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Books to Die For
Winner of the 2013 Agatha, Anthony and the Macavity Awards for Best Crime Non-Fiction.With so many mystery novels to choose from and so many new titles appearing each year, where should the reader start? What are the classics of the genre? Which are the hidden gems?In the most ambitious anthology of its kind yet attempted, the world's leading mystery writers have come together to champion the greatest mystery novels ever written. In a series of personal essays that often reveal as much about themselves and their work work as they do about the books that they love, more than 120 authors from twenty countries have created a guide that will be indispensable for generations of readers and writers. From Christie to Child and Poe to PD James, from Sherlock Holmes to Hannibal Lecter and Philip Marlowe to Peter Wimsey, BOOKS TO DIE FOR brings together the cream of the mystery world for a feast of reading pleasure, a treasure trove for those new to the genre and those who believe that there is nothing new left to discover. This is the one essential book for every reader who has ever finished a mystery novel and thought . . . I want more! www.bookstodiefor.net
562 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2012
64 people are currently reading
2629 people want to read
About the author
John Connolly
222 books7,979 followersJohn Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.
He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.
This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.
This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
March 14, 2019
This hefty volume (more than 500 pages) contains one brief essay each by 119 mystery writers from 20 different countries, each of whom writes about a favorite book. Their choices favor noir and bleak crime novels rather than cozies and puzzles, and include more than a few mainstream literary novels with crimes in them, books that many of us wouldn't call mysteries, but any lover of the genre should find at least a couple dozen essays here to interest him. Many—like me—will find considerably more.
The contents vary in quality, from excellent, like Tana French's persuasive piece on the importance of Donna Tartt's The Secret History as the first book to use friendship circles as a subject for crime and Dennis Lehane's succinct summation of the virtues of Crumley's The Last Good Kiss, to embarrassing, like David Peace's mannered tough guy prose (passing way beyond the land of Hemingway into the suburbs of Gertrude Stein parody) in his essay on Hammet's The Glass Key, and Elmer Mendoza's bizarre, self-absorbed riff on Le Carre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
There are many different sorts of pleasure to be found here. Writers comment on the virtues of classic novels (Sara Paretsky on Bleak House, Minette Walters on Rebecca, John Connolly on The Chill), introduce us to novels unfairly neglected (Bill Pronzini on Elliot Chaze's Black Wings Has My Angel, George Pelecanos on Newton Thornburg's Cutter and Bone) or call our attention to novels of the masters that are often overlooked (Laura Lippman on Jame's M. Cain's Love's Lovely Counterfeit, Michael Connelly on Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister). They can also perform the valuable service of Introducing us to writers of whom English language readers may be unaware, such as Leo Malet and Jean-Patrick Manchette (France), Manuel Vasquez Montalban and Andrue Martin (Spain), and Natsuo Karino (Japan). But perhaps my favorite essays are by writers who reminisce about authors whom they have met and with whom they have a special connection: Joseph Wambaugh on his fellow true-crime novelist Truman Capote, and Linwood Barclay on his fellow Canadian detective novelist Kenneth Millar (also known as Ross Macdonald).
There. I've suggested about a dozen and a half essays you may want to look at, and I'm sure you will find many more, some perhaps about your own favorite mysteries. In the course of reading—or even browsing through—this book, I believe you'll be informed, occasionally enlightened, and—above all—come away with the conviction that the the field of the mystery novel is richer and more various than you had believed it to be.
April 18, 2013
Books to Die For is like an appetizer what with its recommendations of the greatest mystery stories by the authors who are currently writing in this genre. These essays will stimulate your appetite for more.
This is a book to own. I call it a dipping book, dip in and out and find something new with each reading. I could not possibly read all the wonderful books suggested but have chosen one or two to add to the pile. Edmund Crispin's (1946) The Moving Toyshop enthusiastically presented
by Ruth Dudley Edwards caught my eye. Crispin loved locked room mysteries as do I. Ms. Edwards goes on to state that "it is not for his plots that I love Crispin, but for the wit, intelligence, gaiety, and decency that informed his writing." Early in the essay she mentions that she
dislikes the snobbery of those who think a book is diminished if it makes you laugh. These two thoughts; decency in writing and the ability to make one laugh, make me curious to read this fellow whose real name is Bruce
Montgomery.
Though I love to hold the hard copy of a book in my hands Books to Die For is the perfect book to add to my Nook. I can easily pepper it with bookmarks, highlight titles and search for author recommendations using the Nook’s tools.
Surely there will be an outcry for the books that are missed but overall Books to Die For is a treasure trove for mystery readers.
This is a book to own. I call it a dipping book, dip in and out and find something new with each reading. I could not possibly read all the wonderful books suggested but have chosen one or two to add to the pile. Edmund Crispin's (1946) The Moving Toyshop enthusiastically presented
by Ruth Dudley Edwards caught my eye. Crispin loved locked room mysteries as do I. Ms. Edwards goes on to state that "it is not for his plots that I love Crispin, but for the wit, intelligence, gaiety, and decency that informed his writing." Early in the essay she mentions that she
dislikes the snobbery of those who think a book is diminished if it makes you laugh. These two thoughts; decency in writing and the ability to make one laugh, make me curious to read this fellow whose real name is Bruce
Montgomery.
Though I love to hold the hard copy of a book in my hands Books to Die For is the perfect book to add to my Nook. I can easily pepper it with bookmarks, highlight titles and search for author recommendations using the Nook’s tools.
Surely there will be an outcry for the books that are missed but overall Books to Die For is a treasure trove for mystery readers.
May 29, 2018
Raymond Chandler, according to the information in this book, trashed Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" by saying any "halfwit" could figure out the ending. It must have eaten him (a wildly misogynistic author) to the bone that a female author was not only the bestselling novelist in the world but could run rings around Chandler plotwise. (I know a lot of Christie fans: no one, not me, not anyone, has logically determined the stupendous, noirish and brilliant resolution by Hercule Poirot/Christie.) This and many other anecdotes are related in "Books to Die For." If you're like me and you like to read a little of everything, especially within the crime genre and its endless subgenres, this is a good reference point. I found a few books I'd never have looked for otherwise, like "Black Wings Has My Angel" by Elliot Chaze, one of those "criminally overlooked" works. But there are some classics that aren't listed, like Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose" . Oddly, M.C. Beaton's massively popular and wonderfully entertaining Hamish MacBeth series is overlooked. Charle's Todd's dark and brilliant "Inspector Rutledge" series isn't here. And while a few authors of spy novels are here, there is no mention of Robert Ludlum ('Bourne Identity" is absolutely a classic) or Ian Fleming (yes, there are a couple of Bond books which are very good imo). But the editors do point out global authors and do include a huge variety of works. And you'll find authors all the way from Poe to Donna Tartt. You'll no doubt put together your own list of books to search out from the 100-plus "crime/mystery/thriller/spy, etc" novels listed here. And get your pocketbook ready: many of these books are out-of-print (thus not at the library) and may cost you a few dinners out if you can find them on Amazon, etc. And about Chandler, the best he could ever do was write racists, sexists, xenophobic, homophobic novels borrowed in style from Hammett. The fact that he was jealous, green with envy, of Dame Christie, speaks volumes.
September 25, 2021
This one took a while, as I just read 2 or 3 entries a night. Great suggestions for lovers of mysteries.
July 19, 2012
Full disclosure: I was the editorial assistant on this book, so I can't pretend to be objective. But it's a wonderful collection for anyone who's ever looked at a bookstore or library shelf and thought, "Already read that, read that, read that, read that..."
October 2, 2012
I confess - I'm a contributor to this collection, with a piece on the neglected crime writer Nicolas Freeling's Van der Valk mysteries.
The rest of the book is stuffed with excellent essays and suggestions for a good crime read!
