Who is your favorite mystery author and which book would you recommend to read first by them?
Who is your favorite mystery author and which book would you recommend to read first by them?
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For fun mysteries my favorite is Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy series. Cannot remember which is first. http://orderofbooks.com/ should tell you.
Wish You Were Here (Mrs. Murphy #1) is book 1. Adding to my long tbr list. Hoping library has it. Thanks.
Yes. And I think Rest in Pieces is #2! Fun reads.
Phil Rickman the Merrily Watkins series excellent
Adding to my long list of authors to try. Thanks
Hugh Holton. All of his books are excellent. Larry Cole series.
Adding to my list of authors to try. Thanks
Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Adding to my list of authors to try. Thanks
Almost finished. I’m liking it.
You have to love an 11 year old main character named Flavia deLuce! I can’t wait for the next book to get here!
@Melissa sounds interesting. I’m going to see if my library has this one.
The audiobooks are superb.
Agatha Christie. She wrote a great many mysteries and I like most of them. Some of my favourites are: ABC Murders, Cards on the Table, a Caribbean Mystery, Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, Mrs McGinty’s Dead, Murder at the Vicarage, A Murder is Announced, Towards Zero.
I haven’t read her yet but did purchase some of her books. May try one in March
Witness for the Prosecution. Then see the movie. Brilliant.
Michael Connelly. First in the Harry Bosch series is Black Echo
Agree. Huge Bosch fan also.
Adding him to my long list of books to check out. Thanks.
The Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Anything by Christie.
Maisie Dobbs is awesome. Make sure to read in order because they build on each other.
Adding to my list. Thanks.
Catriona McPherson is GREAT!! Her characters are real, the way she writes is like a friend telling you a story and usually include someone with a love of books. <3 I've only read her stand alone books though, not her series. Also Sophie Hannah. She "ghost writes" new Agatha Christie, has her own series of books and stand alone books.
Which Catriona McPherson book do you suggest I read first? She has a few don’t know where to start.
Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series.
Love these
I love Louise Penny… love her work, but I had decided they are not real mysteries as the murder is always decidedly secondary to the ethical or moral dilemma being experienced within the community.. either Three Pines itself or the police department.
I love this series!
@Betsy that’s an excellent point. I’m not that deep. I love them for the descriptions of the food, and the cozy fireplaces and the changing seasons in Eastern Quebec.
I own Still Life it’s on my TBR shelf. Need to find time to read it.
Elizabeth George. PD James.
Love P.D. James!
Adding her to my long list of authors to try out
There’s nobody like Ruth Rendell/ Barbara Vine. The Rendell books are often have lead character Inspector Wexford and the Vine books are very psychological. I like them the best. Also love Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse.
Exactly!
That’s who I was about to recommend! ❤️
@Laura we should start a mini group. Have you read Dorothy Simpson?
@Barbara, always great to find new friends who have a shared taste in books! But no, I have not read Dorothy Simpson. I just looked her up and her series sounds like something I would love – adding her to my TBR list.
She was the best!
Great. From what l remember it’s like the Wexler books. He came first and the crime second. They were my friends.
Have you seen Morse and Endeavor on British tv? They never disappoint.
Donna de Leon. At least her first 10 or 12 but should be read in order.
Is Ruth Rendell and Barbara Vine the same author?
@Barbara Adding Dorothy Simpson to my long list of authors to try out. thanks
Adding the three authors to my mystery try authors. Thanks.
@Laura yes
@Laura yes Writing as Rendell she is more police ce procedural with s compelling lead character. As Vine she stresses the psychological. Sometimes you know who did it and what the did from page 1 but the question is why! She is amazing.
Vine is much darker than Rendell but either way,she can write.
@Barbara Vine is Rendell’s pen name for these darker books.
M.A Comley
What’s the name of the book? On goodreads it only lists a book 2 of a series?
J D Robb. The first book in the In Death series.
The FBI series by Catherine Coulter
I read Naked in Death in 2017 and really liked it. I need to get the 2nd book. Adding your other series to my authors to try out. Thanks.
For real mysteries… Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Tonya French
Is Tonya French spelled correctly? I can’t find her on goodreads? What book does she write? Adding Dorothy to my long list of authors to try out. I have a few Christie books that I still need to read.
