Detective novels, mystery favorites?

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I do like an antho on occasion. But I will not try any more Otto P. books. I really loathed them and in the one case we kept listening to the stories because we didn't have anything else. That was a mistake. LOATHED.

I do like noir now and then. But it is probably one of my least favorite genres. It's not one I follow, but I read Carol O'Connell and I've read some Ken Bruen. I avoid most noir these days.

I lean away from noir in both mysteries and fantasies these days although there was a time I liked a lot of doom and gloom. Who knows what I will like or hate next year

Helen

[BearMountainBooks]

Absolutely. I go on various kicks where I read only humor and then only urban fantasy and so on. But I think noir has gotten darker and not just in a murderous way. So much of it that ran me off was the whole "human condition" darkness--your ordinary, sad life where people were not lifting themselves up -- or would deliberately walk away from a possible good thing and choose the booze or drugs or theft over possible redemption. There's noir and then there's wallowing...

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Absolutely. I go on various kicks where I read only humor and then only urban fantasy and so on. But I think noir has gotten darker and not just in a murderous way. So much of it that ran me off was the whole "human condition" darkness--your ordinary, sad life where people were not lifting themselves up -- or would deliberately walk away from a possible good thing and choose the booze or drugs or theft over possible redemption. There's noir and then there's wallowing...

Try Megan Abbott: Die a Little, The Song Is You, Bury Me Deep, and Queenpin. These are terrific old-fashioned noir.

Her most recent books are also fascinating but not traditional noir: End of Everything and Dare Me. Dare Me was developed from her short story "Cheer," which can be read here.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Try Megan Abbott: Die a Little, The Song Is You, Bury Me Deep, and Queenpin. These are terrific old-fashioned noir.

Her most recent books are also fascinating but not traditional noir: End of Everything and Dare Me. Dare Me was developed from her short story "Cheer," which can be read here.

Thanks! Never hurts to have a list of possibles...! I've heard of her, but I don't know that I've read anything by her.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Try Megan Abbott: Die a Little, The Song Is You, Bury Me Deep, and Queenpin. These are terrific old-fashioned noir.

That sounded interesting so I just bought Die a Little. Good reviews and sounded interesting on the description.