Funny Mystery Novels

[Pumpernickel20…]

BTW, do you people know this link ?

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

It's very good because you can type the name of an author and it'll give you the sequence and the years when the books were published ! I use it all the time.

[Pumpernickel20…]

You're in good company here - but be warned - we will aid and abet your weakness instead of helping you to overcome it!

I KNOW this, Dulcinea ! And the worst part is that I know also that I will ENJOY this !!! Terrible, terrible... (-.-) God help me...

[becke_davis]

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Pumpernickel2008 wrote:

Becke, I'm not even gonna check if CULTURA has these books here, so that I am NOT interested ! LOL...

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You see what I mean? It's easy to get addicted to reading all these books!

[becke_davis]

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Pumpernickel2008 wrote:

BTW, do you people know this link ?

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

It's very good because you can type the name of an author and it'll give you the sequence and the years when the books were published ! I use it all the time.

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Yes, it's a great site!

[Pumpernickel20…]

Another link which might be of interest to people here is :

http://www.literature-map.com/

You type the name of a favorite author and click on CONTINUE : It gives you MANY names of people who write similarly; the closest it is from the name you have typed, the more similar to it it is.

It can be very useful ! And, of course, it is at the same time terrible, because you end up by spending more money on books... BUT. You read authors that write similarly to the ones you like !!!

[kathylcsw]

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Pumpernickel2008 wrote:

Another link which might be of interest to people here is :

http://www.literature-map.com/

You type the name of a favorite author and click on CONTINUE : It gives you MANY names of people who write similarly; the closest it is from the name you have typed, the more similar to it it is.

It can be very useful ! And, of course, it is at the same time terrible, because you end up by spending more money on books... BUT. You read authors that write similarly to the ones you like !!!

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Thanks for the site information Pumpernickel! I am sure that most people on here know about www.fictfact.com. On this site it keeps up with all your series and lets you know which book comes next. It is a nice way to keep track if you are reading multiple series. It will also e-mail you when the latest book in a series is coming out.

[dulcinea3]

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Pumpernickel2008 wrote:

Dulcinea, and the book I asked to come ( He Shall Thunder in the Sky )  is #12. Do you think that I'll be able to understand this, even though I haven't read the other one ?

I understand you, for I read the 19 books in Donna Leon's series, totally out of order, BTW. Have you read these ? Her Detective Brunetti is VERY good, and we soon become addicted not only to his work and co-workers but also to his family, since his wife is a professor of English Literature and adores Henry James... Once Brunetti caught himself being jealous of Henry James and he told himself : Wait a minute ! Am I jealous of a guy who has already DIED ? And then he TRIES to convince himself that he shouldn't be , but the fact is that he really is !!! (^_^) Heh...

But it's a mystery series, although Brunetti can be funny sometimes...

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I started partway through the series (although earlier than that), and I enjoyed it so much that I read the earlier books.  So I think that you can probably start with any book in the series.  But if you do like it (you might as well read at least several that your library has before you start ordering!), it is a lot of fun to go back and read them from the beginning, so that you can see how various characters are introduced.  There are a lot of characters, and they show up at various points in the series.  The first book I read introduced Nefret, whom you will get to know as Amelia and Emerson's adopted daughter (despite her name, she is English, but was brought up in the Sudan).  Also, there is a mysterious character named Sethos ('the Master Criminal'); we did not know who he really was for many books, which was interesting, but I think by the book you are going to read, his true identity may already be known.  Oh, I just looked it up, and it is in that exact book that it is revealed!  So I think that if you do like the books that your library has, it would be very interesting for you to read them all!

No, I haven't read Donna Leon's books.  The series that I am currently reading are the one we are talking about, plus Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand and Henrie O., Martha Grimes' Richard Jury, Susan Wittig Albert's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter.  I did read Lilian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who series, but it stopped a few years back (and she just passed away this month).  I started Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen series, but didn't keep up, but I do have the next few that I haven't read in my 'TBR pile'.  I have just started Carrie Bebris' series featuring the Darcys from Pride and Prejudice (I read the first one, and have the second in my TBR), and Laura Joh Rowland has started a series featuring Charlotte Bronte - I've read the first and am waiting for the second to come out in paperback.  So that keeps me pretty busy; plus I do read other stuff, too, mainly classics and books about British royalty, partcularly the Tudors.

