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What are your favorite Agatha Christie or similar mysteries?


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Shannon is on an Agatha Christie jag.  She has read Murder on the Orient Express, Towards Zero, and is finishing up And Then There Were None.  She loves them.  I ordered Witness for the Prosecution, Pale Horse and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd from the library, because those stick out in my mind as being different from the run-of-the mill mysteries - I think they get kind of repetitive after awhile.  But though I read tons of them as a kid, no others are sticking out in my mind.  Anybody have a favorite other than these?  And anything else similar I should point her towards?  Dorothy Sayers seems more complex and a little darker, as does PD James for sure (my favorite mystery writer).  Maybe some Wodehouse? 

 

Thanks!

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Josephine Tey. Similar to Sayers and Christie, British, classy, well written.

If Sayers is too much, Tey might be too, though. Her stories are absolutely not formulaic. Each one is very different.

Daughter of Time and Brat Farrar are my favorites.

 

 

Maybe Ellis Peters' Cadfael stories. Formulaic after you've read a few, but the history is fun and Cadfael is an interesting character. The books are less intense than the tv show.

 

Alexander McCall Smith, The #1 Ladies Detective Society, might be a possibility.

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Josephine Tey. Similar to Sayers and Christie, British, classy, well written.

If Sayers is too much, Tey might be too, though. Her stories are absolutely not formulaic. Each one is very different.

Daughter of Time and Brat Farrar are my favorites.

 

 

Maybe Ellis Peters, Cadfael stories. Formulaic after you've read a few, but the history is fun and Cadfael is an interesting character. The books are less intense than the tv show.

 

Alexander McCall Smith, The #1 Ladies Detective Society, might be a possibility.

Daughter of Time and Brat Farrar are the only Tey's I have read but I thought they were about the same level as Christie. For what it's worth.

 

We waited a couple years for Sayer. Her crimes are more descriptive imo.

 

Dd's favorite Agatha Christies starred Tommy and Tuppence. She also loved the Miss Marple ones, especially the ones that had an old Helen Hayes as Marple movie to watch after.

 

Anna Katherine Green wrote several mysteries that are free on the kindle. Supposedly Christie was a fan and Marple is modeled on Mrs. Butterworth one of her lead characters. Dd and I both liked that series.

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Another Christie book DS enjoyed when on his mystery kick: Hercule Poirot's Casebook (short story collection). DS and I also enjoyed together watching the PBS Mystery! series of Poirot, starring David Suchet. :)

 

Would DD enjoy YA mysteries?

- Trixie Beldon series -- 13yo girl protagonist; "Nancy Drew" type of mysteries -- and if she likes these, here are more vintage girl mystery series

- From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Konigsberg) -- 12yo girl & younger brother solve an art mystery
- Chasing Vermeer (Baillett) -- two tween girls solve an art mystery
- Case of the… series by Newman: Baker Street Irregulars; Threatened King; Vanishing Corpse; Somerville Secret -- Sherlock Holmes setting; boy protagonist

- Samurai mystery series (Hoobler) -- 1700s Japan; boy protagonist

- The Roman mysteries (Lawrence) -- ancient Rome; girl protagonist

- Detectives in Togas; Roman Ransom (Winterfeld) -- ancient Rome; boy protagonists

- The Ides of April (Ray) -- ancient Rome; late teens boy protagonist

- The Westing Game (Raskin) -- a favorite of DS

 

YA mini-mystery collections, esp. by Hy Conrad -- a favorite of DS

* Two Minute Mysteries; More Two Minute Mysteries; Still More Two Minute Mysteries (Sobol)

Almost Perfect Crimes; Whodunit: You Decide; Historical Whodunits; Little Giant Book of Whodunits; Whodunit Crime Puzzles; Solve It Yourself Crime Mysteries; Whodunits: 100 Mysteries (Conrad)

* Dr. Quicksolve series (Sukach)

* You Be the Jury series (Miller)

* Solv-a-Crime Puzzles (Singer)

 

Older (tame) adult mystery series:

- Sherlock Holmes mysteries (Doyle)

- Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories (Sayers_-- short story collection; much easier to get into than the novels
- Mrs. Pollifax series (Gilman) -- retired lady becomes a spy (more intrigue/action than murder mystery)
- Nero Wolfe series (Stout)

 

