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aaron_agonistes ([info]aaron_agonistes) wrote in [info]fandom_lounge,
@ 2009-12-04 15:41:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Mystery recs request
Buying presents for my mother is like pulling teeth. Anything she needs, she always buys herself, and if you ask her what she wants she'll just smile and give me that line about not needing anything except the family together, and maybe a nice dinner.

Yeah. Drives me crazy.

But I did manage to sneak a peek at her bookshelf, and she's got a lot of mysteries on there: Kathy Reichs, Nelson DeMille, Elizabeth George, and David Baldacci, currently. I know she also enjoys the BBC mysteries on PBS, and the NCIS/CSI shows too (although those can be a little simplistic bloody for her). She likes the puzzles, more than the characters or the historical settings or the technical details or anything else - it's figuring out whodunit that interests her, and once she reads a book she almost never rereads it. They usually go straight to the used book store down the street (which is why she's getting paperbacks, and not nice bound copies of anything).

Does anyone have any suggestions for authors and/or titles she might enjoy?

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[info]cygnia
2009-12-05 12:58 am UTC (link)
BBC Mysteries? I was always a fan of Cadfael and Campion myself.

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[info]whimsy_chan
2009-12-05 01:01 am UTC (link)
If she enjoys/isn't put off by historical fiction, you might try Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh. They didn't do anything for me, but I tend to gravitate toward character-driven mysteries, rather than timetable/locked room-type stuff. Also, I think the guy who runs the Body Farm down in Tennessee co-writes mysteries--if she likes Kathy Reichs, she might like those, too. I can't remember the guy's name, but my dad reads those books. I'll comment again if I remember the authors' names.

Good luck with the gift buying!

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reposted due to HTML
[info]platedlizard
2009-12-05 01:26 am UTC (link)
Dr. Bass's site.

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[info]hallidae
2009-12-05 02:39 am UTC (link)
Seconded on the Jefferson Bass books. I enjoyed those a lot.

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[info]kookaburra
2009-12-05 05:09 am UTC (link)
Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Whimsey series is another good old mystery series.

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[info]whimsy_chan
2009-12-05 09:05 am UTC (link)
And hands down some of my favorite books in the world, as well as the reason behind my user name. 8D But they're also very character-driven--that's why I like them so much. Peter Wimsey was my second major literary crush, right after Sherlock Holmes. XD

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[info]kookaburra
2009-12-05 04:48 pm UTC (link)
Dammit, I knew I was going to spell his name wrong. My only excuse is that I've only consumed them as audiobooks on long drives. :X

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[info]magnolia_mama
2009-12-05 01:19 am UTC (link)
A good safe bet would be any of Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford series. They're intelligent without being too convoluted or fussy, and while they do have recurring characters it's the mystery that's at center stage - Wexford is refreshingly low-key.

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[info]lady_ganesh
2009-12-05 02:14 am UTC (link)
The Poisoned Pen has a Mystery of the Month Club. They say they can customize it to the reader, so that might be a good fit.

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[info]sparkysrevenge
2009-12-05 02:19 am UTC (link)
Sounds like my mom. She digs Castle, Bones (And the Kathy Reichs books the show's based on), NCIS/CSI... Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Cadfael, Poirot... If it's a British PBS mystery, my mom LOVES it.

My mom loves the cooking recipe mystery books. I don't know who/what they're done by. (Looking at Amazon, I think it's Joanne Fluke she likes.) She also really likes the Daisy Dalrymple books by Carola Dunn.

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[info]thoms
2009-12-05 07:11 am UTC (link)
Seconding Joanne Fluke. My mom reads those, and loves them. She was giddy when she found the one she didn't have.

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[info]phosfate
2009-12-05 03:20 am UTC (link)
Perhaps a book on forensic science?

OR pick one spiffy book, and tuck a bookstore gift card in it.

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[info]aaron_agonistes
2009-12-05 03:26 am UTC (link)
Thanks, everyone! You were a huge help.

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[info]hysteria
2009-12-05 04:15 am UTC (link)
For TV shows, Criminal Minds has intelligent mysteries but many episodes are quite bloody. Maybe Numb3rs? I don't watch it myself but it seems from commercials to be quite puzzly.

(Great post btw, harvesting for ideas myself!)

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[info]moosecharmer
2009-12-06 08:19 pm UTC (link)
Numb3rs is a FANTASTIC show, and IMO has the best mix of interesting cases and good character bits. Though I've been told that actual math people find it a bit silly. Still, it's probably my favorite cop show right now, and the interaction between the brothers and the various agents and science people (who are all really fleshed out) is just awesome. You should check it out!

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[info]miss_eponine
2009-12-05 04:24 am UTC (link)
Dorothy Sayers is my favorite mystery writer. There's also a pretty good set of adaptations of three of her books (Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, and Gaudy Night) that I just adore.

