# Murder Mystery Recommendations?



## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

I was wondering if anyone had any murder mystery ebooks they could recommend - it can be your own or just one you've read.

The main criterion for me is a good, strong, plot - characterisation is a bonus but not essential.

All recommendations gratefully received.


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

Good heavens! How much time do you have? I know you say all recommendations welcome, but I need just a little more direction. Do you like cozy? Humorous? Suspense? Thriller? Seriel killer? Amateur sleuth? Regional? Classic? Professional main character: PI, cop, lawyer, etc?


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## MEPurfield (Mar 3, 2011)

I would like to champeon Christa Faust's HOOD TOWN, anything by Chandler but they are expensive in kindle. Fredric Brown's SCREAMING MIMI, Alane Ferguson's CHRISTOPHER KILLER. They all should be affordable too.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Thanks for the replies - sorry I wasn't specific enough; I'll do a longer post to explain what I'm after when I get a bit more time.

I'm going to order "The Enemy We Know" and "A Black Deeper Than Death" because both sound interesting from what you've each written about them.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Have you ever seen this website:

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/

I use it all the time since I love mysteries/thrillers, etc...


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## MEPurfield (Mar 3, 2011)

Thanks, Chris. Mighty nice of ya


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## Donna White Glaser (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks, Chris! I hope you enjoy it! 
Donna


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm surprised one of the mods hasn't been along to remind people that you're not allowed to suggest your own books in this section of the forum.

I mostly read historical mysteries now - if that interests you, I have several recommendations.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Oops. Sorry if I broke the rules, unintentional as it was; I was just looking for some new authors to try and this seemed like a good way to do it.

Anyway, to narrow things down a little I basically find myself reading contemporary "crime fiction", mainly characetrs created by the big UK authors (Rebus, Morse, Dalziel and Pascoe, Gently...) but I've been branching-out recently into Scandinavian authors and their creations (Martin Beck, Wallander - Stig Larsson is next on the list). I asked for recommendations because although I've tried some of the cheap Amazon offers (MC Beaton was a particular disaster - what promised to be a charming novel with an attractive "detective" morphed into the most badly-written rubbish it's been my misfortune to read in a long, long, time).

I guess what I'm after is clever plotting first and foremost, with dialogue that at least sounds vaguely plausible. I want to be kept guessing until the end and when it arrives I want the denouement to be logical, consistent and plausible (not much to ask...).

I'm certainly not averse to historical mysteries if you'd be kind enough to suggest some.


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## MEPurfield (Mar 3, 2011)

Oops, crap. Sorry. Still new and learning the ropes.

And I was provoked into doing it


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## deckard (Jan 13, 2011)

Chris.Livesey said:


> I'm certainly not averse to historical mysteries if you'd be kind enough to suggest some.


C.J. Sansom has a series of books centering on Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in England during the reign of Henry VIII. The first in the series is Dissolution.

I have found these very enjoyable and you might want to consider them.

Happy reading.

Deckard


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Thank you. I will try it.



> And I was provoked into doing it


Tell that to the judge!


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Chris.Livesey said:


> Anyway, to narrow things down a little I basically find myself reading contemporary "crime fiction", mainly characetrs created by the big UK authors (Rebus, Morse, Dalziel and Pascoe, Gently...) but I've been branching-out recently into Scandinavian authors and their creations (Martin Beck, Wallander - Stig Larsson is next on the list). I asked for recommendations because although I've tried some of the cheap Amazon offers (MC Beaton was a particular disaster - what promised to be a charming novel with an attractive "detective" morphed into the most badly-written rubbish it's been my misfortune to read in a long, long, time).
> 
> I guess what I'm after is clever plotting first and foremost, with dialogue that at least sounds vaguely plausible. I want to be kept guessing until the end and when it arrives I want the denouement to be logical, consistent and plausible (not much to ask...).