The rest of the book is stuffed with excellent essays and suggestions for a good crime read!
January 15, 2015
The title says it all: 119 authors from 20 countries share the one mystery that is the most important one they've read. With this many authors represented, there's a wide range of books being shared, and one of the joys of reading a book like this is agreeing-- or disagreeing-- with each author's choice.
Each essay also tells us a bit about the author writing it, and as I read, I also found myself learning not only about the authors and the books chosen, but about the history and evolution of crime fiction as well. Books to Die For is a feast on many levels.
For me, this wasn't a book that I started reading at page one and worked my way steadily through to the end. No, I had two lines of attack. One was to find my favorite authors to see what their favorite books were. Louise Penny? Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair. Deborah Crombie? P.D. James' Cover Her Face. Ann Cleeves? Henning Mankell's The Man Who Smiled. And the list goes on.
My second line of attack was to find one of my favorite books to see which author recommended it above all others. Peter Temple's The Broken Shore? John Harvey. Charles Dickens' Bleak House? Sara Paretsky. And so it goes. The reasoning behind each choice was often fascinating and illuminating.
One thing that I can guarantee about reading this book is that your own reading lists will expand. I was intrigued by authors and books I'd never heard of as well as by lesser known books by authors I was very familiar with. Read Books to Die For at your own peril for you will be consumed by the hunt for more mysteries to read!
Each essay also tells us a bit about the author writing it, and as I read, I also found myself learning not only about the authors and the books chosen, but about the history and evolution of crime fiction as well. Books to Die For is a feast on many levels.
For me, this wasn't a book that I started reading at page one and worked my way steadily through to the end. No, I had two lines of attack. One was to find my favorite authors to see what their favorite books were. Louise Penny? Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair. Deborah Crombie? P.D. James' Cover Her Face. Ann Cleeves? Henning Mankell's The Man Who Smiled. And the list goes on.
My second line of attack was to find one of my favorite books to see which author recommended it above all others. Peter Temple's The Broken Shore? John Harvey. Charles Dickens' Bleak House? Sara Paretsky. And so it goes. The reasoning behind each choice was often fascinating and illuminating.
One thing that I can guarantee about reading this book is that your own reading lists will expand. I was intrigued by authors and books I'd never heard of as well as by lesser known books by authors I was very familiar with. Read Books to Die For at your own peril for you will be consumed by the hunt for more mysteries to read!
March 22, 2021
one of those books with stuff you skip, stuff that is interesting and everything inbetween. I did find a few want-to-reads in here. There is an emphasis on classic novels, as one might expect. Some writers are careful not to include spoilers but some do not, so some I stopped reading in the middle as I sensed a spoiler on the way...
December 26, 2015
Essays by mystery writers on favourite mystery novels. A good read, a good reference. However, reading it may result in considerable damage to your wallet.
You've been warned.
You've been warned.
March 23, 2019
The subtitle for Books to Die For (2012) by John Connolly & Declan Burke is The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels. I felt from the first that I wasn't sure that I ought to take the word of a book that claims as "the World's Greatest Mystery Writers" a whole slew of people I've never heard of. Not just haven't read...but haven't actually heard of OR seen their books on shelves when browsing. I do not recognize about 80 out 120ish names. [I may have inadvertently counted some twice--some authors submitted more than one novel.] That's quite a lot. Now, granted, I don't read a lot of modern crime fiction--but some of my blogging friends do and I should have at least seen these names go by--If they really are the "World's Greatest." One of the contributors's work is described as "glamorous thrillers/bonkbusters/chick lit...Tart Noir"....um. Not exactly a recommendation in my book. I didn't want to be snobbish about this, really I didn't. But seriously?
So...I wrote the above as I was starting the book. I've now finished it. And, I must say, this is quite the disappointment for a mystery reader. A large percentage of the books recommended are noir, hard-boiled, spy/espionage, or thrillers. Not true mysteries. Some of the recommenders even say that straight up and they themselves are not authors of true mysteries. Fine. But don't be advertise your book as being recommendations on mystery novels by mystery writers. At best, you might say that it's a book of recommendations on crime novels by crime writers. It was a huge disappointment to see how few true vintage mystery novels were mentioned for years representing the Golden Age--one Christie, one Sayers, one Crispin, one Allingham, and one Tey. That's it. And of the later books just a handful would count as mysteries rather than noir and all the rest.
My final take: most of these seem to be books I'd be just fine with having died without having ever read.....I can't say that I'd recommend it for those of you who consider yourself a mystery lover. But--if noir, hard-boiled, spy/espionage, suspense, and/or thrillers are your thing, then this may just be the reference book for you.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
So...I wrote the above as I was starting the book. I've now finished it. And, I must say, this is quite the disappointment for a mystery reader. A large percentage of the books recommended are noir, hard-boiled, spy/espionage, or thrillers. Not true mysteries. Some of the recommenders even say that straight up and they themselves are not authors of true mysteries. Fine. But don't be advertise your book as being recommendations on mystery novels by mystery writers. At best, you might say that it's a book of recommendations on crime novels by crime writers. It was a huge disappointment to see how few true vintage mystery novels were mentioned for years representing the Golden Age--one Christie, one Sayers, one Crispin, one Allingham, and one Tey. That's it. And of the later books just a handful would count as mysteries rather than noir and all the rest.
My final take: most of these seem to be books I'd be just fine with having died without having ever read.....I can't say that I'd recommend it for those of you who consider yourself a mystery lover. But--if noir, hard-boiled, spy/espionage, suspense, and/or thrillers are your thing, then this may just be the reference book for you.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
November 28, 2012
Lucky is the mystery fan that gets this book as a gift for Christmas. This is not just a book to read, but to savor. The stories picked are from around the world and the perspective of all the contributors seems to be that the mystery form understands that plot comes out of character.
The authors have put together an anthology of essays written by mystery writers about their favorite mystery writers and their works. Because the contributors were asked to choose books that were of a personal nature to them we learn about the influences on these living writers.
The essays on the stories include bits of knowledge about the writers and the historical environment they are writing in. Bipolar disorder’s influence on Edgar Allan Poe’s life is revealed. The murder of James Ellroy’s mother in California in 1958 still remains unsolved.
There are many treasures to be found among these favorites of mystery writers from around the world. Chandler’s THE LITTLE SISTER was picked by Michael Connelly, rather than his more popular works.
This book generates interest both in the classical mystery writers of the past and today’s authors. If you were planning to cull some of your books take warning this anthology will induce you to increase your library with some of the books listed that you do have not read.
The authors have put together an anthology of essays written by mystery writers about their favorite mystery writers and their works. Because the contributors were asked to choose books that were of a personal nature to them we learn about the influences on these living writers.
The essays on the stories include bits of knowledge about the writers and the historical environment they are writing in. Bipolar disorder’s influence on Edgar Allan Poe’s life is revealed. The murder of James Ellroy’s mother in California in 1958 still remains unsolved.
There are many treasures to be found among these favorites of mystery writers from around the world. Chandler’s THE LITTLE SISTER was picked by Michael Connelly, rather than his more popular works.
This book generates interest both in the classical mystery writers of the past and today’s authors. If you were planning to cull some of your books take warning this anthology will induce you to increase your library with some of the books listed that you do have not read.
October 12, 2013
Books to die for is a fun read, but beware - if you are a fan of mysteries, it will add many books to your "to read" list. It's non-fiction, a listing of favorite books by mystery writers. The list is chronological, beginning with Wilkie Collins, Poe, and Sherlock Holmes. (I learned that Holmes afficionados never say the name of the author, since it's assumed that Holmes is/was a real person.) The discussion on each book included how the author found it and why it is a favorite, and how it deserves a place in the list of "world's greatest."
