Absolute Favorite Mystery; What is it and Why?

[Chris]

I want to know what everyone's all time favorite mystery is. I personally have James Crumley's 'The Last Good Kiss'as my favorite. I have read it 3 times and it never gets old.


What is your favorite?

[Carol]

I really can not say I have a favorite mystery or mystery writer. I will have to think about this.

[Jan C]

My all time favorite writers are Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. I can read each of their books many times. I have read all of Dorothy Sayers at least three times. With Christie I sometimes wonder if I have read it before and can't tell until I get into it. Sometimes it is yes and other times no. But they are always enjoyable no matter how many times they have been read.

[Carol]

I really like Mary Roberts Rinehart. The Circular Staircase was really spooky at the time I read it. And the movie was spooky also.

[Kara]

The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, Ruth Rendell's A Judgement in Stone and Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion :)

[Dorie]

My favorite author would be Michael Connelly. If I had to pick one book, I think it would be 'Concrete Angel'.

[[deleted user]]

Shutter Island-Dennis Lehane

I like the Psyche aspects and how it keeps you on your toes thru the whole book trying to figure out what is going on.

[Janice]

I am really going to have to do a little soul searching about my favorite mystery . . . . . Ilove them all. I will think on it tho. Meanwhile I just finished "the Wrong Mother" by Sophis Hannah very good. I think I will take a rest and read something by Elin Hilderbrand always enjoy a lite read after a couple of intense mysteries.

[[deleted user]]

I agree Jan, Dorothy Sayers is it!! Murder Must Advertise is my favorite. So, so funny (a very good send up of the advertising world, based on the author's personal experiences in the field), but at the same time dark.

And I adore The Moonstone too. Have read it 2 or 3 times. Loads of fun. Here's why: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I've got lots more, but those are the two that come leaping to mind.

[Barbara]

A favorite of mine is Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie. Almost all Christie's books are terrific but I especially like this one because it was made into a fabulous film with Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, and Peter Ustinov.

[Mike]

Favorite author? Hmmh? Jeffery Deaver, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane? Well they were until I discovered an author who has jumped them all to the top of my list!

Brian Freeman

His Jonathan Stride series is great! Tough to say which one is my favorite but I will say Immoral because it started it all for me!

[Barbara]

Thanks Mike. I'm going to give Immoral a try.

[Nancy]

Ahhh the impossible question of any age - best mystery or best book - it makes my mind spin, but fun to be in the spin. :-]

[Nancy]

In reviewing my list of books (what a wonderful thing to do!) I have narrowed down my list to the following authors and two books: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Elizabeth George, Elizabeth Peters, Ellis Peters (a bit of a theme there) and The Name of the Rose and Rebecca.

[Luann]

What a tough question! I could never pick just one favorite mystery title. But my all-time favorite mystery author is Dick Francis!

[Michael]

I think my favorite author of all time would have to be the Queen of Mystery herself Chritie but I also like Connelly, Martini, Grisham and I'm now reading Margolin which I was just interduced to last month and have read about 4 of them they are good but they just don't have the complete plot twist I love but they entertain me so I'm planning on reading all of them

[Katie]

I have many favorite mystery writers. All those who have been mentioned so far are some of my favorites. However, I have three more that I try to never miss when they publish a new one of their books. They are Greg Iles, John Lescroart, and Lee Child.

[Barbara]

Some of my favorite "vintage" writers are Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey, Ngaio Marsh, Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, and of course the peerless Agatha Christie. Among more recent authors I'm on board with many others here: James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, John Lescroart, Martha Grimes, Anne Perry (sometimes), and many many more. There are lots of great writers and great books.

[Vicki]

Headhunter by Michael Slade. Twists and turns, great plot, wonderful characters, and an ending that will blow you out of the water. IT is in the Horror section of the bookstore, and I can never figure out why, although there are some very gruesome scenes, but it is truly a great mystery.

[Melani D]

Mercy, by David Lindsey is probably my all time favorite mystery. I was totally engaged in the story and didn't figure out whodunnit. It has some very explicit scenes in it, but it is an integral part of the story.

[[deleted user]]

I think I'm going to have to add Stieg Larsson to my list of new favorites. Such a shame that he's no longer around, but I have the next two books to look forward to.

[K.B.]

Ah, for once, I have an easy answer to a tough question: The Quincunx by Charles Palliser . It's about time to dust it off and reread it. At no point in this book do you ever know more than our young hero does. In my opinion, Charles Palliser Charles Palliserisn't well-enough known. His works are brilliant.

[Kate]

K.B. wrote: "Ah, for once, I have an easy answer to a tough question: The Quincunx by Charles Palliser . It's about time to dust it off and reread it. At no point in this book do ..."