I'll have to recommend Harlan Coben to you. His one great talent IMO is plotting with an emphasis on twists. They aren't straight murder mysteries though, more suspense novels, but often with a who-done-it component. Tell No One is his most famous work.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Thanks for that - I'll certainly check it out.

For some reason it also reminded my of one of my favourite crime writers - Jeffery Deaver and his Lincoln Rhyme novels; strong characters and sensational plotting.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Chris.Livesey said:


> Oops. Sorry if I broke the rules, unintentional as it was; I was just looking for some new authors to try and this seemed like a good way to do it.
> 
> Anyway, to narrow things down a little I basically find myself reading contemporary "crime fiction", mainly characetrs created by the big UK authors (Rebus, Morse, Dalziel and Pascoe, Gently...) but I've been branching-out recently into Scandinavian authors and their creations (Martin Beck, Wallander - Stig Larsson is next on the list). I asked for recommendations because although I've tried some of the cheap Amazon offers (MC Beaton was a particular disaster - what promised to be a charming novel with an attractive "detective" morphed into the most badly-written rubbish it's been my misfortune to read in a long, long, time).
> 
> ...


MC Beaton does cozy mysteries so if you just didn't like her writing but would have otherwise enjoyed a "charming" cozy (which is what I read them for, the charm), I would recommend these historical ones:

Still Life With Murder (Nell Sweeney Mystery Series, Book 1)
The Cater Street Hangman: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel (Book One)
The Hanover Square Affair (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries)

However, if you didn't like MC Beaton because cozies are not for you, I would not recommend them. I do tend to lean more towards cozies but if you're looking for more "hard boiled", try:

Whitechapel: The Final Stand of Sherlock Holmes (Gentlemen's Edition) - which despite being the "Gentlemen's Edition" is still quite hard boiled. Great premise though (Sherlock Holmes investigates the Jack the Ripper murders).

I haven't read it but Mistress of the Art of Death it supposed to be very good.

And C.S. Harris has a popular long running series starting with What Angels Fear: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Chris.Livesey said:


> it also reminded my of one of my favourite crime writers - Jeffery Deaver and his Lincoln Rhyme novels; strong characters and sensational plotting.


If you like Lincoln Rhyme, Deaver also writes wonderful books about Kathryn Dance - a female FBI agent with a speciality in kinesics - body language. His most recent book "XO" is about Dance.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

I didn't think I'd like the Kathryn Dance stuff (not a great fan of "body language as a science"...) but I was pleasantly surprised - Deaver has some of the best crime-fiction plotting for me.

On an update note, I've started to read "*A Black Deeper Than Death*" and I'm enjoying it a lot - pacy, well-written and exciting.


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## Nicole Ciacchella (May 21, 2012)

If you like Scandinavian crime fiction, you might want to look into Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo.  I think Jo Nesbo in particular is one you might like because his books are pretty gritty and are a series about a trouble detective.  I like Henning Mankell's The Man from Beijing a lot.  It was a one-off, but he also has a series.


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## Miriam Minger (Nov 27, 2010)

Anything by author P.B. Ryan.

Miriam Minger


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I assume you've tried Agatha Christie?  Solid plotting, mediocre character development.  I'm almost always guessing until the end.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Chris.Livesey said:


> I didn't think I'd like the Kathryn Dance stuff (not a great fan of "body language as a science"...) but I was pleasantly surprised - Deaver has some of the best crime-fiction plotting for me.
> 
> On an update note, I've started to read "*A Black Deeper Than Death*" and I'm enjoying it a lot - pacy, well-written and exciting.


One thing that is too funny - everytime I need to prepare my backyard for my mowing service ( picking up my "puppy-poopies" ) - I tell myself that I am "walking the grid".. Stuck on "Rhymisms".


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

> One thing that is too funny - everytime I need to prepare my backyard for my mowing service ( picking up my "puppy-poopies" ) - I tell myself that I am "walking the grid".. Stuck on "Rhymisms".


And I thought I was the only one who did that when I'm cleaning-up after my two dogs!

