Laurie4b Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Ones that he has liked: Tony Hillerman #1 Ladies Detective Agency (though I'm not sure that I'd call these mysteries) Agatha Christie Dorothy Sayers Upfield One I can't remember with a lord who is a detective, Lady Grey lives next door... He doesn't like them really gory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhudson Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Try Elizabeth Peters or Laurie King. Some Laurie King's I don't like (and find offensive) but I really like her series with Sherlock Holmes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) I am *loving* the Maisie Dobbs series by Jaqueline Winspear. It takes place in London and the surrounding countryside between the World Wars. Very little to no gore, terrific plots with lots of atmosphere, lots of great period detail, no foul language or s*x scenes, good vocabulary (I have had to look up a few words!) and smart writing... a great series all in all. ETA: The first in the series is my least favorite, but still pretty good. Edited December 21, 2009 by happygrrl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Try Ngaio Marsh Margery Allingham or for more modern try: P. D. James Colin Dexter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 My favorite mystery writer is Ngaio Marsh. Similar to Christie but IMHO better written. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I like the same mysteries as the OP said. I also like the MArsh books. However, I recommend the M.C. Beaton series- there are two Hamish MacBeth a Scottish constable in the Highlands, and Agatha Raisin, a middle aged woman in the Cotswolds. Both give a very good picture of life there and that seems to be the kind of mysteries the first person liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I've enjoyed most Dick Francis's books, although not his most recent five or so. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 CJ Sansome - very good historical detective fiction. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I liked the Jane Austen mysteries... here's one, Jane and the wandering eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I second Elizabeth Peters .... she is my FAVORITE!!! Funny, historical and a mystery all together in one book. You should read them in order, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Wilkie Collins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalieclare Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 To add to the above titles, Patricia Wentworth. I'm also giving Matha Grimes a go, though some of her books are a tad gorier than I usually like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torikei Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Maisie Dobbs series Dick Francis (earlier ones are better) Laurie King (the Language of Bees series) Will Thomas Ellis Peters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 My Christian mother is a Stuart Woods fan. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Wilkie Collins :iagree: Collins was a friend and collaborator of Charles Dickens. The Woman in White is a Gothic style mystery. I really enjoyed it as well as The Moonstone (the narrating butler is absolutely hilarious!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Ellis Peters and the brother cadfael mysteries... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I liked the Cat Who series (Braun) and the Rabbi Small series (Kemelman). Both of them really need to be read in order. There are over 20 books in the Cat Who series, but the Rabbi Small series only has 11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I second Kemelman and Margery Allingham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I second Ellis Peters and Laurie King. King writes two series (one whose main character is the young American wife of Sherlock Holmes and one whose main character is a lesbian police detective in San Francisco). She also writes one-off mysteries. The Sherlock Holmes series and the one-off books tend to explore religious issues, which is one of the things I love about her books. Her books are *very* light on gore and sex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 PD James Martha Grimes JA Jance Daniel Silva (more of a spy thriller) Elizabeth George Louise Penney (VERY good - relatively new author) A few of my favorites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Polifax series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 I liked the Cat Who series (Braun) and the Rabbi Small series (Kemelman). Both of them really need to be read in order. There are over 20 books in the Cat Who series, but the Rabbi Small series only has 11. Oh, I forgot about Rabbi Small! Our library had all of those so none ended up on our shelves to remind me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 I second Elizabeth Peters .... she is my FAVORITE!!! Funny, historical and a mystery all together in one book. You should read them in order, however. What is the first book in the series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I'll add my vote for Dick Francis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted December 23, 2009 Author Share Posted December 23, 2009 Thanks so much, everyone! Ds looked over the suggestions and he knew of some that dh already had, but even so, we bought 5 books, each from a different author/series that we don't think dh has read. I think that will be really fun for him to have so many to try out. I appreciate everyone's help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Try Elizabeth Peters or Laurie King. Some Laurie King's I don't like (and find offensive) but I really like her series with Sherlock Holmes. I like Peters and would add Anne Perry. Her novels take place in Victorian London and she has two separate series going. The "Thomas Pitt" and the "William Monk" series. Both are equally good IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Ones that he has liked: Tony Hillerman #1 Ladies Detective Agency (though I'm not sure that I'd call these mysteries) Agatha Christie Dorothy Sayers Upfield One I can't remember with a lord who is a detective, Lady Grey lives next door... He doesn't like them really gory Sherlock Holmes... I really like The Mysterious Benedict Society...even though it is a YA series. How about GK Chestertons Father Brown series and I think there is also a Father Cafaeldo series that is Catholic. HTH Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 For someone who likes historical mysteries, check out the recent Charles Lennox Mysteries by Charles Finch. They're set in England in the 1860s, and Publishers Weekly said (about the first book) "Finch laces his writing with some Wodehousian touches and devises a solution intricate enough to fool most readers. Lovers of quality historical whodunits will hope this is the first in a series." The books published so far are: (1) A Beautiful Blue Death, (2) The September Society, (3) The Fleet Street Murders Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I am *loving* the Maisie Dobbs series by Jaqueline Winspear. It takes place in London and the surrounding countryside between the World Wars. Very little to no gore, terrific plots with lots of atmosphere, lots of great period detail, no foul language or s*x scenes, good vocabulary (I have had to look up a few words!) and smart writing... a great series all in all. ETA: The first in the series is my least favorite, but still pretty good. thanks for this recommendation! i just finished the first one and it is amazing. (and if its your least favourite, i can hardly wait to read the next ones!). she is so good at creating wonderfully deep characters, and at portraying images without gory details... ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 thanks for this recommendation! i just finished the first one and it is amazing. (and if its your least favourite, i can hardly wait to read the next ones!). Oh good! I just finished the latest and there was a bit of blood and ick, but it was absolutely appropriate for the story, so I was not bothered by it. It was great! I think every book gets better. The coolest thing is that I now have an interest in a period of history that I had been dreading learning about (and therefore not really delving into in lesson planning). For the first time I am interested in modern history, and I have Maisie to thank for it :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I just subscribed to this thread! I am looking forward to checking out the many good suggestions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I am astonished that Sue Grafton is not on this list. Also, Fiona Buckley's Elizabethan mysteries. Arthur Conan Doyle Dick Francis Agatha Christy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 (edited) Robert B. Parker and Elizabeth George both have plenty of books and series to their credit. Dh and I are both reading the Jesse Stone series and I'm reading Careless In Red. (Dh has finished George's series and recommend both to me.) Edited December 27, 2009 by Tammyla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 For someone who likes historical mysteries, check out the recent Charles Lennox Mysteries by Charles Finch. They're set in England in the 1860s, and Publishers Weekly said (about the first book) "Finch laces his writing with some Wodehousian touches and devises a solution intricate enough to fool most readers. Lovers of quality historical whodunits will hope this is the first in a series." The books published so far are: (1) A Beautiful Blue Death, (2) The September Society, (3) The Fleet Street Murders Jackie I agree. We have those. Dh and I both love them. (I couldn't find one for the author's name when I typed the original thread, though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I like Patricia Highsmith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.