The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

     ~The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge~

               

List inspired by the blogspot Murder by 4. We’ve added several of our own and used a few GoodReads’ definitions.

Rules: Pick a level, and read books that fall under these twenty-five (25) Mystery sub-genres listed below.

There is sure to be some overlap; you may use different books from the same series in more than one category. For example, The Gaslight Mystery Series featuring Sarah Brandt, the widowed midwife, and Frank Malloy, the widower police detective, would fall under both “Double Act” and “Historical Mystery.” So, if you’re enjoying the series, you could use #1-Murder on Astor Place for “Double Act” and #2-Murder on St. Mark's Place for “Historical Mystery.”

Remember to check out GR’s listopia (see “how to” screen under spoiler). (view spoiler)[

(hide spoiler)]

Duration: You set the pace.

Levels:

Grifter - 5 books
Gumshoe- 6-10 books
Hard-boiled P.I. - 11-20 books
Crime Scene Investigator - 21-30 books (do more than one of your favs)
Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!

                                                                                 (Yes, 50 books in all for LHD!)


Note:
In 2013 we started this challenge, and we've now decided to start a new thread for the challenge to freshen it up a bit! You can find the old thread here

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

SUB-GENRES OF MYSTERY


Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries.

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series.

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc.

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael.

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline. Example: Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Examples: Great classic authors for this sub-genre are Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, listopia has more at Best Noir and Best Noir of the 21st Century, to name just two.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. Examples: Check out listopia’s Best Romantic Suspense and Romantic Suspense Full of Action.

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them. Examples: Dexter Series; Artemis Fowl Series; Dortmunder Series; Gentleman Bastard Series.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics. Examples: GhostWalkers Series; Psy-Changeling Series; Charley Davidson Series; The Dresden Files Series.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci. Examples: 87th Precinct Series; Harry Bosch Series; Arkady Renko Series.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.)

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler)[Science fiction differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation). Exploring the consequences of such differences is the traditional purpose of science fiction, making it a "literature of ideas". Science fiction is largely based on writing entertainingly and rationally about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality. (hide spoiler)]   Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series.

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler)[ Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. (hide spoiler)]   In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series.

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Reading Challenges ~ Emerald Coin

Earn your Emerald Coins with Reading Challenges joined on or after April 1, 2016.

To Earn an Emerald Coin:
One Coin upon reaching Crime Scene Investigator Level


Learn about Gem coins here

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Participants:
Agnieszka
Alabama
Amber
Ashley M

Brooke

Carmen
Chris

Jenny

Lara
Linda C

Plethora

Sallie(GeorgiaGirl)
Seraphina

❀Tea❀
Teri-K; Round 2
The other Sandy
Twist

Viji

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

res

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

res

[Plethora]

Sleuthing About - Part I
July 1, 2017 - open

Completed: 0/25
All in: 0/50

Part I & II Completed: 0/114

Amateur Sleuth
Aristocratic Detective
Caper
Cozy Mystery
Culinary Mystery
Double Act
FBI/CIA/ATF
Forensic Specialist
Futuristic
Historical Mystery
Legal
Medical
Missing Person Mystery
Noir
Romantic Suspense
Rooting for the Bad Guy
Paranormal Mystery
Police Procedural
Private Eye
Professional Sleuth
Proprietor Mysteries
Sci-Fi
Scotland Yard
Thriller
Technothriller

[Chris]

I'm in for Crime Scene Investigator


✔Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.)
8/5

✔Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries.
7/31

✔Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series.
8/18


✔Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc.
by Charles Todd (on list) 8/6

✔Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste.
8/22


✔Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence.
7/1 - Sarah Dekker and Frank Malloy work together.

✔<FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor.
9/21

✔Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series.
9/8 (view spoiler)[The forensic guy was the killer - nice twist (hide spoiler)]

✔Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series.
9/18
✔Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael.
8/19

✔Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel.
9/24

✔Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series
7/29 Cat is doctor along with the antogonist

✔Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series.
7/6 Elvis Cole #7

✔Professional Sleuth:The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.)
9/3

✔Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries.
9/11

✔Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler)   Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City.
/

✔Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series.
9/10

✔Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler)   In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series.
9/3

✔Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere. 9/5 MC sets up murders on darknet

[Shannon]

This one is open ended. You set the pace. ;)

[Teri-K]

I'll play.
The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I

Level: Hard-boiled P.I. - 11-20 books
Completed: 20/11

Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal.
Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass 7/8

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age.
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers 8/2

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.
The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake 1/14

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning.
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything: A Mystery by Nancy Martin 7/20

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery.
Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood 7/13

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end.
Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood 7/5

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman 4/8

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another.
Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb 9/11

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery.
They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer 7/14

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented.
Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry 4/26

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline.
Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King 6/17

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs 8/28

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe.
The Murderer is a Fox by Ellery Queen 9/17

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment.
The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters 7/22

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf.
A Wee Murder in My Shop by Fran Stewart 9/13

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all.
Secret Agent, Secret Father by Donna Young 9/8

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them.
The Burglar in the Rye by Lawrence Block 1/29

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology.
Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb 2/5

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves.
The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer 2/7

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.”
Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman 7/8

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.

[Lara]

I'm in as well, but I'm not sure yet at what level.

Start: July 1, 2017
Read: 13/25

Amateur Sleuth
Aristocratic Detective
Caper The Palace Job 7/11
Cozy Mystery
Culinary Mystery Uncorking a Lie 8/13
Double Act The King's Hounds 9/9
FBI/CIA/ATF Glass Predator 7/3
Forensic Specialist
Futuristic The Hot Zone 8/31
Historical Mystery Otherwise Engaged 7/26
Legal
Medical
Missing Person Mystery Crooked Kingdom 9/3
Noir
Paranormal Mystery
Police Procedural August Heat 8/29
Private Eye Wildfire 7/27
Professional Sleuth Double Shot 7/2
Proprietor Mysteries
Romantic Suspense Rock Chick Rescue 7/5
Rooting for the Bad Guy The Prophecy Con 8/24
Sci-Fi The Disappeared 7/4
Scotland Yard
Thriller
Technothriller

[Viji]

The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I

Level: As I progress in the challenge, I will post this
Completed:

Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal.
(Murder She Wrote)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age.
(Roderick Alleyn)

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.
(Craig Rice)

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning.
(Bookmobile)

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery.
(Heyer)

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all.
(Mary Stewart)

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them.
(Thief Who...)

