A woman of mysteries

I love a good mystery. In books that is. In real life I want to know, not guess. The first mystery books I remember reading were by Elizabeth Hoffman Honness. I can still see in my mind's eye exactly where they were in our local library (straight back, lowest shelf, on the right). I was probably in second or third grade when I started reading those, and I'm still enjoying mysteries to this day.

Even though I scare easily, I like good suspense. I read all the Sherlock Holmes stories in high school. The Hound of the Baskervilles scared the pants off me. I don't want too much graphic blood and gore. I gave up reading Agatha Christie for a while when my husband was traveling a lot. I couldn't sleep at night because they were too scary and my imagination ran rampant. (This is the lasting influence that In Cold Blood had on me.) So even though it seems contrary to my cowardly nature, I can't get enough of mysteries.

I decided to list a few of my favorite mystery series, in no particular order:

1. Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Schulz series. The first in the series is Catering to Nobody, and there are currently 14 novels in the series. Goldy Schulz is a caterer, and there are some delicious recipes included in the books.


2. Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. The first in the series is Maisie Dobbs, and there are currently six novels in the series. These books take place post-WWI in England. There are some fascinating insights into the war, and post-war England.

3. Susan Wittig Albert has written three series that I enjoy. My favorite is the China Bayles series. The first in the series is Thyme of Death. There are currently 17 books in the series. Her characters continue to grow, and she has done a good job keeping the series fresh. China is a former attorney turned herb shop owner living in Central Texas.

The second series are The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. These are stories that feature animals as characters, as well as people - Beatrix Potter being one of those. The first in the series is The Tale of Hill Top Farm. I believe there are currently four books in this series.

The third series by Susan Wittig Albert is actually found under the author Robin Paige. Albert co-wrote the books with her husband. They take place at the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth centuries. In many of the books famous people appear as characters. The books are well researched, and very fun. The first in the series is Death at Bishop's Keep. There are twelve books in the series, and I'm sad to say the series is complete at those twelve.

4. What is a list of mysteries without Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone alphabet series?? The first book is A is for Alibi. She's through T so far. Some are better than others, but I liked them all. Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in the fictional town of Santa Teresa in California (loosely modeled after Santa Barbara).

5. Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper series is another favorite. The first in the series is Fool's Puzzle. So far there are 13 books in the series. Each book is named after a quilt block, and the meaning behind the block is woven into the story. (She also wrote a book The Saddlemaker's Wife - not a mystery, very good.)

6. Martha Grimes' Richard Jury series. The first in the series is The Man With a Load of Mischief. The book titles are all names of pubs. Richard Jury is a police detective. It takes place in England. There are 21 books in the series so far. I've probably read about half of them to date.

7. Katherine Hall Page's Faith Fairchild mysteries. The first in the series is The Body in the Big Apple. All the titles begin with The Body in the... There are 18 books in the series so far. I have not read all of them yet. Faith is a caterer - I don't want to say more.

8. The latest series I like is by Julie Hyzy. The first is State of the Onion, and the second is Hail to the Chef. I'm looking forward to lots more books in this White House Chef series. Olivia Paras is a chef at the white house, and the action takes place there and other parts of Washington, DC. Hyzy has written other books, but I haven't had a chance to read them yet. I will get to them sometime soon, I hope.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. It just happens to be a few of the series I consistently enjoy reading. When a new book in the series comes out, I don't hesitate to get right to it.

Here are a few more mystery writers I enjoy:

Charlaine Harris

Mary Daheim (Seattle local color)

Lilian Jackson Braun - The Cat Who series

Carolyn Hart

Nancy Atherton

Carol Lachnit

J.A. Jance -J.P. Beaumont series

I'm sure I've left out some great ones, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

What mystery writers do you like?