I'd try Jeffery Deaver too, he's incredibly good at misdirection.

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[info]usagivindaloo
2009-12-05 05:08 am UTC (link)
Seconding the rec for Jeffery Deaver, specifically the Lincoln Rhyme mysteries.

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[info]iczer6
2009-12-05 04:44 am UTC (link)
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.

The Girl who played with Fire.

By Steig Larsson.

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[info]dante_the_mouse
2009-12-06 06:32 pm UTC (link)
Are those available in English now? I know my mother was having a lot of trouble finding translations of them.

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[info]iczer6
2009-12-06 09:50 pm UTC (link)
Yup. The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo is in paperback and the Girl who played with Fire was just released in hardback.

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[info]shouganai
2009-12-05 05:22 am UTC (link)
Nevada Barr writes mysteries set in National Parks about a park ranger named Anna Pigeon.

Jonathan Kellerman writes about a psychiatrist, Alex Delaware.

Michael Palmer writes medical mystery/thrillers.

For the classics, I love Ellery Queen (Ellery Queen), Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe), Dorothy L. Sayers (Peter Wimsey).

I haven't read much of these authors, but they're very popular at the library: James Patterson, Sue Grafton (she writes an alphabet series: "A is for Alibi", etc. She's up to "U is for Undertow" now), Janet Evanovich (hers is a number series, starting with "One for the Money." She also writes romances, so take care which you're getting).

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[info]dracobolt
2009-12-05 05:54 am UTC (link)
It's usually billed as a children's book, but The Westing Game is very complex and interesting for readers of all ages. My own mom really enjoyed it.

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[info]aposiopetic
2009-12-05 10:52 am UTC (link)
Is that the one in the apartment building with a blackout and some kid who goes around selling candles?

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[info]dracobolt
2009-12-05 03:16 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, that's the one.

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[info]huehau
2009-12-06 07:38 am UTC (link)
The Westing Game is one of my favorites. I wonder if the sequel has been published yet.

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[info]dracobolt
2009-12-06 07:42 am UTC (link)
My mind just did a spittake. Sequel? What? *googles* I'm not sure whether to be ecstatic or worried. But at least it's a sequel by the original author. Okay, I'll go with the former. Thanks for telling me about this! =D

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[info]cygnia
2009-12-06 06:07 pm UTC (link)
They did a sequel?! If Turtle's grown up, I wonder how she's handling the stocks these days...

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[info]brennalarose
2009-12-05 07:00 am UTC (link)
If she likes the Beeb mysteries, Charlotte MacLeod (and her nom de plume, Alisa Craig) are delightful. Also, seconding Carola Dunn, and adding Elizabeth Peters "Peabody and Emerson, Egyptologist" series and Dorothy L. Sayers' "Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane" books.

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[info]thoms
2009-12-05 07:13 am UTC (link)
I'd also recommend the "The Cat Who..." series by Lilian Jackson Braun, but only up to a point. Later in the series, they've gotten really, really repetitive.

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[info]digigirl132
2009-12-05 07:28 am UTC (link)
If she likes CSI and other police dramas like that, then she might like Lie to Me. It's basically CSI except instead of doing forensics it's all about talking with the suspects and witnesses, because the main characters can all tell if you're lying based on even the slightest movements your face makes while you talk.

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[info]eleutheria
2009-12-06 05:09 am UTC (link)
That, and Cal Lightman is a fantastically complex Magnificent Bastard.

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[info]tarash
2009-12-05 12:06 pm UTC (link)
If she likes BBC whodunits, Jonathan Creek should be right up her alley!

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[info]hysteria
2009-12-05 04:26 pm UTC (link)
Marvellous series, not gory but very clever plots! And the delightful Alan Davies!

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[info]registeredreddd
2009-12-05 01:27 pm UTC (link)
If she appreciates Sherlock Holmes, the Granada series with Jeremy Brett is absolutely fantastic.

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[info]aurussteelsword
2009-12-05 11:11 pm UTC (link)
Seconding this! They've been playing them on my local PBS channel lately, and it's been rocking my world.

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[info]kuromitsu
2009-12-05 06:02 pm UTC (link)
If she enjoys BBC mysteries... well, how about The Inspector Lynley Mysteries? There are the original novels and the BBC serialization which some people call adaptation decay but I personally think it's very good.

There's also The Gil Mayo Mysteries which I enjoy a lot but it focuses more on the characters and their interaction...

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[info]kuromitsu
2009-12-05 06:26 pm UTC (link)
Gah, I just noticed ELizabeth George's name on the list of authors whose books she owns. *fail*

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[info]judyhazeleyes
2009-12-05 07:42 pm UTC (link)
Henning Mankell is my parents' favourite mystery author right now. There's also a TV show, Wallander, put out by the BBC (and starring Kenneth Branagh!). They're set in Sweden, which is a fresh and interesting change.