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment.

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves.
(Roderick Alleyn or Heyer)

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.”

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.
(Red October)

[Jammin Jenny]

Sleuthing About - Part I
July 1, 2017 - open
Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!

Progress: 26/50
(view spoiler)[
Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal.
(Murder She Wrote)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age.
(Roderick Alleyn)

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.
(Craig Rice)

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning.
(Bookmobile)

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery.
(Heyer)

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all.
(Mary Stewart)

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them.
(Thief Who...)

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment.

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves.
(Roderick Alleyn or Heyer)

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.”

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.
(Red October)
(hide spoiler)]

Amateur Sleuth:
* Dick Francis's Gamble read 7/31
*Death at a Diner read 7/6
Aristocratic Detective:
*Strong Poison read 9/6
*Whose Body? read 9/20
Caper:
*
*
Cozy Mystery:
* The Mystery of the Blue Train read 7/5 (Hercule Poirot)
*Ink, Red, Dead read 8/19
Culinary Mystery:
*Blackberry Pie Murder read 7/22
*Killer Cannoli read 8/11, 4 stars
Double Act:
*Pups, Pilots and Peril read 9/23, 3 stars
*
FBI/CIA/ATF:
*
*
Forensic Specialist:
*Fatal Voyage Tempe Brennan #4, read 8/12
*
Futuristic:
*
*
Historical Mystery:
*Damsel in Distress read 7/20
*
Legal:
*
*
Medical:
*Port Mortuary read 9/28
*
Missing Person Mystery:
*The Widow read 7/28
*
Noir:
*The Maltese Falcon read 8/6
*
Romantic Suspense:
*
*
Rooting for the Bad Guy:
*
*
Paranormal Mystery:
*Wisteria Witches read 8/20, 4 stars
*Windwood Farm read 9/29, 4 stars
Police Procedural:
*Death of a Prankster read 8/2
*Death of a Maid read 8/25
Private Eye:
*X read 8/14, 3 stars
*Diva Las Vegas read 10/24, 3 stars
Professional Sleuth:
*Butchers Hill Tess Monaghan read 12/6, 4 stars
*
Proprietor Mysteries:
*Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder read 10/26, 4 stars
*Blueberry Muffin Murder read 12/11, 4 stars
Sci-Fi:
*The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde read 8/8
*
Scotland Yard:
*
*
Thriller:
* You read 7/2
*Casino Royale read 7/28
Technothriller:
*
*

[Linda C]

Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!
July 1, 2017 - Oct 31, 2020

Progress: 26/26 First half of categories

Amateur Sleuth
✔ Pecos Valley Diamond (Pecos Valley, #1) – Alice Duncan (3 stars) 8/10/17
✔ Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell (Agatha Raisin, #11) – M. C. Beaton (3 stars) 11/30/17
Aristocratic Detective
✔ His at Night (London Trilogy, #3) – Sherry Thomas (4 stars) 7/29/17
✔ Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey, #1) – Deanna Raybourn (5 stars) 11/23/18
Caper
✔ Manners & Mutiny (Finishing School, #4) – Gail Carriger (4 stars) 9/23/18
✔ Case of the Strawberry Cream Stabbing (Cookie Club Mystery, #1) – Jessica Lansberry (2 stars) 1/19/19
Cozy Mystery
✔ Aunt Dimity: Detective (Aunt Dimity Mysteries, #7) – Nancy Atherton (3 stars) 11/4/17
✔ Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday (Aunt Dimity Mystery, #8) – Nancy Atherton (3 stars) 11/6/17
Culinary Mystery
✔ Murder and Marinara (An Italian Kitchen mystery, #1) – Rosie Genova (3 stars) 10/27/17
✔ Some Enchanted Éclair (A Magical Bakery Mystery, #4) – Bailey Cates (3 stars) 10/30/17
Double Act
✔ Breakwater (Cold Ridge/U.S. Marshalls, #5) – Carla Neggers (4 stars) 7/14/17
✔ Abandon (Cold Ridge/U.S. Marshalls, #6) – Carla Neggers (3 stars) 7/23/17
FBI/CIA/ATF
✔ Scene of the Crime: Means and Motive (Scene of the Crime, #13) – Carla Cassidy 9/30/17
✔ Colorado Crime Scene (The Men of Search Team Seven, #1) – Cindi Myers (3 stars) 10/28/17
Forensic Specialist
✔Poison Pen (A Forensic Handwriting Mystery, #1) – Sheila Lowe (4 stars) 6/8/20
✔ Written in Blood (A Forensic Handwriting Mystery, #2) – Sheila Lowe (4 stars) 8/2/20
Futuristic
✔ Prime Obsession (The Prime Chronicles, #1) – Monette Michaels (4 stars) 9/30/17
✔ Hidden (Northern Waste, #2) – Eve Kenin (4 stars) 12/15/17
Historical Mystery
✔ A Front Page Affair (A Kitty Weeks mystery, #1) – Radha Vatsal (4 stars) 9/9/17
✔ Alice's Tulips – Sandra Dallas (4 stars) 5/6/18
Legal
✔ Death Turns a Trick (Rebecca Schwartz, #1) – Julie Smith (2 stars) 3/15/20
✔ The Sourdough Wars (Rebecca Schwartz, #2) – Julie Smith (3 stars) 3/18/20
Medical
✔ The Anatomy of Death (Dr. Dody McClelland, #1) – Felicity Young (5 stars) 5/12/20
✔ Antidote to Murder (Dr. Dody McClelland, #2) – Felicity Young (4 stars) 10/31/20
Missing Person Mystery
✔ Repair to Her Grave (A Home Repair is Homicide mystery, #4) – Sarah Graves (4 stars) 8/19/17
✔ Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple (3 stars) 10/17/17

