Check this site for info on authors & characters, new releases, location index, readalikes, character jobs, diversity index, awards and more
The presentation is here.
And here is a good list of mystery authors matched up with other genres.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Fiction Genre Study: Mystery
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/
Check this site for info on authors & characters, new releases, location index, readalikes, character jobs, diversity index, awards and more
The presentation is here.
And here is a good list of mystery authors matched up with other genres.
Check this site for info on authors & characters, new releases, location index, readalikes, character jobs, diversity index, awards and more
The presentation is here.
And here is a good list of mystery authors matched up with other genres.
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Title: The Black Echo
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Connelly, Michael
Brief Summary: First Harry Bosch mystery. Body found in L.A. drainpipe leads Harry to recall his days as Vietnam vet. tunnel-rat.
Thoughts on Appeal: "Dark" Harry may not be likeable enough for some, but good detective work
Who I Would Recommend This To: fans of police procedurals.
Title: Knots and Crosses
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Rankin, Ian
Brief Summary: First Vohn Rebus mystery. Set in Scotland, Rebus investigates a series of murders of young girls.
Thoughts on Appeal: Flashback to time in special forces and his "blocking" of that memory might also link to William Monk (Anne Perry) and Ian Rutledge (Charles Todd) with similar problems.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Fans of police procedurals.
Title: Death of a Gossip
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Beaton, M.C.
Brief Summary: A group of suspects (including a major straight out of Christie) have enrolled in fishing school; but so has a gossip columnist with dirt on each of them. When she turns up dead, it's up to the goofy but brilliant Hamish MacBeth to solve the mystery.
Thoughts on Appeal: Excellent. Gentle/cozy mystery with plenty of British humour.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Christie fans looking for something new
Title: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Ate Danish Modern, Turned On And Off.
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Braun, Lillian Jackson
Brief Summary: Qwilleran, a reporter from the Daily Fluxion, covers the art beat and solves two murder mysteries in the first volume titled "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards". In the second volume titled "The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern", during his second assignment as an interior design writer , he and his cats solve two more murder mysteries. In the third and final volume, his Christmas assignment was to cover Junktown, a sanctuary for antique dealers. Here you will learn how he solves two more murder mysteries
Thoughts on Appeal: The first volume grabbed my attention, but the second and third volumes seemed a bit mediocre. The primary and secondary were lively, funny and three-dimensional.
Who I Would Recommend This To: People who love to read cozy or traditional mysteries, cat lovers.
Title: The Cat Who Lived High
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Braun, Lillian Jackson
Brief Summary: Part of a light, amusing series about a man and his two Siamese cats who stumble across mysteries wherever they travel. In this episode they go to a crumbling 1920's apartment building that is growing mushrooms, the edible kind.
Thoughts on Appeal: Great for family car trips- no sex or swearing- great reader for the audiobook.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Families or others on car trips- not too distracting and humorous.
Title: Trouble Is My Business
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Raymond, Chandler
Brief Summary: Collection of four short stories.
Thoughts on Appeal: Dark. Communication was more difficult before cell phones.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Readers of hard boiled detective fiction.
Title: A Share in Death
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Crombie, Deborah
Brief Summary: At a resort timeshare, two people are killed and an attendant is the third. Can the police superintendent find the murderer before he strikes again?
Thoughts on Appeal: British- not sure if accurate about police, cozy read.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Fans who like British mysteries and police.
Title: One For The Money
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Evanovich, Janet
Brief Summary: Down-on-her-luck Jersey girl Stephanie Plum stumbles onto a job as a bounty hunter for her bondsman cousin. She learns many tough lessons as she gets to know the job and works her way through a mystery involving a seductive cop and a violent local celebrity.
Thoughts on Appeal: Stephanie is very funny and fully realized. The series entry is a great hook for the rest of the series, with the introduction of Plum's livelihood and some important characters. Light-hearted tone, but the sex and violence would not appeal to cozy readers.
Who I Would Recommend This To: People who enjoy humor and strong female characters. This series is DEFINETLY driven by Stephanie's personality.