Amusing "mystery" collection:

- Wodehouse on Crime -- if you like PG Wodehouse, this short story collection is hilarious; no real mysteries -- they are the type of "mysteries" and "crimes" that Wodehouse's fluffy foolish characters would see as crimes -- really, upper class breeches in etiquette

 

Web lists (NO personal experience with these authors/works):

- Nine Mystery Authors Like Agatha Christie

- Mysteries for Tweens

- Bookworm for Kids: big list of tween/teen mysteries or mysterious books

 

"Cozy" (no lurid/graphic violence, sex or other mature material) adult mystery series:
- Cadfael series (Peters) -- set in medieval England

- The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series (Smith)

These are much more about character/place (Botswana) than mystery (the first book has a few jarring moments).
- Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mysteries (Bebris)

Right after Lizzie Bennett marries Mr. Darcy, they start encountering/solving mysteries that involve characters from the other Jane Austin books.- The Cat Who... series (Braun)

A reporter and his Siamese cat solve mysteries (first 3 written in '60s; then almost a 20-year gap -- don't know if the more recent ones are "cozy")

- Chet and Bernie series (Quinn)

Former cop now a PI, and his dog; all stories are told through the dog's POV which is fun; some language; violence/sex suggested rather than directly described (preview!).

- The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter (Albert) -- no personal experience, but these look charming.

 

 

BONUS recommendation (for in a few years)

NOT cozy, as there are unsavory characters and acts mentioned (but NOT graphically like the Sue Grafton books) that you may NOT want to expose a young teen to. BUT… why I include this one is that they are so well-written and HUMOROUS. It is so rare for the use of language and description to have so much careful attention in a mystery series. However I strongly recommend previewing first to see if you think this is appropriate for a 11/12yo -- I am conservative, and waited until DS was in the middle teen years for these: the 5 Miss Seeton books by Heron Carvic (other authors continued the series badly so AVOID):

#1 Picture Miss Seeton
#2 Miss Seeton Draws the Line
#3 Witch Miss Seeton
#4 Miss Seeton Sings
#5 Odds on Miss Seeton
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You might already be planning to do this, but an interesting follow-up to The Pale Horse would be to read about the impact it reputably had in real life thallium poisonings/rescues. (Or not! ;) It might be more than she wants to know... )

 

I never heard about this!  Tell me more . . . or I suppose I could ask Wikipedia . . .  ;)

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Thanks for the list, Lori D!  Shannon has read and enjoyed the YA mysteries in your first section, which is why I was asking for more along similar lines, but with more grown-up protagonists - she's kind of at that funny age where she's starting to want to read more grown-up books, and she loves mysteries, so I'm trying to steer her towards some great stuff but stay away from too gory or too psychologically dark & heavy - like I said, PD James is my favorite, but that's way too dark & psychological at this point.  I think focusing on the detctives, rather than the murders/crimes themselves, is the way to go for now.

 

These are great options that will keep her busy for awhile!

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This is a great thread with lots of ideas for DS and I.

 

Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie) isn't mentioned above so I'll throw that in. I think there's a movie out there too. And any Sherlock Holmes is wonderful.

 

Have you tried the Flavia de Luce stories by Alan Bradley? It's about a plucky 11yo chemistry-obsessed girl who has a knack for getting herself involved in murders. Her family is part of the crumbling British aristocracy that is going to seed as a result of death taxes. It's just wonderful, and ds and I are awaiting the next novel, due out next year in March.  Here's a cute trailer

 

Re-reading above, The Pale Horse was one of my favourites too. And Melissa (Melbatoast) mentioned the Flavia books too. I heartily second!

 

If you're interested in the poisoning aspect, there's a book - The Posioner's Handbook that is awesome. There is a PBS documentary, but the book has more. All these tie up very well with Flavia.

 

Other non-fiction books that are chemistry/poison related - Napoleon's Buttons, The Deadly Dinner Party, and Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs. (About the last two, ds says don't get fooled that they're natural - anything so small must use poison to kill.)

 

In researching, I found a few more books for ds. Woot :).

 

 

 

 

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A couple other ideas:

 

Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series......dd and I class these as British adult Nancy Drew's.

Post WWI setting, titled 20 something heroine whose life can no longer be what she had imagined. Fiancee dead and estate passed to distant relatives. She gets a job at a magazine writing about country houses and murders start happening everywhere she goes. :lol: Order would be nice with these but not essential.