[Linda C]

Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!
July 1, 2017 - Oct 31, 2020

Progress: 24/24 Second half of categories

Noir
✔ Watchmen – Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons (3 stars) 3/28/18
✔ Crossfire: The Scales of Justice – John Hegenberger (3 stars) 6/15/18
Romantic Suspense
✔ Death Echo (St. Kilda Consulting, #5) – Elizabeth Lowell (4 stars) 7/12/17
✔ Flood Zone (Stormswept, #3) – Dana Mentink (2 stars) 12/11/17
Rooting for the Bad Guy
✔ Caressed by Ice (Psy-Changeling, #3) – Nalini Singh (4 stars) 9/15/17
✔ Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend (Hex, #5) – Linda Wisdom (4 stars) 9/26/17
Paranormal Mystery
✔ White Hot (Hidden Legacy, #2) – Ilona Andrews (5 stars) 7/21/17
✔ Through the Veil (Veil, #1) – Shiloh Walker (4 stars) 12/7/17
Proprietor Mysteries
✔ Mission to Murder (Tourist Trap mystery, #2) – Lynn Cahoon (3 stars) 8/8/17 coffee shop
✔ Tea Cups and Carnage (A Tourist Trap Mystery, #7) – Lynn Cahoon (3 stars) 8/17/17
Sci-Fi
✔ DarkShip Thieves (Darkship, #1) – Sarah A. Hoyt ( 4 stars) 8/27/17
✔ The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) – James Dashner (2 stars) 10/5/17 2009 [375]
Police Procedural
✔ The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1) – Meljean Brook (4 stars) 4/6/19
✔ Yellowthread Street – William Marshall (3 stars) 6/6/19
Private Eye
✔ The Private Eye – Jayne Ann Krentz (4 stars) 10/16/17
✔ Wildfire (Hidden Legacy, #3) – Ilona Andrews (5 stars) 12/10/17
Professional Sleuth
✔Murder, She Reported (Murder, She Reported, #1) – Peg Cochran (4 stars) 2/5/19
✔ The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, #15) – Alexander McCall Smith (4 stars) 6/23/20 [256]
Scotland Yard
✔ Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (Scoundrels of St. James, #4) – Lorraine Heath
✔ The Man in the Queue (Inspector Alan Grant, #1) – Josephine Tey (3 stars) 6/27/20
Thriller
✔ The Last Enemy (Lonesome Lawmen, #1) - Pauline Baird Jones (5 stars) 1/14/18
✔ Byte Me (Lonesome Lawmen, #2) – Pauline Baird Jones (5 stars) 2/5/18
Technothriller
✔The Darkest Hour (KGI, #1) – Maya Banks (4 stars) 9/18/18
✔ Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries, #2) – Martha Wells (4 stars) 8/28/19

[Brooke]

Sleuthing About - Part I
July 1, 2017 - open

Completed: 0/25
All in: 0/50

Part I & II Completed: 0/114

Amateur Sleuth
Aristocratic Detective
Caper
Cozy Mystery
Culinary Mystery
Double Act
FBI/CIA/ATF
Forensic Specialist
Futuristic
Historical Mystery
Legal
Medical
Missing Person Mystery
Noir
Romantic Suspense
Rooting for the Bad Guy
Paranormal Mystery
Police Procedural
Private Eye
Professional Sleuth
Proprietor Mysteries
Sci-Fi
Scotland Yard
Thriller
Technothriller

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎]

In for it all :-)

Sleuthing About - Part I
July 1, 2017 - open

Completed: 0/25
All in: 0/50

Part I & II Completed: 0/114

Amateur Sleuth
Aristocratic Detective
Caper
Cozy Mystery
Culinary Mystery
Double Act
FBI/CIA/ATF
Forensic Specialist
Futuristic
Historical Mystery
Legal
Medical
Missing Person Mystery
Noir
Romantic Suspense
Rooting for the Bad Guy
Paranormal Mystery
Police Procedural
Private Eye
Professional Sleuth
Proprietor Mysteries
Sci-Fi
Scotland Yard
Thriller
Technothriller

[Teri-K]

I hit my target of 11, but I think I can do more so I'll keep going for a while.

The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I

Level: Hard-boiled P.I. - 11-20 books
Completed: 11/11

Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal.
Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass 7/8

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age.
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers 8/2

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.
(Craig Rice)

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning.
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything: A Mystery by Nancy Martin 7/20

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery.
Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood 7/13

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end.
Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood 7/5

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another.
Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb 9/11

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery.
They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer 7/14

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all.
Secret Agent, Secret Father by Donna Young 9/8

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them.
(Thief Who...)

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs 8/28

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment.
The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters 7/22

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves.
(Roderick Alleyn or Heyer)

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.”
Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman 7/8

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.
(Red October)

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge everybody!

I've linked all of your challenge posts at the top of the thread.

Have fun!

[Ashley M]

The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I
Open
Level: Crime Scene Investigator - 21-30 books (do more than one of your favs)
Progress: 0/21

SUB-GENRES OF MYSTERY


Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries.

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series.

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc.

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael.

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline. Example: Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Examples: Great classic authors for this sub-genre are Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, listopia has more at Best Noir and Best Noir of the 21st Century, to name just two.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. Examples: Check out listopia’s Best Romantic Suspense and Romantic Suspense Full of Action.

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them. Examples: Dexter Series; Artemis Fowl Series; Dortmunder Series; Gentleman Bastard Series.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics. Examples: GhostWalkers Series; Psy-Changeling Series; Charley Davidson Series; The Dresden Files Series.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci. Examples: 87th Precinct Series; Harry Bosch Series; Arkady Renko Series.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.)

