'Classic' Detective Stories you have enjoyed.

[Mahlerei]

Speaking of boy 'tecs, I much enjoyed The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon. The books had intriguing titles, such as The Viking Symbol Mystery. I imagine they've long been supplanted by much better fiction for young teens.

[aeolium]

When young I remember liking Kästner's Emil and the Detectives, and in fact all his other (non-detective) children's stories, especially The Thirty-Fifth of May. He was a fine writer and poet, and a very brave man.

[marthe]

I see Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys mentioned as juvenile detective lit. These were mainstays of my childhood reading experience. My mother was aghast that I should be reading what she considered to be "pulp fiction" but I was entranced by the exploits, formulaic as they were, of these young detectives. Nancy Drew was particularly appealing because she was free to sleuth and drive around in a roadster with her chums Bess and George. A rather superfluous boyfriend always arrived on the scene after Nancy had extricated herself from danger.

My mother herself was a fan of detective stories. My introduction to adult detective literature came through a two-volume set published by Simon and Schuster ca. 1957 It was called The Treasury of Great Mystery Stories. Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (called Murder on the Calais Coach) was the first piece in volume 1. I particularly remember a story set in post-war England in which a school boy (about my age at that time) goes missing and is later found by a detective named Piers who falls in love with the boy's sister named Amaryillis. I can't remember either the author or the title but remember the setting and that there was a pub with an "American Bar." It was one of my first glimpses at life in England that came from adult, rather than juvenile, literature.

[antongould]

Ferret I always forget BBC7, now BBC 4 extra. I see this very night they are doing The Teahouse Detective The Dublin Mystery by Baroness Orczy, 1909 murder mystery

No,I missed Dick Barton.

Did you listen?

[Estelle]

If a Californian and a newcomer to these boards may venture to join the conversation, I would like to add an enthusiastic second to some of the fine mystery/detective writers I've seen mentioned in this thread and to add some of my own. As a girl I read through all the Nancy Drew mysteries, and they hooked me on the genre. After the Christies, the Simenons, the Chandlers, and the Sayers (ah, too few of those!) were all exhausted, I enjoyed some truly creepy and frightening hours reading through the novels of Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Minette Walters, and Frances Fyfield, then moved into the circle of those I consider true champions--PD James, Ruth Rendell, the Canadian Lorali Wright, the American Phyllis George, and, most recently, Ann Cleeves, with her intriguing Shetland mysteries, among others. I should explain why I believe that James, Rendell, etc. are, in my estimation, masters when compared with the other aforementioned fine novelists: they have a genius for creating a society of characters who are complex and believable, for weaving plots of great subtlety and intricacy, and for painting a vivid sense of place.

Among continental writers I have very much enjoyed the detective mysteries of Arnaldur Indridason and Henning Mankell. As another member mentioned, Stieg Larsson could have used a good editor, but his novels are unique. Such a loss! Your own Nicolas Freeling wrote fine detective novels set in Europe. If you have never read the Dutch detective fiction of Janwillem van de Wetering, you are in for a treat! His characters are absolutely charming, rather on the lines of those of Alexander McCall Smith, but more complex and quirky. You may have to visit the charity shops to find them.

If you are interested in highly atmospheric American mysteries, may I recommend the Navajo detective novels of Tony Hillerman, the gritty stories starring medical examiner Kate Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell, Michael Connelly's noir Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch, and Nevada Barr's series centering on a female National Park Ranger?

We each have our individual tastes within the field. Mine has always been centered on the psychology of crime.

Happy Reading, but make sure your doors and windows are secured first! (Now, to finish Cleeves's Raven Black!)
Mary

[Don Basilio]

Welcome Estelle.

I haven't read any Ruth Rendell writing as Ruth Rendell, but I have read three by her writing as Barbara Vine - The Dark Adapted Eye, A Fatal Inversion and The Chimney-sweepers Boy. Not whodunnits, but readable and intelligent.

There have been some here a bit sniffy about P D James. Thank you for putting the other side of it. I find her a bit worthy and getting lengthier and lengthier.