Walking the grid is a standard type of IQ test - how to find something in the most efficient way possible. If a ball is thrown into a large field "people of higher intelligence" apparently "walk the grid" to find it - not sure if I believe that (I'm more a "search aimlessly" type in the hope I'd find it more quickly).

I've read Mankell's "White Lioness" and enjoyed it so I'm going to start at the start of his novels. I was originally a bit wary because the English-version Wallender TV series put me off a bit - everyone is so depressed and depressing - but I really liked the novel.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

Chris.Livesey said:


> I've read Mankell's "White Lioness" and enjoyed it so I'm going to start at the start of his novels. I was originally a bit wary because the English-version Wallender TV series put me off a bit - everyone is so depressed and depressing - but I really liked the novel.


After having withdrawal symptoms from no more Stieg Larsson books - I plunged into the Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahloo series - started with Roseanna. Very different style of writing (dry sense of humor) than American writers but interesting plots. I have more of their books and need to get back to them.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Yeah, I've read a couple of the "Martin Beck" books - they kind of show their age and I'm not sure if the English translations are always 100% accurate (more the idiom - the conversations often seem a bit stilted - rather the words themselves) but I actually find that quite attractive.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

If you've not done the Adam Dalgliesh series by PD James or the Richard Jury series by Martha Grimes, you should.

Here's the first of each:

 

Cover Her Face by PD James The Man with a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes

Unfortunately the Grimes is not yet enkindled.


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## alanzacher (Sep 27, 2011)

Hi, I've just completed reading The Girl with the Dragon Tatto. It was pretty awesome.

_sorry, no self promotion except in the Book Bazaar_


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

> I assume you've tried Agatha Christie? Solid plotting, mediocre character development. I'm almost always guessing until the end.


The only Christie I've read is 10 Little Indians - great, great, plot but zero characterisation and dialogue so wooden it givies wood a bad name.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Christie tended to use stock characters. . . . but the plot was the thing and she was a master at that.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Chris.Livesey said:


> The only Christie I've read is 10 Little Indians - great, great, plot but zero characterisation and dialogue so wooden it givies wood a bad name.


Some of her books have better character development, than others. Though she was never very interested in that. Try "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" or "Murder on the Orient Express." (The latter is also a terrific movie adaptation with an all-star cast, directed by Sidney Lumet.)


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## raychensmith (Jul 11, 2012)

There are TONS of great mysteries.  Maybe the best mystery I remember reading is The Alienist by Caleb Carr--late 19th-century New York haunted by a serial killer.  Great but gruesome stuff.  The followup, The Angel of Darkness, is not quite as good but still pretty awesome.

Sherlock Holmes is always good, particularly The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Mid-20th-century writers are also terrific.  Dashiell Hammett's Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man.  Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe short stories are great (better than the novels, in my humble opinion).  

And who can forget James Ellroy?  Some of his later novels had an annoying, almost unreadable prose, but his mid-career books like The Black Dahlia and American Tabloid are fantastic!


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

A couple of lesser known mystery/thriller authors I've read and enjoyed are Darcia Helle (No Justice) and Mike McIntyre (The Scavengers Daughter). Both excellent books.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I like cozy mysteries but also didn't like M.C. Beaton.

I've probably read all of Agatha Christie and just reread _Mrs. McGinty's Dead_ for about the tenth time. I love both Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. I didn't like the Tommy and Tuppence books.

My current favorite mystery/crime series is L.J. Sellers Det. Jackson series. Don't let the title of the first in the series put you off.



My all time favorite mystery series is Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, but that's heavy on characterization. The dynamic between Wolfe and Archie makes the stories.


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## Tacie Graves (Jul 7, 2012)

I like hard-boiled detectives and first person narratives--plot and personality in equal doses.  Older ones are John D. Macdonald's Travis McGee stories (pricey on kindle, but oh so enjoyable!), more modern versions include Ed McBain's and Robert Crais's stories.  If you like female leads you can read Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton.  Reading them all together gives an excellent map of how the first person craze has taken off--there's some really excellent patter and interesting twists in the personality of the "detective."

