Are there any Mystery Novel readers among us?

[Lemon Meringue]

I love a good mystery, but there are so may authors out there it is hard to know who is good and who isn't. I particularly enjoy books by Anne Perry, for example, because she has created interesting characters and gives enough detail without getting tedious. Another author I sometimes enjoy is Dick Francis, especially his more recent books.

Anyone have any authors they enjoy and could suggest?

 

[jezebel]

I love Patricia Cornwell novels. Or is it Cromwell?

Kay Scarpetta is my role model

Also, Sue Grafton is growing on me (the letter novels; "M" is for Malice, etc)

 

[Lemon Meringue]

I love Patricia Cornwell novels. Or is it Cromwell?

Kay Scarpetta is my role model

Also, Sue Grafton is growing on me (the letter novels; "M" is for Malice, etc)

I think it might actually be Patricia Cornwall. I believe I've seen some of her books at the bookstore. So, you would recommend her books? What era are they set in?

 

[u2er]

I think it might actually be Patricia Cornwall. I believe I've seen some of her books at the bookstore. So, you would recommend her books? What era are they set in?

I haven't read any good mysteries lately.. but I just wanted to say it is indeed Cornwell

 

[zooshadow]

i am reading Colin Dexter who writes the Morse books atm, they are costing me allot of sleep they r. they r just soo well written i cant put em down. spent 3 hours this morning lying in bed juggling to activities namely the radio and Morse, i think i hit a new height of decadence the only reason i got up was to break my fast at eleven thirty.

*restrains self from reading book*

Latre

 

[Lemon Meringue]

i am reading Colin Dexter who writes the Morse books atm, they are costing me allot of sleep they r. they r just soo well written i cant put em down. spent 3 hours this morning lying in bed juggling to activities namely the radio and Morse, i think i hit a new height of decadence the only reason i got up was to break my fast at eleven thirty.

*restrains self from reading book*

Latre

Thanks, maybe I'll give these a try. Are these a series that I should start from the beginning, or can I just pick up the newest one?

 

[zooshadow]

each book is stand alone, but it might b an idea to start from the begining or the eailer 1's

u can get an omnibus, these contain 3 books in 1

letre

 

[Diane L]

The type of mysteries I love are the ones in which a woman in her 30's or 40's who isn't involved in law enforcement solves crimes with the help of a few friends.

I really like Kathy Hogan Trocheck's work; her heroine owns a cleaning service in Atlanta and her employees help her solve crimes. If you're going to read her books, leave "Irish Eyes" for last, because there are some plot twists that can ruin the rest of her books for you if you haven't read them yet.

I also like Valerie Malmont, who writes about a reporter who solves mysteries in a small town in the Northeast. Carolyn Haines is really good; her books include "Them Bones" and "Splintered Bones." Her protagonist, Sarah Booth Delaney, lives in a town populated with aging Southern belles and plenty of eccentric characters.

Those are just three that I can think of at the moment. I love reading; I used to work at a Borders and I saw everything new?and wound up buying too many mysteries and romances that are still all over my apartment!

 

[jezebel]

I think it might actually be Patricia Cornwall. I believe I've seen some of her books at the bookstore. So, you would recommend her books? What era are they set in?

They are set in current times.....I would recommend these books very highly, but they are quite gruesome. Kay Scarpetta is the medical examiner for the state of Virginia. Needless to say, she is a highly intelligent character, with some very identifiable shortcomings.

Try to read them in chronological order....you don't have to, but they will make a lot more sense. Happy reading!!!

 

[Lemon Meringue]

Oooo

The type of mysteries I love are the ones in which a woman in her 30's or 40's who isn't involved in law enforcement solves crimes with the help of a few friends.

I really like Kathy Hogan Trocheck's work; her heroine owns a cleaning service in Atlanta and her employees help her solve crimes. If you're going to read her books, leave "Irish Eyes" for last, because there are some plot twists that can ruin the rest of her books for you if you haven't read them yet.

