Brand new to mystery genre and looking for recs, please!

I'm 22 and I have never, ever been interested in mysteries. I always thought they looked boring. Then my mom got into the Kinsey Millhone mysteries by Sue Grafton, I picked one up 'cause I had nothing else to read, and now I'm totally hooked.

I have no idea what genres I would like. What I enjoy about the Sue Grafton books I've read is the character development (so I'm definitely interested in getting into more series with recurring characters) and I also love how suspenseful the books get at the end. Page turners, essentially. If I could get some recs based on that, that'd be great.

Also, are there certain books/authors in the mystery genre that are classics, that everyone knows about, and that you think I should read? Even if just for the sake of knowing what my fellow mystery readers are talking about?

Thanks in advance!

I love the Graftons' as well although I would say that they are pretty tame as mysteries go. It was the relationship between Kinsey and Henry that kept me hooked. I always felt like he was her surrogate Dad looking out for her.

If you're wanting to get into more intense stories, but still work within a series take a look at Karin Slaughter or Patricia Cornwell. I've heard a lot of positive info on Kathy Reichs , but have not read her work. Also, Meg Gardiner and Lisa Gardner have good series out there as well.

James Patterson has the Women's Murder Club as well as the Alex Cross series, both are along the lines of Grafton's work as is Robert Parker's Sunny Randall and Jesse Stone series.

Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series is awesome and there is John Sandford's Prey series as well.

I've heard a great deal about Peter Robinson, but have only just read the first one Gallow's View, which while tame, was really well written and I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

Another really good series is the Inspectory Lynley books by Elizabeth George. They are quite intense.

If you like a complex, dark, twisted character, take a look at the Kathy Mallory series by Carol O'Connell. Mallory's Oracle is the first book.
There are also two series by Margaret Maron, Bootleggers Daughter is the first in the Deborah Knott series and One Coffee With is the first in the Sigrid Harald series.
Then there are Val McDermid, Linda Fairstein, Kathy Reichs, J A Jance, Charlaine Harris (she wrote the Lily Bard/Shakespeare series before her paranormal stuff), Dana Stabenow, Susan Wittig Albert, Linda Barnes, Perri O'Shaughnessy, Nevada Barr, Barbara Seranella, Julia Spencer-Fleming... I could go on, and YES, I like the female authors.
Patricia Cornwell: Her early books are great, but IMO, she started downhill with Blow Fly and it was a fast drop.
Meg Gardiner: I prefer her Evan Delaney series to her Jo Beckett series, which puts me in the minority, I think.
Robert Parker: Don't listen to the audio. The "he said" "she said" "he said" "she said" "he said" "she said" became extremely irritating, apparently I glossed over this in the print version.

Dennis Lehane's series starting with A Drink Before the War is gritty Boston at it's best. I loved 'em!

I recommend Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series. Seriously, This is for your own good. She's a talented writer. And Inspector Brunetti is an intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful character. Leon's description of Venice and the culture there are an added bonus. The mysteries themselves are unique and deal with a variety of issues ranging in morals and ethics, and trust me even if the what I just wrote sounds boring, it's not. I would strongly recommend any of her books.
Also if you run on the darker side of mysteries, read Charlaine Harris Lily Bard series. If you've read any of Charlaine Harris's other titles, the Lily Bard series will come as a bit of a shock. This is no cozy or vampire mystery. The Lily Bard character has an awful past and some serious issues. Regardless, you'll love Lily Bard and her town of Shakespeare.
Enjoy...Seriously take some time and read these books!

Of course you can't go wrong with one of the All-Time Greatest Mystery Writers who ever lived, Agatha Christie,Ruth Rendell who also writes under the pseudonym, Barbara Vine, Jeffrey Archer, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg,Kathleen O'Neal Gear, Scott Turow, John S. MacDonald, Lisa Scottoline. The Cat Who series, Elmore Leonard, Martha Grimes, Catherine Aird along with Christie, Rendell, Archer one of my favourite British Mystery Writers.

