New to reading mysteries? What do I suggest? Well, it depends on your age group.
As a young man, I read Encyclopedia Brown and Edgar Allan’s Poe Auguste Dupin, and they fascinated me. And never forget those Nancy Drew books. These days those are a little staid for our youth, but we have the talented Bekka Black and her version of the Dracula’s story called, IDrakula, a retelling of Bram Stoker’s classic in text messages and emails, something as easy to decode for today’s teens as the new iPad.
But as I grew into adulthood, I devoured Ellery Queen and Agatha Christie. I would always recommend these to a newcomer to the mystery world whether it’s the 21st or the 23rd century. They, like Rex Stout, are just tremendous. And you should never pass-up Wilkie Collins.
Avoiding any of these is like skipping the alphabet when you learn to read. Learning to read mysteries is like starting at the beginning of anything. Even when you get in to the area of historical mystery series: like Ellis Peters’ feisty monk, or Lindsay Davis, or John Maddox Roberts, all are a little different from each other, even when they are set in the same time period. And that makes each worth reading. Not just to compare them as mysteries, but to learn from each what they have to teach about that time period.
Each person is going to emphasize something different, and by reading them all, a more thorough picture of the time and place can be drawn. John Maddox Roberts concentrates on the mechanizations of Julius Caesar and the Senate. Lindsay Davis and Steven Saylor focus on different aspect of generally the same period.
Peter Tremayne is another fine author of historical mysteries. His setting in 5th/6th century Ireland enhances my own work in 5th Century Britain. The world is a grand and fine place, and the passing years only make it more so. While I have some strong female characters, Tremayne’s protagonist is a nun who is also a lawyer, this in a time when women were thought absolutely second-class citizens. But nothing in the past is ever what it seems to be. And mystery writers specializing in ancient periods will be sure to bring such things to your attention.
The other thing about mysteries, be they historical or contemporary, they invariably introduce us to both the lowest classes and the best classes , for everybody kills. That’s why I always recommend Dashiel Hammett and David Baldacci. Hammett tells you all you need to know about the low life in prewar San Francisco. Baldacci breathes life in the homeless and forgotten in Washington DC in his Camel Club series.
Mysteries of whatever ilk will never cease to amaze you. They take you to exotic shores and feed you on scandalous conspiracies. They will show you the darkest corners of human nature, and often surprise you with that selflessness that hides in some folk. Besides, everybody loves a mystery. Don’t they?