I also like Valerie Malmont, who writes about a reporter who solves mysteries in a small town in the Northeast. Carolyn Haines is really good; her books include "Them Bones" and "Splintered Bones." Her protagonist, Sarah Booth Delaney, lives in a town populated with aging Southern belles and plenty of eccentric characters.

Those are just three that I can think of at the moment. I love reading; I used to work at a Borders and I saw everything new?and wound up buying too many mysteries and romances that are still all over my apartment!

Thanks. Those sound good. I'll be spending some money at Barnes & Nobel.

 

[Lemon Meringue]

They are set in current times.....I would recommend these books very highly, but they are quite gruesome. Kay Scarpetta is the medical examiner for the state of Virginia. Needless to say, she is a highly intelligent character, with some very identifiable shortcomings.

Try to read them in chronological order....you don't have to, but they will make a lot more sense. Happy reading!!!

This sounds familiar. I may have actually read one of her books. Hmmm. I'll have to dig through my shelves. Sounds good. Kinda reminds me of that show on CBS Crossing Jordan. She is a medical examiner who gets invloved in solving crimes.

I would recommend Anne Perry. Her books are a series so it is better to start from the beginning, but you don't have to. They are set in Vicorian England and she really knows a lot about that time period. It is very interesting to read about. There are 2 different series. One series about a man named William Monk who was once a cop and now is a private investigator and Hester Latterly who is a nurse. The other is about Thomas Pitt, who is a cop, and his wife Charlotte. If anyone ever gives her books a try, please let me know. I hope you will enjoy them.

 

[LizardU2]

I like the good old Agatha Christie books, can't go wrong with "and then there were none" or "mystery on the orient express"

 

[moon_is_playing_tricks]

Patricia Cornwell's books ROCK.

I've read all of Patricia Cornwell's books and recommend them highly. When I worked at the local bookstore, I always recommended her. Yes, her books are a bit on the gruesome side, but she is the chief medical examiner of Virginia and as she says, her clients tell her what has happened. Dead people do speak, if not by words but by their bodies.

I would suggest starting with the first book: Postmortem. It won the Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Award, which is the highest award for mystery novels to achieve.

The only setback I ever had with her books was all the medical jargon. However, I never let it set me back very far - I just plowed right along and after awhile, reading Patricia Cornwell's stories became easier. I guess you could say I was learning all the forensic science stuff as I went.

Kay Scarpetta is a fascinating character - her trusty sidekick (well, maybe not trusty, and perhaps a bit of a grump, but certainly likeable to say the least) Pete Marino is a hoot. Once you get past the first few books, Pete really does start to open up. I really like how Patricia Cornwell had these two characters interact. Many times, two characters will have already grown together or are very familiar with each other way before the story begins. I have found that only through the succession of books have I gotten to know Pete Marino a bit better. Isn't it strange? I kid you not - the characters grow on you. They become people with whom you feel connected to - as if they're people who come over and sit in your living room and visit on occasion.

Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels are a passion of mine. I own all of the 1st edition hardbacks and always eagerly await the next one. Unfortunately, it will be awhile before another Kay Scarpetta mystery comes out. Patricia Cornwell does have a new book coming out in October, but this time, she's using her detective skills she gained while doing research for her novels to unmask the real Jack the Ripper. It's another genre I find fascinating: 1800's England.

So, yeah. I better stop my yammering. I'm a huge Patricia Cornwell fan and if you have any questions about her books, drop me a line.

Moonie

 

[Lemon Meringue]

I think I will like the Patricia Cornwell books. The relationship between the charaters sounds good. There is the same thing in the Anne Perry books about William Monk and that is one of the things I enjoy about them. He is kind of a grump at times, but he grows on you as you get to know him better. He doesn't always like himself, but he is a good man. Hester is a really neat character. You will really get to like her. She was ahead of her time.