Thanks KB -- I'll be reading this in the next few months. Now I can look forward to it with anticipation!

[[deleted user]]

I've had this on TBR for a thousand years. *sigh* along with a million other things. One day...

[[deleted user]]

KB, I agree with you. Not many readers know about Charles Palliser. He has written other books besides The Quincunx, but it is the best of his work.

[K.B.]

Georgia, The Unburied was excellent as well. I haven't been able to get copies of his other books yet. Along similar lines are some of the works of Andrew Taylor. An Unpardonable Crime (U.S. title), aka The American Boy, was amazing as are the Roth books.

[Scout]

My favorite is Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke. Great characters, wonderful imagery and dialogue, organic plot, and a setting that becomes part of the story.

[Barbara]

Scout wrote: "My favorite is Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke. Great characters, wonderful imagery and dialogue, organic plot, and a setting that becomes part of the story."

I agree Scout. James Lee Burke is one of the best!

[Donna, Co-Moderator]

I just finished Black Cherry Blues: A Dave Robicheaux Novel which was the firswt James Lee Burke book I've read and I was very impressed. I will be reading more in the series.

[Scout]

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[JudiAnne]

I love all of Nelson Demille's books but I have to say that my all time mystery/thriller favorite is "By The Rivers of Babylon". It was one of the most exciting books I have ever read.

Because it was written in '79 and may be unfamiliar to some I'll give you a little blurp that I copied from Amazon:

Lod Airport, Israel: Two Concorde jets take off for a U.N. conference that finally will bring peace to the Middle East. The planes carry warriors, pacifists, lovers, enemies, dignitaries--and a terrorist bomb. Forced to crash land at an ancient desert site, the men and women of the peace mission make a desperate stand against an army of crack Palestinian commandos. (Spy Thriller)







emille

[Scout]

I've enjoyed most of Demille's books. Very fast reads, aren't they?

[JudiAnne]

Scout wrote: "I've enjoyed most of Demille's books. Very fast reads, aren't they?" I'm not sure I would call them fast reads but I usually read them fast so yes I guess they are fast reads Didn't think that through before I answered!!.

[Scout]

I can identify somewhat with the characters because they aren't excessively wealthy, even though they live in a rarefied atmosphere. The novels give us mortals a glimpse into the world where "the rich are different."

[VickiLee]

My favourite mystery was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd because it was the first time I was absolutely gob-smacked by the ending. I was a teenager and confident that I knew the way mysteries were solved. I had a lot to learn.

[Feliks]

I too, am a vociferous and boisterous fan of TLGK. Crumley did something special there. But, it's a detective tale rather than a mystery.

Best mystery? 'The Moonstone', easily. Its the archetype from which most of the genre sprang.

But then there's 'The Maltese Falcon'--really, the question has to be broken out into categories. Pre-War, Post-War. American, English, all-time..

[David]

My favorite mysteries have to be Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe novels.

My top two writers have to be Robert B. Parker and Ed McBain with Michael Connelly and Stephen J. Cannell close on their heels.

Then there's another 30 or so (most of them mentioned here already) I read as soon as they come out.

And I just stumbled on 3 new authors I think are great: Christine Kling, Tom Lowe, and Toby Neal.

[Diana]

Hard choice. So many come to mind and probably more will after I write this. Off the top of my head, Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers. Although to fully enjoy them you may have to read some of her others first. At least the ones with both Lord Peter and Harriet.

[Olivia]

I love the majority of Agatha Christie, Donna Leon and Daniel Silva.

I also loved the Sherlock Holmes stories.

However, the particular book that comes to mind when aksed this question is The English Assassin. It is just soooo good and I love the Assassin! The only man who can out-do the amazing Gabriel Allon.

[Lisa]

I'm a pretty huge fan of Denise Mina and Val McDermid. I like nasty, gritty mysteries. The ones that make it hard to sleep at night. The last book that gave me this feeling was Garnethill - my husband was away for the weekend, and this book left me completely wired.

[Sandi]

Favorite? Implies one. Tough. A new one for everybody, Carol O'Connell, author of the Mallory series. I didn't know she was my favorite until I browsed my bookshelves and realized she's written eleven and I'm anxious for number twelve.

I have books by ... No, just one!

[Laura]

My current favourites are Harry Hole and Fin Macleod

[Robert]

Chris wrote: "I personally have James Crumley's 'The Last Good Kiss'as my favorite. I have read it 3 times and it never gets old.

Just finished this. It absolutely rocked.

What a tough question! And The Moonstonewould be close. But off the top of my head, The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler.

[Florence]

Our favourite is certainly Dan Brown's Inferno.
It is set in a fantastic city and is full of coup de théâtre!

[Ingrid]