 

Catherine Aird....Dective Sloan, lots of these with no particular order. I have read a few and they have been mild.

 

Sister Carol Anne O'Marie writes a series about an elderly nun set at a San Francisco Catholic college. Pretty mild as I remember. Dd has been reading when we find one and enjoying.

 

Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs is a bit of a leap, nothing shocking really just brings the horror of WWI to me like nothing else. Can't describe why. I just feel too much for the main character. Reading in order essential for these. Dd loves them. Perhaps a better next step after Daisy Dalrymple. ;)

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Have you tried the Flavia de Luce stories by Alan Bradley? It's about a plucky 11yo chemistry-obsessed girl who has a knack for getting herself involved in murders. Her family is part of the crumbling British aristocracy that is going to seed as a result of death taxes. It's just wonderful, and ds and I are awaiting the next novel, due out next year in March.  Here's a cute

 

 

 

 

Those look wonderful!!  I think even I would enjoy Flavia!  And totally perfect, as we're studying chemistry at the moment!

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I haven't read all the posts, but has anyone mentioned M. C. Beaton? Wonderful writer, charming mysteries, murder, but no autopsies, kwim.

 

Her two main series are Agatha Raisin, in the Cotswolds, and Hamish Macbeth, in Scotland. Current books, but feel old-fashioned.

 

Albert Campion is another nice detective, created by Margery Allingham, same era as Christie. Anything by Margery Allingham.

 

I also like Simon Brett. And did anyone mention Ruth Rendell? Brett is classic who done its, Rendell is a bit more complex.

 

Also Her Royal Spyness series by Rhs Bowen. Frothy mysteries with a charming heroine, between the wars period.

 

Fwiw, I love mysteries. I used to read authors like Patricia Cornwell, but at some point I decided that I did not want to read autopsy reports as bedtime reading, lol.

 

ETA J. A. Jance is a modern American writer. She has a few series, one about a woman police chief with a teenage daughter, set in Arizona, might be appealing to you dd.

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… has anyone mentioned M. C. Beaton? Wonderful writer, charming mysteries, murder, but no autopsies, kwim. Her two main series are Agatha Raisin, in the Cotswolds, and Hamish Macbeth, in Scotland. Current books, but feel old-fashioned....

 

… Also Her Royal Spyness series by Rhs Bowen. Frothy mysteries with a charming heroine, between the wars period.

 

Not at all meaning this as a negative comment to Alessandra's great list, but because I don't know how squeaky clean people need these mysteries for tweens/young teens: Just a heads up on two of these series mentioned above:

 

Agatha Raisin -- I read the first 2-3 books; there is some reference to the main character who is single looking for a man to have intimate relationship with. Modern setting with modern mindset and lifestyle choices of the characters. Also: the main character is middle-aged, crabby and not likeable, so I don't know how much a tween/teen would connect with this character.

 

Her Royal Spyness -- I read the first 3 books. I LOVE the setting and premise, BUT in one book there is definitely a graphically described scene (I really would call it soft-core) in which the main character almost has s*x but changes her mind. And in all of the books the main character's friend keeps harping on "What? You're still a v*rg*n! Honey get rid of that baggage and start having fun!" Honestly, this one element really wrecks what I found otherwise to be a light, fun, and promising series with a very likeable main character... sigh...

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Not at all meaning this as a negative comment to Alessandra's great list, but because I don't know how squeaky clean people need these mysteries for tweens/young teens: Just a heads up on two of these series mentioned above:

 

Agatha Raisin -- I read the first 2-3 books; there is some reference to the main character who is single looking for a man to have intimate relationship with. Modern setting with modern mindset and lifestyle choices of the characters. Also: the main character is middle-aged, crabby and not likeable, so I don't know how much a tween/teen would connect with this character.

 

Her Royal Spyness -- I read the first 3 books. I LOVE the setting and premise, BUT in one book there is definitely a graphically described scene (I really would call it soft-core) in which the main character almost has s*x but changes her mind. And in all of the books the main character's friend keeps harping on "What? You're still a v*rg*n! Honey get rid of that baggage and start having fun!" Honestly, this one element really wrecks what I found otherwise to be a light, fun, and promising series with a very likeable main character... sigh...

