Pat here: Unlike my psychic heroines, I have nothing insightful to tell you as we dive into the new year. I’m still trying to figure out what day of the week it is after the holidays, and almost missed my blog date because I haven’t updated my calendar yet. I have accounting worksheets piling up all over my desk for my personal taxes and those of an organization I work with. Who can write a book with all this new stuff spinning in the brain? Maybe I need that crystal ball!
Yet I continue to wade into the fray of writing mysteries. I’ve written characters for forty years now, savoring their romances and conflicts, and I still learn something new every day in how to depict their personalities. But mysteries. . . require actual plotting.
Our beloved Jo Beverley called herself a “fly into the mist” writer, far more descriptive than the usual “pantser” the unplotters among us are called. In a romance, it’s great fun to set up two characters who consider each other utter 
anathema, and then throw them together in an impossible situation. That’s plot enough for me to start a book, although it did drive editors a bit crazy when I summarized the story as “and something happens. . .” (image "Flying in the mist" by Infomastern )
Mysteries, unfortunately, usually require a dead body (image: "22_jump my horse over his dead body" by Jim Surkamp) or two. Admittedly, that may be why I’m 
writing them as we drag through this second year of quarantine. There are many people I consider worthy of murder, and if I can kill them in a book, I can happily write lots of words. Although, so far, there are so many people I’d like to bop over the head, that I seem to be melding them together in an amalgam on the page. Since the dead people in the first few books are generally ghosts, that sort of works. Ghosts are just character sketches, right? (first book out 3/29/22 INDIGO SOLUTION)
But now that I’ve dragged myself out of the Covid doldrums with this new direction and am progressing into the series, I need to develop better habits. If I drop a body or two into the first scene, then I have to figure out who they are and who might have murdered 
them and why. I winged the first couple of books without ever really knowing until I reached the end, because that way the suspense kept me going. <G> But as I work more in this genre, I can see this leads to problems, and I should try to figure these things out at least a little tiny bit in advance.
I always have an “idea” page where I jot down my various “what ifs.” It’s good for figuring out goals and conflicts and such in romance and working out how to portray them. Since I have romantic couples in the mysteries, I can still use “what if” notes. But for the actual murders. . . “Drop body through courthouse 
ceiling” is about the best I can do. Hard to give motivation to a dead body! Apparently, I need to quit thinking of corpses and go back and make them people. Argh! Lesson learned. (courthouse image: "First courthouse 1891" by Eridony (Instagram: eridony_prime)
So today’s writing advice to anyone considering writing mysteries—if you can’t plot, then you’ll be rewriting those first scenes forever. It’s doable but painful. In the draft 
I’ve just begun, I’ve had to add visuals of the death scene, a brief note of everyone in the vicinity (and there’s a riot going on, so that’s fun), a more thorough description of the protagonists, hints of motivation, and oh yeah—conflict. A riot may be entertaining but it’s not exactly a driving force in a story. Plot. . . yeah, I still need a plot.
Do you read mysteries? Do you have favorite types of stories? Authors?
Thanks for a fun post, Pat. I liked that definition of Writers Block!
I occasionally read mysteries. I like the John Pickett Mystery series, the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, the Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries, the …in Death series, and more.
Thanks for a fun post, Pat. I liked that definition of Writers Block!
I occasionally read mysteries. I like the John Pickett Mystery series, the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, the Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries, the …in Death series, and more.
Thanks for a fun post, Pat. I liked that definition of Writers Block!
I occasionally read mysteries. I like the John Pickett Mystery series, the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, the Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries, the …in Death series, and more.
Thanks for a fun post, Pat. I liked that definition of Writers Block!
I occasionally read mysteries. I like the John Pickett Mystery series, the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, the Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries, the …in Death series, and more.
Thanks for a fun post, Pat. I liked that definition of Writers Block!
I occasionally read mysteries. I like the John Pickett Mystery series, the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, the Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries, the …in Death series, and more.
I read some mysteries, but on an author by author basis.
I think there are two kinds of mystery readers: those who are in it to solve the puzzle, outwit the criminal and the author, and be right about the solution (this is why detective stories were considered respectable back in the day, and why some readers skip all the conversations in the Lord Peter stories); and there are those who are in it for the characters and the puzzle is secondary. I belong to the latter group. I have read and reread Dorothy Sayers for the characters but paid little attention to whodunnit; I couldn’t tell you who killed Freddy Arbuthnot’s future father in law though I’ve read Whose Body? half a dozen times. There are some mystery authors I find unreadable because their plots may be clever but their characters are pure cardboard (I have yet to finish a Perry Mason novel though I’m a big fan of the old TV show and the recent one as well).
I read some mysteries, but on an author by author basis.
I think there are two kinds of mystery readers: those who are in it to solve the puzzle, outwit the criminal and the author, and be right about the solution (this is why detective stories were considered respectable back in the day, and why some readers skip all the conversations in the Lord Peter stories); and there are those who are in it for the characters and the puzzle is secondary. I belong to the latter group. I have read and reread Dorothy Sayers for the characters but paid little attention to whodunnit; I couldn’t tell you who killed Freddy Arbuthnot’s future father in law though I’ve read Whose Body? half a dozen times. There are some mystery authors I find unreadable because their plots may be clever but their characters are pure cardboard (I have yet to finish a Perry Mason novel though I’m a big fan of the old TV show and the recent one as well).