Tonya French, Camilla Lachberg
I can’t find Tonya French on goodreads. I have the ice princess on my TBR shelf. So many books so little time.
Denise Mina. I love there of her series books: Garnethill, Paddy Meehan, Alex Morrow. Complex intelligent detectives with intriguing mysteries.
Adding all 3 books to my long list of mystery books to try. Thanks.
Jussi Adler-Olsen, Keeper of Lost Causes is the first in the series.
Adding to my list. Thank you.
Carol O’Connell – Mallory’s Oracle.
adding to my list. Thanks.
So many: Louise Penny, Elizabeth George, Harlan Coben, Dennis Lehane, Jeffrey Deaver to name a few.
I read these by Coben = Missing You, The woods and fool me once. What should I read next?
Harlen Coben’s books are good. There are some a main character of Myron Bolitar and some stand alone. They are good. Greg Isles books are great except I didn’t like the first one Spandea Phoenix, but all the rest are phenomenal.
I read missing you, the woods and fool me once by Coben. Which book should I read next by him?
Out of the Dark by Sharon Sala or J.D. Robb and 1st part of In Death series or Robert Galbraith’s the Cuckoo’s Calling. ?
Adding Sala to my authors to try. JD Robb I read the first book in 2017 need to get 2nd book from library to continue series. I liked book 1. Galbraith’s book is on my TBR shelf. So many books so little time.
Agatha Christie – the master!
still need to read her.
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child start with The Relic
Adding to my long list. Thanks.
Currently Louise Penny. I have not read any of the authors books that you listed.
Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express
P.D James – Skull Beneath The Skin
Adding An unsuitable job for a woman to my long list of books to try. Skull beneath the skin is book 2. Thanks.
Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Sara Paretsky, all great! Start at the beginning of each series…
James Lee Burke has 73 books and like 6 series. Which series do you start with?
Already have Michael connelly on my long list of authors to try. Adding Sara to my list too. Thanks.
@Laura I would start with Dave Robicheaux series. It is my favorite. His historical mysteries are good but Robicheaux series is just wonderful!
Karin Slaughter. And I also recommend starting at the beginning because her characters develop and create intertwining relationships.
I have tried to read Pretty girls by her but DNFd it because of the cursing. Does she curse in all her books. I just don’t like to read swearing and when listening to an audio book it’s even annoys me more. I’m going to attempt to read it again in Feb for a book club. I normally give an author two tries before giving up on their book entirely. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to read that particular book when I first picked it up.
OMG!! Diane Setterfield, “The 13th Tale”. I’ve read it three times and I know I’ll read it many more.
I have that one on my TBR shelf. So many books so little time.
Tana French. The Likeness is my favorite, but I’d recommend starting at the beginning of her series with In the Woods, just because of what she does with the characters from book to book.
I read in the woods and didn’t like it very much. Does Likeness get better? Are all her books about child molestation?
Her books have a neat thing where a very minor character in one book is the main character in the next one. The other characters rarely show up again, so they’re not like sequels or a true series. All of her books are murder mystery/police procedurals, but the crimes are different.
Try this page
http://stopyourekillingme.com/
wow this is cool. Thanks so much for sharing this. This will certainly help me for March Mystery Madness .
@Laura one of my favorite links!
I’m just starting to get into mystery series and so far I’m liking Louise Penny and Donna Leon.
I have Penny on my list. Adding Leon thanks.
Love Hawai’i? Read Toby Neal’s Lei Crime Series. Toby is a local lady – understand and LOVES culture – writes about it authentically, and she writes some great books! Not to mention, she’s an amazing, interesting woman – hey .Maui is a small island ?
I have lots of those on my Kindle, but have not read any yet. Great to hear that it’s good reading.
@Kimberly’s comment about the Lei series reminded me of another couple of location-based mystery series. I have enjoyed the Tubby Dubonnet mystery series by Tony Dunbar, set in New Orleans. I also LOVE the late, and greatly missed, Tony Hillerman‘s mysteries, set in Navajo land.
Patricia Cornwell and any book with Kay Scarpetta in it.
Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series
Also new series, The Dry by Jane Harper is wonderful! She has second in services, A Force of Nature, out in April. I received The Dry @Kaitlyn in our Jolabokaflod, or Christmas book flood. Wonderful book!
Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None