Mysteries/Detective Series ...What do you recommend?

Have you ever heard of "The Rabbi Small Mysteries", snowy?
I'm not too religious myself, but have been curious about other religions in the past, and when I ran across some of these books in our public library in the early 90's, I read a few since they were also mysteries.
I really enjoyed them. I think I'll try to find them online and restart the series, myself.

Here's the author's Wiki page that lists those and other books he's written.

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

Hope that helps.

Edit: Found them on Amazon in Kindle, new in the Mass Market paperback, and used.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1T2TTHBXP0RD5D2FQAXN

 

Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar


a tale of drama and suspense. in all seriousness though, i dont know about series of books, but the most detectivish book i've read "recently" was Neuromancer and i only say that i was detectivish because of the narration, the story, although not the typical "gumshoe finds mysterious employer and the plot thickens" its got a very Maltese Falcon quality to it

 

I've read a couple of the Burke novels by Andrew Vachss. I enjoyed them a great deal. They stand out from a lot of mystery novels to me because there really are no good guys in them. Very gritty feel to the writing. Worth a read if you are looking for a book that doesn't go fishing for a happy ending.

 

If you like Wallander I would definitely recomend the Martin Beck series.

Also you should try the Inspector Erlendur series

 

The Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn novels of Tony Hillerman are wonderful, wonderful books. Terrific mysteries. I loved Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels, although I confess the last few weren't the best.

They're not quite traditional mysteries, although the heroes are more or less detectives, but if you like fantasy mixed into your mystery, I am a ginormous panting geek for Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden novels. Also good, in the same category: Kat Richardson's Harper Blaine novels, and Thomas Sniegoski's Remy Chandler books.

If you like historical mysteries, I recommend first and foremost Lindsay Davis' Marcus Didius Falco books. They are superb. Also good: The Thomas Llewellyn/Cyrus Barker books by Will Thomas.

And of course, the original hardboiled detective stories are amazing: Hammett and Chandler, maybe Ross MacDonald. Chandler, I have always thought, was singularly worth reading and re-reading: his work is the most consistently well-written of the genre. Hammet's Continental Op novels, and even more so the short stories, were excellent, though. I always appreciated the Travis McGee novels of John D. MacDonald for their plotting, setting, and for considerable kicking of ass in all directions, although I was also consistently uncomfortable with MacDonald's visible streak of misogyny.

 

Totally cliche, but you can find the entirety of the Sherlock Holmes series on kindle for <$5, and quite a lot of it is free. There's no better place to start than the series that really started it all. A lot of HP Lovecraft and Poe's work is also available for free, if you're into a bit more gothic/fantastic mystery, as well.

In terms of more modern authors, John le Carre's novels have often entertained me when I need a bit of mystery/thriller reading. That could be a bit more spy than mystery, but there you go.

 

They arent really mystery books (in the sense of who dunnit's) but "the factory" series by Derek Raymond are also pretty incredible. (they ARE police proceduals at least)

"I was Dora Suarez" caused Raymond's published to vomit at his desk the first time he read it (and refuse to publish it)... take that how you will... but not many books have the power to effect you like that. (personally it didnt make me sick, but it was pretty strong stuff)

 

If you want classic, you cant go wrong with Sherlock Holmes; the original Arthur Conan Doyle, not the imitators.

Classic American - Dashiell Hammett - Maltese Falcon, Thin Man. He only wrote a few before we was blackballed by the publishing industry for being a marxist.

On the lighter side, if you are familiar with Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Roundtable (group of NY writers, critics, actors in the 20s), the Dorothy Parker Mysteries (with appearances by the Marx Brothers) are fun - http://dorothyparkermysteries.com/journal/journal-2/

Light but with a more exotic locale - post -WW 1 Colonial Africa, the Jade del Cameron series: http://www.suzannearruda.com/jadeseries.html

 

Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd was also pretty good.

But I am recomending too many things. If you only look into one suggestion (from me) then check out Martin Beck.

If you like the bare, clipped, translated language of Mankell's books these have a similar feel. Also Beck is in a sense a similar character to Wallander (although he doesnt have the bad temper)... a flawed but basically decent human being, not gifted with any special genius or wonderous powers of deduction, but who slogs his way through cases with the help of the people around him. As a warning, the husband and wife who wrote the books were communists, but the political bias doesnt really get in the way of the stories (and doesnt actually effect them most of the time)

Also "The Dogs of Riga" is a "tribute"/"inspired by" to one of the Martin Beck books (the man who went up in smoke)

 

I don't have any recommendations, but I just had to ask - have you read the entire Tasha Alexander Emily series? I picked up the first on a whim and I really liked it, but I wasn't as thrilled with the second, so I'm hesitant to pick up the third.

 

I don't read much Mysteries/Detective stories myself, but my fiance does. Basically I'm posting this so I remember to ask her later.

 

I've just remembered "The Toff" Series by John Creasey. I used to read them a long time ago. An interesting character - a cross between Sherlock Holmes, Adam adamant and John Steed. The mysteries were not particularly deep or complex, serving more the function of vehicle for the character.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fZws1boW66AC&source=gbs_similarbooks

Ah ... John Buckham - 39 Steps. Something about that book grabbed me. I recommend that perhaps more than "The Toff".
http://wetellstories.co.uk/classics/the-39-steps

 

I'm a huge mystery fan, grandma got me into Agatha Christie, and that is a classic archetype, and there are so many around at used book-sellers, you literally can't go wrong. Also in that vein, if you like the British setting, is P.D. James, or Ngaio Marsh, or Rex Stout (love his protagonist, Nero Wolfe). Carrying on in that tradition is the modern writer Elizabeth George, who is just great - her Inspector Lynley series is awesome. As far as American writers, I agree with the endorsement of Tony Hillerman, and John Grisham is really quite good. If you want something funny, obscene and yes sometimes gross but laugh-out-loud funny, try Carl Hiaasen. If you want to read something really shockingly dark (and not American or British), modern, read the Stieg Larsson books that have gotten so much attention lately - I loved them. There is so much out there. I have enjoyed Jeffery Deaver a great deal (he's recently been tapped to continue the James Bond franchise!), Michael Connelly, Walter Mosley. I personally steer away from Dean Koontz (horror/mystery), Robin Cook, and especially James Patterson. Not to my taste.