Mystery Lovers! discussion

Hi. Maybe I'm in the wrong place. Is this strictly an author promotion site? All the recent threads seem to be announcements. I'd be happy to promote my books but actually I joined to find fellow readers who want to discuss favorite or newly discovered writers, what works in plots and characters, why they come back to certain series... things like that.

It's been some time since there was any discussion here that I know of. I too receive promotional messages only. It will be interesting to see how many folks chime in.

Yes I've only seen promotional threads as well. I'd love to have discussions about new and upcoming books/Authors.

Sorry to say I don't have recommendations to share. I'm reading fewer mysteries lately, largely because I reached a saturation point with perv serial killers. They're in books, they're in movies, they're on TV series. They're the favorite crutch of a new generation of writers and I'm both bored with it and disturbed by what is says about the culture.
I can tell you what I liked about a couple of old favorites and maybe I'll get some suggestions from others to boot. I loved everything about Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries - her snappy writing style & wonderful sense of humor, protagonist Kinsey Millhone who is perfection. I was hooked on Michael Connelly because he can write a page-turner like no one else (that I can think of at the moment). Love mentally driving around LA with Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller. But Connelly got fixated on perv serial killers in his later books so I stopped reading him.
Look forward to hearing what others have to say about what they look for and where they might be finding it among the new mysteries out there.

I'm a big fan of the British authors. I think Anne Perry (Monk and Pitt series), Elizabeth George, Ruth Rendell, and P. D. James are fabulous. Charles Todd has 2 series (Beth Crawford and Ian Rutledge) that are also good. I also like Nicci French and Tana French (no relation) a lot. Sara Paretsky is a good American writer too with a series and she reminds me a lot of Sue Grafton in her style.

Karen C wrote: "I'm a big fan of the British authors. I think Anne Perry (Monk and Pitt series), Elizabeth George, Ruth Rendell, and P. D. James are fabulous. Charles Todd has 2 series (Beth Crawford and Ian Rut..."

Woohoo!!! I found you! This is exciting. Maybe we can revive this as a readers' discussion group. I like Anne Perry and Elizabeth George, too.
I've already heard about new people I hadn't been aware of.
I agree with Liz about not caring to read about serial killers. The series I've enjoyed are character-focused and have settings that intrigue me. I love Tony Hillerman--no explanation needed. James D. Doss's books set on the Southern Ute reservation are whodunit and comedy and tragedy, and have a mystical element--and his way with words was extraordinary. Another favorite of mine is Nevada Barr. Although there can be some violence in her books, the emphasis isn't on it. The national park settings are beautiful, are almost characters in themselves.

Karen, what is it that you like about Nicci French and Tana French? I have not heard if them.

Ah yes, P.D. James! I think I got started on mysteries with her. Adam Dalgliesh remains one of my favorite detectives - a real class act. And I loved the series on PBS back in the... 80's?
I have also enjoyed Tana French's books. Her plots, characters and settings (in Ireland) are really something different.
About Elizabeth George - I've seen most of the Inspector Lynley mysteries on TV. Job done? Or am I missing something if I don't read the books?

Nicci French writes mysteries with "twists" and I also like the way she gets into her characters. I just read the first two of her Freda Klein series and enjoyed them immensely. I haven't read Tana French for so long that I can't remember but just know that I liked her writing very much. As far as the BBC series about Inspector Lynley, I never watched the them but I don't think they could ever capture the books. I watched a few of the BBC series of different authors and found that they often changed the stories. I was going to watch the Inspector Lynley series once but couldn't get past the character they had playing him as he looked nothing like the description given in her books. Inspector Lynley is such a wonderful character and I love all of the other characters (his partner, Barbara Havers) in her books as well. The first book she wrote in the series is called "A Great Deliverance." She is one of my very favorite authors. I also like Elly Griffiths who is an Irish author who has a series about Ruth Galloway. She's not an archaeologist but does dig up old bones and then finds out what happened to them. I have a tendency to like deep/dark writing..