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler) Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series.

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler) In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series.

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome Ashley M!

[Sallie(GeorgiaGirl)]

SUB-GENRES OF MYSTERY


Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries.

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series.

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc.

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael.

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series.

[Sallie(GeorgiaGirl)]

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline. Example: Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Examples: Great classic authors for this sub-genre are Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, listopia has more at Best Noir and Best Noir of the 21st Century, to name just two.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. Examples: Check out listopia’s Best Romantic Suspense and Romantic Suspense Full of Action.

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them. Examples: Dexter Series; Artemis Fowl Series; Dortmunder Series; Gentleman Bastard Series.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics. Examples: GhostWalkers Series; Psy-Changeling Series; Charley Davidson Series; The Dresden Files Series.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci. Examples: 87th Precinct Series; Harry Bosch Series; Arkady Renko Series.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.)

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler)   Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series.

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler)   In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series.

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome to the challenge Sallie (GeorgiaGirl) ! I've linked your challenge at the top of the thread.

[Agnieszka]

I'm in I love my Mystries & Suspense :-)

The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge Part I
Start Date: 1/1/18
Level: SHERLOCK
Completed Part I: 0/50+
Complted Part I+II: 0/100+

Amateur Sleuth
Aristocratic Detective
Caper
Cozy Mystery
Culinary Mystery
Double Act
FBI/CIA/ATF
Forensic Specialist
Futuristic
Historical Mystery
Legal
Medical
Missing Person Mystery
Noir
Romantic Suspense
Rooting for the Bad Guy
Paranormal Mystery
Police Procedural
Private Eye
Professional Sleuth
Proprietor Mysteries
Sci-Fi
Scotland Yard
Thriller
Technothriller

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome Agnieszka! All linked up at the top of the thread

[Teri-K]

Finished! I got more than I expected to.

I'll play.
The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I

Level: Hard-boiled P.I. - 11-20 books
Completed: 20/11

Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal.
Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass 7/8

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age.
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers 8/2

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.
The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake 1/14

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning.
Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything: A Mystery by Nancy Martin 7/20

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery.
Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood 7/13

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end.
Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood 7/5

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman 4/8

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another.
Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb 9/11

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery.
They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer 7/14

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented.
Twenty-One Days by Anne Perry 4/26

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline.
Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King 6/17

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs 8/28

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe.
The Murderer is a Fox by Ellery Queen 9/17

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment.
The Falcon at the Portal by Elizabeth Peters 7/22

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf.
A Wee Murder in My Shop by Fran Stewart 9/13

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all.
Secret Agent, Secret Father by Donna Young 9/8

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them.
The Burglar in the Rye by Lawrence Block 1/29

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology.
Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb 2/5

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves.
The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer 2/7

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.”
Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish by Dorothy Gilman 7/8

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.

[Amber]

Mysteries are right up my alley. This should be fun

Lead Homicide Detective
Start 7/4/18

15/50 (through 09.07.18)

Amateur Sleuth: (view spoiler)[The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.) (hide spoiler)]
Knit One, Kill Two 07.15.18
Asking for Truffle 09.12.18

Aristocratic Detective: (view spoiler)[The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries. (hide spoiler)]

Caper: (view spoiler)[A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series. (hide spoiler)]

Cozy Mystery: (view spoiler)[ A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc (hide spoiler)]
Murder on the Rocks 08.20.18
Lethal Letters 08.24.18

Culinary Mystery: (view spoiler)[Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste. (hide spoiler)]
Bite the Biscuit 07.16.18
Key Lime Pie Murder 09.06.18


Double Act: (view spoiler)[It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence. (hide spoiler)]
If I'm Found 09.07.18

FBI/CIA/ATF: (view spoiler)[Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor. (hide spoiler)]

Forensic Specialist: (view spoiler)[A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series. (hide spoiler)]

Futuristic: (view spoiler)[Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series. (hide spoiler)]

Historical Mystery: (view spoiler)[Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael. (hide spoiler)]
The Beekeeper's Apprentice 07.21.18

Legal: (view spoiler)[Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel. (hide spoiler)]

Medical: (view spoiler)[Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series. (hide spoiler)]

Missing Person Mystery: (view spoiler)[Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline. Example: Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress. (hide spoiler)]

Noir: (view spoiler)[While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Examples: Great classic authors for this sub-genre are Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, listopia has more at Best Noir and Best Noir of the 21st Century, to name just two. (hide spoiler)]
And Then There Were None09.17.18

Romantic Suspense: (view spoiler)[ Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. Examples: Check out listopia’s Best Romantic Suspense and Romantic Suspense Full of Action. (hide spoiler)]
The Weekenders 09.28.18

Rooting for the Bad Guy: (view spoiler)[Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them. Examples: Dexter Series; Artemis Fowl Series; Dortmunder Series; Gentleman Bastard Series. (hide spoiler)]

Paranormal Mystery: (view spoiler)[ Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics. Examples: GhostWalkers Series; Psy-Changeling Series; Charley Davidson Series; The Dresden Files Series. (hide spoiler)]
Pecan Pies and Homicides 09.20.18

Police Procedural: (view spoiler)[The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci. Examples: 87th Precinct Series; Harry Bosch Series; Arkady Renko Series. (hide spoiler)]
Dead Angler 07.31.18

Private Eye: (view spoiler)[The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series. (hide spoiler)]

Professional Sleuth: (view spoiler)[The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.) (hide spoiler)]

Proprietor Mysteries: (view spoiler)[Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries. (hide spoiler)]
Murder by Mocha 07.27.18
Carrot Cake Murder10.03.18

Sci-Fi: (view spoiler)[While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler) Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City. (hide spoiler)]

Scotland Yard: (view spoiler)[The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series. (hide spoiler)]

Thriller: (view spoiler)[Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler) In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series. (hide spoiler)]
If I Run 08.17.18