Lots of other fun facts about old and new mystery novels. For example, did you know that Michael Connelly reads a section of Raymond Chandler's "The Little Sister" for inspiration before he begins a new novel?
The book won several awards this year (2013)(the Anthony Award and the Macavity Award) and I can see why. There was a bit too much noir for my taste, and I questioned some of the inclusions (Stephen King?), but apparently authors were allowed to select whatever they wanted. Other novels I would classify more as thriller or suspense than mystery, but I can't question their inclusion (Silence of the Lambs, for example).
Yes, I now have quite a long list of books I want to read, as if I needed more.
Lots of other fun facts about old and new mystery novels. For example, did you know that Michael Connelly reads a section of Raymond Chandler's "The Little Sister" for inspiration before he begins a new novel?
The book won several awards this year (2013)(the Anthony Award and the Macavity Award) and I can see why. There was a bit too much noir for my taste, and I questioned some of the inclusions (Stephen King?), but apparently authors were allowed to select whatever they wanted. Other novels I would classify more as thriller or suspense than mystery, but I can't question their inclusion (Silence of the Lambs, for example).
Yes, I now have quite a long list of books I want to read, as if I needed more.
December 19, 2012
A treasure trove. If you love Crime fiction and authors like John Connolly, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, etc., go grab this bastard!
September 20, 2025
If you are like me in that you enjoy reading a good thriller or murder mystery then please read this book. Most of us who enjoy them tend to alight on an author & then having enjoyed the book read another from said author. What we rarely do is get a sense of the many possibilities out there. Our rather haphazard approach somewhat precludes it.
This book offers us an opportunity to take a more discerning approach. It consists of a long list of well informed recommendations made by those who write these sort of books in the form of short essays about the books they love & treasure. Ones, of course, not written by them. During the time I have read this book I have taken advantage & read some of the books recommended. Every one so far has been top notch. So if you want to truly broaden your approach to book selection & explore the genre then get hold of this volume & take advantage.
This book offers us an opportunity to take a more discerning approach. It consists of a long list of well informed recommendations made by those who write these sort of books in the form of short essays about the books they love & treasure. Ones, of course, not written by them. During the time I have read this book I have taken advantage & read some of the books recommended. Every one so far has been top notch. So if you want to truly broaden your approach to book selection & explore the genre then get hold of this volume & take advantage.
February 15, 2013
A wonderful resource - short essays and reflections by modern authors on some of the great classics of crime and noir. I am discovering authors right left and centre!
January 16, 2020
Why, oh why do I do this to myself? I have a reading list that even if I were to live to a 1000 years I would not finish and here I am adding to it
November 24, 2019
A series of essays, written by one hundred nineteen noted mystery authors, combine to create a unique guide to the mystery novel. Among the essays/essayists: Julia Spencer-Fleming on Margaret Maron; Deborah Crombie on P.D. James; Kathy Reichs on Thomas Harris; Meg Gardiner on Sue Grafton; Reed Farrel Coleman on Daniel Woodrell; Lee Child on Kenneth Orvis; Dennis Lehane on James Crumley; William Kent Krueger on Tony Hillerman; Joseph Wambaugh on Truman Capote.
While the elements of the mystery tale may be malleable, these essays concern that elusive “something” in each of the selected works that capture the reader’s imagination. And, as each writer describes the specialness of the author they’ve chosen for this anthology, readers will find much to appreciate in these enlightening, entertaining offerings.
Highly recommended.
While the elements of the mystery tale may be malleable, these essays concern that elusive “something” in each of the selected works that capture the reader’s imagination. And, as each writer describes the specialness of the author they’ve chosen for this anthology, readers will find much to appreciate in these enlightening, entertaining offerings.
Highly recommended.
May 2, 2025
I’ve read many mystery books both the classic writers and contemporary authors. This volume helped me know more about their lives, the novels they wrote and which book each contributing author thought was the best mystery novel by the writer they chose. I was surprised that novels by Louise Penny, Tana French, John Banville, aka Benjamin Black, and the gentle mysteries of Alexander McCall Smith, four of my favorite writers, were not represented in this collection of great mystery writers.
February 11, 2026
I've been reading this for a while. Mystery Books recommended by other mystery writers. I think my favorite was Michael Connelly 's recommendation on Raymond Chandler 's The Little Sister. I read that one on my first bout of reading this book (some years ago). Since I picked the book back up there were two that intrigued me enough to buy them - Tomato Red and one other whose name escapes me. (And I ordered it yesterday!)
Connelly's review drove me to read The Little Sister right away.
There are many more reviews/recommendations but I'm not really recalling too many of them. One I read today was Escape from a Turkish writer who has a day job as a columnist and everyone wants to sue her so she must be doing something right. She sounds comparable to Patricia Highsmith (per the reviewer). So the reader is following the killer and the mystery is whether/when she will be caught. And this narrator is the daughter. I probably need to pick this book up, too.
Connelly's review drove me to read The Little Sister right away.
There are many more reviews/recommendations but I'm not really recalling too many of them. One I read today was Escape from a Turkish writer who has a day job as a columnist and everyone wants to sue her so she must be doing something right. She sounds comparable to Patricia Highsmith (per the reviewer). So the reader is following the killer and the mystery is whether/when she will be caught. And this narrator is the daughter. I probably need to pick this book up, too.
July 9, 2013
This could make an excellent introduction and genealogy chart for the genre. Or I guess genres: thriller, mystery, crime novel, and all their variations.
Some writers approached their contributions like a book report, others like an an English lit analytic paper, others like a memoir or a booktalk. David Peace tried to write like his subject, Dashiell Hammett; I didn't care for it. Rebecca Chance had a more successful fun and big-vocabularied take on Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter stories, but even her chapter was not nearly as larded with big words as Chuck Hogan writing on Paul Cain's Fast One. ("Oneiric," "campanology," etc.)
But of course the real reason readers like me pick up books like this is for the reading suggestions. And Books to Die For did not disappoint. Because of Ruth Dudley Edwards I'm putting The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin on my to-read list, and without Marcia Muller I wouldn't have known that Joseph Hansen's Fadeout protagonist is a gay. The surprise of the book was how much I liked Laurie R. King's essay, and how she made me long to read Peter Dickinson's The Glass Sided Ant's Nest for myself.
Some writers approached their contributions like a book report, others like an an English lit analytic paper, others like a memoir or a booktalk. David Peace tried to write like his subject, Dashiell Hammett; I didn't care for it. Rebecca Chance had a more successful fun and big-vocabularied take on Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter stories, but even her chapter was not nearly as larded with big words as Chuck Hogan writing on Paul Cain's Fast One. ("Oneiric," "campanology," etc.)
But of course the real reason readers like me pick up books like this is for the reading suggestions. And Books to Die For did not disappoint. Because of Ruth Dudley Edwards I'm putting The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin on my to-read list, and without Marcia Muller I wouldn't have known that Joseph Hansen's Fadeout protagonist is a gay. The surprise of the book was how much I liked Laurie R. King's essay, and how she made me long to read Peter Dickinson's The Glass Sided Ant's Nest for myself.
October 1, 2018
Worth a read, but like most literature, the genre is dominated by white males. So, it requires a bit of detective work to find the missing, marginalized mystery writers. Despite the movies based on Christie, Hammett and Chandler novels, does mystery writing tail Hollywood? What effect did McCarthyism have on this field? There's an awful lot of apolitical "noir" that descends into serial murder... boring stuff spiced up with violence (mostly against women). At the bottom of the bucket there's the archetypical, creepy, amoral anti-hero like Tom Ripley spawned by creepy, anti-Semitic Patricia Highsmith. She's forking out fodder for cynicism in an age that begs for activism.