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[info]caffeine_fairy
2009-12-05 07:54 pm UTC (link)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Agatha-Christie-Miss-Marple-Collection/dp/B0007ZD6W2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1260039284&sr=8-1-spell

These got me through late pregnancy.

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[info]aurussteelsword
2009-12-05 11:12 pm UTC (link)
Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels. I've only read one of them (One Corpse Too Many), but if the rest are anything like that one, they are sure to please.

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[info]cmikhailovic
2009-12-06 01:44 am UTC (link)
Georgette Heyer's mysteries are being re-released in absolutely *gorgeous* editions; she, like Christie, was a "Golden Age" writer of country-house-type mysteries, but her books are, more so than Christie's or even Marsh's, ridiculously funny and charming.

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[info]stella_polaris
2009-12-06 07:46 pm UTC (link)
Get her a season box of Bones.

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[info]redtienightly
2009-12-06 09:41 pm UTC (link)
Minette Walters does good crime novels, though they are often quite character driven. Stephen Booth, Stephen White and Greg Iles are good, as is Martina Cole. Tess Gerritsen is also good (her stories tend to be about serial killers and forensic pathology), but quite bloody. My favourites at the moment are Stuart MacBride and Mo Hayder - but both of these are pretty violent and disturbing. MacBride has great characterisation and humour, whilst Hayder has a lot of seriously screwed up characters and gory plotlines.

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[info]redtienightly
2009-12-06 09:45 pm UTC (link)
Should note that Walters, Booth, White and Iles are mystery type writers, whilst Cole, Gerritsen, MacBride and Hayder are more crime/thriller like. It's a weird distinction and I don't think I've quite defined it.

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[info]angstymcgoth
2009-12-07 05:36 am UTC (link)
Possibly late to the party, but my Very Nice Mom and her Very Nice Husband are addicted to Dexter, which is about a serial killer who kills other serial killers. There are three seasons of the TV series (Dexter), but it's based off a book (Darkly Dreaming Dexter), and it's all forensic-y and crime drama-y, because the main character/serial killer is a forensic analyst.

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[info]missdaisy
2009-12-07 04:05 pm UTC (link)
Seconding the Minette Waters rec. The early P.D. James' books are really good then they get a bit tedious and the most recent one downright sucked (after buying three copies last Christmas, I'll not read her again).

Martha Grimes is good too. I've only read her Richard Jury series, though, and I've heard some fan grumbling about her branching out.

Kate Atkins mysteries are pretty appealing, although I wasn't impressed much with her other fiction novel.

Scott Turow mostly rocks, although I think I didn't care for one of his more recent offering. His first three (sorry, I can't remember the names) are among my favorites.

Mistress in the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin was good and I enjoyed the second in the series too but the main character is a little over-the-top in her awesome-ness. The mysteries were good and it's set in the twelfth century.

Historically speaking, I like the Dame Frevisse mysteries by Margaret Frazer, although they aren't terribly well-written. There set in 15th century and the importance and power of the Catholic Church is a running theme as Frevisse is a nun.

Of course, I'm certain neither of these series are terribly historically accurate but that usually doesn't bother me much in a good story.

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[info]notbulgarian
2009-12-07 05:33 pm UTC (link)
Um if she likes the forensicsy end of things, maybe Patrica Cornwell. I don't like the books in question but she's very much in the Kathy Reichs mould.

I'm particularly fond of the Linda Fairstein books, where her main character, Alex Cooper is a sex crimes DA, but I'm not sure if she'd find them too bloody.

Elizabeth Peters books are always good for a giggle if she likes the less serious mysteries.

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[info]fryingpanofdoom
2009-12-08 05:06 am UTC (link)
Has she tried out J.A. Jance, Sue Grafton, Lee Child, Dick Francis, Lawrence Block, or Robert Parker? My mom is a mystery geek, so I know mystery authors almost as well as I know fantasy ones. The folks I just mentioned are like the popular table in the cafeteria of the NY Times bestseller list. You could try buying her a trade paperback of Lawrence Block's The Burglar in the Library, which is a sort of affectionate parody of the Classic British Mystery. The main character is a cat burglar who is attempting to steal a sort of fabled novel that was either written by Dashiel Hammett and hand-dedicated to Raymond Chandler or written by Chandler and dedicated to Hammett (I forget which) from the library of a mock English Bed & Breakfast somewhere in the wilds of New York, and surprise! They get snowed in and a body appears. I highly recommend Blocks's entire Bernie Rhodenbarr series as it's very funny and extremely readable, but the others are equally good. And hey, if you don't believe me, Lee Child's Jack Reacher character merited several mentions in TVTropes.org!

*runs away cackling*

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