Technothriller: (view spoiler)[Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere. (hide spoiler)]

[Alabama]

I'm In
Level: Crime Scene Investigator - 25 books
Completed 25
Challenge complete

Amateur Sleuth The Lies They Tell
Aristocratic Detective Shroud for a Nightingale
Caper Artemis
Cozy Mystery A Trick of the Light
Culinary Mystery Yule Log Murder
Double Act The Word Is Murder
FBI/CIA/ATF The Killing Hour
Forensic Specialist The Crossing Places
Futuristic Golden State
Historical Mystery Scarlet Widow
Legal The Ex
Medical Rubbernecker
Missing Person Mystery The Quality of Silence
Noir And Then There Were None
Romantic Suspense The Other Daughter
Rooting for the Bad Guy Rebecca
Paranormal Mystery Needful Things
Police Procedural In the Cold Dark Ground
Private Eye The Wrath of Angels
Professional Sleuth Country Of The Blind
Proprietor Mysteries Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
Sci-Fi Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Scotland Yard A Study in Emerald
Thriller Pieces of Her
Technothriller The Psychology of Time Travel

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Congratulations Teri!

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome Amber & Alabama!

Your challenge posts are HERE

[[deleted user]]

Sleuthing About - Part I
October 15, 2018 - open
Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!

Progress 13/50
(view spoiler)[SUB-GENRES OF MYSTERY

Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries.

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series.

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc.

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael.

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series.

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline. Example: Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Examples: Great classic authors for this sub-genre are Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, listopia has more at Best Noir and Best Noir of the 21st Century, to name just two.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. Examples: Check out listopia’s Best Romantic Suspense and Romantic Suspense Full of Action.

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them. Examples: Dexter Series; Artemis Fowl Series; Dortmunder Series; Gentleman Bastard Series.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics. Examples: GhostWalkers Series; Psy-Changeling Series; Charley Davidson Series; The Dresden Files Series.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci. Examples: 87th Precinct Series; Harry Bosch Series; Arkady Renko Series.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.)

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler) Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series.

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler) In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series.

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere.
(hide spoiler)]

Amateur Sleuth:
*At Rope's End - Edward Kay - 04/11/2018
* A Shot in the Bark: A Dog Park Mystery - C.A. Newsome - 13/11/2018
Aristocratic Detective:
*A Case of Possession - K.J. Charles - 01/02/2019
*
Caper:
*
*
Cozy Mystery:
*
*
Culinary Mystery:
*
*
Double Act:
*Fish & Chips - Abigail Roux - 09/11/2018
*Whiskey Beach - Nora Roberts - 11/01/2019
FBI/CIA/ATF:
*Sticks & Stones - Abigail Roux - 05/11/2018
*Cut & Run - Abigail Roux - 08/11/2018
Forensic Specialist:
*
*
Futuristic:
*Seduction in Death - J.D. Robb 20/10/2018
*Reunion in Death - J.D. Robb 23/10/2018
Historical Mystery:
*The Mystery of the Blue Train - Agatha Christie 25/03/2019
*

[[deleted user]]

Sleuthing About - Part I
October 15, 2018 - open
Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!

Progress 14/50

Legal:
*
*
Medical:
*
*
Missing Person Mystery:
*New York to Dallas - J.D. Robb 26/01/2019
*Devoted in Death - J.D. Robb 14/03/2019
Noir:
*
*
Romantic Suspense:
*The Witness - Nora Roberts 21/10/2018
* Imitation in Death - J.D. Robb - 15/11/2018
Rooting for the Bad Guy:
*And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 03/04/2019
*
Paranormal Mystery:
*Witch Way to Murder - Shirley Damsgaard 27/01/2019
*Tempting Danger - Eileen Wilks 18/02/2019
Police Procedural:
*Portrait in Death - J.D. Robb 03/11/2018
*Kindred in Death - J.D. Robb 08/01/2019
Private Eye:
*First Grave on the Right - Darynda Jones 12/03/2019
*Second Grave on the Left - Darynda Jones 13/03/2019
Professional Sleuth:
*Third Grave Dead Ahead - Darynda Jones 19/03/2019
*Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet - Darynda Jones 19/03/2019
Proprietor Mysteries:
*Dead Eye - Alyssa Day 28/03/2019
*
Sci-Fi:
*Fantasy in Death - J.D. Robb 13/01/2019
*Indulgence in Death - J.D. Robb
Scotland Yard:
*Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie 08/03/2019
*
Thriller:
*Carnal Innocence - Nora Roberts 21/01/2019
*Kill the Messenger - Tami Hoag 07/02/2019
Technothriller:
*
*

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome Seraphina!

[The other Sandy]

The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - Pt. I
Duration: February 4, 2019 - whenever I finish
Level: Crime Scene Investigator
Read: 24/25

* No minimum page count

✔ Amateur Sleuth: Cited to Death by Meg Perry
✔ Aristocratic Detective: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
✔ Caper: The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes
✔ Cozy Mystery: His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
✔ Culinary Mystery: Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
✔ Double Act: The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman
✔ FBI/CIA/ATF: Single Malt by Layla Reyne
✔ Forensic Specialist: Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs
✔ Futuristic: Head On by John Scalzi
✔ Historical Mystery: Stormhaven by Jordan L. Hawk
Legal:
✔ Medical: Beneath the Wake by Ross Pennie
✔ Missing Person Mystery: Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
✔ Noir: Dying Light by Stuart MacBride
✔ Paranormal Mystery: Agent Bayne by Jordan Castillo Price
✔ Police Procedural: The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
✔ Private Eye: The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
✔ Professional Sleuth: Fair Game by Josh Lanyon
✔ Proprietor Mysteries: The Hell You Say by Josh Lanyon
✔ Romantic Suspense: Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville
✔ Rooting for the Bad Guy: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
✔ Sci-Fi: Lock In by John Scalzi
✔ Scotland Yard: A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh
✔ Technothriller: Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
✔ Thriller: The Death You Deserve by David Bowker

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome Sandy!

