In Praise of Detectives: Old and New

October 7-13 is official “Mystery Series Week,” so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite detectives (and hope you’ll share yours in the comments!):

As a child, I read Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, though it always seemed to me that the Hardy Boys had more fun. I also loved Encyclopedia Brown – and definitely recommend that series for anyone looking to share the joy of mystery with a younger family member.

I couldn’t make a mystery list without naming Agatha Christie – my dog-eared collection disappeared over the years, but I’m rebuilding it again, and re-reading her works is like visiting old friends.

I prefer Adam Dalgliesh to P.D. James‘ other detectives, but all of her novels are well worth reading if your taste runs to mystery and crime.

And if you don’t know Brother Cadfael, you should.

More recently, I’ve been enjoying ALL SALES FATAL, Book 2 in Laura DiSilverio’s Mall Cop Mystery series. The ongoing adventures of E.J. Ferris are not to be missed.

But if I have to name the detective and series that’s closest to my heart, it would have to be master ninja Hiro Hattori – the shinobi assassin turned detective who features in my own upcoming series. In CLAWS OF THE CAT, Hiro has just three days to find a samurai’s killer and save a beautiful geisha from execution – while simultaneously guarding the life of a Jesuit priest whose survival is tied to Hiro’s own.

I’m always looking for new mystery novels – so please let me know about your favorites in the comments! I’d love to hear about your favorite detectives!

3 thoughts on “In Praise of Detectives: Old and New

  • October 15, 2012 at 10:48 pm
    Permalink

    It’s funny you mentioned Agatha Christie…I just finished watching all the old Masterpiece movies of her novels on Netflix. I’ve been on a major mystery kick lately. It’s making my hubby nervous

    • October 16, 2012 at 11:07 am
      Permalink

      Sometimes nervousness is a sign of wisdom. Particularly when your wife becomes obsessed with Agatha Christie….

      Seriously, though – what’s not to love! And those Masterpiece movies are awesome. I love them! Now I might have to go look them up myself!

  • October 16, 2012 at 10:28 pm
    Permalink

    They are! I was thrilled to find so many of them available on Netflix. I love Netflix….lots of movies and I don’t have to go anywhere to get them or return them!! It’s always another fun thing to watch “old” movies and see famous actors from today before they were “somebody”.

Comments are closed.