paul secor Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 I enjoy reading mystery/detective novels as a break from more "serious" reading. Wonder if anyone would care to share some of their favorite authors? I have a fair number of favorites, but to just name a few: Ross MacDonald Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe series Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series Zachary Klein's three Matt Jacob novels - Zachary Klein wrote these three and seems to have disappeared. If anyone knows what's happened with him, I'd be interested to know. I hope he'll write more books. Looking forward to seeing some recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) Henning Mankell - the Wallander series based in Ystad, Sweden. For me, the best set of mystery/detective novels going. Donna Leon - The Brunetti Series based in Venice. Michael Dibden - the Zen Series based all over Italy. Robert Wilson - the Falcoln series based in Seville (there are also two superb earlier novels based in Lisbon). Should appeal if you enjoy Morse. The detectives in each case are not the hard-boiled, tough-guys but moral types struggling with the difficulties of the modern world. All four have a beautiful sense of place too. With all of them, look up the sequence and read them in order. In Mankell and Leon's case the quality jumps around the third novel. I'd also recommend Alan Furst's marvellous series of books based in the Europe of the 30s and 40s. They hop around timewise and each one is a separate tale, though incidents sometimes overlap. Not so much detective as espionage. Some take place in the obvious places but I learnt a lot about places like Bulgaria in the 30s from these. David Downings 'Station' series are very good too - mystery novels set in Germany (Berlin specificaly) during the late 30s and 40s with an Anglo-American journalist as the main character. Excellent sense of period there too. Edited January 8, 2011 by A Lark Ascending Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) Have you tried Ian Rankin's novel with the inspector Rebus ? Although after reading a few ones you see some themes being revisited quite often, Carl Hiaasen's novels always are good to make me laugh Edited January 8, 2011 by Van Basten II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) I like Eric Ambler's novels, especially A Coffin For Dimitrois & Judgment On Deltchev. Highest recommendation for the Library of America editions of Raymond Chandler, remarkable how well his writing stands up, and how little LA has changed. Edited January 8, 2011 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jostber Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 A list for some input here: http://www.toptenbooks.net/newsingle.cgi?1270582046 For some more masterly European crime and mystery writers you might check out Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Ian Rankin, P.D.James, Johan Theorin. Crime fiction is very hot in Scandinavia, especially Sweden and Norway with many great contemporary writers at the scene. A list of some Swedish writers: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/mar/11/camilla-lackberg-swedish-crime-best. Guardian's crime book site is a good resource: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/crime Crimewave is one of the best magazine novel collections around: http://ttapress.com/crimewave/currentissue/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) Paul, you mentioned Ross MacDonald, but you didn't mention Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. I revisited them in 2010, and read Hammett's Red Harvest and Chandler's The Long Goodbye and a collection of short stories called The Simple Art of Murder. All terrific. Years ago I enjoyed Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald, and I plan to read the second in the series in 2011. I found each of Robert B. Parker's Spencer books to be a little bit inferior to the one before. I read them in order, and quit after about ten. As I recall, the first four were excellent, so start with the first, The Godwulf Manuscript. I did not think that Michael Connelly's third Harry Bosch story The Concrete Blond was very good, but he is very popular, and apparently his fans feel he got better after that. A few months ago I read the second Adam Hall Quiller spy novel called The Ninth Directive, which I enjoyed very, very much. I plan to read the third in the series sometime this year. Finally, the 87th Precinct stories by Ed McBain were a favorite of my dad's. I've never read one, but I plan to read the first, which I think is called Cop Hater, sometime this year as well. PS - I read a short story by Russell Atwood last year called East Village Noir which I enjoyed. He has written two novels, and I hope to read Losers Live Longer soon. Edited January 8, 2011 by GA Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Arnaldur Indridason More later when I have time to think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Arnaldur Indridason Yes, another good one. Just started 'Jar City' today. Ruth Rendell, who writes the Wexford series, has also written some excellent psychological thrillers under the name of Barbara Vine. The first few are especially good. I like Rankin too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 You might like James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. The Neon Rain is the first in the series. If you enjoy audio books, check you library for the terrific version read by Will Patton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) I have been a devoted reader of mystery novels for a long time. Here are some of the writers that I have found most interesting in recent years that have not already been mentioned. Peter Robinson - British police detective stories Karin Fossum - Norwegian police detective stories Tony Hillerman - Navajo Indian police stories Colin Cotterill - A coroner in Laos solves mysteries Robert Crais - Private detective mysteries Elmore Leonard - A variety of main characters over many books Edited January 8, 2011 by Peter Friedman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Read some Jim Thompson. But after you have read everyone else you want to read. It'll be hard to go back to the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Elmore Leonard's The Switch features criminals who listen to Groove Holmes! Peter's recommendation of Robert Crais reminds me that he is someone who I gather is very good. I plan to read one of his this year too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Craig Rice. Might be hard to find these days. She was quite big at one time, yet few know of her today. More on her http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Rice_%28author%29 