The book opens with Sarah Paretsky extolling the socially conscious virtues of "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens. Paretsky herself lets in the light of the real world, as do most Black and Latino writers. There we can find some resistance to racism and capital, a desire for social - and not just cop-controlled criminal - justice.
And, who are the Native mystery writers? Do a search for "Native American mysteries" and you will find a sub-sub genre of mysteries written about Native Americans by white writers. One exception - and there must be more - is Sara Sue Hoklotubbe (Cherokee), author of "Deception on All Accounts." But, she's not included in this book. If you know of other Native mystery writers, please let me know!
The book opens with Sarah Paretsky extolling the socially conscious virtues of "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens. Paretsky herself lets in the light of the real world, as do most Black and Latino writers. There we can find some resistance to racism and capital, a desire for social - and not just cop-controlled criminal - justice.
And, who are the Native mystery writers? Do a search for "Native American mysteries" and you will find a sub-sub genre of mysteries written about Native Americans by white writers. One exception - and there must be more - is Sara Sue Hoklotubbe (Cherokee), author of "Deception on All Accounts." But, she's not included in this book. If you know of other Native mystery writers, please let me know!
December 23, 2012
This book was the surprise of the year! I honestly do not know why I was thinking before I read the book that it was going to be suffocating and insanely academic approach to the whole crime/mystery genre.
Why did I think this? Especially when the book covers told me it was mystery novelists discussing their favorite mystery novels. I should have known right there I was in store for the most intellectual, honest, funny, love-letter type gab fest out there. I was introduced to authors who I've never even heard of (hello, Tapping the Source) and authors who I have heard of but this particular story alluded me (hello, Different Seasons). Suffice to say, my list of books has grown.
I want this book as well. It is an excellent resource and, although it is more than 500 pages long, it never feels that way. It is a journey and an adventure through the ages of really great crime fiction. I am not just saying that: the list of novels is in chronological order of its publishing date.
It is a must read and so are all the recommendations in it!
Why did I think this? Especially when the book covers told me it was mystery novelists discussing their favorite mystery novels. I should have known right there I was in store for the most intellectual, honest, funny, love-letter type gab fest out there. I was introduced to authors who I've never even heard of (hello, Tapping the Source) and authors who I have heard of but this particular story alluded me (hello, Different Seasons). Suffice to say, my list of books has grown.
I want this book as well. It is an excellent resource and, although it is more than 500 pages long, it never feels that way. It is a journey and an adventure through the ages of really great crime fiction. I am not just saying that: the list of novels is in chronological order of its publishing date.
It is a must read and so are all the recommendations in it!
October 13, 2024
This book is interesting in that you get mini-reviews of works by famous crime authors, written by famous crime authors. In effect the reader is introduced to a double dose of authors. As crime and police procedurals are my favourite genres, I looked forward to getting some ideas from this book, and I did. In a way, the older the reader is, the more books and authors they are likely to have read, and so they will get more from this book. Although younger readers may get some ideas as well, finding physical copies of older books is not so easy.
I've started to search for some books I read long ago, just for the sake of reviewing them and also seeing whether I still feel the same as before. I'm possibly going to look for some books by authors I maybe dismissed before, or never heard of.
I've given this three stars, it's a collection of reviews, and to me nothing that startling, but equally I have no particular complaints. It has served its purpose.
I've started to search for some books I read long ago, just for the sake of reviewing them and also seeing whether I still feel the same as before. I'm possibly going to look for some books by authors I maybe dismissed before, or never heard of.
I've given this three stars, it's a collection of reviews, and to me nothing that startling, but equally I have no particular complaints. It has served its purpose.
February 7, 2013
I got this book as a reference for some new mysteries but what a treat of a book! Novels are reviewed by mystery writers. Some of the novels listed I have already read but I enjoy reading the author/reviewers comments to see what new insights I can gather. There are also a number of novels listed that I own but have not gotten around to reading, and the reviews are getting me excited again for why I bought the book and what interested me about it. The third part are books I have either not heard about or heard about and thought 'meh'. Again, the reviews are intriguing as to make me want to try some new authors/ novels. A great guide for mystery readers who have not read it all.
January 25, 2017
This was a fun book. It's a book of essays by mystery writers about their favorite mystery novels. There's a broad range of writers from all ages - Dickens, Marlowe, Hammett and King are represented, as well as lots more modern writers. I love to hear what other people think of books I've read, and each essay is only a few pages long. If you like mysteries this is worth checking out - you'll end up adding several books to your reading list.
May 5, 2016
Excellent! This is a great way to discover new reading material. The only problem is that after the sixties, really good detective mysteries seem to be in short supply, replaced by gory, horrific stories with social messages.
I took extensive notes on the books I will be hunting for at my local library and bookstore.
Highly recommended.
I took extensive notes on the books I will be hunting for at my local library and bookstore.
Highly recommended.
September 29, 2023
In a few days I shall be 75. This means that I have been reading the mystery genre' for over 60 years. I keep track of my reading on the Hennepin County Library website and here on goodreads. I got tired of looking forward to a book by a favorite author and discovering that I had already read the mystery. I grew up as an only child on a farm in Iowa. My parents were depression era kids who did not get the education they wanted because they had to work to support their families of origin. They read to me always, but they were not knowledgeable about the "great" children's literature. We had the Little Golden Books and Mother Goose, but I arrived very late to the world of children's literature. There was little time to "entertain" a child so having heard the books 674 times I remembered the stories and taught myself to read at 4. I scared my parents one time as we were driving and I started reading words on the road signs - Burma Shave jingles became some of my favorites... When I reached school age a new world opened with a school library ( our town had a library but its hours were limited). For suggestions about summer reading we had the Weekly Reader. Now remember we lived on a farm in Iowa... The nearest bookstore was 50 miles away. This was in the day, however, when pocket paper backs ( invented for the soldiers in WWII - hence the pocket size ) were 25 cents or less. An older cousin introduced me to the Nancy Drew mysteries when I was about 10. The book that has had the most profound effect upon me in my early teens was the Diary of Anne Frank. I am still an avid reader of Holocaust and WWII history and biography. When I reached college a friend introduced me to Dick Francis. Dead Cert was written in 1962 and his son Felix is still maintaining the tradition. I was off to the races in the mystery genre - I know, bad pun. Mysteries are still my brain candy. I always have multiple books going at one time. I am currently reading this book, of course, Quisling: A Study in Treason by Hoidal, Oddvar K. ( the fascist traitor of Norway during WWII), Redemption Road by John Hart, The Perfect Murder by H. R. F. Keating, Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson, and The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. You can tell when the pandemic hit - I get my books, CD's, and DVD's delivered to my home so I was in hog heaven. Reading pattern: 2019 - 286 books, 2020 - 400, 2021 - 429, 2022 - 486, and so far this year 576. My reading companion is Abby Tabby who is always nearby, next to me or on top of me. I must often convince her that she does not make a good window................ When you are 75 far too many of your favorite authors have died. I mourn Robert B. Parker, Tony Hillerman, Dick Francis, P. D. James, Rex Stout, Anne Perry, Ngaio Marsh and so many more.... I chose this book in the hopes of discovering authors that I have overlooked or neglected. This review is partially a reminder to myself of authors to look into for new mysteries. I have an objection to making an author of a crime novel into a "mystery writer". 10 Important elements of a mystery novel. 1. A strong hook: A great mystery should invite the reader to try to solve the crime, and a great opening is critical to piquing their interest. A mystery should start with just enough information about the crime to build intrigue from the first line. This is the defining moment when a reader chooses whether or not they want to continue. If the dramatic element is missing from the beginning, the reader expects the rest of the book to be the same. The first chapter should initiate the mystery, aligning the reader with the central character on the crime-solving adventure.