I read some mysteries, but on an author by author basis.
I think there are two kinds of mystery readers: those who are in it to solve the puzzle, outwit the criminal and the author, and be right about the solution (this is why detective stories were considered respectable back in the day, and why some readers skip all the conversations in the Lord Peter stories); and there are those who are in it for the characters and the puzzle is secondary. I belong to the latter group. I have read and reread Dorothy Sayers for the characters but paid little attention to whodunnit; I couldn’t tell you who killed Freddy Arbuthnot’s future father in law though I’ve read Whose Body? half a dozen times. There are some mystery authors I find unreadable because their plots may be clever but their characters are pure cardboard (I have yet to finish a Perry Mason novel though I’m a big fan of the old TV show and the recent one as well).
I read some mysteries, but on an author by author basis.
I think there are two kinds of mystery readers: those who are in it to solve the puzzle, outwit the criminal and the author, and be right about the solution (this is why detective stories were considered respectable back in the day, and why some readers skip all the conversations in the Lord Peter stories); and there are those who are in it for the characters and the puzzle is secondary. I belong to the latter group. I have read and reread Dorothy Sayers for the characters but paid little attention to whodunnit; I couldn’t tell you who killed Freddy Arbuthnot’s future father in law though I’ve read Whose Body? half a dozen times. There are some mystery authors I find unreadable because their plots may be clever but their characters are pure cardboard (I have yet to finish a Perry Mason novel though I’m a big fan of the old TV show and the recent one as well).
I read some mysteries, but on an author by author basis.
I think there are two kinds of mystery readers: those who are in it to solve the puzzle, outwit the criminal and the author, and be right about the solution (this is why detective stories were considered respectable back in the day, and why some readers skip all the conversations in the Lord Peter stories); and there are those who are in it for the characters and the puzzle is secondary. I belong to the latter group. I have read and reread Dorothy Sayers for the characters but paid little attention to whodunnit; I couldn’t tell you who killed Freddy Arbuthnot’s future father in law though I’ve read Whose Body? half a dozen times. There are some mystery authors I find unreadable because their plots may be clever but their characters are pure cardboard (I have yet to finish a Perry Mason novel though I’m a big fan of the old TV show and the recent one as well).
I’m definitely in Janice’s second group: character driven. I seldom figure out whodunnit on my own, to the point that I skip to the last few chapters to find out so that I can better notice the clues when I go back to where I gave in. (That said, I’m irritated when the author has dropped some tidbit and never follows up on it.) So I’m mainly reading for interesting characters and settings. If I learn something along the way—botany, history, art, candle-making, etc.—all the better.
I’m definitely in Janice’s second group: character driven. I seldom figure out whodunnit on my own, to the point that I skip to the last few chapters to find out so that I can better notice the clues when I go back to where I gave in. (That said, I’m irritated when the author has dropped some tidbit and never follows up on it.) So I’m mainly reading for interesting characters and settings. If I learn something along the way—botany, history, art, candle-making, etc.—all the better.
I’m definitely in Janice’s second group: character driven. I seldom figure out whodunnit on my own, to the point that I skip to the last few chapters to find out so that I can better notice the clues when I go back to where I gave in. (That said, I’m irritated when the author has dropped some tidbit and never follows up on it.) So I’m mainly reading for interesting characters and settings. If I learn something along the way—botany, history, art, candle-making, etc.—all the better.
I’m definitely in Janice’s second group: character driven. I seldom figure out whodunnit on my own, to the point that I skip to the last few chapters to find out so that I can better notice the clues when I go back to where I gave in. (That said, I’m irritated when the author has dropped some tidbit and never follows up on it.) So I’m mainly reading for interesting characters and settings. If I learn something along the way—botany, history, art, candle-making, etc.—all the better.
I’m definitely in Janice’s second group: character driven. I seldom figure out whodunnit on my own, to the point that I skip to the last few chapters to find out so that I can better notice the clues when I go back to where I gave in. (That said, I’m irritated when the author has dropped some tidbit and never follows up on it.) So I’m mainly reading for interesting characters and settings. If I learn something along the way—botany, history, art, candle-making, etc.—all the better.
I love mysteries. My mom and I used to share them and later discuss them. I miss that. I love historical Mysteries, like Andrea Penrose’s “Wrexford and Sloane” series, and cozies like Rita Mae Brown’s “Mrs. Murphy” series, or SC Perkins’ “Ancestry Detectives series. Recently, I met a friend as she was giving away some books. I wound up with a back seat filled with Mysteries. I spent that evening dividing that haul between the books I would read, my best friend’s type, and my sister-in-laws. I was thrilled to be able to share the wealth with others.
I love mysteries. My mom and I used to share them and later discuss them. I miss that. I love historical Mysteries, like Andrea Penrose’s “Wrexford and Sloane” series, and cozies like Rita Mae Brown’s “Mrs. Murphy” series, or SC Perkins’ “Ancestry Detectives series. Recently, I met a friend as she was giving away some books. I wound up with a back seat filled with Mysteries. I spent that evening dividing that haul between the books I would read, my best friend’s type, and my sister-in-laws. I was thrilled to be able to share the wealth with others.