The Corpse Steps Out Having Wonderful Crime The Wrong Murder are some of the best.... Crime on My Hands was written by her, but credit was given to George Sanders...he had a great line saying something along the lines that this book wouldn't have been possible without Ms. Rice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Helen Tursten (the best of the Scandinavians IMO). If we expand the "mystery" category to include crime novels, Richard Stark (a pseudonym of Donald Westlake) writing about the professional criminal Parker. Amazing stuff. Many more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Technically "police procedurals," I suppose, but both Chester Himes Coffin Ed / Grave Digger Jones novels and Jerome Charyn's (original) ISAAC QUARTET are some of the most adventurous and "literary" detective novels out there. Or you could pass the time with some Simenons. Many, many Maigret novels to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted January 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 Technically "police procedurals," I suppose, but both Chester Himes Coffin Ed / Grave Digger Jones novels and Jerome Charyn's (original) ISAAC QUARTET are some of the most adventurous and "literary" detective novels out there. Or you could pass the time with some Simenons. Many, many Maigret novels to choose from. I've read, as you put it, "many, many Maigret novels", and have loved them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 I've also enjoyed Burke, Fossum and Robinson, though I've only read a few of each. I read Jo Nesbo's 'The Snowman' over Xmas - kept me engaged but it troubled me - the book seemed to relish the sadism just a bit too much. Some of the set pieces were very far fetched too - jumping out of windows into pools, bizarre strangulation rituals and a life or death struggle on a ski jump. Seemed to have been written with a Bond-like Hollywood movie in mind. I really enjoyed Kate Atkinson's 'Case Histories' over Xmas - quirky, tipping over into farce in places. Looking forward to the two follow ups that involve the same private investigator. Michael Dibdin does the same sort of thing sometimes. He would write a couple of straight detective novels and then one where the characters are all larger than life. 'Cosi Fan Tutti' is built round the plot of the opera and is written in that rather larger than life manner. The opening chapter where a group of bin men clear a street in Naples and come across a body is very comic opera. The Zen novels have just been televised over here - the first one went out last week and wasn't a bad effort at all (given how UK TV tends to reduce entire novels to 90 minutes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Christensen Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 I agree with Larry about Helen Tursten, but there is also Arne Dahl (also a swede) and there is also a recent Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, he is very good, I think he have been translated into english. I could mention many more, but enough said. Vic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcavanagh Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I'd really recommend an earlier series of Swedish novels - the Martin Beck series by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (wife and husband respectively). Second the Elmore Leonard and Simenon recommendations (although the ELmore Leonard's don't tend to be detective novels for what that is worth). Also worth checking out anything by James Ellroy, although this may be more of an acquired taste. I've recently been reading the Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr, which are set in Nazi and post-War Germany and are evocative, while retaining a good sense of humour. Denis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Years ago I enjoyed Fletch by Gregory Mcdonald, and I plan to read the second in the series in 2011. What do you consider the 2nd in the series? After writing a few Fletch books MCdonald began "filling in the blanks" chronologically so that IIRC Carioca Fletch takes place right after Fletch but was written much later. Chronologically the first two are "Fletch Won" and "Fletch Too". He also has Fletch cross paths with the hero of another series: Flynn (in, iirc "Confess Fletch". I really enjoyed the series but read them pretty much in the order they were written which was a bit confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 You've read Chandler and Hammett, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GA Russell Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) medjuck, I was planning to read the Fletch books in the order that they were written. According to Fantastic Fiction, the second was Confess, Fletch. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/gregory-mcdonald/ I have had the pleasure of meeting two of the authors mentioned at book signings. James Lee Burke was a real nice guy. James Ellroy was polite and cheerful. Ellroy signed a cassette of his White Jazz which I gave to my brother-in-law for his birthday. I enjoyed Ellroy's Hollywood Confidential, and I'm planning to read another of his this year. James Lee Burke is another who has the reputation of getting into high gear a few books into the series. He is very highly thought of now. Edited January 9, 2011 by GA Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcello Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I've been addicted to George Pelecanos for a few years: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder novels. Hard-boiled, they're also mysteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Charles Willeford. In addition to his Hoke Mosely novels (the best known is "Miami Blues"), don't miss the exceptional and exceptionally dark "The Shark-Infested Custard." Also (never read it myself but knew a friend of Willeford's who had read the manuscript) there is a completed but suppressed Hoke Mosely novel in which Hoke gets drunk and kills his two teenage daughters. Long time since I've read them, and I lost my copy of this omnibus paperback in a basement flood, but John Franklin Bardin's three novels, "The Deadly Percheron," "The Last of Philip Banter," and "Devil Take the Blue-Tail Fly," are like nothing else. Have just begun to scratch the surface with the late Peter Rabe (Donald Westlake was a great admirer of his) but can definitely recommend Rabe's "Murder Me For Nickels" and "A Shroud For Jesso." Started to read Rabe's "The Box" once, but while it was very powerful, it was way too creepy for my state of mind at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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