Female Consulting Detectives?

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I read the first few Maisie Dobbs books, really wanting to like them, but I just don't. I think it's the character of Maisie--something about her just seems too remote.

She has sense of humor really ... there's not much "fun" in her life.

[basschick]

maybe i missed it, but did someone mention sue grafton's kinsey milhome novels? she sometimes works with police - in fact, she works with a cop and an ex cop a lot in my favorite kinsey novel, q is for quarry. i don't think she actually consults with cops, but she's worth a read if you haven't tried her. first book is a is for alibi.

[mediax]

If you like Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels, then have a look at Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books.

The early books in this series were written as first person narratives, which Cornwell changed to third person narrative in (I think) Blow Fly. Personally I feel that and her subsequent Scarpetta books were not up to the same standard as the earlier ones. She switched back to first person for her latest book in the series, but I don't think she's recaptured the magic. Purely my personal opinion, of course.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mediax

If you like Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels, then have a look at Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta books.

The early books in this series were written as first person narratives, which Cornwell changed to third person narrative in (I think) Blow Fly. Personally I feel that and her subsequent Scarpetta books were not up to the same standard as the earlier ones. She switched back to first person for her latest book in the series, but I don't think she's recaptured the magic. Purely my personal opinion, of course.

The first few in the series were excellent. But then they went downhill big-time in my view. The last couple I tried to read I gave up on.

[orange!]

Might have missed it, but I've enjoyed Nell Sweeney. And the price is right.

Also, has anyone mentioned Flavia de Luce? She's a charming 11-year old female sleuth!

[earthpigborn]

This is what I hate about mobileread I ask a simple question and now I'm swamped with books I wanna read Keep em coming!

Just to give responders an idea of what I'm drawn to, I like these recommendations so far.

Cordelia Gray
Mistress of the Art of Death
Flavia de Luce

Still no female monk though

[Jack Tingle]

Originally Posted by anjirlly

Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. Main character served as a nurse in WWI and has transcended some class barriers to become a psychological investigator.

Laurie King's Mary Russell and Kate Martinelli series. Mary is introduced as an orphaned American teenager who befriends a retired Sherlock Holmes. Kate is a San Francisco detective in a lesbian relationship.

I'll second those three, as well as recommend:
Charles Todd 'Bess Crawford' series (not exactly a consulting detective; WW I era female)
Elly Griffiths 'Ruth Galloway' series (forensic anthropologist consults with Norfolk PD)
Nicola Upson 'Josephine Tey' series (author who helps out her friend in Scotland Yard)
Deanna Raybourn 'Lady Julia Grey' (husband is the CD, Julia is a talented wannabe)

Why do UK women get all the fun? Kate excepted.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by earthpigborn

This is what I hate about mobileread I ask a simple question and now I'm swamped with books I wanna read Keep em coming!

Just to give responders an idea of what I'm drawn to, I like these recommendations so far.

Cordelia Gray
Mistress of the Art of Death
Flavia de Luce

Still no female monk though

Add in Rizzoli & Isles and you won't be disappointed.

[sufue]

Originally Posted by earthpigborn

This is what I hate about mobileread I ask a simple question and now I'm swamped with books I wanna read Keep em coming!

Just to give responders an idea of what I'm drawn to, I like these recommendations so far.

Cordelia Gray
Mistress of the Art of Death
Flavia de Luce

Still no female monk though

female religious - not sure you can really have female monks :

Sister/Dame Frevisse series, by Margaret Frazer - historical
Sister Fidelma series, by Peter Tremayne - historical
Sister Mary Helen series, by Carol Anne O'Marie - modern/cozy
Catherine LeVendeur series, by Sharan Newman - historical, not strictly a nun, but very strong influence in the storylines

The Catherine LeVendeur series (all except the last book) is one of my most favorite series, although I really like all of the ones I mentioned.

Also, in a similar vein, terminally cute, not religious characters, but really fun (to me) is Rhys Bowen's "Lady Georgiana/Royal" series - Lady Georgiana is 34th (or something like that) in line to the throne, eternally strapped for money since she's from a poor branch of the royal tree, and "solves" things for the Queen.

These are all pretty different than the Reichs-style books that occupied the early part of this thread, but more in line with the Flavia deLuce (great series) and Mistress of Art of Death mentioned above...if you don't like historicals, you probably won't like many (any?) of these.

And, I just started reading the "Agency" series by Y S Lee - I haven't gotten far enough into the first book to decide if I like it or not, so take with a grain of salt.

[CommonReader]

I found the "Maisie Dobbs" series by Jacqueline Winspear quite attractive: http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com/
An intelligent, independent woman and former WWI nurse running her own detective agency in 1930s England.

Edit: I have just seen that the series has been mentioned already. Hadn't seen that.

[birdbrainbb]

There's a list of female detectives on Wikipedia, if that's any help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ive_characters

[coderserdar]

Originally Posted by earthpigborn

I don't read a lot of mystery series anymore. I've had my fill with the Hardy boys and Perry Mason when I was young but I still like to grab a book once in a while if the character seems interesting. These days I get most of my mystery fix from TV and I've noticed that while unusual detectives that consult/work with police in the Sherlock Holmes mold show up in TV (Monk, Psych, Mentalist etc) you almost never see female amateur/consulting detectives anymore.

As always when TV fails me I go back to books. Any good female consulting detective series? I've seen and sampled a couple from the cozy mysteries thread but I specifically would like someone in the Sherlock Holmes/Adrian Monk spectrum. Someone weird and maybe a little off-putting.

agatha christie - miss marple books
sue grafton - kinsey millhone series
val mcdermid - carol jordan series
tess gerritsen - rizzoli and isles series

[anjirlly]

Originally Posted by earthpigborn

Someone weird and maybe a little off-putting.

Nicola Griffith's protagonist in The Blue Place is definitely put off by much of the culture around her (Atlanta, GA), and the feeling may be mutual.
http://nicolagriffith.com/blueplace.html

Peter Hoeg's protagonist in Smilla's Sense of Snow is another deeply alienated figure, the daughter of a Greenlander and a wealthy Dane; she investigates the death of a neighbor's child. This is a stand alone novel.

[Bev]

Australian author Kerry Greenwood writes two series with a female detective. Firstly the Phryne Fisher series set in 1920's Melbourne, this series is now up to its 18th volume and I can't recommend them too highly.
http://www.phrynefisher.com/books.html

The other series is equally good but has a modern Melbourne setting and revolves around Corinna Chapman who is a baker rather than a consulting detective , but detects in her spare time,for a bonus each book has some rather spiffy recipes at the back.

The Phryne books are currently being filmed for TV so this is your chance to be able to say, "Oh I've been reading those books for ages"....

Bev

[whatnopaper]

Try "The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency" (wiki) by Alexander McCall Smith. Beautifully told stories set in Botswana. The BBC televised the series in conjunction with HBO.