I love mysteries. My mom and I used to share them and later discuss them. I miss that. I love historical Mysteries, like Andrea Penrose’s “Wrexford and Sloane” series, and cozies like Rita Mae Brown’s “Mrs. Murphy” series, or SC Perkins’ “Ancestry Detectives series. Recently, I met a friend as she was giving away some books. I wound up with a back seat filled with Mysteries. I spent that evening dividing that haul between the books I would read, my best friend’s type, and my sister-in-laws. I was thrilled to be able to share the wealth with others.
I love mysteries. My mom and I used to share them and later discuss them. I miss that. I love historical Mysteries, like Andrea Penrose’s “Wrexford and Sloane” series, and cozies like Rita Mae Brown’s “Mrs. Murphy” series, or SC Perkins’ “Ancestry Detectives series. Recently, I met a friend as she was giving away some books. I wound up with a back seat filled with Mysteries. I spent that evening dividing that haul between the books I would read, my best friend’s type, and my sister-in-laws. I was thrilled to be able to share the wealth with others.
I love mysteries. My mom and I used to share them and later discuss them. I miss that. I love historical Mysteries, like Andrea Penrose’s “Wrexford and Sloane” series, and cozies like Rita Mae Brown’s “Mrs. Murphy” series, or SC Perkins’ “Ancestry Detectives series. Recently, I met a friend as she was giving away some books. I wound up with a back seat filled with Mysteries. I spent that evening dividing that haul between the books I would read, my best friend’s type, and my sister-in-laws. I was thrilled to be able to share the wealth with others.
Pat, I’m another in the ‘reads mysteries for the characters” group. I don’t much care whodunnit if the characters are all as flat as the ink on the page. And that is true of too many mysteries.
Pat, I’m another in the ‘reads mysteries for the characters” group. I don’t much care whodunnit if the characters are all as flat as the ink on the page. And that is true of too many mysteries.
Pat, I’m another in the ‘reads mysteries for the characters” group. I don’t much care whodunnit if the characters are all as flat as the ink on the page. And that is true of too many mysteries.
Pat, I’m another in the ‘reads mysteries for the characters” group. I don’t much care whodunnit if the characters are all as flat as the ink on the page. And that is true of too many mysteries.
Pat, I’m another in the ‘reads mysteries for the characters” group. I don’t much care whodunnit if the characters are all as flat as the ink on the page. And that is true of too many mysteries.
I’ve been reading mysteries since I was young enough for Nancy Drew. I try to avoid the grisly ones, but love the classic whodunnits, with all the clues there for me to miss. Lately I’ve been rereading Sarah Caudwell, and relishing her delicious turns of phrase.
I’ve been reading mysteries since I was young enough for Nancy Drew. I try to avoid the grisly ones, but love the classic whodunnits, with all the clues there for me to miss. Lately I’ve been rereading Sarah Caudwell, and relishing her delicious turns of phrase.
I’ve been reading mysteries since I was young enough for Nancy Drew. I try to avoid the grisly ones, but love the classic whodunnits, with all the clues there for me to miss. Lately I’ve been rereading Sarah Caudwell, and relishing her delicious turns of phrase.
I’ve been reading mysteries since I was young enough for Nancy Drew. I try to avoid the grisly ones, but love the classic whodunnits, with all the clues there for me to miss. Lately I’ve been rereading Sarah Caudwell, and relishing her delicious turns of phrase.
I’ve been reading mysteries since I was young enough for Nancy Drew. I try to avoid the grisly ones, but love the classic whodunnits, with all the clues there for me to miss. Lately I’ve been rereading Sarah Caudwell, and relishing her delicious turns of phrase.
I like historical mysteries from Deanna Raybourn (Lady Julia series and the current one, Veronica Speedwell).
I also enjoy Tasha Alexander’s series, Lady Emily.
There is a different type of mystery with epic fantasy, and I like Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I like historical mysteries from Deanna Raybourn (Lady Julia series and the current one, Veronica Speedwell).
I also enjoy Tasha Alexander’s series, Lady Emily.
There is a different type of mystery with epic fantasy, and I like Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I like historical mysteries from Deanna Raybourn (Lady Julia series and the current one, Veronica Speedwell).
I also enjoy Tasha Alexander’s series, Lady Emily.
There is a different type of mystery with epic fantasy, and I like Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I like historical mysteries from Deanna Raybourn (Lady Julia series and the current one, Veronica Speedwell).
I also enjoy Tasha Alexander’s series, Lady Emily.
There is a different type of mystery with epic fantasy, and I like Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I like historical mysteries from Deanna Raybourn (Lady Julia series and the current one, Veronica Speedwell).
I also enjoy Tasha Alexander’s series, Lady Emily.
There is a different type of mystery with epic fantasy, and I like Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives.
I love several of those series. I’ll have to look up the others, thank you!
I love several of those series. I’ll have to look up the others, thank you!
I love several of those series. I’ll have to look up the others, thank you!
I love several of those series. I’ll have to look up the others, thank you!
