Detective novel recommendations please for ds

[pooh bear]

My ds, 10 is on a detective novel kick at the moment and I am running out of ideas of what he can read.

 

He has read most Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie novels.

 

He recently read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and it's sequel.

 

What safe detective novels are there that he can read? I don't mind a little bit of bad language, but I don't want anything graphic.

[Jean in Newcastle]

The "Cat Who" mysteries by Lillian Jackson Braun

[hornblower]

Georgette Heyer (of the regency romance fame) also wrote some excellent mysteries. I actually like her mysteries more than the regencies....

 

Patricia Wentworth has a Miss Silver series. Miss Silver is very much like Miss Marple & the books are cozies. Some thematic elements - adultery etc but very similar to Christie's so if you're ok with her, I think Wentworth would be fine.

 

Lillian Jackson Braun's Cat Who .... series. Also cozy but modern & with a male protagonist (& his two cats)

 

Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey series. Might be a bit hard - my dd was reading Doyle/Christie etc early on but couldn't get into these until a bit later.

 

Mrs Pollifax series - cozy'ish but she does get into some serious troubles. It's a series about an older lady who decides to offer her services to the CIA & they take her on, b/e who would suspect an older lady who grows geraniums & prattles about her grandkids....

[Caitilin]

Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey novels. Same era as the early Christie, but FAR superior, IMO. I read these at that age, and have read them yearly since. ;) The first one is called Whose Body? They should be available at your library, or they have been republished (again) in paperback recently, so you may find them on PbSwap or amazon. :)

 

:001_wub: Lord Peter--he's my ideal man. :D:tongue_smilie:

 

Also Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels--medieval monk mysteries, and very good film versions for afterwards. :)

Edited August 4, 2010 by Caitilin

[aggieamy]

The "Cat Who" mysteries by Lillian Jackson Braun

 

I love to listen to those as audiobooks and I was listening to one the other day where they were talking about someone homeschooling their kids. They spoke highly of how cool homeschooling was. I thought that was neat.

 

Here's something I found on Wikipedia the other day that might be helpful:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Top_100_Crime_Novels_of_All_Time

[pooh bear]

Fantastic selection there, thank you. I have not heard of any of these before.

 

Now to see if the library has them.

[fairfarmhand]

Agatha Christie...

[hornblower]

Agatha Christie...

 

actually I was going to ask if you're sure you've gone through all of them. There are a LOT. I'm still finding ones I haven't read - or read so long ago that I've forgotten them.

 

I'm really loving the Tommy & Tuppence ones.

[pooh bear]

actually I was going to ask if you're sure you've gone through all of them. There are a LOT. I'm still finding ones I haven't read - or read so long ago that I've forgotten them.

 

I'm really loving the Tommy & Tuppence ones.

 

I know that he has not gone through them all, yet. He just wants to try something different for a while.

 

I remember my mom had all of her books, and as a kid I read my way through them. One of the books had the original politically incorrect title, which is why when I was looking it for it as an adult, it took me a while to find it.

[Old Dominion Heather]

If he likes Agatha Christie, try Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey), Margery Allingham (Albert Campion), or Ngaio Marsh (Inspector Alleyn).

[Cindyg]

Father Gilbert Mysteries. This is an audio drama published by Focus on the Family, and considering the source, I thought it was a little dark (and slightly occultish -- good vs. evil stuff). However, for an experienced reader, I think it's OK. My son listened to these at age 10 (in the dark), and was OK with them.

 

I'm not sure if these are available as books.

 

ETA: I just loved the Mrs. Pollifax books. They are so quaint and clever.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Cindyg

[Laura Corin]

Dorothy Sayers.

 

Laura

[Sebastian (a lady)]

My ds, 10 is on a detective novel kick at the moment and I am running out of ideas of what he can read.

 

He has read most Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie novels.

 

He recently read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and it's sequel.

 

What safe detective novels are there that he can read? I don't mind a little bit of bad language, but I don't want anything graphic.

 

The Irene Adler novels by Carol Nelson Douglas (This is a well written spinoff of the Holmes canon. I've read the first four and they are both good and safe.)

 

Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. Short mysteries set in England during the 13th century.

 

I remember the Dick Francis novels fondly, but it's been so long since I've read them that I can't remember if there was objectionable content.