Of course there's the Gothic Mystery genre too, Dorothy L. Sayer, Frances Lockridge, Emma Lathen,Carolyn Hart, Antonia Fraser, Simon Brett, Robert Barnard, Sharon McCrumb, Ellis Peters, Josephine Tey, Patricia Highsmith.

Beatles1964

You can tell there's lots of good reading out there, russiasaturn!

Two excellent series that I don't think were mentioned: Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series, starting with Devil in a Blue Dress (which was made into a pretty good movie starring Denzel Washington), and Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano series set in Italy, starting with The Shape of Water.

You should try out the two other authors who started writing series with female P.I.s about the same time Sue Grafton did:
Marcia Muller's Sharon Mccone series beginning with Edwin of the Iron Shoes, and Sara Paretsky's V.I Warshawski series beginning with Indemnity Only.

Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout

You can't go wrong with the popular titles. I'll try to break it down just a bit.

If you are looking for cop novels, go with James Patterson's Cross Series or Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch Novels, or John Sandford's Prey series.

If you want courtroom novels, the best for your money, IMO, is Steve Martini

For regular mystery/thriller, not specifically about but possibly involving murder, try Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures, or anything by Harlan Coben.

Lots of good suggestions. My favorites:

Michael Connelly - already mentioned
Harlan Coben - already mentioned. These grab you in the first few paragraphs with problems you can't wait to be solved. The Myron Bolitar series by this author are good, but not quite as compelling as the non-series books.
Robert Crais - Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels.
Steve Martini and D.W. Buffa for legal and courtroom thrillers.
Jonathan Kellerman
Rex Stout for the Nero Wolfe series
Stephen White - Dr Alan Gregory, psychologist who becomes entwined in all kinds of strange murder mysteries.
Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald for some classic mysteries.
Stieg Larsson - The Girl With/Who . . . books
John Burdett - Bangkok novels
Dennis Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro novels

Good luck!

I don't think anyone's mentioned Lee Child yet, whose Jack Reacher thrillers are non-stop action, edge-of-the-seat exciting. Reacher is a great character--the tall, strong, silent type, all the men want to be him, all the women want to know him (and yet, he really does side-step stereotype)--and each novel is set in a different city, as Reacher has no fixed address and travels just with a toothbrush in his pocket and the clothes on his back.

In a completely different direction, Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels are excellent. He's a child psychologist (author and sleuth both) who consults for the LAPD. Intricate, psychological thrillers, set in one of the greatest cities of them all.

T.Jefferson Parker is a beautiful writer who constructs lyrical thrillers, also set in Southern California.

Lately everyone is raving over the Louise Penny mysteries, starting with Still Life. I've only read book #1 but I can agree that it is a VERY good series so far.

Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey series, starting with Whose Body? has excellent character development.

Try the historical mysteries by Barbara Hambly, starting with A Free Man of Color. The plots are absorbing, the characters fully realized (you will wish you could actually meet Ben, Rose, and Hannibal), and the historical background is thoroughly researched. I understand that some history professors use these novels in their classes.

For Southwestern regional flavor, Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee stories are a sure thing.

I also strongly recommend the Posadas County mysteries by Steven Havill, best read in order beginning with Heartshot.

Lindsey Davis's Marcus Didius Falco novels are not only terrific mysteries, they are great historical novels that bring the Roman Empire to life. Davis is one of the few historical novelists who realizes the nitty-gritty aspects of life in Rome--worries about the kids, unpleasant illnesses, pimply necks, etc.

For lighthearted escapism, do try Kerry Greenwood. This Australian author has two detectives: Phryne Fisher, a wealthy young woman who operates in 1920s Melbourne, and Corinna Chapman, a contemporary baker. I tend to enjoy the Fisher books a bit more, but that's a matter of taste. Speaking of which, Greenwood's books will probably make you hungry!

For some classics there a lot of so called "best of" lists available; Bloomsbury 100 Must-Read Crime Novels for example.

