK, I’m a huge mystery reader. Mostly series. Right now I’m between books and looking for something new. Stuff I’ve read (and really enjoyed) include (in no particular order): Author - Series Character Martha Grime’s Richard Jury books Peter Robinson’s Alan Banks books Harrod-Eagles - Bill Slider books Jane Haddam - Gregor Demarkian books Crombie’s Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James books Elizabeth George - Havers and Linley Clare Curzon - Mike Yeadings Simon Brett - the Feathering books (Jude and Carol) I read most of the Charles Paris books but got tired of him. Anne Perry - the Monk books and the Pitt books Marcia Muller - Sharon McCone Grafton - Kinsey Millhone Elizabeth Peters - Amelia Peabody Lisa Scotolline - Benni Rosato Michael Kahn - Rachel Gold Julia Spencer-Fleming - Claire Fergusson Julie Smith - Skip Langdon, Talba Wallis, Rebecca Schwartz Karen Kijewski - Kat Colorado Sarah Paretsky - V.I. Warshawski Kathy Reichs - Tempe Brennen Just to name a few. Any suggestions? I read a lot of stand-alone mysteries, too, but for some reason I really gravitate towards the series. I’m a librarian so I tend to read all the review sources (and I get leads on new stuff there) but I’m a bit behind in my professional reading lately. ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/2 "2004-09-02T13:44:28Z")
Robert B Parker’s Spenser series Bill Prozini’s Nameless And there’s a bunch that I can’t recall at the moment… I would suggest any book by Dick Francis. He has written a few about the same character, but all his books deal in some fashion with horse racing in Britain, and they have a very similar structure, and some were so good I couldn’t read them fast enough. [Here’s](http://www.thrillingdetective.com) a cool site that lists every private eye series character ever. ---
**Author:** ![DemonSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@DemonSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonSpawn)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/3 "2004-09-02T14:02:19Z")
How about Patricia Cornwell’s “Kay Scarpetta” series? I find it much better than the Tempe Brennan stuff by Kathy Reichs. The series has declined a bit, but everything up to (and including) “Black Notice” is really good. The newest book “Trace” is supposed to be as good as the beginning of the series again, I have just ordered it today. Not really a series, only 2 books so far: “The alienist” and “The angel of darkness” by Caleb Carr are very good. I also enjoyed the “Lincoln Rhyme” novels by Jeffrey Deaver. ---
**Author:** ![SLingshot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SLingshot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SLingshot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/4 "2004-09-02T14:12:59Z")
Carol O’Connell - Mallory ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/5 "2004-09-02T14:19:01Z")
[Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse books!](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-5893850-1320014) Sordid crimes of passion! Oxford University! Crossword puzzles! Drinking in pubs! Listening to Wagner’s operas! What more could you ask for in a mystery series? ---
**Author:** ![SLingshot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SLingshot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SLingshot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/6 "2004-09-02T14:19:44Z")
> [@SLingshot](#): > > Carol O’Connell - Mallory I realized this is probably a little briefer than it needed to be. I was following the OP’s style. The books in the series are (in order): [ul] [li]Mallory’s Oracle[/li][li]The Man Who Cast Two Shadows[/li][li]Killing Critics[/li][li]Stone Angel[/li][li]Shell Game[/li][li]Crime School[/li][/ul] I have enjoyed the books so far. Easy yet entertaining reads. The heroine can be a bit much at times but it’s alleviated by the way the other recurring characters view her. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/7 "2004-09-02T14:40:48Z")
Sue Grafton - Kinsey Milhone Series (A is for Alibi, etc) Tony Hillerman - Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee series, and any of his other books ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/8 "2004-09-02T14:41:37Z")
They’re a bit dated now, but John D. MacDonald’s _Travis McGee_ novels are my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/9 "2004-09-02T14:45:15Z")
**DaddyTimesTwo** I know I should read Parker - don’t know why I’ve always been reluctant. Same with Pronzini - although I have to say that reading an entire series where you never learn the main character’s name kinda bugs me. But I’ll add them to the list! Did you know that Pronzini is married to Marcia Muller (author of the Sharon McCone books)? [http://www.stopyourekillingme.com](http://www.stopyourekillingme.com) is an even better Web site for listing detective and mystery fiction. you can browse by author or character. The BEST site used to be [bookbrowser.com](http://bookbrowser.com) - it listed ALL series mysteries in the order they should be read. When the database got sold to Barnes and Noble, they got rid of that part. Stopyourekillingme lists the series, but in published order (which isn’t always the same as the order they should be read). it’s better than nothing, though. **DemonSpawn** Yep, been