[The other Sandy]

Where would something like the Dave Brandstetter mysteries fit? Dave is an insurance investigator who investigates insurance claims made to the company he works for to see if they're legit or fraudulent. Was it an accident or murder? Did this person fake his own death for the insurance money? Did the policy's beneficiary murder the policy holder for the money? That sort of thing.

[Alabama]

Challenge completed, now off to do part 2 :)

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Congratulations Alabama!

[Tari]

Mystery, Mayhem and Murder Part 1
Starting: May 1, 2019 to finished August 13, 2019 with 77
Will be doing Part II concurrently and try for 100 between the two parts or Sherlock.

Amateur Sleuth
1. The Body in the Wetlands Judi Lynn 5/3/19
2. Them Bones Carolyn Haines 5/7/19
3. Virtually Scared To Death Gillian Larkin 5/16/19
4. Mossy Creek: A Maggie Mercer Mystery Book 1 Jill S. Behe 5/19/19
5. Staged to DeathKaren Rose Smith 5/22/19
6. Dead with the WindMiranda James5/26/19
7. Bikinis in Paradise Kathi Daley 6/3/19
8. The Scent of Murder Kylie Logan 6/5/19
9. Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody Barbara Ross 6/9/19
10. All-Butter ShortDead H.Y. Hanna 6/14/19
11. Seaside and Homicide Jenna St. James 7/7/19
12. Killer in the Carriage House Sheila Connolly 7/11/19
13. Silent Knife Shelley Freydont 7/27/19
14. First Degree Mudder Kate E. Dyer-Seeley 7/29/19
15. A Bias for Murder Sally Goldenbaum 8/13/19

Caper
1. Seeing Red Dana Dratch 6/13/19
2. A Highly Suspicious Death Laura Pauling 7/8/19

Cozy Mystery
1. Murder on the Ghost Walk Constance Barker 5/27/19
2. Botched 4 Murder J.C. Eaton 6/22/19
3. Kneading to Die Liz Mugavero 6/28/19
4. 52 Steps To Murder Steve Demaree 7/17/19
5. For Whom the Bread Rolls Sarah Fox 7/21/19
6. A Thread of Darkness Sally Goldenbaum 8/9/19
7. Death of a Kitchen Diva Lee Hollis 8/11/19

Culinary Mystery
1. The Diva Sweetens the Pie Krista Davis 5/2/19
2. Ice Cream Murder Jennifer Martin 5/15/19
3. Pies and Prejudice Ellery Adams 5/23/19
4. StrawBuried in Chocolate Lyndsey Cole 6/6/19
5. For a Good Paws Linda O. Johnston 6/9/19
6. Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies Darci Hannah 6/12/19
7. Death of a Wedding Cake Baker Lee Hollis 6/18/19
8. A Killer Latte Tonya Kappes 6/23/19
9. Strangled Eggs and Ham Maddie Day 6/27/19
10. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder Joanne Fluke 7/26/19
11.A Lime to Kill Summer Prescott 7/31/19
12. Penne Dreadful Catherine Bruns 8/1/19

Double Act
1. A Deadly Feast Lucy Burdette 5/21/19
2.A Catered Mother's DayIsis Crawford5/26/19 (the sleuths are sisters)
3. Trudy, Madly, Deeply Wendy Delaney 6/7/19
4. Game of Bones Carolyn Haines 6/11/19
5. Strictly Murder Lynda Wilcox 6/14/19
6. Cherry Scones & Broken Bones Darci Hannah 6/16/19
7. Killer Dress Nancy McGovern 6/17/19
8. The Big Kitty Claire Donally 6/30/19
9. Clause & Effect Kaitlyn Dunnett 7/3/19
10. New Beginnings & Murder: A Petite Savannah Mystery Lori Woods 7/4/19
11. Sweet Tea and Secrets Joy Avon 7/6/19
12. Silenced in the Surf Kate E. Dyer-Seeley 7/10/19
13. Christmas, Criminals, and Campers Tonya Kappes 7/11/19
14. The Secret of Seaside Agatha Ball 7/12/19
15. The Trouble with Talent Kathy Krevat 7/14/19
16. Independence Slay Shelley Freydont 7/28/19
17. Needled to Death Annelise Ryan 8/3/19
18. Death for Dessert: A Plainwood Lake Mystery Emmalee Laurens 8/4/19
19. Murder on the Rocks Allyson K. Abbott 8/8/19
20. 50% Off Murder Josie Belle 8/10/19

Paranormal Mystery
1. Utterly Dead: An Afterlife Adventures Novel Jordaina Sydney Robinson 5/4/19
2. If the Broom Fits Sara Bourgeois 5/4/19
3. A Haunted Murder J.A. Whiting 7/2/19
4. A Ghostly Gift Angie Fox 7/17/19

Proprietor Mysteries
1. Sifting Through Clues Daryl Wood Gerber 5/8/19
2. Prologue to Murder Lauren Elliott 5/11/19
3. Dire Threads Janet Bolin 5/20/19
4. Murder in the Paperback Parlor Ellery Adams 5/24/19
5. Sconed to Death Lynn Cahoon 5/29/19
6. Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches Karen Rose Smith 5/30/19
7. Changing of the Guard Dog Lane Stone 6/2/19
8. Spirited Away Lena Gregory 6/4/19
9. An Automated Murder Shelly West 6/7/19
10. Murder on the Rocks Karen MacInerney 6/24/19
11. A Blossom of Murder Summer Prescott 6/29/19
12. Cinnamon Roll Murder Joanne Fluke 7/5/19
13. A Crusty Murder J.M. Griffin 7/6/19
14. Staging is Murder Grace Topping 7/15/19
15. Peach Clobbered: A Georgia B&B Mystery Anna Gerard 7/23/19
16. Wed, Read & Dead V.M. Burns 8/5/19
17. The Time for Murder is Meow T.C. LoTempio 8/6/19

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Welcome Tari!