2. An atmospheric setting: Stories in this genre should create an ominous, uneasy mood through setting to support the anxiety of an unknown antagonist lurking in the shadows. Think of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes slinking through the London fog in search of a killer. Settings in mysteries also offer opportunities to plant clues and red herrings.
3. A crime: A crime is the event that fuels the plot in a mystery novel. Revealed in the first chapter, a crime creates the central conflict that launches the investigation, sending the main character on their quest and spurring the narrative arc.
4. A sleuth: At the heart of every mystery is a main character determined to solve the crime. Mystery writer Raymond Chandler created private detective Philip Marlowe to be a crime solver in his novels. A writer can raise the stakes by making the detective personally invested in solving the crime. Mysteries can center around an amateur investigator—an average citizen who solves the case. The character development of the sleuth is important; they need a backstory that connects them to the crime or the killer, and a motive that explains why solving this crime is important to them.
5. A villain: A mystery is often called a whodunit because the culprit is unknown until they’re caught at the end. The story follows their movements, which propel the story forward. The main character and the reader discover the criminal’s identity as the plot reaches its climax.
6. Narrative momentum: A mystery plot is in constant motion thanks to a cat-and-mouse narrative thread. The pacing will quicken the closer the plot moves towards the climax and the closer the main character gets to solving the crime.
7. A trail of clues: Clues are the literary element that allows mystery stories to engage readers on a deeper level than other types of fiction. The reader becomes an amateur sleuth, following the trail of clues to try to discover the identity of the culprit. When writing mysteries, an author needs to have an organized writing process in order to keep track of what clues they’re creating, when they appear, and who knows what in order to make sure the plot lines make sense.
8. Foreshadowing: Mysteries often drop hints of things that will happen in the future. This is known as foreshadowing. A writer can hint at a future event with a small clue or through character dialogue. Writers can be more or less direct with foreshadowing, either subtly hinting at future events or explicitly stating what will happen.
9. Red herrings: A good mystery throws the reader off track. Red herrings are an essential element in mysteries. These false clues build tension by creating other suspects and distracting the detective—and the reader—and leading them away from the real culprit. A writer creates red herrings by placing extra emphasis on an object, event, or character that catches a reader’s attention, making that element seem more significant than it really is to the storyline. In Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, there are 10 characters who are all potential suspects. Christie creates red herrings by killing off each character one by one, creating plot twists that send the reader into new directions in search of the killer.
10. A satisfying ending: At the end of great mystery novels there is the big reveal—the sleuth discovers the identity of the culprit. An ending should also provide an alibi for any other suspects to strengthen the identity of the real killer and eliminate doubt, tying up loose ends. Not every mystery that I read falls neatly into these rules, but if the reader is not engaged to attempt to solve the crime, the author has failed. My greatest satisfaction comes from mysties with continuing characters such that I am sometimes more interested in the events in the protagonists' lives than in the mystery. Finally my review: Edgar Allen Poe - I believe I have read all the stories. Really, Dickens in the mystery genre'???? Have read most of his books, but would not label him a mystery author. Sections written by Sara Paretsky and Rita Mae Brown. . I used to read all the Warshawski series, but have not read one of the books in a long time. Perhaps I should try again. I have never enjoyed Ms. Brown's books. I had never heard of Metta Fuller Victor. I am a fan of Karin Slaughter. Wilkie Collins - have read the Moonstone and The Woman in White. Not a fan. I am not familiar with Andrew Taylor - will check into his books. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - have always been a fan of his cerebral Sherlock. Should check into Linda Barnes. I shall check out Erskin Caldwell's The Bastard. Need to chek out Allan Guthrie. I have read several Dashiel Hammet books but prefer the work of his lover Lillian Hellman. Check out Mark Billingham and David Peace. DOROTHY SAYERS!!! I love the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane series. She was one of the first women to be granted a degree from Oxford and could she write!!!! ( I am constantly appalled by the poor writing and editing of many contemporary writers. Frequent factual errors. Computer editing does not correct anything if it detects a word. A solid gold bracelet becomes "sold gold" because sold is a word. Grammar has often left the building - I am not talking about how characters speak as it may be in the identity of the person to speak incorrectly. I am referring to the structural writing which hopefully should be correct. My biggest aggravations involve the use of pronouns - he / him and the spectrum of lie / lay. He was taller than her - just finish the sentence. He was taller than her was. NOT!! A book cannot lie on the table unless it is animated. I am going to lie down on my bed and lay my book on the bedside table. Sorry, these errors are so simple to fix. I will climb off my soapbox..... ) Leslie Charteris - I have never read any of the Saint books, probably because my introduction to the character came via the tv series. Need to check out David Downing. James M. Cain - have read Postman, Mildred Pierce, and Double Indemnity. Agatha Christie - I believe I have read all her mystery books (may have missed some of the short stories ) including the Westmacott books. My favorites are And Then There Were None and the Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Need to check out Kelli Stanley. Ahhh Daphne du Maurier - great author, but I am not certain that I would label her a "mystery author". Article by Minette Walters whom I read. Graham Greene - I have neglected him. Need to check out the Roy Grace series by Peter James. REX STOUT!!! I believe I have devoured every Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin book. Proof that a male author can write in the early part of the 20th century without being misogynist. Fer de Lance, 1934 to Death Times Three in 1985. Amazing!!!! Need to check out Arlene Hunt... Who the %*&^ is Geoffrey Household. Best known for Rogue Male written in 1939. "The narrator takes it upon himself to stalk - in the manner of a big game hunt - a human prey, a man guarded by the best in the land, a man with a vested interest in keeping himself out of the sights of any assassin. With the dictator in his sights our hero is apprehended and tortured almost to the point of death." Sounds like a very timely book with WWII about to begin, but not sure if this style is my cup of tea.... As to Charlaine Harris, vampires and cozies are not part of my mystery reading... Raymond Chandler - I have read some of the Marlowe novels, but am not a fan of ths "hard boiled" genre'. I was completely unfamiliar with Patrick Hamilton, but with research found that I really liked two plays he wrote, "Rope" made into a film by Hitchcock and "Gaslight" which has had film reincarnations ( has led to the term for brainwashing or convincing a person that they are crazy ). Need to check out Laura Wilson's DI Stratton series. Here is James M. Cain again.... Why repeat an author when you have FRANCES and RICHARD LOCKRIDGE writing such series as Mr. and Mrs. North, Lt. Heimrich, and Nathan Shapiro????? Their books were fantastic!!! Has no one in the world of mystery authors / editors heard of them????? They were writing in the 