I am a big fan of the authors you mention and would be happy to be included in a discussion group. I favor the British authors you noted, and include Reginald Hill as one of my favorites. I haven't read Nicci French or Elly Griffiths, but will check them out next.

I only read one Reginald Hill (his first one) and couldn't get into it. I started reading Ian Rankin and liked his first book and am going to read his second one. I also love Minette Walters and Frances Fyfield as well. Sometimes it's hard to get the authors that aren't American and I can't buy all the books because I don't have room for them. The way I read I can't afford to buy all the Kindle versions. Luckily the library website I use has been getting a lot of them and my local library manager (who introduced me to many of these authors) loves the British authors as well and they do get a lot of them in. I used to ILL them to keep up but it took months sometimes to get a book. I am always open to any suggestions as I like to try different authors.

Liz wrote: "I'm reading fewer mysteries lately, largely because I reached a saturation point with perv serial killers."

When I start getting irritated with current fiction trends, whether it's perv serial killers or dysfunctional detective protagonists, I go back to my mystery roots: police procedurals and cozies. I spend a few weeks re-reading Ed McBain and Agatha Christie, and suddenly all is right with my world again. I can pick up something on the New Books shelf at the library (or from my many To Read piles all over the house) and enjoy them for what they are.

Does anyone here like M. C. Beaton?

Yes! I love Agatha Raisin.

My all time favorite detective mystery author is James Lee Burke. I feel like I'm right there in New Iberia or New Orleans. He's a fabulous writer with great detail. All if his books are wonderful, but I really love the 'Dave Robicheaux' series.
Also love PD James, Connelly, Sue Grafton and Jo Nesbo. :) Looking forward to checking out some of the Authors y'all have recommended.

My list is getting long. I like the suggestions for the authors with Irish settings, and the New Orleans setting. (Melissa, nice to hear a y'all. I have been an off-and-on Southerner, though not by birth.)

I've enjoyed MC Beaton's Scottish Hamish Macbeth books.

When I look at my initial list of favorite authors, I can see that setting matters to me, and it's seldom a grim, gritty one--though I have read a few good books with that sort of background.

I'll throw in another vote for Jo Nesbo. Try "The Snowman". Creepy fun compared to some other Nordic Noir, but by no means cozy.
I'll also second Ian Rankin. The setting is Edinburgh, but not the one I remember as a tourist. Gritty. I don't recall a favorite or a dud, but it might make sense to start at the beginning and read them in order. Rebus is one of those detectives with personal history.

My all time fave is James Lee Burke, but in the Irish-Scottish category, I do like Ian Rankin quite a bit, if you want something different you might want to try Ken Bruen. Was reading a JLB book and his character was reading a Ken Bruen book, picked up a Ken Bruen book and his character was reading a James Lee Burke book. HMMM?
Keep in mind Ken Bruen is quite unique in his syle.

Funny about the authors having their characters read each others' books. I think Dana Stabenow sometimes includes what Kate Shugak is reading, as well as Kate's musical choices. (Another series with a great setting, Alaska.)
On protagonists with baggage--do most you find it best to start a series at the beginning?
There are some authors who make it annoying to go back if you start in the middle because they have already loaded so much backstory into the later books. I discovered Nevada Barr in mid-series--the audiobook my library happened to have--and now I have jumped all over the series without any problems. She is a master of giving enough material for the reader to know and understand Anna Pigeon without spoiling the previous books.

Really like Nevada Barr and also CJ Box sorta similar characters.

Melissa wrote: "My all time favorite detective mystery author is James Lee Burke. I feel like I'm right there in New Iberia or New Orleans. He's a fabulous writer with great detail. All if his books are wonderful,..."

