what comes after R?

July 9, 2005 8:09 PM

Someone (evil) lately introduced me to Sue Grafton... No, no, her books, I mean. But what else?

Although I had read Chesterton before I had no exposure to detective stories/mystery literature to speak of. Now, after I inhaled up to R from the alphabet series I feel terrible withdrawal symptoms. Could you dear Mefites suggest something else from this genre? Could you also please give me a sentence or two 'splaining?

posted by carmina to Grab Bag (27 answers total)

Sara Patretsky's "V. I. Warshawski" series.

P.D. Jame's "Adam Dalgliesh" series. (quirky & stylish)

Ross MacDonald's "Lew Archer" series (the all-time Champ!)

Have you read Evan Hunter's "87th Precint" series? Less mystery -- more police procedural. It was almost certainly the prototype of "Hillstreet Blues" (whether or not Bochco admits it). Hunter, sadly, died just a few days back.
posted by RavinDave at 8:18 PM on July 9, 2005

Response by poster: RavinD, do you mean Ed McBain?
posted by carmina at 8:21 PM on July 9, 2005

Ed McBain = Evan Hunter.
posted by RavinDave at 8:22 PM on July 9, 2005

Response by poster: Yes, I just realized! I have read him actually (lullaby) and I liked it really alot. I am very very sorry he is not around anymore. I remember how much it had struck me that although he describes a city like NYC he does not call it.... Thank you for the suggestions.
posted by carmina at 8:26 PM on July 9, 2005

I'm kind of out of the loop on this style but back when I was reading a lot more, I enjoyed Tony Hillerman (Southwest US Native Americans) and J.A. Jance (Seattle-based) who wrote in a similar genre.
posted by matildaben at 8:32 PM on July 9, 2005

this thread may be of use to you (though maybe not, since I don't remember sue grafton being mentioned in it).
posted by advil at 8:37 PM on July 9, 2005

Response by poster: ohhh, man! I am really sorry. I did not search properly--again! Thank you, advil.
posted by carmina at 8:44 PM on July 9, 2005

you might enjoy the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovitch, which was recommended in that last thread.
posted by mcsweetie at 9:10 PM on July 9, 2005

A strong second for Paretsky's "V. I. Warshawski" series. A smart, hardboiled ex-lawyer PI from Chicago, who tends to get in over her head while bulheadedly protecting random underdogs and vulnerable loved ones.

Marcia Muller's "Sharon McCone" series. A California PI working for do-gooder lawyers (in the early years) then eventually for herself. Sometimes aided by an ex-CIA boyfriend whose mysterious life keeps their relationship a shade tense.

Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" series (they have numbered titles, reminiscent of Grafton's alphabetical titles). An hilarious New Jersey-based bounty hunter who is hopelessly inept, but manages to muddle through with the help of a deeply loony family, an ex-hooker pal, and the two men (one a cop, one highly myserious and possibly felonious) who love her. On preview: mcsweetie got to this one already. Cool.

Lia Matera's "Willa Jansson" series. San Francisco do-gooder lawyer, torn between her lovably flaky hippy parents' values and mainstream-style success, keeps getting drawn into murder investigations.

Robert Parker's "Spencer" series has a lot less in common with Grafton/Millhone, but they're a good read nonetheless. There must be at least 30 books by now, going back to the early '70s. Spencer is a hardboiled ex-cop PI in Boston; with an intellectual streak, occasionally feminist sensibilities, and an obsession with really good food. *Excellent* supporting characters. The dialogue between Spencer, girlfriend Susan, and friend/colleague Hawk is always the best part of a Parker book.

Wandering even farther away from Grafton's style, there are also classic writers like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Jim Thompson. Much of the great film noir genre owes a tremendous debt to them.

By the way, Paretsky has also edited a few anthologies of female mystery short fiction. It's a good way to get introduced to a bunch of writers at once (she first turned me on to Muller and Matera, for instance). Fair warning: although some of the writers do take their series' stock characters on short vignettes, other writers use the format to explore themes and characters very different from their series stuff.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 9:37 PM on July 9, 2005

P.S. Take heart. "S" is due in December. Grafton cranks 'em out like clockwork.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 9:41 PM on July 9, 2005

I've just lately become fascinated by "Nero Wolfe" -- one of those obvious traditional staples that had always been available, but I regrettably neglected in favor of newer stuff. Two things happened that seized my interest: 1.) I heard fascinating speculation that Wolfe was theorized to be the illegitimate son of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler (or possibly the son of Mycroft; Sherlock's smarter brother upon whom Wolfe is clearly patterned), and 2.) I heard some utterly outstanding radio renditions of Nero Wolfe. The uber-classic was a short series enacted by Sidney Greenstreet in the early 50's and a CBC series done by Mavor Moore in the 80's.