1930's and '40's. I am reading the Cara Black, Amiee Leduc series. I shall have to check out Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen series and Ruth Dudley Edwards's Robert Amiss books... perhaps also Dorothy Belle Flanagan Hughes. Love George Simenon!! Mickey Spillaine seems to have one mode of writing and I do not appreciate it. Carolyn Keene and Nancy Drew - cut my teeth on this series. Enjoy Liza Marklund's Annika Bengtzon series. JOSEPHINE TEY - superb!!! Louise Penny qualifies as a reviewer, but does not make it into the great mystery writer list. SHAME!!!! Raymond Chandler and Josephine Tey again... Where are A. A. FAIR AND ERLE STANLEY GARDNER AND MABEL SEELEY????? Have read every onr of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books. It has been a while since I read a Margaret Maron book. Patricia Highsmith - excellent. Love Margery Allingham and Albert Campion!!! William P. McGivern - anyone who lauds an author, and the author himself, for a scene in which boiling coffee is thrown in a woman's face should check out the terms MYSOGENY AND SADISM. YOU COULD NOT PAY ME ENOUGH TO READ THIS AUTHOR'S WORK OR TO WATCH FRITZ LANG'S FILM. John D. McDonald and Travis Mcgee - enjoyable series. Friedrich Dürrenmatt - I tried the Inspector Barlach mysteries, but found them, largely because they were written shortly after WWII, to be parables not "mysteries" ( one with a golem who rescues the protagonist ) about the trauma of war. I am unfamiliar with Elisabetta Bucciarelli's Maria Dolores Vergani.** I do not think Clarence Cooper Jr. qualifies as one of the world's greatest mystery writers. Margaret Millar. In his review Declan Hughes states: "She was the Greatest Female Crime writer of the twentieth century." This will have to be proven to me so I shall try her novels. Harry Whittington - pulp fiction success - greatest mystery writer?? P.D. James - truly one of the world's greatest mystery writers!!! Reviewed by Deborah Crombie - I am a fan of her Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. Kenneth Orvis - not a world's greatest mystery writer. Why list Richard Stark when it is a pen name of Donald Westlake. Nicholas Freeling and Van Der Valk - excellent. John le Carre' and Ed McBain - excellent. Jo Nesbo - have read all the Harry Hole books. Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö - truly great writers of the Martin Beck series - excellent tv series as well. The editors chose Roeanna for the best book of the series - for me it still stands out after almost 60 years.!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, Truman Capote??? I believe that he is an excellent writer and with "In Cold Blood" he introduced a new book form, the non-fiction novel, but he is NOT one of the world's greatest mystery writers. Agatha Christie - the grande dame!! Ross Macdonald again.... I GIVE UP!!! ************Sorry I am tired of seeing authors who definitely do not make the list. The editors chose to proceed by year rather than by quality and have neglected truly great authors while inventing names to fill a needed date.*********** Tony Hillerman - one of the truly greatest!!! Reviewed by William Kent Krueger who is a marvelous writer of the Cork O'Connor series- he deserves citation not just to be a reviewer. Of the remaining 61 "greatest mystery writers of the world" this is the list of those who qualify or come very close: Ruth Rendell, Robert B. Parker, Martin Cruz Smith, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Connelly, HENNING MANKELL, Walter Mosley, Cara Black, Reginald Hill, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, and Laura Lippmann. Those listed: Stephen King - are you kidding me??? Thomas Harris - OK he wrote the silence of the Lambs, but WGMW Not. A. S. Byatt - excellent author, but WGMW Not. Caleb Carr - OK the Alienist was good, but WGMW?? J.M. Coetzee - excellent writer, WGMW no. Reviewers who deserved to be WGMW's: ANNE PERRRY, VAL MCDERMID, ANN CLEEVES, Kathy Reichs, Michael Robotham, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Sophie Hannah, Peter Robinson, Laurie R. King, Marcia Muller, Deborah Chrombie, M. C. Beaton, LOUISE PENNY, Minette Walters. Where are Alexander McCall Smith, John Grisham, Ellis Peters, DICK FRANCIS, Elizabeth Peters, J.A. Jance, Nevada Barr, STIEG LARSSON, Jacqueline Winspear, Barbara Cleverly, Harry Kemelman, Lilian Jackson Braun, and CHARLES TODD???????????????? I CAN COME UP WITH THAT LIST IN 10 MINUTES!!! The strategy of this horrible collection seems to be we will proceed year by year and find any author who may have written any book that might by broad definition be called a mystery even if we have to list the same author mutiple times because we are too stupid to find actual great mystery writers. THIS LIST OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST MYSTERY WRITERS IS 60% WORTHLES. Frankly I found the lack of knowledge embarrassing. DO NOT BOTHER!!! Kristi & Abby Tabby
2. An atmospheric setting: Stories in this genre should create an ominous, uneasy mood through setting to support the anxiety of an unknown antagonist lurking in the shadows. Think of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes slinking through the London fog in search of a killer. Settings in mysteries also offer opportunities to plant clues and red herrings.
3. A crime: A crime is the event that fuels the plot in a mystery novel. Revealed in the first chapter, a crime creates the central conflict that launches the investigation, sending the main character on their quest and spurring the narrative arc.
4. A sleuth: At the heart of every mystery is a main character determined to solve the crime. Mystery writer Raymond Chandler created private detective Philip Marlowe to be a crime solver in his novels. A writer can raise the stakes by making the detective personally invested in solving the crime. Mysteries can center around an amateur investigator—an average citizen who solves the case. The character development of the sleuth is important; they need a backstory that connects them to the crime or the killer, and a motive that explains why solving this crime is important to them.
5. A villain: A mystery is often called a whodunit because the culprit is unknown until they’re caught at the end. The story follows their movements, which propel the story forward. The main character and the reader discover the criminal’s identity as the plot reaches its climax.
6. Narrative momentum: A mystery plot is in constant motion thanks to a cat-and-mouse narrative thread. The pacing will quicken the closer the plot moves towards the climax and the closer the main character gets to solving the crime.
7. A trail of clues: Clues are the literary element that allows mystery stories to engage readers on a deeper level than other types of fiction. The reader becomes an amateur sleuth, following the trail of clues to try to discover the identity of the culprit. When writing mysteries, an author needs to have an organized writing process in order to keep track of what clues they’re creating, when they appear, and who knows what in order to make sure the plot lines make sense.
8. Foreshadowing: Mysteries often drop hints of things that will happen in the future. This is known as foreshadowing. A writer can hint at a future event with a small clue or through character dialogue. Writers can be more or less direct with foreshadowing, either subtly hinting at future events or explicitly stating what will happen.
9. Red herrings: A good mystery throws the reader off track. Red herrings are an essential element in mysteries. These false clues build tension by creating other suspects and distracting the detective—and the reader—and leading them away from the real culprit. A writer creates red herrings by placing extra emphasis on an object, event, or character that catches a reader’s attention, making that element seem more significant than it really is to the storyline. In Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, there are 10 characters who are all potential suspects. Christie creates red herrings by killing off each character one by one, creating plot twists that send the reader into new directions in search of the killer.