I've also studied James Lee Burke closely. He has evolved his style over the years while looking for the perfect set of characters to tell his stories through. In the end, the Dave Robicheaux cast with his buddy Pete Purcell, his creole bait shop operator Batiste, and his personal family are the best. If you read a bunch of that series (like I have) you find his story lines are quite similar. What's so wonderful about Burke is his mechanical skills (if I can call it that), his wonderful use of language. He learned somewhere along the line to use nouns as verbs. "The raindrops DIMPLED the leaves." He is also a master at portraying the senses. His stories are full of weather and sounds and smells. "The heat lightning over the gulf gave the fetid air of the lagoon a wet electrical taste." I try to keep from copying Burke because he's a notch or two above the reading level of your typical ebook addict, but he sometimes slips into my head anyway. I've just released a romantic mystery called WHEN A LADY LIES. It's my best work to date. I follow Burke's lead: the whole book covers only a week and I set the story in the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky where I know the flora and fauna like I know my children. Wait! Those ARE my children's names! Just kidding wicha. Thanks for reading my humble post.

Pete Purcell??? I believe it is Clete Purcell but who really cares, JLB's work is amazing and i never miss one of his books.

Mark wrote: "Pete Purcell??? I believe it is Clete Purcell but who really cares, JLB's work is amazing and i never miss one of his books."

Yeah, Clete Purcell. I was half asleep. JLB is my hero too.

I thought about it and realized I may have sounded condescending in my assessment of James Lee Burke when I said his story lines were similar. I think he simply figured out what works best and what doesn't. I heard a Jack London quote that said he never sold a story until he figured out the formula. Of course he didn't say what the formula was. Some newspaper reviewer somewhere got it right with JLB. He said, "dialogue you can shave with."

I'm new to this forum and just feeling my way around. I have an older brother who was a news/speech writer and a press secretary for a congressman in his younger days. When he and I get together we discuss his favorite topic "How They Did It", meaning, how did the great writers succeed? He intended to do a book about the subject and did reams of research (which I got to read) but then he got old and ran out of steam and never finished it. So, when I start talking to people I don't know on the Internet I sometimes think I'm talking to my brother, and the two of us can get pretty analytic and excited when discussing the art and the science of writing. He's the scientist and I'm the artist, and our argument is usually that I'm lacking in mechanics and he doesn't seem to have an imagination. Maybe that isn't what this message board is intended to be, so I'll just cool my jets.

Ben,
This forum is open to any and all opinions, say what you feel. Tell us who you like to read and why, expand our horizons.
Mark

Mark wrote: "Ben,
This forum is open to any and all opinions, say what you feel. Tell us who you like to read and why, expand our horizons.
Mark"

Thanks, Mark.

You guys have given me a lot of new authors to look at. I have read one book by Tana French and didn't are for it. I have been hesitant on trying to read her again. I have been thinking about trying Nevada Barr and M.C. Beacon. They both have books that sound interesting. I haven't really cared for Agatha Christie. (Which I'm sure I'm one of the few that hasn't.) I just seek to get annoyed with her writing and want the story to end quickly. I have found the I love Harlan Coben. I hadn't ever heard of him until a few years ago when my aunt introduced me to his writing. I love his characters and the settings. His wiring is so complete. I do like P.D James as well.

Lately I have found myself into true crime books. Ann Rule is my favorite true crime author. She tells the story without it getting to gory. Maybe it has to do with my psychology knowledge.

Britney,
If you enjoy Nevada Barr, you would probably like CJ Box. Robert Crais, George Pelecanos and of course, Michael Connelly might appeal to you , as well. And my personal favorite is James Lee Burke, no one better.

I CONCURR!!!!!
Greg

Britney (re true crime),
If you've never seen the film "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father" it's a must-see. I've heard some say that the book is better (Dance with the Devil), but after checking the reviews of it here on Goodreads, the story doesn't unfold - it's given away on the back cover and the book provides background. I would also warn you away from the Goodreads reviews - they give away a lot. It's got to be the most bizarre and infuriating story I've ever seen. So, film first, book second (if you can take it) and no spoilers.

Re: the op's question

No, its not just an author-promo group.

There's just no active moderation. I'll step in temporarily to straighten things out...stay tuned