[salymap]

If a Californian and a newcomer to these boards may venture to join the conversation, I would like to add an enthusiastic second to some of the fine mystery/detective writers I've seen mentioned in this thread and to add some of my own. As a girl I read through all the Nancy Drew mysteries, and they hooked me on the genre. After the Christies, the Simenons, the Chandlers, and the Sayers (ah, too few of those!) were all exhausted, I enjoyed some truly creepy and frightening hours reading through the novels of Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Minette Walters, and Frances Fyfield, then moved into the circle of those I consider true champions--PD James, Ruth Rendell, the Canadian Lorali Wright, the American Phyllis George, and, most recently, Ann Cleeves, with her intriguing Shetland mysteries, among others. I should explain why I believe that James, Rendell, etc. are, in my estimation, masters when compared with the other aforementioned fine novelists: they have a genius for creating a society of characters who are complex and believable, for weaving plots of great subtlety and intricacy, and for painting a vivid sense of place.

Among continental writers I have very much enjoyed the detective mysteries of Arnaldur Indridason and Henning Mankell. As another member mentioned, Stieg Larsson could have used a good editor, but his novels are unique. Such a loss! Your own Nicolas Freeling wrote fine detective novels set in Europe. If you have never read the Dutch detective fiction of Janwillem van de Wetering, you are in for a treat! His characters are absolutely charming, rather on the lines of those of Alexander McCall Smith, but more complex and quirky. You may have to visit the charity shops to find them.

If you are interested in highly atmospheric American mysteries, may I recommend the Navajo detective novels of Tony Hillerman, the gritty stories starring medical examiner Kate Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell, Michael Connelly's noir Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch, and Nevada Barr's series centering on a female National Park Ranger?

We each have our individual tastes within the field. Mine has always been centered on the psychology of crime.

Happy Reading, but make sure your doors and windows are secured first! (Now, to finish Cleeves's Raven Black!)
Mary

Hello Estelle and welcome from me. What an interesting list .of authors. As soon as I can see to read properly I shall revisit my library. Have you read Margery Allingham? Dated now [she died in 1966], but she had a fine sense of place and some, slightly odd, but never to be forgotten characters.

[mercia]

I notice that H R F Keating's Inspector Ghote of the Bombay police hasn't had a mention. Does anyone recommend these? (I haven't read any of them)

[Flosshilde]

Estelle, welcome to the board - look forward to hearing more from you. I see that you're in California - perhaps you'd give us a view of the weather there on the 'Stormy weather' thread, or there must be some great gardens that you could contribute to the 'Virtual gardens' (You'll note that I don't say anything about music )

I'm with you in enjoying P.D. James - & her novels have the merit of lasting through several sittings! Most of the others I can read through in one (rather long, usually into the early hours) sitting.

I used to like Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta novels - not least because there aren't many women detectives - but found her more recent stuff just too gruesome for my tastes - almost getting into the horror/slasher movie territory, or trying to out-do Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the lambs'.

[salymap]

No Anton, of coure I didn't hear the Baroness Orczy murder mystery. I just add it to my ever growing list of
iPlayer??? things Ihave missed etc.

I listened tothe first part of Bach's Bminor Mass but the tinnitus drove me to bed. One day i will listen to something right through as I used to in better days. Rant over.

[amateur51]

Welcome Estelle, and thanks for yor list, containing several ones that are new to me!

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned Sue Grafton's excellent Kinsey Milhone series - A for Alibi, B for Burglar, etc? I really enjoy them, not least for the development of Kinsey herself, someone who strives to be 'better', being aware of some of her failings, but never quite overcoming them.

Sounds sooooo familiar to me

[PatrickOD]

If you are interested in highly atmospheric American mysteries, may I recommend the Navajo detective novels of Tony Hillerman, the gritty stories starring medical examiner Kate Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell, Michael Connelly's noir Los Angeles detective Harry Bosch, and Nevada Barr's series centering on a female National Park Ranger?

Thanks for that overall survey, Mary. Many familiar, some unfamiliar names there, and some I just couldn't get into.
It's nice to hear from the original source of some of my favourite yarns. I'm a fan of American mysteries and thrillers, and I've read those you've mentioned, though not Nevada Barr. I wonder how you rate some authors I failed to mention in a previous post:
Harlan Coben, Jefferson Parker, Denis Lehane.
There are others too, but I'll have to make a trip to the library to refresh my poor memory.

Oh, I've remembered Jo Nesbo from the Scandanavian wing. Interesting that you should have forgiven Stieg Larsson for the editing problem. I did too. We all did.