there, done that! I still like Cornwell though I agree they aren’t as good as they used to be. I haven’t read the most recent one mostly because I need to go back and re-read the one before that so that I remember what’s going on. I enjoyed the Caleb Carr books more than I thought I would, but did’nt have much interest in his third (not related) book. I like the Lincoln Rhymes books - read 'em all. **Slingshot** I forgot about those! I started the first one years ago and liked it, but got sidetracked before I could keep reading the rest. A brand-new one just came out within the last year (called Dead Famous) so I checked out the first one again meaning to start the series anew\*, but had to return it unread as a newborn baby turned out to be more work than I thought. I will definitely add these to my list. **CBCD** Yes - I loved the Inspector Morse books. I stopped with The Jewel That Was Ours, though, because for some reason I just couldn’t get into it like the others. I should go back and pick those up again (though I know what happens at the end of The Remorseful Day and that bugs me too). \*I always have to read a series in order. Can’t start in the middle, can’t read the newest one first, gotta read them in order. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/10 "2004-09-02T14:52:30Z")
Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series: One Is For Money, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/11 "2004-09-02T15:06:46Z")
These aren’t on your list, and I doubt you _haven’t_ read them, but they’re my favorites, so I’m trotting them out anyway. The Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters (I’m not listing all of them, but my favorite is _The Virigin in Ice_. Also check the excellent series by BBC. Yay for Derek Jacobi!) The Catherine LeVendeur mysteries by Sharan Newman I _lurve_ medieval mysteries. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/12 "2004-09-02T15:12:54Z")
Kinsey Millhone and Stephane Plum are old friends! I’ve read their latest books just within the past few months. I read some of the early Leaphorn/Chee novels (right around the time Skinwalkers came out) but never went back - I don’t know why. I liked them but for some reason didn’t keep up with the series. I should try again. My mom talks about the Travis McGee series - that’s the one where there’s a color in every title, right? As for Ellis Peters - I read her non- brother Cadfael mysteries (some are stand-alones and some feature Inspector George Felse) but for some reason never read these. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I was turned off by the medieval slant (but I was younger then - now that seems cool). I’ve heard of Newman’s series but haven’t read any. Which of the two (Peters or Newman) would you suggest reading first? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/13 "2004-09-02T15:26:12Z")
> [@mcms\_cricket](#): > > As for Ellis Peters - I read her non- brother Cadfael mysteries (some are stand-alones and some feature Inspector George Felse) but for some reason never read these. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I was turned off by the medieval slant (but I was younger then - now that seems cool). I’ve heard of Newman’s series but haven’t read any. Which of the two (Peters or Newman) would you suggest reading first? With Newman, it’s important to read them in chronological order. Otherwise, when you read the first book, a big fatty secret will be spoiled. The first book is called _Death Comes as Epiphany_ – with special guest appearance by Peter Abelard! After that, I think the books are published in chronological order, so you can just follow the list of books on the inside cover or on [the site](http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/heloise.html) you linked to. As for Brother Cadfael, you can start with the first published book, but the rest of the books are capable of standing on their own, though it’s been a while since I’ve read them. The first book is _A Morbid Taste for Bones_ and establishes the characters pretty well. My favorite is _The Virgin in Ice_, which is the third or fourth book. I imagine the poster **Brother Cadfael** might come and weigh in. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/14 "2004-09-02T15:36:51Z")
Wait, I’m an idiot. Okay, out of the two series, given the books you’ve listed in the OP, I’d say go with the Newman. Cadfael’s fantastic, but Catherine LeVendeur is definitely more in line with the modern female detective, even if she is buried in twelfth century France. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/15 "2004-09-02T16:36:37Z")