I love several of those series. I’ll have to look up the others, thank you!
oh wow, spot on, Janice! I’m in it for the people too. I like having clues to follow because I like puzzles, but it’s the personal stories I want.
oh wow, spot on, Janice! I’m in it for the people too. I like having clues to follow because I like puzzles, but it’s the personal stories I want.
oh wow, spot on, Janice! I’m in it for the people too. I like having clues to follow because I like puzzles, but it’s the personal stories I want.
oh wow, spot on, Janice! I’m in it for the people too. I like having clues to follow because I like puzzles, but it’s the personal stories I want.
oh wow, spot on, Janice! I’m in it for the people too. I like having clues to follow because I like puzzles, but it’s the personal stories I want.
Good point about learning something along the way. I hadn’t thought about that. But I’m afraid my psychic people have more than enough on their hands controlling their talents, so they won’t be knitting anytime soon. I should slide in more history.
Good point about learning something along the way. I hadn’t thought about that. But I’m afraid my psychic people have more than enough on their hands controlling their talents, so they won’t be knitting anytime soon. I should slide in more history.
Good point about learning something along the way. I hadn’t thought about that. But I’m afraid my psychic people have more than enough on their hands controlling their talents, so they won’t be knitting anytime soon. I should slide in more history.
Good point about learning something along the way. I hadn’t thought about that. But I’m afraid my psychic people have more than enough on their hands controlling their talents, so they won’t be knitting anytime soon. I should slide in more history.
Good point about learning something along the way. I hadn’t thought about that. But I’m afraid my psychic people have more than enough on their hands controlling their talents, so they won’t be knitting anytime soon. I should slide in more history.
Wow, a back seat filled with mysteries is a gift beyond price! I’m not familiar with SC Perkins so that’s going on my reading list, thank you!
Wow, a back seat filled with mysteries is a gift beyond price! I’m not familiar with SC Perkins so that’s going on my reading list, thank you!
Wow, a back seat filled with mysteries is a gift beyond price! I’m not familiar with SC Perkins so that’s going on my reading list, thank you!
Wow, a back seat filled with mysteries is a gift beyond price! I’m not familiar with SC Perkins so that’s going on my reading list, thank you!
Wow, a back seat filled with mysteries is a gift beyond price! I’m not familiar with SC Perkins so that’s going on my reading list, thank you!
Yeah, the procedurals are all about “how it’s done” and I really don’t care what trajectory a bullet takes or how to crack open a breastbone. I want to know if the protag goes home and cooks dinner and pets his dog or goes to the bar and gets soused, and what he does about his lonely life.
Yeah, the procedurals are all about “how it’s done” and I really don’t care what trajectory a bullet takes or how to crack open a breastbone. I want to know if the protag goes home and cooks dinner and pets his dog or goes to the bar and gets soused, and what he does about his lonely life.
Yeah, the procedurals are all about “how it’s done” and I really don’t care what trajectory a bullet takes or how to crack open a breastbone. I want to know if the protag goes home and cooks dinner and pets his dog or goes to the bar and gets soused, and what he does about his lonely life.
Yeah, the procedurals are all about “how it’s done” and I really don’t care what trajectory a bullet takes or how to crack open a breastbone. I want to know if the protag goes home and cooks dinner and pets his dog or goes to the bar and gets soused, and what he does about his lonely life.
Yeah, the procedurals are all about “how it’s done” and I really don’t care what trajectory a bullet takes or how to crack open a breastbone. I want to know if the protag goes home and cooks dinner and pets his dog or goes to the bar and gets soused, and what he does about his lonely life.
I decided at the age of twelve that Agatha Christie by not giving us all the clues, but I enjoyed her characters anyway. Adding Sarah Caudwell to my list, thank you!
I decided at the age of twelve that Agatha Christie by not giving us all the clues, but I enjoyed her characters anyway. Adding Sarah Caudwell to my list, thank you!
I decided at the age of twelve that Agatha Christie by not giving us all the clues, but I enjoyed her characters anyway. Adding Sarah Caudwell to my list, thank you!
I decided at the age of twelve that Agatha Christie by not giving us all the clues, but I enjoyed her characters anyway. Adding Sarah Caudwell to my list, thank you!
I decided at the age of twelve that Agatha Christie by not giving us all the clues, but I enjoyed her characters anyway. Adding Sarah Caudwell to my list, thank you!
Yes, I read all the historical ones! I remember reading Sanderson a long time ago. May be time to get him out again, thank you!
Yes, I read all the historical ones! I remember reading Sanderson a long time ago. May be time to get him out again, thank you!
Yes, I read all the historical ones! I remember reading Sanderson a long time ago. May be time to get him out again, thank you!
Yes, I read all the historical ones! I remember reading Sanderson a long time ago. May be time to get him out again, thank you!
Yes, I read all the historical ones! I remember reading Sanderson a long time ago. May be time to get him out again, thank you!
I love mysteries. I can no longer read the thrillers that I once enjoyed. I like cozies. But, not the ones that are so shallow a puddle is deeper. I want an actual plot. What you have written in your post shows that you are someone who understands what a plot is. Thank you for being a good author. The mysteries I read can be more involved mysteries, but I can’t deal with blood and guts.
