Normally I stick close to the cozy mystery genre, but I was steered toward P.D. James by a well-read friends. I'm on my second: have read An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and am wending my way through The Black Tower. While I like her writing style, generally, both of the stories strike me as awfully bleak. Do any of her other mysteries have a lighter touch or a bit of humor? Recommendations?

I loved her The Children of Men but I would not recommend it if you are looking for something lighter - pretty bleak story even with the relatively happy ending. I very good read though - don't even try to compare it to the movie if you have heard anything about it - shouldn't even be considered the same story in my book.

She's pretty grim overall. A great writer, but not cheery by any means.

I've dipped in and out of the Dalgliesh series, and I've not come across any that are cosy, but on the other hand they don't seem to me to be that bleak either. They are all police procedurals featuring murders so ther eis always going to be a bit of glom A certain justice and maybe unnatural causes may be less dark than some of the others.

I've yet to find Unsuitable Job for a woman, is it nay good?

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman is possiblly my favourite PDJ - I really like Cordelia Gray as a character and wish she appeared in a few more. I agree they're bleak and none have much humour (any jokes come from people with black senses of humour and terminal illnesses). Usually I need bit of laughter, but I don't notice the lack of it in these. Her other stuff (The Children of Men etc) IS too bleak for me.

Liza Cody wrote a series featuring a private detective Anna Lee, who reminds me of Cordelia with laughs.

You might try Cover Her Face, the very first Dalgleish novel as that one is as close to a traditional British mystery as you will find in her work. The other one that borders on a traditional country-house murder actually takes place at a nursing school, Shroud for a Nightingale. Both of those are similar in structure to a traditional Golden Age British mystery, but because they are both set in the modern day, they don't come across as particularly cozy. She's really a very realistic writer in all of her novels. Personally, I like her primarily because of her clarity. Most modern day mystery writers could learn from her.

The early ones definitely have a stark feeling about them, mostly due to Dalgliesh's state of mind. The later ones, however, are solid cozies through and through. Mostly due to James's inability to adapt with the times, they end up feeling dated and safe. And the smarmy romance angle doesn't help any. Now he's married it will probably all be sunshine and tea parties.

"I loved her The Children of Men ...... don't even try to compare it to the movie if you have heard anything about it - shouldn't even be considered the same story in my book."

Absolutely right. The book is okay, the movie is sensationally good, the visual equivalent of someone like Davis or Coltrane taking a familiar tune and soaring off into the stratosphere with it.

All of the Cordelia Gray mysteries are excellant. They may be slightly less grim than the Dalgleish ones, but none are the village mystery types. They are great for anyone who enjoys the underlying psychology of murder most foul, without getting too Ruth Rendell.

She is a lifelong favourite of mine. I also went to Elizabeth George after reading most of of James. For a more light, yet not too lite, mystery you may like Richard Jury by Martha Grimes--and I apologise in advance if these have been mentioned already.

#9 (lillesmilla),
I agree with your recommendations of Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes' 'Richard Jury' mysteries. My only problem is that I've read all of both their series, and it takes so long for the next new title to be released.
I actually prefer P. D. James 'Adam Daglesh' mysteries to the Cordelia Gray ones. I really liked the BBC (& PBS?) 'Adam Daglesh' mystery series that aired a few years ago.

Have to second lillesmilla's recommendation of Elizabeth George and Martha Grimes. I would not classify either of them as cozies, though definitely less bleak than P. D. James.

I,too, prefer Adam Dagliesh to Cordelia Gray, Catgwinn.

Another author that comes to mind is Deborah Crombie and her Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series.

#1 nawatramani,
I really like Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series, too, for mysteries set in England.

For mysteries with non-English settings, I recommend J.A.Jance's 'JP Beaumont' series (set in Seattle) and her 'Joanna Brady' series (set in Bisbee, Arizona).

Message edited by its author, Jun 11, 2009, 5:50pm.