Uncle Orson Looks at American Culture 1996 - Mysteries
Mysteries
Sue Grafton
M Is for Malice
This series only gets deeper and richer; I especially appreciate how this novel is generous, even sympathetic with, several deeply religious characters.
Sharyn McCrumb
If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him
I'm not as much a fan of her Elizabeth McPherson mysteries, but this one was intriguing and didn't sacrifice story for "humor."
The Rose Wood Casket
Her beautiful Appalachian mystery series continues.
Steven Saylor
The Venus Throw
Using the mystery form, in this series Saylor does for Rome what Mary Renault did for Greece.
Robert Crais
Sunset Express
The coolest private eye being written about today.
James Lee Burke
Cadillac Jukebox
Still solid, but do I detect the first hints of going through the motions, like Parker's Spenser novels?
Jan Burke
Remember Me, Irene
Very personal stories that take you places you just don't expect in an L.A. mystery series.
Margaret Maron
Up Jumps the Devil
Having a judge at the center of a mystery series works better than you might think; I love the way she creates a real North Carolina family and rural community; I also appreciate the way she shows the minutiae of a judge's life as well as the "big case" at the heart of the novel.
Lawrence Block
The Burglar Who ...
This series is being reissued in hardcover. For some of us, it's our first exposure to this delightful series, which is filled with humor without straining for cheap laughs or losing the excitement and suspense of a mystery.
Rudolfo Anaya
Bless Me, Ultima
Good mystery, but an even better family epic within the Mexican-American community.
http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/reviews96/books_mysteries.shtml