I like characters who I would like in life. Just as it is true in romances, I want to enjoy spending time with the characters in a book.
One of my favorite recent series is the Karen Baugh Menuhin series. It is the Heathcliff Lennox series. It is set after WWI and it is wonderful. In fact there are quite a few historical mysteries which are on my list of “gotta read them”.
I thank you for this post.
Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.
I love mysteries. I can no longer read the thrillers that I once enjoyed. I like cozies. But, not the ones that are so shallow a puddle is deeper. I want an actual plot. What you have written in your post shows that you are someone who understands what a plot is. Thank you for being a good author. The mysteries I read can be more involved mysteries, but I can’t deal with blood and guts.
I like characters who I would like in life. Just as it is true in romances, I want to enjoy spending time with the characters in a book.
One of my favorite recent series is the Karen Baugh Menuhin series. It is the Heathcliff Lennox series. It is set after WWI and it is wonderful. In fact there are quite a few historical mysteries which are on my list of “gotta read them”.
I thank you for this post.
Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.
I love mysteries. I can no longer read the thrillers that I once enjoyed. I like cozies. But, not the ones that are so shallow a puddle is deeper. I want an actual plot. What you have written in your post shows that you are someone who understands what a plot is. Thank you for being a good author. The mysteries I read can be more involved mysteries, but I can’t deal with blood and guts.
I like characters who I would like in life. Just as it is true in romances, I want to enjoy spending time with the characters in a book.
One of my favorite recent series is the Karen Baugh Menuhin series. It is the Heathcliff Lennox series. It is set after WWI and it is wonderful. In fact there are quite a few historical mysteries which are on my list of “gotta read them”.
I thank you for this post.
Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.
I love mysteries. I can no longer read the thrillers that I once enjoyed. I like cozies. But, not the ones that are so shallow a puddle is deeper. I want an actual plot. What you have written in your post shows that you are someone who understands what a plot is. Thank you for being a good author. The mysteries I read can be more involved mysteries, but I can’t deal with blood and guts.
I like characters who I would like in life. Just as it is true in romances, I want to enjoy spending time with the characters in a book.
One of my favorite recent series is the Karen Baugh Menuhin series. It is the Heathcliff Lennox series. It is set after WWI and it is wonderful. In fact there are quite a few historical mysteries which are on my list of “gotta read them”.
I thank you for this post.
Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.
I love mysteries. I can no longer read the thrillers that I once enjoyed. I like cozies. But, not the ones that are so shallow a puddle is deeper. I want an actual plot. What you have written in your post shows that you are someone who understands what a plot is. Thank you for being a good author. The mysteries I read can be more involved mysteries, but I can’t deal with blood and guts.
I like characters who I would like in life. Just as it is true in romances, I want to enjoy spending time with the characters in a book.
One of my favorite recent series is the Karen Baugh Menuhin series. It is the Heathcliff Lennox series. It is set after WWI and it is wonderful. In fact there are quite a few historical mysteries which are on my list of “gotta read them”.
I thank you for this post.
Hope everyone is well and safe and happy.
I like series where characters evolve emotionally and intellectually through solving mysteries, usually crimes. Lynda LaPlante’s ‘Prime Suspect’ is a favorite, where Jayne has to contend with masculine bias … made a wonderful TV series. Val McDermid with her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan collaboration is another crime based series, though a little gruesome. On the light hearted side I like M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, solving mysteries in the Cotswold villages (that I know well) and getting romantically entangled. Most recently I have been Following Sally Rigby’s Cavendish and Walker series where DCI Walker collaborates with forensic psychologist Cavendish. The evolving friendship of the two women through solving crimes and coping with more personal problems is fascinating.
I’m definitely in the character driven camp!
I like series where characters evolve emotionally and intellectually through solving mysteries, usually crimes. Lynda LaPlante’s ‘Prime Suspect’ is a favorite, where Jayne has to contend with masculine bias … made a wonderful TV series. Val McDermid with her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan collaboration is another crime based series, though a little gruesome. On the light hearted side I like M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, solving mysteries in the Cotswold villages (that I know well) and getting romantically entangled. Most recently I have been Following Sally Rigby’s Cavendish and Walker series where DCI Walker collaborates with forensic psychologist Cavendish. The evolving friendship of the two women through solving crimes and coping with more personal problems is fascinating.
I’m definitely in the character driven camp!
I like series where characters evolve emotionally and intellectually through solving mysteries, usually crimes. Lynda LaPlante’s ‘Prime Suspect’ is a favorite, where Jayne has to contend with masculine bias … made a wonderful TV series. Val McDermid with her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan collaboration is another crime based series, though a little gruesome. On the light hearted side I like M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, solving mysteries in the Cotswold villages (that I know well) and getting romantically entangled. Most recently I have been Following Sally Rigby’s Cavendish and Walker series where DCI Walker collaborates with forensic psychologist Cavendish. The evolving friendship of the two women through solving crimes and coping with more personal problems is fascinating.
I’m definitely in the character driven camp!