[Estelle]

Thank you all for such a warm welcome! I have been treading the threads here since last November, and for maybe a year on the R3 site, but have been a bit shy about contributing. I use the messageboards mainly to learn, having had no formal training in classical music myself. Now that I am retired I have the luxury of time to listen to and read about music. I love reading the threads comparing various performances of musical works. I listen to the Proms and other R3 programs via iPlayer. How I wish I could view the videos as well!

Some of you keep early hours! I was amazed when I looked at the times on those early replies to my post.

Don Basilio, I have read both Rendell and Vine novels; the Rendells are more her detective novels, and the Vine are her (scary and creepy!) psychological thrillers, although there is the same strong vein of characterizaton running through her detective novels. I confess that I read so many Rendell/Vine books that I burned out! I have one or two sitting on my to-be-read shelves that have been there for years. The same thing happened with Phyllis George's novels, but not with P.D. James's. I think I will remain with her to the end! For me, she's the Queen of Detective Fiction.

Hello, Salymap! I have long been one of your greatest, if silent, fans! I certainly know of Margery Allingham. Just now I looked at the list of her books on Wikipedia, failing to find a familiar title. I feel, though, that I did sample one of her books. She is roughly a contemporary of Dorothy L. Sayers, whose books (and films of those books) I loved. Is there an Alllingham book you would particularly recommend?

Flosshilde, thanks for the welcoming words! I am a regular reader and big fan of Stormy Weather and would be happy to contribute, but must warn you that San Diego reputedly has the best weather in the country, which might make for boring reading. We do have our subtle seasons, but most of you would laugh at what I would call cold weather--temperatures in the 50's and 60's F! We do have great gardens, but most are private. There are some public gardens for which I would be happy to provide websites. Anyone who has visited San Diego will know them, of course.
If you want a long satisfying read, I recommend the detective novels of Elizabeth George, an American who has immersed herself in the British lifestyle to such an extent that, I'm told, her novels pass for British. (If I am mistaken about that, please let me know.) You are surely familiar with her Inspector Lynley from the film series. I enjoyed those films very much, but the novels are worth reading on their own. (I never forgave George for killing off Lady Helen!)
I'm in complete agreement with you about getting put off by Cornwell's excessively gruesome presentations. I've stopped reading her, but I still admire her earlier mysteries. I think your comparison to The Silence of the Lambs is apt! I'd never have the courage to read that book now, having been horrified by the movie. Actually, I just remembered that I did read that book! Whatever for?

Amateur51, I have read Sue Grafton's earlier alphabet novels but probably read too many in close succession. Only Dickens can stand up to that sort of scrutiny!

Patrick OD, now I'm curious whose books you couldn't get into! Not everyone likes intricately plotted psychological mysteries. From the names you mentioned which I recognize (Parker and Lehane) I suspect that we have different tastes. I don't know Jo Nesbo. Any similarity to Mankell? An aside, I did think that Larsson's novels might become dated rather soon for all the highlighting of certain computer models and other technology which is outdated within months of production. The Larsson novels are very violent, I find. I haven't bought the third one yet. The Nevada Barr novels are fun for their evocative locations. I see that she has sixteen novels in her Anna Pigeon series; is she in danger of running out of National Parks yet?

I remembered the name of another fine writer of detective fiction, Sheila Radley. Her Inspector Quantrill novels remind me somewhat of Mankell's Wallender, with their personal lives playing an important role in the series. Of course that's true of many of these detectives, isn't it? The Inspector Lynley series is very strong on the personal story as well.

I've gone on for far too long!

[antongould]

You certainly haven't gone on far too long - a wonderful post and any fan of Indridason is a friend of mine. Of course we are all fans of salymap and I believe Sidcup is very like San Diego!!

[Don Basilio]

Estelle -

The two Margery Allingham's I'd recommend are More Work for the Undertaker and Tiger in the Smoke.

They are among her latest - her earliest ones still figure Albert Campion as detective, but have a fantastic, bright young things feel to them: The Crime at Black Dudley or Look to the Lady.

I've just thought of it, but Allingham like Christie and P G Wodehouse was a classic popular writer of the 20s and 30s who went on writing after WW2, but unlike them she got better, as if the experience of living through WW2 gave her more maturity, whereas Christie kept writing the same formula (which she did brilliantly) but with a certain tiredness.