I believe most of the authors mentioned so far a pretty recent so I'll mention some older ones: Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton, Agathie Christie, Dashiell Hammett, John Dickson Carr, Edmund Crispin..

Message 5: ravingraven - Funny, I read Lily Bard years before the Southern Vampire series came out, then some of the Aurora Teagarden series, so to me, Sookie was the shock!

What a fun question!

As others have mentioned you can't go wrong with classic Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers or Margery Allingham. Josephine Tey's books were excellent, there are only a few of them, and they are all different which I loved, because they didn't really remind me of anything else I had read.

To venture a little to the darker side, I love Ruth Rendell who also writes under the name Barbara Vine, P.D. James, and Elizabeth George.

As far as police procedurals go, I am a big fan of Peter Robinson and Michael Connelly.

For a noir feel, I would try something by Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. James M. Cain and Cornell Woolrich are also worth a read, although they may be hard to find.

If you'd like recommendations on some of the classics - particularly from the so-called "Golden Age" of Detective Fiction in Britain and the US between World Wars 1 and 2 - you might check out the reviews at my husband's site, www.classicmysteries.net - audio reviews and postings about authors such as Christie, Sayers, Marsh, Crispin, Innes, Carr, Queen, etc. Lots of ideas.
MrsLes

I don't believe anyone has recommended the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman. Just as I enjoy how Nevada Barr takes me to and teaches me about many different National Parks, the Mrs. Pollifax books take me around the world. Even though I imagine the books would be considered "cozies," they are a little harsher than many I have read in that genre (improving them IMO).

How lucky you are to have so much to look forward to. I very much endorse the recommendations of Val McDermid, Carol O'Connell, and T. Jefferson Parker; well written, suspenseful and with great characterizations. One of my favorites is James Lee Burke} for absolutely beautiful descriptive writing, great suspense, and a character I love, Dave Robicheaux. These are set in the New Orleans area. I would suggest reading the series in order as you learn more about the character as he grows over time.

First of all, I'm not the original poster but I'm picking up some great suggestions for new series to check out, so thanks everyone!

In terms of series where the characters are king (so to speak), I can't recommend enough the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. The interplay between Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin is first-rate. And there are a bajillion of them, which will keep you nice and busy! The first one is Fer de Lance, but it's not necessary to read them in order, in my opinion.

I'd also highly recommend the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron. Very appealing characters.

Neither of these series have particularly gory crimes, but they're not fluff, either.

Thank you for all the recommendations everyone! I'm headed to the library today to check out a ton of books. I will say that since I last posted, I started the Julian Kestrel series by Kate Ross and I LOVE IT. Also, read a Mrs. Pollifax book and wasn't so crazy about that one. Keep the recs coming!

I second the Donna Leon books recommendation, the Wolfe recommendation, and most of the others as well.

One who hasn't been mentioned is John D. MacDonald, not so much for his Travis McGee books, although they're very good, but for his other non-series work. He pretty much put the "original paperback" market on its feet in the mid-1950s.

#23 > Did you ever read MacDonald's SF books like Ballroom of the Skies? He also did a fun book that was made into a movie in the 70's, I think, The Girl, the Goldwatch & Everything.

Thinking of Travis MacGee made me think of Donald Hamilton & his Matt Helm books. An American James Bond, but I liked them better.

I've read most of MacDonald, including the SF books, yes. I like pretty much everything he ever wrote.

Hamilton's Helm books were very good, particularly Death of a Citizen. It was a shame the movies made from a few of them were parodies rather than straight action films.

Hello there,

I review mystery novels on my blog and perhaps this would help you to get a "tasting" of many different mystery series. I also do a Blog Carnival for mysteries once a month which introduces you to several across the blogosphere.

Join the mystery extravaganza:
http://mysterysuspence.blogspot.com/

AF Heart

Here's an author you should look for if you like police procedurals: Elizabeth Gunn. She has written a series featuring Jake Hines and set in a medium-size Minnesota city (beginning with the title Triple Play), and has recently begun another series set in Tucson.