I like series where characters evolve emotionally and intellectually through solving mysteries, usually crimes. Lynda LaPlante’s ‘Prime Suspect’ is a favorite, where Jayne has to contend with masculine bias … made a wonderful TV series. Val McDermid with her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan collaboration is another crime based series, though a little gruesome. On the light hearted side I like M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, solving mysteries in the Cotswold villages (that I know well) and getting romantically entangled. Most recently I have been Following Sally Rigby’s Cavendish and Walker series where DCI Walker collaborates with forensic psychologist Cavendish. The evolving friendship of the two women through solving crimes and coping with more personal problems is fascinating.
I’m definitely in the character driven camp!
I like series where characters evolve emotionally and intellectually through solving mysteries, usually crimes. Lynda LaPlante’s ‘Prime Suspect’ is a favorite, where Jayne has to contend with masculine bias … made a wonderful TV series. Val McDermid with her Tony Hill and Carol Jordan collaboration is another crime based series, though a little gruesome. On the light hearted side I like M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, solving mysteries in the Cotswold villages (that I know well) and getting romantically entangled. Most recently I have been Following Sally Rigby’s Cavendish and Walker series where DCI Walker collaborates with forensic psychologist Cavendish. The evolving friendship of the two women through solving crimes and coping with more personal problems is fascinating.
I’m definitely in the character driven camp!
Count me in the character appreciation camp also. Now days, I prefer historical mysteries like Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford, a World War 1 nurse, or Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple, who’s trying to make it as a indepent woman in 1920s Britain. And I adore Sulari Gentil’s Rowly Sinclair books, which have taught me a lot of Australian history.
Count me in the character appreciation camp also. Now days, I prefer historical mysteries like Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford, a World War 1 nurse, or Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple, who’s trying to make it as a indepent woman in 1920s Britain. And I adore Sulari Gentil’s Rowly Sinclair books, which have taught me a lot of Australian history.
Count me in the character appreciation camp also. Now days, I prefer historical mysteries like Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford, a World War 1 nurse, or Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple, who’s trying to make it as a indepent woman in 1920s Britain. And I adore Sulari Gentil’s Rowly Sinclair books, which have taught me a lot of Australian history.
Count me in the character appreciation camp also. Now days, I prefer historical mysteries like Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford, a World War 1 nurse, or Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple, who’s trying to make it as a indepent woman in 1920s Britain. And I adore Sulari Gentil’s Rowly Sinclair books, which have taught me a lot of Australian history.
Count me in the character appreciation camp also. Now days, I prefer historical mysteries like Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford, a World War 1 nurse, or Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple, who’s trying to make it as a indepent woman in 1920s Britain. And I adore Sulari Gentil’s Rowly Sinclair books, which have taught me a lot of Australian history.
Another fan of the characters in mysteries here, but I would also add that the location and time period also seem important to my choices. I think character development and getting to know a time or place may be why I tend to read series mysteries. A favorite is Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series, which takes place in and around Venice. Among other modern authors, I particularly like PD James (RIP), Deborah Crombie, and Anne Cleeves (the Shetland series). The Golden Age authors, too, are long-time favorites. I own all the books of Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham, and have read them many times. For lighter but incredibly well-plotted mysteries, Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series and Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series are terrific.
Another fan of the characters in mysteries here, but I would also add that the location and time period also seem important to my choices. I think character development and getting to know a time or place may be why I tend to read series mysteries. A favorite is Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series, which takes place in and around Venice. Among other modern authors, I particularly like PD James (RIP), Deborah Crombie, and Anne Cleeves (the Shetland series). The Golden Age authors, too, are long-time favorites. I own all the books of Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham, and have read them many times. For lighter but incredibly well-plotted mysteries, Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series and Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series are terrific.
Another fan of the characters in mysteries here, but I would also add that the location and time period also seem important to my choices. I think character development and getting to know a time or place may be why I tend to read series mysteries. A favorite is Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series, which takes place in and around Venice. Among other modern authors, I particularly like PD James (RIP), Deborah Crombie, and Anne Cleeves (the Shetland series). The Golden Age authors, too, are long-time favorites. I own all the books of Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham, and have read them many times. For lighter but incredibly well-plotted mysteries, Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series and Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series are terrific.
Another fan of the characters in mysteries here, but I would also add that the location and time period also seem important to my choices. I think character development and getting to know a time or place may be why I tend to read series mysteries. A favorite is Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series, which takes place in and around Venice. Among other modern authors, I particularly like PD James (RIP), Deborah Crombie, and Anne Cleeves (the Shetland series). The Golden Age authors, too, are long-time favorites. I own all the books of Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham, and have read them many times. For lighter but incredibly well-plotted mysteries, Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series and Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series are terrific.
Another fan of the characters in mysteries here, but I would also add that the location and time period also seem important to my choices. I think character development and getting to know a time or place may be why I tend to read series mysteries. A favorite is Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series, which takes place in and around Venice. Among other modern authors, I particularly like PD James (RIP), Deborah Crombie, and Anne Cleeves (the Shetland series). The Golden Age authors, too, are long-time favorites. I own all the books of Christie, Sayers, Marsh, and Allingham, and have read them many times. For lighter but incredibly well-plotted mysteries, Catriona McPherson’s Dandy Gilver series and Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series are terrific.
“so shallow a puddle is deeper…” I love that. I try not to diss fellow authors but I know what you mean.
