Thanks to my sister Jaimee for taking this picture!
"I enjoy to read good literature!" (family joke)
“The butler did it!” “It was Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench!” I love a murder mystery! Some of my favorite movies have involved a murder mystery, and when it comes to books I just love to curl up and read a good ol’ mystery novel. While I am a big fan of this genre, I am certainly not a budding detective. I’m embarrassed to admit that I almost never figure out the culprit/the murderer until the big reveal. And then I feel like a fool for not having figured it out in the first place. The clues, the hints, the motives - I fail to recognize them, until it is essentially spelled out for me. And yet, I still love to read mysteries.
Agatha Christie is one of my favorite murder mystery novelists. I started reading her books back in the 8th and 9th grades. She had two of the best sleuths in this genre: Miss Jane Marple (an elderly woman) and Hercule Poirot (a Belgian). I loved these characters and their ability to solve some of the most complex mysteries. I never figured out “whodunit?” in Christie’s novels until the big reveal, but I still enjoyed reading them.
Years later I started reading mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark and I really enjoyed them. She writes with such flavor and detail that you can picture the characters and the surroundings she describes. I’ve had a little more success in figuring out the killer(s) in her novels, but it’s usually near the end of the novel just before the big reveal.
Another one of my favorite mystery writers is Lilian Jackson Braun. She has a written a long series of books titled “The Cat Who…” and the main character in these books is Jim Qwilleran, a prizewinning reporter who has two cats, Koko and Yum Yum. His cats are certainly not ordinary, and in their own way help Qwill solve crimes like theft and murder. There is a perfect blend of suspense and humor, unique and everyday people.
Lastly, there is Sue Grafton, who has written books starting with the letter A (as in “A Is For Alibi”) and has currently written up through the letter U (as in “U Is For Undertow”, one of Grafton’s best novels). The main character in all of these books is a female private investigator named Kinsey Millhone. Grafton has created a very layered, fascinating character in Kinsey and I have enjoyed reading about her and her crime-solving experiences.
I highly recommend these authors for anyone who is looking for a good mystery! You won’t be disappointed!
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