10. A satisfying ending: At the end of great mystery novels there is the big reveal—the sleuth discovers the identity of the culprit. An ending should also provide an alibi for any other suspects to strengthen the identity of the real killer and eliminate doubt, tying up loose ends. Not every mystery that I read falls neatly into these rules, but if the reader is not engaged to attempt to solve the crime, the author has failed. My greatest satisfaction comes from mysties with continuing characters such that I am sometimes more interested in the events in the protagonists' lives than in the mystery. Finally my review: Edgar Allen Poe - I believe I have read all the stories. Really, Dickens in the mystery genre'???? Have read most of his books, but would not label him a mystery author. Sections written by Sara Paretsky and Rita Mae Brown. . I used to read all the Warshawski series, but have not read one of the books in a long time. Perhaps I should try again. I have never enjoyed Ms. Brown's books. I had never heard of Metta Fuller Victor. I am a fan of Karin Slaughter. Wilkie Collins - have read the Moonstone and The Woman in White. Not a fan. I am not familiar with Andrew Taylor - will check into his books. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - have always been a fan of his cerebral Sherlock. Should check into Linda Barnes. I shall check out Erskin Caldwell's The Bastard. Need to chek out Allan Guthrie. I have read several Dashiel Hammet books but prefer the work of his lover Lillian Hellman. Check out Mark Billingham and David Peace. DOROTHY SAYERS!!! I love the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane series. She was one of the first women to be granted a degree from Oxford and could she write!!!! ( I am constantly appalled by the poor writing and editing of many contemporary writers. Frequent factual errors. Computer editing does not correct anything if it detects a word. A solid gold bracelet becomes "sold gold" because sold is a word. Grammar has often left the building - I am not talking about how characters speak as it may be in the identity of the person to speak incorrectly. I am referring to the structural writing which hopefully should be correct. My biggest aggravations involve the use of pronouns - he / him and the spectrum of lie / lay. He was taller than her - just finish the sentence. He was taller than her was. NOT!! A book cannot lie on the table unless it is animated. I am going to lie down on my bed and lay my book on the bedside table. Sorry, these errors are so simple to fix. I will climb off my soapbox..... ) Leslie Charteris - I have never read any of the Saint books, probably because my introduction to the character came via the tv series. Need to check out David Downing. James M. Cain - have read Postman, Mildred Pierce, and Double Indemnity. Agatha Christie - I believe I have read all her mystery books (may have missed some of the short stories ) including the Westmacott books. My favorites are And Then There Were None and the Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Need to check out Kelli Stanley. Ahhh Daphne du Maurier - great author, but I am not certain that I would label her a "mystery author". Article by Minette Walters whom I read. Graham Greene - I have neglected him. Need to check out the Roy Grace series by Peter James. REX STOUT!!! I believe I have devoured every Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin book. Proof that a male author can write in the early part of the 20th century without being misogynist. Fer de Lance, 1934 to Death Times Three in 1985. Amazing!!!! Need to check out Arlene Hunt... Who the %*&^ is Geoffrey Household. Best known for Rogue Male written in 1939. "The narrator takes it upon himself to stalk - in the manner of a big game hunt - a human prey, a man guarded by the best in the land, a man with a vested interest in keeping himself out of the sights of any assassin. With the dictator in his sights our hero is apprehended and tortured almost to the point of death." Sounds like a very timely book with WWII about to begin, but not sure if this style is my cup of tea.... As to Charlaine Harris, vampires and cozies are not part of my mystery reading... Raymond Chandler - I have read some of the Marlowe novels, but am not a fan of ths "hard boiled" genre'. I was completely unfamiliar with Patrick Hamilton, but with research found that I really liked two plays he wrote, "Rope" made into a film by Hitchcock and "Gaslight" which has had film reincarnations ( has led to the term for brainwashing or convincing a person that they are crazy ). Need to check out Laura Wilson's DI Stratton series. Here is James M. Cain again.... Why repeat an author when you have FRANCES and RICHARD LOCKRIDGE writing such series as Mr. and Mrs. North, Lt. Heimrich, and Nathan Shapiro????? Their books were fantastic!!! Has no one in the world of mystery authors / editors heard of them????? They were writing in the 1930's and '40's. I am reading the Cara Black, Amiee Leduc series. I shall have to check out Edmund Crispin's Gervase Fen series and Ruth Dudley Edwards's Robert Amiss books... perhaps also Dorothy Belle Flanagan Hughes. Love George Simenon!! Mickey Spillaine seems to have one mode of writing and I do not appreciate it. Carolyn Keene and Nancy Drew - cut my teeth on this series. Enjoy Liza Marklund's Annika Bengtzon series. JOSEPHINE TEY - superb!!! Louise Penny qualifies as a reviewer, but does not make it into the great mystery writer list. SHAME!!!! Raymond Chandler and Josephine Tey again... Where are A. A. FAIR AND ERLE STANLEY GARDNER AND MABEL SEELEY????? Have read every onr of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books. It has been a while since I read a Margaret Maron book. Patricia Highsmith - excellent. Love Margery Allingham and Albert Campion!!! William P. McGivern - anyone who lauds an author, and the author himself, for a scene in which boiling coffee is thrown in a woman's face should check out the terms MYSOGENY AND SADISM. YOU COULD NOT PAY ME ENOUGH TO READ THIS AUTHOR'S WORK OR TO WATCH FRITZ LANG'S FILM. John D. McDonald and Travis Mcgee - enjoyable series. Friedrich Dürrenmatt - I tried the Inspector Barlach mysteries, but found them, largely because they were written shortly after WWII, to be parables not "mysteries" ( one with a golem who rescues the protagonist ) about the trauma of war. I am unfamiliar with Elisabetta Bucciarelli's Maria Dolores Vergani.** I do not think Clarence Cooper Jr. qualifies as one of the world's greatest mystery writers. Margaret Millar. In his review Declan Hughes states: "She was the Greatest Female Crime writer of the twentieth century." This will have to be proven to me so I shall try her novels. Harry Whittington - pulp fiction success - greatest mystery writer?? P.D. James - truly one of the world's greatest mystery writers!!! Reviewed by Deborah Crombie - I am a fan of her Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. Kenneth Orvis - not a world's greatest mystery writer. Why list Richard Stark when it is a pen name of Donald Westlake. Nicholas Freeling and Van Der Valk - excellent. John le Carre' and Ed McBain - excellent. Jo Nesbo - have read all the Harry Hole books. Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö - truly great writers of the Martin Beck series - excellent tv series as well. The editors chose Roeanna for the best book of the series - for me it still stands out after almost 60 years.!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, Truman Capote??? I believe that he is an excellent writer and with "In Cold Blood" he introduced a new book form, the non-fiction novel, but he is NOT one of the world's greatest mystery writers. Agatha Christie - the grande dame!! Ross Macdonald again.... I GIVE UP!!! ************Sorry I am tired of seeing authors who definitely do not make the list. The editors chose to proceed by year rather than by quality and have neglected truly great authors while inventing names to fill a needed date.*********** Tony Hillerman - one of the truly greatest!!! Reviewed by William Kent Krueger who is a marvelous writer of the Cork O'Connor series- he deserves citation not just to be a reviewer. Of the remaining 61 "greatest mystery writers of the world" this is the list of those who qualify or come very close: Ruth Rendell, Robert B. Parker, Martin Cruz Smith, Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Connelly, HENNING MANKELL, Walter Mosley, Cara Black, Reginald Hill, Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, and Laura Lippmann. Those listed: Stephen King - are you kidding me??? Thomas Harris - OK he wrote the silence of the Lambs, but WGMW Not. A. S. Byatt - excellent author, but WGMW Not. Caleb Carr - OK the Alienist was good, but WGMW?? J.M. Coetzee - excellent writer, WGMW no. Reviewers who deserved to be WGMW's: ANNE PERRRY, VAL MCDERMID, ANN CLEEVES, Kathy Reichs, Michael Robotham, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Sophie Hannah, Peter Robinson, Laurie R. King, Marcia Muller, Deborah Chrombie, M. C. Beaton, LOUISE PENNY, Minette Walters. Where are Alexander McCall Smith, John Grisham, Ellis Peters, DICK FRANCIS, Elizabeth Peters, J.A. Jance, Nevada Barr, STIEG LARSSON, Jacqueline Winspear, Barbara Cleverly, Harry Kemelman, Lilian Jackson Braun, and CHARLES TODD???????????????? I CAN COME UP WITH THAT LIST IN 10 MINUTES!!! The strategy of this horrible collection seems to be we will proceed year by year and find any author who may have written any book that might by broad definition be called a mystery even if we have to list the same author mutiple times because we are too stupid to find actual great mystery writers. THIS LIST OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST MYSTERY WRITERS IS 60% WORTHLES. Frankly I found the lack of knowledge embarrassing. DO NOT BOTHER!!! Kristi & Abby Tabby
December 30, 2022
There is more to crime fiction than murder and mayhem. “Books to Die for” makes the effort to demonstrate the depth and diversity of styles in this form of literature. I believe it is safe to say that to like this genre is to like this book.
The method of operation selected by John Connolly is to introduce an author of mystery fiction with some brief highlights of his work. Another author takes on the task of providing a light review of one book by our author and not always the best of the novelist’s work. Followed by a short biographic sketch of the narrator author. This approach works well but it does get a little long in the tooth over the 500 plus pages. This is understandable because, as the reader becomes aware this is a crowded field, it seems that everyone believes they have a crime novel hidden in them just waiting to get out.