I just picked up a Heathcliff book! I’ll have to dive into it soon.
And you make me feel as if I’m not straying too far from my beaten path, thank you!
“so shallow a puddle is deeper…” I love that. I try not to diss fellow authors but I know what you mean.
I just picked up a Heathcliff book! I’ll have to dive into it soon.
And you make me feel as if I’m not straying too far from my beaten path, thank you!
“so shallow a puddle is deeper…” I love that. I try not to diss fellow authors but I know what you mean.
I just picked up a Heathcliff book! I’ll have to dive into it soon.
And you make me feel as if I’m not straying too far from my beaten path, thank you!
“so shallow a puddle is deeper…” I love that. I try not to diss fellow authors but I know what you mean.
I just picked up a Heathcliff book! I’ll have to dive into it soon.
And you make me feel as if I’m not straying too far from my beaten path, thank you!
“so shallow a puddle is deeper…” I love that. I try not to diss fellow authors but I know what you mean.
I just picked up a Heathcliff book! I’ll have to dive into it soon.
And you make me feel as if I’m not straying too far from my beaten path, thank you!
Oh yeah, these are all excellently plotted, probably better than I can. But yes, the personalities are the reason I read them.
Maybe Amazon ought to have a category called “character driven” so we know the juicy books when we see them.
Oh yeah, these are all excellently plotted, probably better than I can. But yes, the personalities are the reason I read them.
Maybe Amazon ought to have a category called “character driven” so we know the juicy books when we see them.
Oh yeah, these are all excellently plotted, probably better than I can. But yes, the personalities are the reason I read them.
Maybe Amazon ought to have a category called “character driven” so we know the juicy books when we see them.
Oh yeah, these are all excellently plotted, probably better than I can. But yes, the personalities are the reason I read them.
Maybe Amazon ought to have a category called “character driven” so we know the juicy books when we see them.
Oh yeah, these are all excellently plotted, probably better than I can. But yes, the personalities are the reason I read them.
Maybe Amazon ought to have a category called “character driven” so we know the juicy books when we see them.
we do seem to be living in a golden age for historical mysteries! Maybe I should have started there, but I was afraid trying to combine plotting and research would explode my brain. One frail step at a time…
we do seem to be living in a golden age for historical mysteries! Maybe I should have started there, but I was afraid trying to combine plotting and research would explode my brain. One frail step at a time…
we do seem to be living in a golden age for historical mysteries! Maybe I should have started there, but I was afraid trying to combine plotting and research would explode my brain. One frail step at a time…
we do seem to be living in a golden age for historical mysteries! Maybe I should have started there, but I was afraid trying to combine plotting and research would explode my brain. One frail step at a time…
we do seem to be living in a golden age for historical mysteries! Maybe I should have started there, but I was afraid trying to combine plotting and research would explode my brain. One frail step at a time…
Setting! Yes, a well done setting is absolutely necessary for a good mystery. That’s a most excellent point.
Setting! Yes, a well done setting is absolutely necessary for a good mystery. That’s a most excellent point.
Setting! Yes, a well done setting is absolutely necessary for a good mystery. That’s a most excellent point.
Setting! Yes, a well done setting is absolutely necessary for a good mystery. That’s a most excellent point.
Setting! Yes, a well done setting is absolutely necessary for a good mystery. That’s a most excellent point.
I came back to mention another mystery series that I really enjoy. Like others, I read mysteries for the characters (can I confess that sometimes I just let the mystery aspect float by?).
Anne Cleeland’s mysteries that feature Acton and Doyle. The first is Murder in Thrall.
I came back to mention another mystery series that I really enjoy. Like others, I read mysteries for the characters (can I confess that sometimes I just let the mystery aspect float by?).
Anne Cleeland’s mysteries that feature Acton and Doyle. The first is Murder in Thrall.
I came back to mention another mystery series that I really enjoy. Like others, I read mysteries for the characters (can I confess that sometimes I just let the mystery aspect float by?).
Anne Cleeland’s mysteries that feature Acton and Doyle. The first is Murder in Thrall.
I came back to mention another mystery series that I really enjoy. Like others, I read mysteries for the characters (can I confess that sometimes I just let the mystery aspect float by?).
Anne Cleeland’s mysteries that feature Acton and Doyle. The first is Murder in Thrall.
I came back to mention another mystery series that I really enjoy. Like others, I read mysteries for the characters (can I confess that sometimes I just let the mystery aspect float by?).
Anne Cleeland’s mysteries that feature Acton and Doyle. The first is Murder in Thrall.
Thank you! I think I have one of hers in the ipad. I’ll bump it up and take a look
Thank you! I think I have one of hers in the ipad. I’ll bump it up and take a look
Thank you! I think I have one of hers in the ipad. I’ll bump it up and take a look
Thank you! I think I have one of hers in the ipad. I’ll bump it up and take a look
Thank you! I think I have one of hers in the ipad. I’ll bump it up and take a look
I am definitely a mystery lover, it even predates my romance reading!
Among the Golden Age British writers, I love Dorothy Sayers and Patricia Wentworth(thankfully there are now e-versions of many of her books).