Nothing earth-shattering, but sometimes the bestsellers are that way for a reason. 

Good luck!


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Well, I've now finished "A Black Deeper Than Death" http://www.amazon.com/Black-Deeper-Death-Radicci-ebook/dp/B00843W7EC (the mods have removed the original recommendation - sorry, I didn't know it broke the rules...) and a very enjoyable read it was too. It's quite short (more Blitzkrieg Bop than Outlaw Pete) but that just means it's not carrying any excess weight. The main characters are interesting (although I'm not sure where the author's going with the central conceit, outside of "feeling your pain"), the dialogue's believable and the plot's got just enough twisty-turny things going for it to keep you guessing (and I'm betting you'll probably, like me, guess wrong). There are also some exciting action scenes that quicken the pulse and at the price (around $3) I think it's well worth taking a punt. I can honestly say I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Thanks for all the recommendations. All welcome and the more the merrier.

I'm currently reading (quite slowly) "The Enemy We Know" (http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Letty-Whittaker-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004TMPMJE) which seems to be coming-along quite nicely.

Thinking about it, I guess I'm someone who looks for a plot that's logical (no last-minute introductions of vital information), keeps me guessing and invariably surprises me at the end (when I've been certain who did it from halfway through). I also think the central character needs to be strong and interesting; in a strange way I have to feel I care about them.


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## L. T. Fawkes (Mar 10, 2012)

I'm a voracious mystery reader and I, too, enjoyed The Alienist by Caleb Carr.

Since buying my Kindle I've done a lot of trolling, looking for mystery authors I haven't found on the shelves of my local library. My two favorite "discoveries" are Tim Hallinan and J. R. Rains. Hallinan's protagonists are more reflective. Rains' protagonist is more in your face. Both are good writers and their novels are fast-paced and have good plots, but I especially like them for their quirky characters and their fresh, funny humor. 

And last time I checked, each of them offered the first book of the series FREE on Kindle. Can't hardly beat that.

L. T.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Tacie Graves said:


> I like hard-boiled detectives and first person narratives--plot and personality in equal doses. Older ones are John D. Macdonald's Travis McGee stories (pricey on kindle, but oh so enjoyable!), more modern versions include Ed McBain's and Robert Crais's stories. If you like female leads you can read Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton. Reading them all together gives an excellent map of how the first person craze has taken off--there's some really excellent patter and interesting twists in the personality of the "detective."


I got all excited at the mention of the Travis McGee novels on Kindle so went to check - they're pricey because they're actually the audio versions from Audible (which can be listened to on most Kindles). Such a great series - I think it's the one that transitioned me from reading Nancy Drew as a kid to adult mystery series.

I'd also recommend Robert B Parker - the Spenser and Jesse Stone series I can vouch for having read most of them. And I've got the Sunny Randall series on my Overdrive wish list. And second the Harlan Coben recommendation - I like his Myron Bolitar series as well as his stand alones. He recommended Tana French on a show somewhere so she's on my to-try list as well.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Love JT Ellison and Shane Gericke and DP Lyle thrillers/suspense. So many to read--hard to know which one first.


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## MadCityWriter (Dec 8, 2011)

_The Dante Club_ by Matthew Pearl is a historical mystery featuring Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and other literati as the sleuths. The murders were over the top gruesome, but the sense of period and place was great.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I got all excited at the mention of the Travis McGee novels on Kindle so went to check - they're pricey because they're actually the audio versions from Audible (which can be listened to on most Kindles).


There are a couple John D. MacDonald books available on Kindle, but they're not Travis McGee books:

 

there are also some short stories...