[Tari]

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Welcome Tari!"Thank you!

[Suzanne]

Nothing But Reading Challenges
The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I
Duration: 6/18/2019 - Til Done!

Progress: 0 out of 50
Levels:
Grifter - 5 books
Gumshoe- 6-10 books
Hard-boiled P.I. - 11-20 books
Crime Scene Investigator - 21-30 books (do more than one of your favs)
Lead Homicide Detective - Double the number for each category!
(Yes, 50 books in all for LHD!)

Rules: Pick a level, and read books that fall under these twenty-five (25) Mystery sub-genres listed below.

There is sure to be some overlap; you may use different books from the same series in more than one category. For example, The Gaslight Mystery Series featuring Sarah Brandt, the widowed midwife, and Frank Malloy, the widower police detective, would fall under both “Double Act” and “Historical Mystery.” So, if you’re enjoying the series, you could use #1-Murder on Astor Place for “Double Act” and #2-Murder on St. Mark's Place for “Historical Mystery.”

Remember to check out GR’s listopia (see “how to” screen under spoiler). (view spoiler)

Duration: You set the pace.

Note:
In 2013 we started this challenge, and we've now decided to start a new thread for the challenge to freshen it up a bit! You can find the old thread here

[Suzanne]

SUB-GENRES OF MYSTERY


Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal. Examples: Miss Marple Series; Murder, She Wrote Series (Jessica Fletcher). (Special Note: Contrast with “Professional Sleuth” below.)

Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age. Examples: Lady Emily Series; Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries; Sebastian St. Cyr Series; Inspector Lynley Series; Her Royal Spyness Mysteries.

Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh. Examples: The Spellmans Series; Stephanie Plum Series; Melodie Campbell’s The Goddaughter; Carl Hiaasen’s Tourist Season; Donald E. Westlake’s The Fugitive Pigeon and God Save the Mark: A Novel of Crime and Confusion as well as his Dortmunder Series.

Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning. Examples: A great indexed site is www.cozy-mystery.com which has books wonderfully arranged by theme, author, holidays, professions, hobbies, state, etc.

Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery. Examples: Check out listopia’s Mysteries in Good Taste.

Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end. Examples: Chet & Bernie Mysteries; Cut & Run Series; Elvis Cole Series (though his partner, Joe Pike, is not listed in the series’ title); Rosemary & Thyme Mysteries; Rizzoli & Isles Series; Lincoln Rhyme Series (though his partner, Amelia Sachs, is not listed in the series’ title); Tommy & Tuppence.

FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent. Examples: FBI Thriller Series; Quincy & Rainie Series; FBI/US Attorney Series; CIA Spies; Tony Wolf/Tim Buckthorn Series; James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor.

Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea. Examples: Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries; Kay Scarpetta Series; Temperance Brennan Series.

Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another. Examples: J.D.Robb’s In Death Series or Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Retrieval Artist Series.

Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery. Examples: Victor Legris Series; Amelia Peabody Series; Erast Fandorin Mystery Series; Chronicles of Brother Cadfael.

Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Kindle County Legal Thriller Series; some books by John Grisham; Kermit Roosevelt’s In the Shadow of the Law: A Novel.

Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented. Examples: Prescription for Trouble Series; Dr. Steven Dunbar Series; medical mysteries by Dr. Tess Gerritsen; Dr. Robin Cook’s Coma and his Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series.

[Suzanne]

Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline. Example: Walter Mosley’s Devil in a Blue Dress.

Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get. Examples: Great classic authors for this sub-genre are Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, listopia has more at Best Noir and Best Noir of the 21st Century, to name just two.

Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all. Examples: Check out listopia’s Best Romantic Suspense and Romantic Suspense Full of Action.

Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them. Examples: Dexter Series; Artemis Fowl Series; Dortmunder Series; Gentleman Bastard Series.

Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics. Examples: GhostWalkers Series; Psy-Changeling Series; Charley Davidson Series; The Dresden Files Series.

Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci. Examples: 87th Precinct Series; Harry Bosch Series; Arkady Renko Series.

Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe. Examples: Kinsey Millhone Series; Matthew Scudder Series; Spenser Series; Harry Stoner Mysteries; No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series; Jeri Howard Mysteries; V.I. Warshawski Series.

Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment. Example: English Garden Mysteries where the professional sleuth is botanist Lawrence Kingston. Or Harlan Coben’s former FBI agent turned sports agent in the Myron Bolitar Series. (Special Note: Contrast with “Amateur Sleuth” above.)

Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf. Examples: Amish Mysteries; Cheese Shop Mysteries; Bed & Breakfast Mysteries; Gray Whale Inn Mysteries; Manor House Mysteries; Bath & Body Mysteries; Tea Shop Mysteries; Coffeehouse Mysteries; Booktown Mysteries.

Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology, GoodReads explains: (view spoiler) Examples: Robot Series; Takeshi Kovacs Series; China Miéville’s The City and the City.

Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves. Examples: Adam Dalgliesh Series; Gideon Series; Roderick Alleyn Series; and Richard Jury Mysteries Series.

Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! More under spoiler: (view spoiler) In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.” Example: Jack Reacher Series.

Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Examples: Jurassic Park Series; Sigma Force Series; Jack Ryan Series; Patrick McLanahan Series; Jeffery Deaver’s The Blue Nowhere.

[Tari]

Update to msg. 41: Wow I guess I hit Lead Homicide Detective some time ago but didn't realize it--77 after counting today. I can officially call Part I finished now. Did I need to repost the whole thing? Now I can concentrate on Part II which I've been working on but most seemed to fit this one.

[LittleRedRidingHood]

The Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder Squad Reading Challenge - PART I

Duration: 1. February -
Level: Crime Scene Investigator - 21-30 books
Completed: 0/25

📌Amateur Sleuth: The amateur sleuth tries to solve the murder of someone close. Either the police have tried and failed, or misread the murder as an accident/suicide. Both the loss and need for a solution is personal.