Lori, you are so right. I guess I must be jaded from reading too much James Patterson, but all those little dalliances slipped right by me.

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Lori, you are so right. I guess I must be jaded from reading too much James Patterson, but all those little dalliances slipped right by me.

 

I know. As an adult, I just skip down a few paragraphs and move on, because just about *everything* written today has some scene somewhere in it...

 

But I don't know how parents feel about that, and if tweens have that ability (or desire) to do that skipping...

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How about some Mary Stewart? Her heroines are always strong, capable and independent young women. Her descriptions of place are lovely, too. 'The Moonspinners' and 'This Rough Magic' come to mind. I enjoyed Victoria Holt when I was that age, 'Mistress of Mellyn' is one I particularly liked. And finally there is the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. These are good fun with lots of attention to historical detail and a masterful heroine who brooks no nonsense from anyone, male or female.

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  • 2 months later...

This is a great thread with lots of ideas for DS and I.

 

Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie) isn't mentioned above so I'll throw that in. I think there's a movie out there too. And any Sherlock Holmes is wonderful.

 

Have you tried the Flavia de Luce stories by Alan Bradley? It's about a plucky 11yo chemistry-obsessed girl who has a knack for getting herself involved in murders. Her family is part of the crumbling British aristocracy that is going to seed as a result of death taxes. It's just wonderful, and ds and I are awaiting the next novel, due out next year in March.  Here's a cute

 

Re-reading above, The Pale Horse was one of my favourites too. And Melissa (Melbatoast) mentioned the Flavia books too. I heartily second!

 

If you're interested in the poisoning aspect, there's a book - The Posioner's Handbook that is awesome. There is a PBS documentary, but the book has more. All these tie up very well with Flavia.

 

Other non-fiction books that are chemistry/poison related - Napoleon's Buttons, The Deadly Dinner Party, and Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs. (About the last two, ds says don't get fooled that they're natural - anything so small must use poison to kill.)

 

In researching, I found a few more books for ds. Woot :).

 

Resurrecting this slightly old thread to say Thank You for this suggestion!  Shannon and I have both read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and are big Flavia fans - so excited that there are 6 more books in the series!  What a fun and intelligent book, so appealing for a smart middle-grader - a heroine she can relate too, without it being a childish story at all.  This was spot-on!

 

She also read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and loved the twist ending.  I was lurking around as she finished it, I was so excited to hear her reaction.  She slammed the book shut, and said "wow" and just sat there silently for a few minutes, then burst out laughing!  I started laughing too, and we just sat there and laughed together and marveled at a well-written mystery that had kept us guessing till the last second.  It was a great moment!

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Loved Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series all through high school. Also, great for vocabulary (don't tell your daughter). If she/you has a kindle or iPad, there's a Rex Stout set on sale for $3 at amazon and apple right now (according to book bub). I'm just off to check it out. 

 

Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody series. I've read the first couple this year. Loved them! There's some sexual innuendo but pretty mild stuff compared to most books written for adults. 

 

I read every Agatha Christie I could get my hands on that age. Loved them all. They are repetitive, but that bothered me less as a teen than as an adult. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Not at all meaning this as a negative comment to Alessandra's great list, but because I don't know how squeaky clean people need these mysteries for tweens/young teens: Just a heads up on two of these series mentioned above:

 

Agatha Raisin -- I read the first 2-3 books; there is some reference to the main character who is single looking for a man to have intimate relationship with. Modern setting with modern mindset and lifestyle choices of the characters. Also: the main character is middle-aged, crabby and not likeable, so I don't know how much a tween/teen would connect with this character.

 

Her Royal Spyness -- I read the first 3 books. I LOVE the setting and premise, BUT in one book there is definitely a graphically described scene (I really would call it soft-core) in which the main character almost has s*x but changes her mind. And in all of the books the main character's friend keeps harping on "What? You're still a v*rg*n! Honey get rid of that baggage and start having fun!" Honestly, this one element really wrecks what I found otherwise to be a light, fun, and promising series with a very likeable main character... sigh...

 

I realize I am late to the thread, but wanted to say thanks for this input.  I wish there were a way to easily know this for  books (other than pre-reading...DD reads 10x faster than I do!) because this is always my concern. It's fairly easy for me to skip a section, but I don't even want to put those things in front of her. Sigh....

