The other day I realized that I’d been so immersed in my sabbatical that I hadn’t even engaged in my hobby of reading trashy mystery novels for a scarily long time.
Plus, I needed something that would make the tedious Gutierrez novel more palatable, so I accompanied it with Elizabeth George’s latest addition to the Havers / Lynley series titled A Banquet of Consequences And it turned out that after three very disappointing novels, George is back full strength! She has gone back to the winning formula of her first bestseller of the series, A Great Deliverance. Shocking sexual perversions! Havers developing new interests in life! A domineering mother and a spineless daughter-in-law! A pathetic, beaten down husband! An angry feminist!
Ah, this was a peach of a mystery novel.
Clarissa's Blog 
I’ve never read a modern mystery novel. I’d like to, though, but not really sure where to start.
Any recommendations for someone who suspects they’d like the genre but haven’t ready anything more modern than Arthur Conan Doyle?
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Ruth Rendell (who died recently) was the best mystery writer of the 2nd half of the twentieth century, in my opinion. I’m A HUGE fan. She understood a psychopath ‘ s mind like nobody else.
My favorite novels by her are Thirteen Steps Down http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1400095905/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1446701708&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=thirteen+steps+down&dpPl=1&dpID=41zQMjS7GHL&ref=plSrch
And The Chimney Sweeper’s Boy that she wrote as Barbara Vine: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AG8GTYC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1446701836&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=chimney+sweepers+boy
For something more American and hard-core, I recommend the great Michael Connelly with his Harry Bosch series.
Plus, there is John Lescroart with his Hardy / Glitsky series. My favorite from this series is Guilt:
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Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll start with Ruth Rendell. I’m a bit bored of sf — lot of stale stuff out there lately — so I want to try something else.
These days it seems I read a lot of academic non-fiction and textbooks, and then need something lighter but still quality to balance out my brain.
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I’ll gladly endorse Clarissa’s recommendation of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine. Especially in the second incarnation her mysteries are engrossing, very atmospheric and well put together.
Another writer who as an SF reader you may be familiar with is Iain Banks, (SF alter ego Iain M. Banks). His mysteries are somewhat darker than Barbara Vine’s, more graphic, sometimes funnier and possibly more modern. I started with his first novel, the Wasp Factory and was hooked – though his later books aren’t quite as good.
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I love Ian Banks. But I forgot that Mike doesn’t read male authors. And I don’t recommend Elizabeth George to him because she’s a bit too low-brow for him.
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I do read male authors, just rarely listen to male singers/songwriters. So those recommendations are a good start. Probably Rendell this weekend for me.
I’ve read Iain M. Banks in sf form, but never his novels outside the genre.
(Kind of responding to two people here, but oh well.)
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