Title: O is for Outlaw
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Sue Grafton
Brief Summary: Private investigator Kinsey Millhone is drawn back into an old life when a situation involving her 1st ex-husband resurfaces and she's the only one who can put the pieces together.
Thoughts on Appeal: Series readers get their first glimpse of Kinsey's 1st husband and the life she had with him. LOTS of side characters. This mystery delves pretty deep into the past and some of the threads barely hang together.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Mystery readers who like independent, spunky female characters who don't mind some grittiness.
Title: The Shape Shifter
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Tony Hillerman
Brief Summary: Lt. Joe Leaphorn stars again in this 18th book based on a Navajo tribal police officer and his partner, Jim Chee. This time, Leaphorn come out of retirement to return to an unsolved crime from his past.
Thoughts on Appeal: Love this guy! He captures the Southwest and you learn about Navajo culture and traditions as a bonus.
Who I Would Recommend This To: People who are interested in the Southwest and Native Americans- I like to recommend Hillerman to people who are traveling to New Mexico- to read on the plane.
Title: City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Elmore Leonard
Brief Summary: The murder of a high profile judge and his escort leads to an investigation that pits a hard boiled detective against a loose cannon perp bent on revenge.
Thoughts on Appeal: Extremely readable and fun to boot. Sassy characters, brilliant dialouge, perfectly captures the wild west of early 80's Detroit. Everything about this feels cinematic.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Fans of Tarantino films, Hard Boiled Cops, The Wire, and Richard Price.
Title: A Little Yellow Dog
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Mosley, Walter
Brief Summary: Fifth installment in the Easy Rawlins mystery series. Set in early 1960's L.A., our unorthodox detective is again enmeshed in a crime scene, set at his workplace door.
Thoughts on Appeal: Walter Mosley draws vividly detailed portraits of the various characters and criminals that inhabit this detective tale. Although Easy is trying to establish a new life style, his past always comes crashing in. An African-American voice guides us through the times and troubles of his community. I especially like this series as it progresses from the '40's through the following decades.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Suspense/crime readers.
Title: The Marshall and the Madwoman
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Nabb, Magdalen
Brief Summary: Phlegmatic Sicilian investigator Guarnaccia in Florence investigates the murder of a very poor madwoman Clementina. The murder was made to look like a suicide. Why would anyone kill a madwoman who did not even have a photo in her tiny apartment?
Thoughts on Appeal: Evokes sense of place. The heat of August is like a character hovering over everyone and everything. Florence, Italy, and its people come alive
Who I Would Recommend This To: Can be enjoyed by anyone from cozy lovers to police procedural buffs. Violence is minimal. No graphic descriptions. Highly recommended.
Title: The Marshal's Own Case
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Nabb, Magdalen
Brief Summary: A grisly murder is uncovered in Florence's transsexual community. The Marshal becomes involved, learning more about the people in this community and why he doesn't want to see this become another unsolved case. Thoughts on Appeal: Very character driven, reads like a CSI episode (or Law and Order), crime seems realistic and not contrived, steady pacing.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Character driven readers, CSI watchers (like me!).
Title: Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Beaton, M.C.
Brief Summary: Agatha's alcoholic husband Jimmy resurfaces to thwart her wedding to partner, James Lacey, and gets murdered as do several others who spent time with him in a rehab center. Agatha herself nearly gets killed solving the cases.
Thoughts on Appeal: Funny, quirky characters. Very like-able amateur detective. Mystery is easy to solve but sections and frame seem to be main part.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Cozy mystery lovers, people who like Agatha Christie, Alexander McCall Smith, Jan Karon
Title: The Killer Inside Me
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Thompson, Jim
Brief Summary: A serial killer in Small Town Texas lives a double life as a slow-witted deputy, covering up the heinous crimes he's committed.
Thoughts on Appeal: This was dark and gruesome! The narrator was totally unsympathetic and the violence and sex were surprisingly explicit. The plot was fast paced, but I found it a bit slow to read because of the repetition of the crimes.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Any big fan of Noir or someone wishing to explore the history of serial killer fiction. This is also being made into a film in 2010.