From: nbaym@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Nancy Baym)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.soaps
Subject: AMC:TAN: Mystery writers compiled
Date: 14 Aug 92 15:29:41 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Hello friends --

A few weeks ago I posted a request for recommendations of mystery 
writers. I got 15 responses (I love you people) and have compiled 
this list from all of those recommendations in hopes that maybe 
some of you will find someone new to enjoy. If there is a number in 
parentheses after the entry that represents how many people 
recommended that author. Here we go:

Lilian Jackson Braun's Cat Who ... books (2)

Elizabeth Peters

Margorey(?) Allingham?
(I love Campion, he reminds me so much of Tristan Farnon :^) )

WHAT'S HIS NAME -- Kellerman, Kesserman - the Rabbi books

PD James (she's my all-time favorite) -- recent British stuff. (2)

Sue Grafton -- actually, she's on my list to read, but I don't know 
    her stuff yet. (3)

Tony Hillerman -- recent stuff set in the American west.

Margaret Truman -- all of her mysteries are set in Washington, DC

I'd recommend the Carlotta Carlisle mysteries by Linda Barnes:
"Steel Guitar" "Coyote" .(2)

Martha Grimes (3)

Joan Hess - writes three series, the best of which is a comical 
mystery series set in the Ozarks town of Maggody, Arkansas. Sort of 
like Agatha Christie meets Green Acres. Very funny -- the comedy is 
better than the mystery. Titles include: Mischief in Maggody, Mortal 
Remains in Maggody, Much Ado in Maggody, Malice in Maggody.

Sharyn McCrumb - one of the hottest talents writing today. She has a
series featuring "student of life" Elizabeth MacPherson that are
Christie-style mysteries with a lot of subtle humor. She also has 
written a series of mysteries set in Appalachia that are very well 
done and have won major awards. Titles include:Paying the Piper, 
Highland Laddie Gone, Lovely in her Bones, If Ever I Return Pretty 
Peggy-O, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter.

Carolyn Hart - Carolyn belongs to the same chapter of Mystery 
Writers of America that I belong to. Her books feature mystery 
bookstore owner Annie Laurance and her husband Max Darling. Titles 
include:Design for Murder, A Little Class on Murder, The Christie 
Caper.

Peter Dickinson - very unusual mystery writer that some have 
described as the Kurt Vonnegut of mystery writers. His detective is 
the unassuming Jimmy Pibble and the books usually involved very 
unusual crimes (such as murder by lion attack or voodoo ritual) in 
London. A very good and original writer. Titles include: The Old 
English Peep Show, Sleep and His Brother, The Poison Oracle.

Mary Willis Walker - a new writer (also from here in Austin) and a 
very nice person. Her first novel was an Edgar nominee for best first 
novel. It's called Zero at the Bone and is totally un-put-downable! It 
involves a murder at a zoo and features a great detective, Katherine 
Mansfield. Very suspenseful!

Susan Rogers Cooper - another Austin writer (okay, so I know these
folks and am biased!) who sets her books in ficitious Prophesy 
County, Oklahoma. They feature Milt Kovak, a decent, likeable 
sheriff. Titles include: The Man in the Green Chevy, Houston in the 
Rearview Mirror, and Chasing Away the Devil.

Bill Crider - well-regarded writer who has two excellent series. One 
features Sheriff Dan Rhodes, a widower sheriff in a small Texas 
town, and the other features Truman Smith, a private eye in the 
coastal city of Galveston. Titles include: Too Late to Die, Shotgun 
Saturday Night, Dead on the Island.

Mary Higgins Clark

Stephen King

Sidney Sheldon

Lawrence Sanders

Definitely Agatha Christie.  :) (2)

Barbara D'Amato Her books are, in order, Hard Ball,  Hard Tack, Hard 
Luck. Hard Women is in progress.  I read Hard Ball and Hard 
Tack and thought they were both good,

"Tour de Force" by Christianna Brand

a *lot* of books by Ellis Peters 

Chesterton

sara paretsky

Marcia Muller (has writes a continuing series with a strong
	      female lead - Sharon McCone)

Anne Perry (writes Victorian mysteries. I just started reading her.
            I read "Paragon Walk" which has a husband who is a
	    police inspector and his wife who helps with the
            investigations. Just by browsing in the bookstore,
            it looks like they're continuing characters, but I
            also noticed some books with Inspector Monk in them.
            I hope to read more of her's).

Dorothy Cannell--British; writes slightly wacky stuff; very, very 
funny

Elizabeth Peters--American:_Naked Once More_; _Silhouette in 
Scarlet_; _Trojan Gold_

Robert Barnard--British: _Death in a Gilded Cage_; _Death of a 
Mystery Writer_

Runa Fairleigh--(Larry Morse):_An Old-Fashioned Mystery_ (hard as 
hell to find  but it's a wonderful book).

Donald E. Westlake--caper novels mostly: _Drowned Hopes_; _Good 
Behavior_

Ed McBain--police procedurals, very gritty but I love them: _Let's 
Hear it For the Deaf Man_

Emma Lathen--American, writes about banker John Putnam Thatcher: 
_Green Grow the  Dollars_

and I am blanking on the author's name, but her books are wonderful:
  _The Renewable Virgin_; _In-Laws and Outlaws_; etc.


This list was compiled from recommendations from Mary Allison, 
Susan Laury, Christine Flood, Judi Geistlinger, Jeff Abbott, Carolyn 
Zaccaria, aj, Sheryl Rak, MargARET Gibbs, Barb Trumpinski, Debbie 
Cannon, Michelle Zaffron, Mark Przybyszewski, Frankie Goldberg, and 
Alma the Ragin Cajun. Thanks to all of you!

-- 
Nancy Baym  (N-Baym@uiuc.edu)  	"Education is the only place where people try 
Speech Communication/U of I      to get the least for their money"    --my mom