John Connolly in his introduction defines mystery fiction and all its attributes. He acknowledges that this publication is not all inclusive; Yet there is gold to be mined from the works of Michael Connolly, Josephine Tey, John Le Carre’, Colin Dexter, Thomas Harris, all authors selected for discussion in this book. While not an exhaustive narration, it is representative of some of the greatest mystery writers and their novels along with lesser-known writers and even a cadre of international writers.
The stories are captivating, for instance among the first is Edgar Allan Poe and his protagonist Dupin. Most Historians have said that Poe’s Dupin was the first consulting detective and from this base all future mystery writers developed. Yet, our narrator, author Karin Slaughter, states that author Metta Fuller Victor predates Poe and was the precursor of the modern mass-market paperback and the development of the mystery novel, very interesting!
A quandary begins to develop for a reader, namely so many interesting writers with innumerable characters and best sellers, the reader becomes swamped. Making a list of books to read would become a tedious task that would require a lifetime of devotion to this genre…. but a few are selected!
The Authors from the 19th and 20 Century are represented in this work and this leads to some comparisons. The renowned authors of the 19th century, among them Sir Arthur, Dame Agatha, Poe, Sayer, Dickens and Victor write with a concentration on description of Victorian morals, details concerning landscape, clothing and character with a secondary interest in crime.
The twentieth century writers the likes of Cain, Chandler, O’Flaherty, Caldwell and others narrate in a hard-boiled manner. They use booze, violence and misogamy as hooks to reel in readers. These devices help facilitate the sheer volume of stories they produce. Chuck Hogan’s quote in his review of Paul Cain’s “Gangsters gone Mad” sums up this change in style quite well “It is in truth a ceaseless welter of bloodshed and frenzy, sustained bedlam of killing and fiendish” “Also: sadism, malaise, anarchy”.
These contrasting approaches to mystery fiction, aka, crime fiction are signs of their times and the cravings of readers for more and more titillating pleasure from an author. A saying that best explains this phenomenon and is forever accurate is “follow the money”!
A number of these crime fiction novels were so popular that they were made into movies. Some go back to the nineteen fifties and sixties; the gift of the internet allowed this reader to find these movies and enjoy the correlation with the author’s work, while at the same time enjoying the likes of Bogart, Mitchem, Cagney and others. Most movies fall short of the book with edits and omission and therefore lose some of the excellence that the author’s imagination created in the book.
The method of operation selected by John Connolly is to introduce an author of mystery fiction with some brief highlights of his work. Another author takes on the task of providing a light review of one book by our author and not always the best of the novelist’s work. Followed by a short biographic sketch of the narrator author. This approach works well but it does get a little long in the tooth over the 500 plus pages. This is understandable because, as the reader becomes aware this is a crowded field, it seems that everyone believes they have a crime novel hidden in them just waiting to get out.
John Connolly in his introduction defines mystery fiction and all its attributes. He acknowledges that this publication is not all inclusive; Yet there is gold to be mined from the works of Michael Connolly, Josephine Tey, John Le Carre’, Colin Dexter, Thomas Harris, all authors selected for discussion in this book. While not an exhaustive narration, it is representative of some of the greatest mystery writers and their novels along with lesser-known writers and even a cadre of international writers.
The stories are captivating, for instance among the first is Edgar Allan Poe and his protagonist Dupin. Most Historians have said that Poe’s Dupin was the first consulting detective and from this base all future mystery writers developed. Yet, our narrator, author Karin Slaughter, states that author Metta Fuller Victor predates Poe and was the precursor of the modern mass-market paperback and the development of the mystery novel, very interesting!
A quandary begins to develop for a reader, namely so many interesting writers with innumerable characters and best sellers, the reader becomes swamped. Making a list of books to read would become a tedious task that would require a lifetime of devotion to this genre…. but a few are selected!
The Authors from the 19th and 20 Century are represented in this work and this leads to some comparisons. The renowned authors of the 19th century, among them Sir Arthur, Dame Agatha, Poe, Sayer, Dickens and Victor write with a concentration on description of Victorian morals, details concerning landscape, clothing and character with a secondary interest in crime.
The twentieth century writers the likes of Cain, Chandler, O’Flaherty, Caldwell and others narrate in a hard-boiled manner. They use booze, violence and misogamy as hooks to reel in readers. These devices help facilitate the sheer volume of stories they produce. Chuck Hogan’s quote in his review of Paul Cain’s “Gangsters gone Mad” sums up this change in style quite well “It is in truth a ceaseless welter of bloodshed and frenzy, sustained bedlam of killing and fiendish” “Also: sadism, malaise, anarchy”.
These contrasting approaches to mystery fiction, aka, crime fiction are signs of their times and the cravings of readers for more and more titillating pleasure from an author. A saying that best explains this phenomenon and is forever accurate is “follow the money”!
A number of these crime fiction novels were so popular that they were made into movies. Some go back to the nineteen fifties and sixties; the gift of the internet allowed this reader to find these movies and enjoy the correlation with the author’s work, while at the same time enjoying the likes of Bogart, Mitchem, Cagney and others. Most movies fall short of the book with edits and omission and therefore lose some of the excellence that the author’s imagination created in the book.
December 7, 2020
Books to Die For is a non-fiction catalogue of short essays, all written by mystery and thriller authors, recommending a crime novel that they feel deserves celebrating. There are well over a hundred of these, arranged in chronological order starting at 1841 and ending at 2008.
I really enjoyed reading through these. As well as hearing about an author's favourite novel (or even one they feel is undeservedly overlooked), it also gives a fascinating insight into the authors themselves. There are some obvious choices, but there's also several obscure novels listed, which added to the interest and highlights the sheer complexity and breadth of the crime genre. It's also nice to spot the way certain titles or authors have influenced future generations of writers. As with any kind of book like this, I came away with a vastly depleted bank balance as every few pages I found myself scanning through my favourite booksellers and ordering titles that particularly stood out. The enthusiasm and insight given by the entries really comes across in the reading. Even if you're knowledgeable about the genre, you'll enjoy hearing the recommendations. This one comes highly recommended. The editors have done a great job in collecting together a wide scope of titles from a very diverse array of crime authors.
I really enjoyed reading through these. As well as hearing about an author's favourite novel (or even one they feel is undeservedly overlooked), it also gives a fascinating insight into the authors themselves. There are some obvious choices, but there's also several obscure novels listed, which added to the interest and highlights the sheer complexity and breadth of the crime genre. It's also nice to spot the way certain titles or authors have influenced future generations of writers. As with any kind of book like this, I came away with a vastly depleted bank balance as every few pages I found myself scanning through my favourite booksellers and ordering titles that particularly stood out. The enthusiasm and insight given by the entries really comes across in the reading. Even if you're knowledgeable about the genre, you'll enjoy hearing the recommendations. This one comes highly recommended. The editors have done a great job in collecting together a wide scope of titles from a very diverse array of crime authors.
November 25, 2025
A rich and compelling celebration of the mystery genre, Books to Die For brings together an extraordinary lineup of acclaimed writers who share the novels that shaped, inspired, and defined them as readers and storytellers. What makes this anthology stand out is not only the range of classic and modern works discussed but the deeply personal reflections that accompany each selection.
Through these essays, readers gain both a deeper understanding of the genre’s most influential titles and an intimate look at the creative minds behind them. It is a treasure for crime fiction fans, writers seeking inspiration, and anyone who loves exploring how books influence the people who write them.
A thoughtful, authoritative, and deeply enjoyable guide that belongs on the shelf of every mystery enthusiast.
Through these essays, readers gain both a deeper understanding of the genre’s most influential titles and an intimate look at the creative minds behind them. It is a treasure for crime fiction fans, writers seeking inspiration, and anyone who loves exploring how books influence the people who write them.
A thoughtful, authoritative, and deeply enjoyable guide that belongs on the shelf of every mystery enthusiast.
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