Posted on 04/23/2020 11:54:45 AM PDT by Pining_4_TX
Help! I need recommendations for fun reading material. I really enjoy mysteries and have been re-reading some Agatha Christie books, because so many of the newer books are PC or extremely gory. Also, I prefer my reading material to be clean. Humor books are also good, as well as real crime and crime solving methods, as long as it's not too hair-raising. Fiction or non-fiction, as long as it's entertaining.
Are there mysteries out there where the detective has at least somewhat conservative values? Are there ones set in the past that don't have feminist females entirely out of character for the times?
I read a real stinker that got a good review in the WSJ with the tired, old plot of artistic types stuck in the boonies with a bunch of knuckle-draggers who just didn't appreciate anything but farming and football. Naturally, the murderer was a high school football player. Ugh.
Books I do like, in addition to Agatha Christie, are No Stone Unturned about forensic science, and Amy's Answering Machine, which is a humorous collection of the messages left on Amy's machine by her Jewish mother. I'm not keen on spy thrillers, and please, no romance novels.
(Excerpt) Read more at freerepublic.com ...
PG Wodehouse, undoubtedly !
Bertie and Jeeves !
The Borrowed Man by Gene Wolfe
It’s set in a future where libraries contain AI simulations of famous authors, and the story begins when the femme fatale goes to check out an AI of an old mystery novel author to help her solve the murder of her rich eccentric father. Fun genre-bending story.
There are other “golden age” writers in the Christie vein: Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham (though it is implied that her detective Campion was gay, so avoid if that bothers you), Georgette Heyer, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout.
I like modern mystery writer Simon Brett and the Fethering series (but read in order).
For the mysteries with more than a hint of creepiness (think Inner Sanctum), look up John Dickson Carr.
If you want mystery with a laugh, look up Steve Hockensmith (”Holmes on the Range”).
Or go here: http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
The Charlie Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers. 6 total books. Stand alones. Written in the 1920’s. Golden Age mysteries and great fun.
The Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. One of my favorite mystery series. Good mysteries, and good moral comments on the spiritual side of life. Not preachy though.
The Sherlock Holmes canon. Always a good go-to for any mystery lover.
Georgette Heyer’s mysteries. She’s better known for her regencies, but her mysteries (written in the 1930’s-1950’s) are pretty good and also Golden Age. Veddy, veddy British!!
The Philo Vance mysteries by S.S. Van Dine. Golden Age mysteries written in the 1920’s, 30’s, etc. The character of Philo you will either love or hate. He takes some getting used to.
Hope this helps! Happy reading.
C J Box (Joe Pickett series), Michael Connelly (Bosch), james lee burke (Dave Robicheaux series), p t deutermann (naval novels are his best), Lee Child (Jack Reacher series) as others have noted
Dang, looks like my first post got lost in the electrons.
Dan Simmons is a “secret” conservative author in my opinion. I recommend his Joe Kurtz books as well as “Darwin’s Blade” for standard detective/mysteries.
https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/dan-simmons/
His conservatism really shows up in “Flahsback”
If you enjoy non-fiction, spycraft anything by Ben McIntyre. Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends, Agent Zigzag ... all great reads.
Lindsey Davis has a historical mystery series that also funny!
https://www.goodreads.com/series/42173-marcus-didius-falco
Matthew Shardake series...hunchback Tudor era lawyer who solves mysteries. Sansome is the author I think.
Some good recommendations here. I too love Baldacci and Sue Grafton.
Other suggestions: Elizabeth George has a series set in England with an elegant Lord and a scruffy policewoman. Excellent depth and good murder mysteries.
Jackie Winspear has a period series of Maisie Dobbs, female detective. These are set between WWI and WWII, also in England, and they create a wonderful feeling of the period with a good murder mystery and even some philosophy (from her mentor).
Archer Mayer is a New Englander writing about Brattleboro, VT and areas around there. Also good mysteries with a good sense of the history of the area.
Greg Iles has a series set in Mississippi with a depth of mystery, again, with a cultural tale of the south. Very intense and absorbing, especially the last trilogy.
Kate Morton wrote more than just the Lake House, which also became a movie. I loved her books about ancient houses and their secrets. Also set in England much of the time.
If these sound intriguing, I would begin with the earliest you can get and go straight through the series. In these books, the characters grow and change as they progress through their mysteries and their trials and tribulations along the way.
Buy them second hand from Amazon, or elsewhere. They may be in local libraries, but I find it very hard now to browse only through curb service.
John D. MacDonald. Stephen J. Cannell. Paul Levine.
bump
I enjoy the Mathew Shardlake mysteries.
“Dissolution is an utterly riveting portrayal of Tudor England. The year is 1537, and the country is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is brutally murdered in a monastery on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, and when two other murders are revealed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.”
I also liked KC Constantine’s mysteries.
From a review:
“small city Pennsylvania 1970s. People who work with their hands and say ain’t. All the prejudices are there and the raw words and perspectives. The plot was simple, only 200 pages. But he made a world I once knew.”
The hope of a nation arrives as foretold by prophets and announced by his forerunner. A nation expecting but not recognizing him. A new doctrine. Infirmities. Miracles. Hope rises. Jealousy. Greed. A threat to two power structures. Betrayal. The evil heart of man. The purity and kindness of a perfect hero. A kangaroo court. Mob rule. Evasion to truth. An execution. An unexpected victory that becomes the pivot point for all human history that will ripple throughout eternity.
And he offers eternal life to those that heed his call to follow him. Supreme book.
Shardake series
See #35
D’oh! I scanned the thread but didn’t see it. I was surprised...glad it was mentioned after all!
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