05/02/2009 9:25 am
Culture
Just in Time for the Annual Malice Domestic Convention, the Best Mystery Novels
Blogger Sarah Weinman shares her favorite classics -- old and new -- in true crime and mystery.
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Editor’s Note: Sarah Weinman writes a monthly crime fiction column for the Los Angeles Times, contributes to The Washington Post, the New York Post, the Baltimore Sun and many other print and online publications, as well as blogs about the genre at Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind.
After romance, mystery novels are the most popular genre of fiction being bought and read — especially by women, and especially now. When times are tough, it’s hard to resist the allure of a chaotic world being restored to order with the help of a memorable detective. Or being whisked off to new worlds and amazing adventures. Or spending time in the company of quirky characters and sharing their love of a particular topic or trade, be it shopping for priceless antiques or looking for clues among ancient bones. Here are some recommendations for devoted mystery fans and newcomers alike, just in time for the annual Malice Domestic Convention, the most important gathering for murder written by women for women that takes place this weekend in Arlington, VA.
Lately I’m seeing a return to the traditional mystery fiction written by the likes of Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Josephine Tey, but these "new traditionalist" novels, as I like to call them, are still thoroughly modern. Take Louise Penny, a Canadian crime writer who sets her series in the deceptively sedate Quebec town of Three Pines — but as her lovably, crusty Detective Inspector finds out time and again, there are always secrets whose long festering leads to criminal misdeeds. Start with Still Life
and continue through to the latest, A Rule Against Murder. Or try Alan Bradley, another Canadian, whose upcoming début, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie,
kicks off a delightful new series featuring 11-year-old Flavia De Luce, a plucky, resourceful girl with a passion for poison and a nose for crime-solving around her country English estate during the early 1950s. Morag Joss’s
award-winning psychological suspense novels, Half Broken Things
and Puccini’s Ghosts,
are as good as P.D. James
and Ruth Rendell
in their respective heydays.
And of course there’s Alexander McCall Smith, a veritable juggernaut who seems to produce a new work every other week. His #1 Ladies Detective Agency novels
are in the public eye at the moment thanks to the HBO adaptation starring Jill Scott as the "traditionally built" Botswanan detective Precious Ramotswe, but he’s also deep into a series of philosophical investigations featuring sensible Scottish heroine Isabel Dalhousie. McCall Smith has a knack for taking the tiniest of details and building fascinating mysteries of life and human behavior around them.
Donna Leon
has that same gift; she imbues her Inspector Brunetti
novels — the most recent is About Face — with the pungent flavors of her beloved Venice. If airfares prove too prohibitive and you still want to escape, travel vicariously to Laos in the company of Colin Cotterill’s
idiosyncratic protagonist Dr. Siri, first introduced in The Coroner’s Lunch. Or go to Norway with Karin Fossum, dubbed the country’s "Queen of Crime" for her chilling psychological thrillers (including the LA Times Book Prize winner The Indian Bride)
starring Inspector Sejer. Or visit Russia with Boris Akunin, whose Golden Age pastiches have sold in the millions since The Winter Queen
introduced raffish sleuth Erast Fandorin.
Here in America, you can experience "new traditionalism" by subject. If you love gardening, Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles series, starting with Thyme of Death, is your best choice. For antiques, appraise Jane Cleland’s four-book series, recently continuing with Killer Keepsakes. And if you’re a foodie, bite into Katherine Hall Page’s Faith Fairchild
novels, starting with The Body in the Belfry.
These are just a few of the many wonderful examples of how women from all walks of life can come together to contemplate murder.
Sarah Weinman
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22 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
Welcome to wowOwow, Kristi! Love your avatar - soooo cute!
Thanks for the recommendation. I am currently making lists of books to reserve at the library - have to be careful or I end up with a truckload all at once. I was so sad to read the final Philip Craig mystery last year - he will be missed. His VIneyard series was so good and his collaborations with William Tappley were also excellent.
