Mystery Authors

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- His Sherlock Holmes stories are a basic which must not be missed, especially if you like turn-of-the-century London.

Dorothy Sayers -- A Latin instructor at Oxford who wrote delightful and funny mysteries, set in England, about Sir Peter Wimsey, a foppish aristocrat, his butler, and his friend--and later wife--Harriet Vane.

Donna Andrew -- Funny mysteries based on a lady blacksmith and a college professor of drama.

Nevada Barr -- Mysteries about Ann Pigeon, a park ranger. Every book is set in a different national park. Very outdoors-oriented.

Cynthia Baxter -- The detective is a lady vet with a clinic in an RV.

Frederic Bean -- Indian American settings; very atmospheric.

MC Beaton -- Placed in Northern Scotland, these mysteries involve Hamish Macbeth, the local constable in a small town. These are one of my favorites. His mysteries about Agatha Raisin aren't nearly as good in my opinion.

Carol Lea Benjamin -- Her mysteries revolve around dogs. Excellent.

Laurien Berenson -- Her mysteries also revolve around dogs. Jingle Bell Bark is one of my favorite books.

Lawrence Block -- Writes several series of dark mysteries. His two best are the burglar series, featuring Bernie Rhodenbarr, a retired burglar (sort of) and bookstore owner; the other is his Matt Scudder detective series.

Rhys Bowen -- Very atmospheric mysteries located in northern Wales and featuring Evan Evans, the constable of a small town. These are even better than the Beaton mysteries.

Brett Simon -- British mysteries about Mrs. Pargeter, a widow of a master criminal who has the makings of one herself.

Dan Brown -- Very popular adventure author. Remember his books are fiction.

Rita Mae Brown -- Mysteries in a small Southern town featuring the main character's cat and dog as detective helpers. (Thanks for correction in location, Joan Osborne)

Edna Buchanan -- Mysteries based in Miami, Florida, featuring a journalist. Very atmospheric.

Dana Cameron -- A series featuring Emma Fielding, an archaeologist and academic in and around Maine.

Andrea Camillari -- Just recently translated from Italian, this series features Inspector Montalbano and is set in the Italian islands.

Margaret Coel -- Native American mysteries located on the Wind River Reservation.

Susan Conant -- All her mysteries feature dogs. One of my favorites.

Catherine Coulter -- Exciting dramas featuring FBI agents.

Bill Crider -- All his mysteries feature a junior college in Texas.

Tim Dorsey -- Wacky comedy mysteries.

James Doss -- Native American mysteries with a great deal on Shaman beliefs and activities.

Carole Nelson Douglas -- Mysteries featuring a cat, Midnight Louie.

Janet Evanovitch -- The funniest novels in this list. The numbered series features Stephanie Plum, an inept bounty hunter, often helped by her overweight file clerk and her gun-toting grandma.

Carolina Garcia-Aguilera -- Lupe Solano is a private detective in Miami. Her family is from Cuba. Exciting mysteries.

Anne George -- Hilarious adventures of two sisters from Alabama.

Dorothy Gilman -- Her series featuring Mrs. Pollifax, the old lady who takes karate and then volunteers to be an agent for the CIA, is priceless.

Sue Grafton -- Her alphabetical series of mysteries features the progressive story of private eye Kinsey Millhone. Sometimes dark; always interesting.

Lyn Hamilton -- Another series featuring archaeology.

Carolyn G. Hart -- A series featuring Max and Annie Darling. Annie owns a bookstore called Death on Demand.

Sue Henry -- Outstanding series of mysteries located in Alaska. Most feature Jessie Arnold, a dog sled racing enthusiast and Iditerod participant.

Joan Hess -- Funny mysteries. The best series is about Maggody, a town full of oddball people.

Carl Hiassen -- Hilarious mysteries with a twist. Most feature Florida as a location.

JA Jance -- One series features Joanna Brady, the widow of a small town deputy who decides to run for sheriff. The other series features JP Beaumont, a policeman in Seattle who has a drinking problem.

Faye Kellerman -- Peter Decker, a policeman, converts to Judaism to marry his wife. Each book is both a mystery and a lesson on Jewish culture.

Laurie King -- All of her books are good, but the ones featuring an older Sherlock Holmes and his female apprentice are best.

Virginia Lanier -- Features bloodhound rescue and tracking near the Okechobee swamp.

Nancy Martin -- Light humor.

Sara Paretsky -- VI Warshawski is a PI with a different problem in every book.

Elizabeth Peters -- The series features a family of archaeologists who manage to get into trouble, sometimes in Egypt, sometimes in England. Turn-of-the-century settings.

RJ Pineiro -- Thrillers which always revolve around PCs and technology.

Dana Stabenow -- Thrillers are set in Alaska and feature a native American.

Donald Westlake -- Oddball comic mysteries similar to Hiaasen.

NB: This is just a short list of my favorites. You will definitely want to add to this list for yourself.

Additional Suggestions From Others:

Donna DeLeon -- "[She] writes about an Italian detective and his experiences, but much of her books are about Italy and its culture (and food!)" (Joan Osborne).

Ian Pears -- "...his Italian art police. The books reflect a lot of artistic Italy" (Joan Osborne).

Lilian Jackson Braun -- "The early "The Cat Who" mysteries were good. In the later ones Lillian seems to have run out of steam. Yvonne Richardson and I enjoy these but the critics agree with us that Lillian might now rest on her laurels" (Roberta Ziegler).

Tony Hillerman -- "Navajo country" (Irene Scharf).

Alexander McCall Smith -- "Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series" [set in Botswana; humorous and atmospheric] (Irene Scharf).

Tony Hillerman -- "His books are a wonderful way to learn more about the Hopi and Navajo people, their culture and "religion." he also provokes deep thought about ethical issues associated with crime and punishment, the practice of anthropology, and the interface of white and native culture" (Dorothy Haecker).

Laurie King -- "Her series on Mary and Sherlock is an incredible, intelligent, international, multicultural journey. [o jerusalem] taught me more about the politics of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in the early twentieth century than my world religions textbook" (Dorothy Haecker).

Elizabeth Peters -- "This one has a Ph.D. in egyptology from nothing less than the University of Chicago. This brilliant woman is a total hoot. Check out the Amelia Peabody books for my favorite example of a splendid marriage" (Dorothy Haecker).

Jennifer Winspear -- "This is a british author whose heroine is a metaphysical private detective in london after WWI. The books are full of historical perspective on this almost-forgotten world war. the heroine is an incredible model of a non-violent approach to crime and criminals" (Dorothy Haecker).