📌Aristocratic Detective: The aristocratic detective novels are usually - but not exclusively - featuring a member of British gentry and set in Britain’s Golden Age.

📌Caper: A caper is a comic crime story. Instead of suave and calculating, the caper chronicles the efforts of the lovable bungler or protagonist who either thinks big or ridiculously small. Finally we get to laugh.

📌Cozy Mystery: A bloodless crime and a victim who won’t be missed. The solution can be determined using emotional (Miss Marple) or logical (Poirot) reasoning.

📌Culinary Mystery: Chef, baker, wine connoisseur; if it’s ingestible and includes recipes, it’s a culinary mystery.

📌Double Act: It takes two to solve this mystery. They may be working together at the beginning, or not. Nevertheless, these partners help each other out by the end.

📌FBI/CIA/ATF: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). While the FBI, CIA, and ATF appear in many mysteries, for this sub-genre category we want books where a main character is an employee of one of these government agencies, even if they are not a field agent.

📌Forensic Specialist: A medical examiner, forensic pathologist, forensic psychologist, forensic anthropologist, forensic entomologist…you get the idea.

📌Futuristic: Set in the future, whether in our world or another.

📌Historical Mystery: Move your mystery into the past, near or far, and you've entered the realm of the historical mystery.

📌Legal: Although popular, these tales are usually penned by actual lawyers due to the demands of the information presented.

📌Medical: Doctors make effective protagonists since they seem to exist on a plane far above the rest of us. As with the “Legal” sub-genre, these tales are usually penned by actual doctors due to the demands of the information presented.

📌Missing Person Mystery: Someone’s gone missing! However, you can find one of these in most all the other sub-genres. Finding the missing person should be the focus of the storyline.
☑ Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

📌Noir: While much PI is Noir, Noir also covers stories from the other side of the fence. Noir is a mood: gritty, bleak, and unforgiving. The usual brutality is about as far from Cozy as you can get.

📌Romantic Suspense: Add a hefty dose of romance to a suspense and produce a romantic suspense novel. Not only does justice prevail, but love conquers all.

📌Rooting for the Bad Guy: Not you average heroes, still you find you can’t help yourself in cheering for them.

📌Paranormal Mystery: Paranormal books involve unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation. Some popular subjects in paranormal books are supernatural creatures, ESP, clairvoyance, ghosts, UFOs, telepathy, and psychics.

📌Police Procedural: The police procedural emphasizes factual police operations. Law enforcement is a team effort where department politics often plays a large role. If you plan to write one of these, you need to spend time with police officers and research the tiny details which will make your story ring true. While the FBI, CIA, or other governmental agencies may make an appearance in these books and stir up the politics, they are not the main foci.

📌Private Eye: The PI is as much an American icon as the Western gunslinger. From the hardboiled PIs of the 30s and 40s to the politically correct investigators of today, this sub-genre is known for protagonists with a strong code of honor. They can be found all over the globe.

📌Professional Sleuth: The professional sleuth is an amateur sleuth in a professional setting, preferably a setting which is unique and intriguing. Not only is inside information used, but solving the crime returns order to a cloistered environment.

📌Proprietor Mysteries: Small business owners in mysteries are plentiful. Whether they run bookshops, bed & breakfast inns, coffeehouses, pie shoppes, or beauty shops, etc., they still like to solve a good mystery when it happens in or near their home turf.

📌Sci-Fi: While the Sci-Fi/Sci-Fy category is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology.

📌Scotland Yard: The epitome of the investigator needed to solve a mystery, Britian’s Chief Inspectors working for Scotland Yard are in a class by themselves.

📌Thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. This ride will be a bumpy one! In other words, don’t just think “spy,” as James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans falls into this sub-genre. To quote David Morrell, “As long as you have that breathlessness and sense of excitement, then they're in.”
☑ Pretty Girls - Karin Slaughter

📌Technothriller: Technothrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from science fiction, thrillers, spy, action, and war. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines (espionage, martial arts, politics) are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration.

[Renee]

I'm going to try this challenge. It's sounds interesting! Since this is an open ended challenge I'll do Lead Homicide Detective. I'm also going to be working on Part 2 also.

Lead Homicide Detective:
Duration: Jan. 01, 2020 - ??

Amateur Sleuth:

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 10/14/20




Aristocratic Detective:

Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George 10/26/20




Caper:

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich 10/31/20

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich 6/11/21



Cozy Mystery

Every Crooked Nanny by Mary Kay Andrews 10/7/20
Murder at the Mayfair Hotel by C.J. Archer 2/3/21



Culinary Mystery

Death of a Wicked Witch by Lee Hollis 9/30/20

A Killer Cupcake by Fiona Grace 5/31/21



Double Act:

Dust to Dust by Tami Hoag (Liska/Kovac) 2/14/20
The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner 9/25/20



FBI/CIA/ATF:

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain 11/21/20




Forsensic Specialist:

Futuristic:

Historical Mystery:

Murder at the Mayfair Hotel by C.J. Archer 2/3/21



Legal:

Under Cover Of Darkness by Janes Grippando 1/4/21



Medical:

Fatal Cure by Robin Cook 6/3/20



Missing Person Mystery:

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica 8/9/21
One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski 8/10/21



Noir:

The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason 2/11/21



Romantic Suspense:

Rooting For The Bad Guy:

Paranormal Mystery:

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones 10/28/20

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher 7/17/21



Police Procedural:

Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter 8/19/20
Mind Prey by John Sanford 10/7/20



Private Eye:

Professional Sleuth:

Proprietor Mysteries:

Sci-Fi:

Scotland Yard:


Thriller:

Technothriller:

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Tari wrote: "Update to msg. 41: Wow I guess I hit Lead Homicide Detective some time ago but didn't realize it--77 after counting today. I can officially call Part I finished now. Did I need to repost the whole ..."

Well done Tari! Congrats