Nancy Drew in The Hidden Staircase was the first mystery I read, probably at about age twelve. The book belonged to my mother and was given to her by her parents when she was a child. Mom had all the early books and within a few years I, too, was a Nancy Drew afficionado.
The late Chief Justice Rehnquist was asked during an interview what was the best mystery novel he had read. Rehnquist replied The Canary Mystery written in the 1920s by S.S. van Dine. Soon I obtained a copy from ebay. It is one of the original mysteries where the corpse if found is a locked room - the body being a chanteuse, hence the word "canary". Great Story. Another locked room mystery is The Kennel Murder Club, made into a movie in the 1930s and staring William Powell.
Daphne Du Maurier, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers are three women who represent the Mystery Golden Age during the first half of the 20th century. One of my favorites by Ms. Christie’s And Then There were None …about 10 people invited to an island by a mysterious host and soon one by one the guests are murdered except for …..a real who-done-it.
Some of the greatest mysteries are non-fiction and remained unsolved to this day, i.e. Hoffa, the two princes in the Tower of London or maybe even the assassination of the JFK and subsequent death of Jack Ruby.
Mysteries are always lurking just around the corner.
We had a bit of a brouhaha not long ago when a local high school did a production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Some people objected to the choice because of it’s unfortunate original title. It stirred up quite a controversy. They were ultimately able to carry on but had to move it to an alternate site.
I love Daphne Du Maurier and Dorothy Sayers. And the princes in the Tower is one of my all time favorite real life mysteries to ponder.
Oooh I love mysteries! Some favorites include: Elizabeth George. She writes the Inspector Lynley series, both the books AND the BBC series are first rate! I enjoy the series immensely, as Nathaniel Parker (Insp. Lynley) is one of my favorite actors, and plays the lead.
I’ve been a fan of Diane Mott Davidson’s culinary mysteries with main character Goldy, her son, her husband(s) and their small mountain town in Colorado.
For a great books to take to the beach, or anytime you want a fun, kooky read try the Janet Evanovich number series…sometimes it gets a bit "over the top", but the books are great for some lighthearted fun.
Carolyn Hart writes some fun mysteries, and references many classic mystery authors since the main heroine owns a mystery book store.
Sue Grafton’s Alphabet mysteries are all worth the time to read, too.
This next book doesn’t really qualify as a "mystery" per se, but the reader does try to figure out the "who’s and whats" in the novel, "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Sutterfield. This book is one of my favorite books of all time, it is truly superb.
Thank you other posters for your suggestions! I always love to get these kind of "tried and true" recommendations.
I’ve been an avid reader of whodunnits since I discovered Christie’s The Body In The Library when I was aged about 11. I seemed to spend most of the nineties reading Ellis Peters, which led me onto Susanna Gregory and Michael Jecks. I loved Kate Ross’s Julian Kestrel books.
More recently, I discovered C J Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake novels. In fact, I had the latest pre-ordered in hardback which is very unusual for me. There was some talk of the BBC dramatising them with Kenneth Branagh as Shardlake. I had mixed feelings; Branagh just doesn’t look at all like I’d pictured Shardlake, but he’s a wonderful actor and likely to do the character justice. However, he seems to have been Sidetracked (sorry, dreadful pun) into playing another detective Kurt Wallander, and the project seems to have been put on hold.
I love a good mystery - always have starting from Nancy Drew.
My current favorite authors are Louise Ure who writes some great mysteries all set in Arizona (and you do feel the heat!). I was fortunate enough to go to one of her signings and stayed up all night (couldn’t put it down) to read Liars Anonymous.
At the moment I’m listening to Cornelia Read’s A Field of Darkness.
If you like a good puzzle/chess mystery steeped in history, nothing beats Katherine Neville’s The Eight. Her other books are great as well with my personal favorite being A Calculated Risk.
Finally, if you want to follow along some great mystery writers, see the Murderati.com blog.