I intend to grab some next time I'm in a secondhand bookstore.
posted by RavinDave at 9:45 PM on July 9, 2005

Let's not forget John D. MacDonald's seminal Travis McGee series.
posted by nicwolff at 9:51 PM on July 9, 2005

Oh, sorry, 'splaining: Travis McGee lives in Fort Lauderdale's marina on his houseboat the Busted Flush, and anything you've lost, he'll get it back - for half its value. Here's a good appreciation at Bookslut.
posted by nicwolff at 9:57 PM on July 9, 2005

Lawrence Sanders: any of the "Commandment" series, or the Archy McNally series -- but re: the Archy series, read only Sanders -- the Lardo knock-offs fail to capture the true McNally spirit.
posted by davidmsc at 10:08 PM on July 9, 2005

Slightly on topic: Judy Kaye, who reads the Sue Grafton audio books, does an amazing job. If you haven't listened to the books - you might enjoy going back to A and hearing them read.
posted by Staggering Jack at 11:38 PM on July 9, 2005

My mom loves murder mysteries, and she's a fan of Kinky "Texas Jew Boy" Friedman.
posted by slimslowslider at 1:12 AM on July 10, 2005

Laura Lippman has written eight increasingly-good mystery novels focused on the reporter-turned-investigator Tess Monaghan. Most are loaded with Baltimore arcana, but that's just a bonus for those of us here in Mobtown. You don't need to live by the Bay to enjoy Lippman's very readable stories.
posted by baltimore at 5:57 AM on July 10, 2005

Oh crap, Ed McBain (=Evan Hunter = Salvatore Lombino) just died. I didn't know. I think he was the best dialogue writer I've ever read.

Elizabeth George and Peter Robinson get my highest recommendations; they're both great writers who happen to write mysteries (that are set in Britain, although she isn't British, but don't expect "Miss Marple solving the murder in the vicarage over tea and crumpets" from either).

John Sandford (I can only vouch for his "Prey" series) is a prolific craftsman and Lucas Davenport is an interesting and atypical lead.
posted by TimeFactor at 8:52 AM on July 10, 2005

Seems like we should also add Elmore Leonard to this mix along with Carl Hiaasen. Leonard has a wonderful way with dialogue and with putting normal people into interestingly dangerous yet plausible situations. Hiaasen is generally very humorous while making South Florida seem like it's being held together by an ex Florida governor who now lives in the swamps. Fun Stuff.
posted by ptm at 9:56 AM on July 10, 2005

Theres always Georges Simenon's Maigret series. (I think there are about seventy, too, so running out will take a while.) Unlike the MacDonalds' narrators, Maigret is a cop, the Chief Superintendent of the Paris force, so there isn't the same lone wolf air. I haven't read any Sue Grafton (though I did go to summer school with her daughter), so I'm not sure how Simenon compares. Like Ross MacDonanld and Chandler, Simenon creates a more "psychological" detective--a man interested in how people end up the way they are. By contrast John MacDonald seems more interested in good and evil and wanton sexuality--he has a bit of a madonna-whore complex. Hope that helps.
posted by dame at 11:49 AM on July 10, 2005

I am a huge fan of Stephen Greenleaf's John Marshall Tanner series.
posted by Savannah at 12:17 PM on July 10, 2005

you might also enjoy watching law and order ...equally addicting :)
posted by radioamy at 1:11 PM on July 10, 2005

Sarah Caudwell. She wrote only four before an untimely death. Very good, very funny.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:29 PM on July 10, 2005

I second Ross MacDonald -- just great stuff, and it's a tradgedy he's not always mentioned in the same breath as Dashell Hammet and Raymond Chandler.

George Pelecanos is fantastic - start with King Suckerman and The Sweet Forever.

I also enjoy Ian Rankin.
posted by Heminator at 6:47 PM on July 10, 2005

Response by poster: So, this is really great! I am grateful to all of you for the input.

I do not think that this kind of thread justifies a "mark as best answer" because all your input is in a way a best answer for you and for me. You're truly a special bunch!
posted by carmina at 8:08 PM on July 10, 2005

I'm a bit stunned no one's mentioned Walter Mosley yet; for some reason he tends to be forgotten in threads like this. I'm currently captivated by the 2nd Easy Rawlins book, A Red Death, after devouring the first in the series a few weeks ago. They're beautifully written hard-boiled gems; Rawlins is a fantastic, complex character, a smart black WWII vet turned reluctant amateur detective, a guy who's early experiences with white racism have given him sharp skills as well as fascinating limitations. The first book, Devil in a Blue Dress, is set in 1948 South Central LA and paints a grim but affectionate picture of life among California's black working class as it propels a quick-moving story along. Mosley jumps ahead about 5 years in each sequel and has apparently promised to bring Rawlins into the current day by the time he's through. The most recent Easy Rawlins book, Little Scarlet, came out last year; it starts in the middle of the 1965 Watts riots.

After just one and a half books, I put Mosley right up there with the best mystery writers I've read. It's been a long time since I've started a series that's grabbed me as much as this one has.
posted by mediareport at 10:52 PM on July 10, 2005

Another big vote for Walter Mosley's period pieces (you may recall the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress with Denzel Washington which was made from the Mosley book of the same name). Also, I was recently introduced to Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels which I would also recommend; a very likeable guy, that Elvis. And of course there's Warshawski who is a bit like if Kinsey had a harder-edged Chicago cousin.
posted by blueberry at 5:09 AM on July 12, 2005