Good whodunit Books

[crich70]

Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason books fit i think as do raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe novels. A lot of great fictional detectives worth reading. I have seveal of the old Ellery Queen books in the orange hard covers.

[Pulpmeister]

John Dickson Carr / Carter Dickson, locked rooms and impossible crimes.

Arthur Upfield, "Bony" series, the outback detective.

Also by Ellis Peters, the Insp. George Felse series, contemporary rather than historical.

Maigret, by Georges Simenon. These are quite short, usually slightly shorter than a Perry Mason, ie about 40-45,000 words. One of them is very amusing, a book in which Maigret himself writes about his meeting with author Simenon, showijg how Simenon simplifies things and gets it all wrong, (he doesn't wear bowler!), has Maigret working for the Surete in one book, and the Paris metropolitan police in the next, and so on. Actually quite clever, too.

More modern series: Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano series, located in Sicily; Michael Dibdin's series featuring Aurelio Zen, an Italian cop forever being shunted out of Rome to remote places, even as far as Sardinia.

[Byrdie]

I have just come across Asimov's Tales of the Black Widowers 2 on ScribD. Is that legit? There are also a couple of online sites that have some other Black Widowers collections (read only, not download) but I do not know how kosher they might be. ScribD I'm familiar with, would maybe subscribe just for these if it's available and lawful in my territory (Canada).

Otherwise, I really hope a legal ebook source becomes available soon, because by the time they become public domain (if ever!) I'll be either too damned old or too damned dead to care!

And yes, I would buy the print versions, if only I had the equipment to read them. Unfortunately I have not won the lottery and therefore cannot afford the device recommended by my CNIB tech guy. Extreme low vision/legal blindness sucks, I suggest you avoid it at all costs if you possibly can. :-(

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Byrdie

I have just come across Asimov's Tales of the Black Widowers 2 on ScribD. Is that legit? There are also a couple of online sites that have some other Black Widowers collections (read only, not download) but I do not know how kosher they might be. ScribD I'm familiar with, would maybe subscribe just for these if it's available and lawful in my territory (Canada).

Otherwise, I really hope a legal ebook source becomes available soon, because by the time they become public domain (if ever!) I'll be either too damned old or too damned dead to care!

And yes, I would buy the print versions, if only I had the equipment to read them. Unfortunately I have not won the lottery and therefore cannot afford the device recommended by my CNIB tech guy. Extreme low vision/legal blindness sucks, I suggest you avoid it at all costs if you possibly can. :-(

I would be pretty surprised if they are legit. Asimov wrote the Black Widower stories starting in the early 70's. Unless he failed to include notice of copyright (very unlikely), they are under copyright for at least another 50 or 60 years. A quick look on the web indicates that his daughter is actively managing his literary estate. I generally go to Amazon and click on the "I would like to read this on the kindle" link. I don't know if that does any good, but unless you can get in touch with Robyn Asimov, it's the best I can think of.

[Pablo]

I have a place in my heart for Anthony Gilbert's Arthur Crook mysteries.

At the English institute where I studied, we had a well stocked library and a dedicated librarian, a very helpful old lady. I wanted to read "real" books in English, that is to say, not simplified student versions, but was not ready for the most difficult books. She introduced me to Anthony Gilbert's mysteries; the first I read was Something Nasty in the Woodshed.

From Wikipedia

[Lucy Beatrice Malleson aka Anthony Gilbert] published 69 crime novels, 51 of which featured her best-known character, Arthur Crook. Crook is a vulgar London lawyer totally (and deliberately), unlike the aristocratic detectives who dominated the mystery field when Gilbert introduced him such as Lord Peter Wimsey. Instead of dispassionately analyzing a case, he usually enters it after seemingly damning evidence has built up against his client, then conducts a no-holds-barred investigation of doubtful ethics to clear him or her. ...The first Crook novel was published in 1936 and was immediately popular. The last Crook novel was published in 1974.

[amythyr]

Thanks for all recommendation.I will start with first post and will read everything suggested to me in chronological order.

Thanks Again

[gunbad]

amythyr for bring up the topic. I have found recommendations here that I am reading and enjoying.