Ooh, I’ve got a few suggestions. Laurie R. King’s wonderful wonderful wonderful Mary Russell novels. They are, no don’t roll your eyes, the story of a 15-year-old girl who gets taken on as an apprentice by Sherlock Holmes. They sound horrible, I know. Someone whose opinion I trust suggested them and I, with a timid heart, read them. I was in love by about 1/4 of the way through the first novel: _The Beekeeper’s Apprentice_. I can’t recommend them enough, and you like the Pitt novels so historical settings are okay. Right? _gazes wistfully at screen_ Kate White’s Bailey Weggins books: _If Looks Could Kill_ _A Body to Die For_ _'Till Death Do Us Part_ Bailey is a true crime writer for a Cosmo-like magazine. I like the character enormously. Robert Crais’s Elvis Cole books. Elvis starts out as a wisecracking detective, but the series turns darker and more complex as it progresses. I started this series only after my husband bought a couple of Crais’s books at mark-down. I remembered the name, then saw him (Crais) posting on usenet and exchanged a few posts. That brush with fame inspired me to read the books my husband had brought home. The series starts with _The Monkey’s Raincoat_, but I’ve never read it. Margaret Maron’s Judge Deborah Knott books. Again, I haven’t read all of them, but I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read. They are set in the Deep South and do a good job of evoking that atmosphere. Deb is a very nice character, the only daughter in a family of something like a billion. The south isn’t like England, but I think of Grimes as an atmospheric writer, so that’s why I thought of Maron. Another atmospheric writer is Sharyn McCrumb. **Miss Purl McKnittington** , have you read Margaret Frazer’s Dame Frevisse books? Or the Owen Archer books by Candace Robb? ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/16 "2004-09-02T16:42:46Z")
Most of the mysteries I read have been mentioned already, but I thought I’d pop in with Charlaine Harris’ Shakespeare series. In order, they’re _Shakespeare’s Landlord, Shakespeare’s Champion, Shakespeare’s Christmas,_ and _Shakespeare’s Trollop._ Not too heavy, and not too long and dull. I hate it when the mystery is so deep and the reader gets so few clues that I haven’t a hope of solving it myself, so I enjoy these immensely. Kind of like Kinsey Millhone in small-town Arkansas. If you have any interest in horror/fantasy mysteries, I also like Harris’ Southern Vampire series–_Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, and Dead to the World_. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/17 "2004-09-02T16:47:43Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > **Miss Purl McKnittington** , have you read Margaret Frazer’s Dame Frevisse books? Or the Owen Archer books by Candace Robb? No, I haven’t. But I’m scribbling down the names and slapping them on my monitor. I sort of burnt out on books after finals in May. I haven’t read anything new since then . . . _sigh_ I’ll put these on my list, though. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/18 "2004-09-02T16:49:03Z")
> [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#): > > With Newman, it’s important to read them in chronological order. Otherwise, when you read the first book, a big fatty secret will be spoiled. The first book is called _Death Comes as Epiphany_ – with special guest appearance by Peter Abelard! Aha! I thought the name sounded familiar. I read that one not too long ago and meant to continue with the series but forgot the name. I do that a lot. And I’m so grateful for this thread because it made me look up Laurie King and discover she has a new Mary Russell book out. _happy dance_ Oh, and King also has another series, a more traditional (in some sense) series featuring Kate Martinelli. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/19 "2004-09-02T17:00:16Z")
**Miss Purl McKnittington** OK, I’ll try the Levendeur series first! Sounds interesting! **jsgoddess** I’ve read King’s stand-alone books and the Kate Martinelli series as well (wish she’d write more of them) and oh, the first 2 or 3 of the Mary Rusell series as well. Not sure why I soured on them. I just recently read the first one (Beekeeper’s Apprentice again) and remembered that I had liked it, so will try again. Yes, historical settings are OK! I think the age difference between Holmes and Russell just started to bother me a bit - don’t know why I did like the first two in the series. I’ve never heard of the Weggins or the Crais books -will check those out, my curiousity’s piqued. As for Judge Deborah Knott - I just finished High Country Fall yesterday! I’ve read Sharon McCrumb’s books, too - the older stuff and the newer Appalachian-themed stuff too. Haven’t checked for a new one for a while. **Draelin** I love the Shakespeare series. Have you read her other non-vampire series? The main character is Aurora Teagarden - a librarian. I haven’t read the Southern Vampire series but since I like the other two series so much I should probably try it. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759/20 "2004-09-02T17:18:04Z")
> [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#): > > No, I haven’t. But I’m scribbling down the names and slapping them on my monitor. I sort of burnt out on books after finals in May. I haven’t read anything new since then . . . _sigh_ I’ll put these on my list, though. The Margaret Frazer books are extremely detailed and feel authentic to me in a way that few historical mysteries do. The Owen Archer books are a little harder to quantify. I would recommend strongly against reading them out of order. That’s how I started and I spent too much time being baffled by Robb’s references to past events. If you’re interested, I wrote a review of the first Robb book I read, [A Spy for the Redeemer](http://www.epinions.com/content_88177806980). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-new-mystery-series/262759.md?page=2)