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  Let the (slow) pre-reading begin....

 

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This is a great thread with lots of ideas for DS and I.

 

Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie) isn't mentioned above so I'll throw that in. I think there's a movie out there too. And any Sherlock Holmes is wonderful.

 

Have you tried the Flavia de Luce stories by Alan Bradley? It's about a plucky 11yo chemistry-obsessed girl who has a knack for getting herself involved in murders. Her family is part of the crumbling British aristocracy that is going to seed as a result of death taxes. It's just wonderful, and ds and I are awaiting the next novel, due out next year in March.  Here's a cute trailer

 

Re-reading above, The Pale Horse was one of my favourites too. And Melissa (Melbatoast) mentioned the Flavia books too. I heartily second!

 

If you're interested in the poisoning aspect, there's a book - The Posioner's Handbook that is awesome. There is a PBS documentary, but the book has more. All these tie up very well with Flavia.

 

Other non-fiction books that are chemistry/poison related - Napoleon's Buttons, The Deadly Dinner Party, and Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs. (About the last two, ds says don't get fooled that they're natural - anything so small must use poison to kill.)

 

In researching, I found a few more books for ds. Woot :).

My daughter (12) discovered the Flavia de Luce stories over Christmas break and just began the most recent release.  She loves these books!

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It is not similar to Agatha Christie much except for genre being mystery. But we are  greatly enjoying Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie mysteries. Chet is a dog and is the narrator. They are very funny. There is some sex, violence and language (though mostly via the dog's pov which makes it a bit different) so you might want to pre-read before allowing Shannon to do so. There are some very short ones on Kindle only which could be a place to start, though we started midway into series with The Sound and the Furry.  The, I think, second in series which involved an abducted elephant was a particular favorite.  There are often references to history and science which Chet the dog does not get, but which can be fun if a child gets what the dog does not. There also is a good bit of slang which Chet does not get, and which sometimes neither do I.

 

We liked Poirot's Christmas, I think it was called, and also one that might have been titled Poirot's Last Case...   though I recall it was rather dark , but don't recall much beyond that for either.

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I realize I am late to the thread, but wanted to say thanks for this input.  I wish there were a way to easily know this for  books (other than pre-reading...DD reads 10x faster than I do!) because this is always my concern. It's fairly easy for me to skip a section, but I don't even want to put those things in front of her. Sigh....

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  Let the (slow) pre-reading begin....

 

 

Yes, I always appreciate good reviews, for me, too! :)

 

I can safely say now, having recently read books 4 and 5 of the Royal Spyness series, that the series has completely devolved into bad romance novels all about when the heroine is going to jump into bed with the tall dark handsome Irishman, and the murder mystery aspect is virtually non-existent or ridiculously implausible... blech…

 

Just my personal choice to close the book on that series and go no further.

 

 

In contrast, I recently finished Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time -- well-written, and a fascinating concept of "solving" a mystery that happened hundreds of years earlier -- especially if you are also a history buff, and especially a buff of British monarchy of Medieval times. Any mature topics were handled briefly/subtly. 

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My mystery loving 12yo has devoured Christie, Doyle, and started the Cat Who series.

 

In the children's section he has run across several mysteries that he has found enjoyable:

 

Theodore Boone: kid lawyer

Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives

The Name of this Book is Secret

When You Reach Me

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I thought I posted on here yesterday, but apparently not - Shannon has recently enjoyed the new Lemony Snicket series, All the Wrong Questions.  Three books have been published so far, and she's eagerly awaiting the 4th!

 

When You Reach Me is one of her favorite books of all time.  She loved the Sisters Grimm too.

 

Lori, I love Daughter of Time! I'm putting that on her must-read list when we do medieval history if she doesn't pick it up before that.

 

We were both not so into the second Flavia book, sadly, though we enjoyed the first one immensely.  The second one felt like it was going to be a rehash of all the less than charming interpersonal interactions between Flavia and her family.  We both just sort of ran out of juice on that series.

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...t we are  greatly enjoying Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie mysteries. Chet is a dog and is the narrator. They are very funny. There is some sex, violence and language (though mostly via the dog's pov which makes it a bit different) so you might want to pre-read before allowing Shannon to do so. ..

 

I enjoyed this series of books, too.  They struck me as Hank the Cowdog for adults!

 

Regards,

Kareni

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