[Pumpernickel20…]

The Falcon at the Portal (Amelia Peabody Series #11)  

I can see that you are really into series , Dulcinea ! And I am sure that if you read just ONE of Donna Leon's books , you'll want to read the whole series !!! Brunetti likes to eat, so she even has a Cooking Book with Brunetti's recipes ! BTW, I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes mysteries.

My two books by Elizabeth Peters have just arrived; I bought also The Falcon at the Portal, which is the book coming immediately before Thunder in the Sky. I  guess I'll start with this one. I mean, after I finish reading The Redbreast.

I don't know if I have made myself clear, but CULTURA is a bookstore, which means that I am buying these books. Libraries in Brazil are LOUSY, for books in Portuguese, let alone books in English !!! Humpf !

You said : "So that keeps me pretty busy; plus I do read other stuff, too, mainly classics and books about British royalty, partcularly the Tudors."  No books on the comtemporary royalty ?

[dulcinea3]

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Pumpernickel2008 wrote:

The Falcon at the Portal (Amelia Peabody Series #11)  

I can see that you are really into series , Dulcinea ! And I am sure that if you read just ONE of Donna Leon's books , you'll want to read the whole series !!! Brunetti likes to eat, so she even has a Cooking Book with Brunetti's recipes ! BTW, I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes mysteries.

My two books by Elizabeth Peters have just arrived; I bought also The Falcon at the Portal, which is the book coming immediately before Thunder in the Sky. I  guess I'll start with this one. I mean, after I finish reading The Redbreast.

I don't know if I have made myself clear, but CULTURA is a bookstore, which means that I am buying these books. Libraries in Brazil are LOUSY, for books in Portuguese, let alone books in English !!! Humpf !

You said : "So that keeps me pretty busy; plus I do read other stuff, too, mainly classics and books about British royalty, partcularly the Tudors."  No books on the comtemporary royalty ?

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Ah, I should have realized that - I was a Spanish major, so I know that in that language, libreria is bookstore and library is biblioteca!  I did take a year of Portuguese, but that was a long time ago and it was so similar to Spanish that I frequently got confused between the two!  Luckily, I had an understanding Spanish professor for the class I had right after Portuguese, since I consistently wrote 'livro' instead of 'libro', and he didn't mark me down for it!

No, as to the royalty.  I got interested many years ago in Henry VIII, when there was a series about him and his six wives, and so I started reading about him and his family, and later I also got interested in the Plantagenets, who were before the Tudors, and included Richard III.  I like that period, because it is also right around when Isabel and Fernando were ruling Spain, and I enjoy that period of Spanish history, too.

[Pumpernickel20…]

You know, Dulcinea ? I have never studied Spanish exactly because it was too close to Portuguese ! When I was in college, many professors assigned texts in Spanish and no one gave the fact a second thought.

I have studied 3 years of Swedish, for Gawd's sake ! But I have never studied Spanish. Today, you must study this language -- together with English -- in all schools here, and I think they are very much right because Brazil is the ONLY country to speak Portuguese in Latin America ! My students must take an exam in Spanish, so they really study this language. BUT their program is so broad, that when I taught in the prep course here called 'Grupo de Humanidades' , we professors used to refer to these exams ( to enter a diplomatic career in Brazil ) as 'God and His Time' !!! LOL ! (^_^) !

[Beth_Groundwat…]

My favorite funny mystery authors are Donna Andrews and Tim Cockey. Here's some of their books:

The Real Macaw (Meg Langslow Series #13) 

Stork Raving Mad (Meg Langslow Series #12) 

Swan for the Money (Meg Langslow Series #11) 

Stork Raving Mad (Meg Langslow Series #12) 

Swan for the Money (Meg Langslow Series #11) 

Six Geese A-Slaying (Meg Langslow Series #10) 

Cockatiels at Seven (Meg Langslow Series #9) 

Murder with Peacocks (Meg Langslow Series #1) 

Backstabber (Hitchcock Sewell Series #5) 

Murder in the Hearse Degree (Hitchcock Sewell Series #4) 

The Hearse Case Scenario (Hitchcock Sewell Series #3) 

Hearse of a Different Color (Hitchcock Sewell Series #2) 

The Hearse You Came in On (Hitchcock Sewell Series #1)              

[seasanddollar]

Thanks for the links to the booksites.  They are great.  Plus thanks (I guess ) for all the books that I keep buying for my Nook! lol  My TBR list is ridiculous!  I want to be reading all of the books at once!