Betsy


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Tacie Graves said:


> I like hard-boiled detectives and first person narratives--plot and personality in equal doses. Older ones are John D. Macdonald's Travis McGee stories (pricey on kindle, but oh so enjoyable!), more modern versions include Ed McBain's and Robert Crais's stories. If you like female leads you can read Sara Paretsky or Sue Grafton. Reading them all together gives an excellent map of how the first person craze has taken off--there's some really excellent patter and interesting twists in the personality of the "detective."
> 
> Nothing earth-shattering, but sometimes the bestsellers are that way for a reason.
> 
> Good luck!


You reminded me of the Nate Heller series. I read the first one when I got it for free and have been meaning to read more. Problem is, they're pretty expensive at $9.99.


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## KM Logan (Jun 2, 2012)

If you don't mind Christian themes I LOVE Terri Blackstock. I could read anything by her.

I also LOVE the Cat who books : ) and the Hannah Swenson books





These are "light" crime stories. I can't stand anything too graphic.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I got all excited at the mention of the Travis McGee novels on Kindle so went to check - they're pricey because they're actually the audio versions from Audible (which can be listened to on most Kindles). Such a great series - I think it's the one that transitioned me from reading Nancy Drew as a kid to adult mystery series.


*sigh* I got all excited when I read that post, too. And was as disappointed to see they're still not really on Kindle. I don't count Audible. I don't care how dated they may sometimes seem now when I re-read them, the Travis McGee books are iconic. I'm about due for a re-read, I wish they'd come out on Kindle...but I still have my paperback set and it's a series I'd even recommend being bought in paperback for those who haven't read it.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Just two words here.
Ross.
MacDonald.
I finally got my wife to take a look at his Lew Archer series (mostly murders, occasionally some other kind of crime). She read three in a row and absolutely loved them.


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## vistawriter (Dec 14, 2011)

As for the well-known writers, Ross MacDonald would be a great start. Also, if you like flawed characters, the first Jesse Stone novel by Robert B. Parker Jesse Stone (think it was Trouble in Paradise) was really good. After that, Parker fell back into his pattern of slowly growing more bored with the characters (IMO) and the sequels were good, but gradually deteriorated.

As for lesser-knowns, try Hank Phillippi Ryan. Her first series was about a TV reporter in Boston. So, if you like female leads who aren't a cop, that could give you a few to check out. Also, her latest (The Other Woman), which won't be available for a few weeks, is really good. I got to read/review an ARC and was kept guessing until nearly the end.


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## Chris.Livesey (Jun 29, 2012)

Just finished reading "The Enemy We Know" (http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Letty-Whittaker-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004TMPMJE), recommended earlier in the thread and I enjoyed it enough to want to get the next in the series.

It's a long story, with quite a bit of scene-setting, but there are sufficient "incidents" dotted around at regular intervals to keep the story moving and enough suspects to keep you changing your mind about the killer's identity.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

This is a Kindle Single murder mystery by Nelson DeMille that I enjoyed: The Book Case (Kindle Single)


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## derek alvah (Jul 2, 2010)

They're old school but the Father Koesler mystery series is available on kindle now. The Rosery Murders is the first one I think.


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## NancyHerkness (Aug 1, 2012)

I am a huge fan of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache mysteries.  They're set in Canada, near Montreal.  The writing is terrific, the characters vivid, and the plots are excellent.  I'm not generally a huge mystery fan, but I am totally addicted to these books.


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## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

Chiming in to agree that Caleb Carr's the Alienist is amazing! Highly recommend!

Was going to recommend Jeffery Deaver, but it's too late. 

Surprised no one has recommended Lee Child's Jack Reacher books. Reacher is basically American but I think Lee Child is British. The books are great reads.

Some of my all-time favorite mysteries are the early Kay Scarpetta books by Patricia Cornwell. (The first 6 or so in the series are great! A bit downhill from there, IMO).

Also James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books. All set in Louisiana, lots of atmosphere and lots of interesting characters.


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## KindleGirl (Nov 11, 2008)

I love Allison Brennan's books. Her "Predator" and "No Evil" trilogies are great! 

I will second the suggestions for Hank Phillippi Ryan's books....some humor with the  mystery....good books!


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