 

Dorothy Sayers' Peter Whimsey novels. Although he might have to ask you about what some things are, since they refer very much to England in the late 20s and 30s. There are some references to Peter's affairs, but they are all offstage.

[OrganicAnn]

Not exactly 'detective' but Wilke Collins novels like The Moonstone.

 

I remember there used to be Ellery Queen detective novels written in the 60s I think.

Edited August 5, 2010 by OrganicAnn

[Farrar]

I know it's a boy, but I just have to put in a plug for the Enola Holmes mysteries by Nancy Springer. They're wonderfully well written middle grades novels about Sherlock Holmes's imagined little sister. I think the fourth or fifth one just came out recently. They get the time period and the style so dead on.

 

Almost everything suggested seemed to be adult or classic detective stories that would be appropriate. Do you want more middle grades or YA fiction suggestions? I don't know of a lot of detective stories per se, but there are lots of good mysteries and it's a growing genre in children's lit.

[Firestar Academy]

My ds, 10 is on a detective novel kick at the moment and I am running out of ideas of what he can read.

 

He has read most Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie novels.

 

He recently read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and it's sequel.

 

What safe detective novels are there that he can read? I don't mind a little bit of bad language, but I don't want anything graphic.

 

try this website..

http://www.cozy-mystery.com/

 

robin in nj

[pooh bear]

I know it's a boy, but I just have to put in a plug for the Enola Holmes mysteries by Nancy Springer. They're wonderfully well written middle grades novels about Sherlock Holmes's imagined little sister. I think the fourth or fifth one just came out recently. They get the time period and the style so dead on.

 

Almost everything suggested seemed to be adult or classic detective stories that would be appropriate. Do you want more middle grades or YA fiction suggestions? I don't know of a lot of detective stories per se, but there are lots of good mysteries and it's a growing genre in children's lit.

 

He didn't like the Enola Holmes stories. Not sure why, he had read plenty of "girl" novels before.

 

The Irene Adler novels by Carol Nelson Douglas (This is a well written spinoff of the Holmes canon. I've read the first four and they are both good and safe.)

 

Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series. Short mysteries set in England during the 13th century.

 

I remember the Dick Francis novels fondly, but it's been so long since I've read them that I can't remember if there was objectionable content.

 

Dorothy Sayers' Peter Whimsey novels. Although he might have to ask you about what some things are, since they refer very much to England in the late 20s and 30s. There are some references to Peter's affairs, but they are all offstage.

 

 

Ds was thrilled to hear there were stories about Irene Adler. He likes that some one got the better of Holmes, even if it was only the once.

 

I forgot about Brother Cadfael. Don't know how I could have done, I grew up not too far from Shrewsbury, and have visited the abbey.

 

try this website..

http://www.cozy-mystery.com/

 

robin in nj

 

Great website, thank you.

[kalanamak]

Something very different is Lem's Chain of Chance. Absolutely clean. About a series of men's deaths in Italy, and no one is sure if they are murder or a run of freak accidents. A retired space pilot who fits the demographic (50's, getting chubby, educated, balding, single, etc) goes on vacation there to try and figure out what happened. Everything that happens could be or not be related to what brought about the deaths of these men. This is NOT sci-fi. The only reference is that the main character used to pilot space ships.

 

Lem also has The Invincible, about a space ship of that name which goes to a planet to try and figure out what killed everyone on the crew of her sister ship. There is a sub-plot I love: the second in command thinks the captain is doing everything wrong, and questions everything. After awhile the captain agrees (in private) that he is wrong, but doesn't want to shake anyone's confidence and tells the second in command to tell HIM what to do, and he will give those orders as his own. Once in that position the second in command discovers he proceeds on the captain's course, that when he is responsible for the lives of the crew, he does the same thing the captain was.

 

The Invincible (and Chain) is a great movie waiting to be made.

[J-rap]

The Mrs. Pollifax series!

[tex-mex]

Mrs. Pollifax series -- clean, no gratuitous violence or language, the main character is an 80 yr old, she becomes a spy and travels the world! She's everything you would wish a grandmother to be - but she's extraordinarily clever, notices details on the fly and incredibly resourceful. If you enjoy Miss Marple from Agatha Christie - you'll also love Mrs. Pollifax.

 

First book in the series was written in the 60's:

http://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Mrs-Pollifax-Dorothy-Gilman/dp/0449208281/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1/179-4377322-8144460