[ToniD16]

Here's another vote for Carl Hiaason's books, especially SKINNY DIP. Hilarious, twisty plot, outlandish and somehow believable characters, hilarious.

I'd also recommend Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series. The first is CASE HISTORIES. Brodie is one of those world-weary detectives, but with an incredibly endearing take on life and the people he encounters, and a dry wit that just gets to the essence of the matter. And when he talks about the pains of watching his young daughter grow up, you want to laugh and cry along with him.

[JenniferHarlow]

I adore the Jaine Austen books by Laura Levine. I checked them out at the library as a lark then had to go buy them all. There are very few authors who I buy hardback now and she's one of them. They're so easy to read, and I find myself laughing out loud while I'm at the gym. Can't recommend them more.

This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen Series #1) 

Last Writes (Jaine Austen Series #2) 

Killer Blonde (Jaine Austen Series #3) 

Shoes to Die for (Jaine Austen Series #4) 

The PMS Murder (Jaine Austen Series #5) 

Death by Pantyhose (Jaine Austen Series #6) 

Killing Bridezilla (Jaine Austen Series #7) 

Killer Cruise (Jaine Austen Series #8) 

Death of a Trophy Wife (Jaine Austen Series #9) 

Pampered to Death (Jaine Austen Series #10)           

[seasanddollar]

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JenniferHarlow wrote:

I adore the Jaine Austen books by Laura Levine. I checked them out at the library as a lark then had to go buy them all. There are very few authors who I buy hardback now and she's one of them. They're so easy to read, and I find myself laughing out loud while I'm at the gym. Can't recommend them more.

This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen Series #1) 

Last Writes (Jaine Austen Series #2) 

Killer Blonde (Jaine Austen Series #3) 

Shoes to Die for (Jaine Austen Series #4) 

The PMS Murder (Jaine Austen Series #5) 

Death by Pantyhose (Jaine Austen Series #6) 

Killing Bridezilla (Jaine Austen Series #7) 

Killer Cruise (Jaine Austen Series #8) 

Death of a Trophy Wife (Jaine Austen Series #9) 

Pampered to Death (Jaine Austen Series #10)           

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Ok, it only took a read of the reviews and yours post to make me get the first one right away.  Looks good!

[Libralight]

Yes!  Try "Auraria Dead" by Melody Scott. 

L

[DonnaWhiteGlas…]

I haven't noticed anyone mention Lois Greiman and I adore her Christina McMullen series. The main character is a psychologist who has a sexy homicide detective love interest. I've embarrassed myself more than a few times by laughing out loud in public. Ah well, it was worth it. The series starts with "Unzipped." I highly recommend them!

Donna White Glaser

[becke_davis]

Thanks for mentioning Lois - I've read her historicals but I didn't realize she wrote mysteries, too!

Not One Clue 

One Hot Mess 

Unzipped 

Unplugged 

Unmanned 

Unscrewed 

Faeries Gone Wild 

Seduced By Your Spell 

Charming the Devil 

An Accidental Seduction           

[Andie203]

"But He Was Already Dead When I Got There" by Barbara Paul is probably the funniest mystery I have ever read - has anybody ever ready anything similar to that one?

[becke_davis]

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Andie203 wrote:

"But He Was Already Dead When I Got There" by Barbara Paul is probably the funniest mystery I have ever read - has anybody ever ready anything similar to that one?

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Oh, I've read her books! Thanks for the reminder! If you scroll down here, you'll find a lot of great recommendations.

Not sure if I mentioned Mary Kay Andrews:

Little Bitty Lies 

Hissy Fit