I’ve read all the Brother Cadfael books. I used to read a lot of hard-boiled detective novels, James Lee Burke, the Spenser books, John MacDonald, etc. Now I read mainly historical mysteries, and I follow a bunch of different series, including Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries(a midwife in Gilded Age New York), C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr books, Ann Granger’s Lizzie Martin series, both of Anna Lee Huber’s series(Verity Kent and Lady Darby), Wench Andrea’s Wrexford & Sloane books(I confess to falling a few books behind on the Lady Arianna series), Allison Montclair’s Sparks & Bainbridge mysteries, the list goes on and on!
And there are many other series like the Captain Gabriel Lacey, Hugh de Singleton and Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my TBR list, so probably more than I can finish in this lifetime!
I am definitely a mystery lover, it even predates my romance reading!
Among the Golden Age British writers, I love Dorothy Sayers and Patricia Wentworth(thankfully there are now e-versions of many of her books).
I’ve read all the Brother Cadfael books. I used to read a lot of hard-boiled detective novels, James Lee Burke, the Spenser books, John MacDonald, etc. Now I read mainly historical mysteries, and I follow a bunch of different series, including Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries(a midwife in Gilded Age New York), C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr books, Ann Granger’s Lizzie Martin series, both of Anna Lee Huber’s series(Verity Kent and Lady Darby), Wench Andrea’s Wrexford & Sloane books(I confess to falling a few books behind on the Lady Arianna series), Allison Montclair’s Sparks & Bainbridge mysteries, the list goes on and on!
And there are many other series like the Captain Gabriel Lacey, Hugh de Singleton and Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my TBR list, so probably more than I can finish in this lifetime!
I am definitely a mystery lover, it even predates my romance reading!
Among the Golden Age British writers, I love Dorothy Sayers and Patricia Wentworth(thankfully there are now e-versions of many of her books).
I’ve read all the Brother Cadfael books. I used to read a lot of hard-boiled detective novels, James Lee Burke, the Spenser books, John MacDonald, etc. Now I read mainly historical mysteries, and I follow a bunch of different series, including Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries(a midwife in Gilded Age New York), C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr books, Ann Granger’s Lizzie Martin series, both of Anna Lee Huber’s series(Verity Kent and Lady Darby), Wench Andrea’s Wrexford & Sloane books(I confess to falling a few books behind on the Lady Arianna series), Allison Montclair’s Sparks & Bainbridge mysteries, the list goes on and on!
And there are many other series like the Captain Gabriel Lacey, Hugh de Singleton and Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my TBR list, so probably more than I can finish in this lifetime!
I am definitely a mystery lover, it even predates my romance reading!
Among the Golden Age British writers, I love Dorothy Sayers and Patricia Wentworth(thankfully there are now e-versions of many of her books).
I’ve read all the Brother Cadfael books. I used to read a lot of hard-boiled detective novels, James Lee Burke, the Spenser books, John MacDonald, etc. Now I read mainly historical mysteries, and I follow a bunch of different series, including Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries(a midwife in Gilded Age New York), C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr books, Ann Granger’s Lizzie Martin series, both of Anna Lee Huber’s series(Verity Kent and Lady Darby), Wench Andrea’s Wrexford & Sloane books(I confess to falling a few books behind on the Lady Arianna series), Allison Montclair’s Sparks & Bainbridge mysteries, the list goes on and on!
And there are many other series like the Captain Gabriel Lacey, Hugh de Singleton and Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my TBR list, so probably more than I can finish in this lifetime!
I am definitely a mystery lover, it even predates my romance reading!
Among the Golden Age British writers, I love Dorothy Sayers and Patricia Wentworth(thankfully there are now e-versions of many of her books).
I’ve read all the Brother Cadfael books. I used to read a lot of hard-boiled detective novels, James Lee Burke, the Spenser books, John MacDonald, etc. Now I read mainly historical mysteries, and I follow a bunch of different series, including Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight mysteries(a midwife in Gilded Age New York), C.S. Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr books, Ann Granger’s Lizzie Martin series, both of Anna Lee Huber’s series(Verity Kent and Lady Darby), Wench Andrea’s Wrexford & Sloane books(I confess to falling a few books behind on the Lady Arianna series), Allison Montclair’s Sparks & Bainbridge mysteries, the list goes on and on!
And there are many other series like the Captain Gabriel Lacey, Hugh de Singleton and Inspector Ian Rutledge books on my TBR list, so probably more than I can finish in this lifetime!
And I forgot to add, I am another one who reads for characters and settings, I never worry too much about whodunnit.
And I forgot to add, I am another one who reads for characters and settings, I never worry too much about whodunnit.
And I forgot to add, I am another one who reads for characters and settings, I never worry too much about whodunnit.
And I forgot to add, I am another one who reads for characters and settings, I never worry too much about whodunnit.
And I forgot to add, I am another one who reads for characters and settings, I never worry too much about whodunnit.
I used to like mysteries as a teenager. I would read the Sherlock’s, the Poirot’s and I remember reading a huge book with five stories in it. And I even remember a couple of them but can’t say who was the author or even if it was an anthology. As a child I would love the adventures. Dumas and Verne were my thing. Also Tom Sawyer and the school girls of Malory Towers and in general books where kids had adventures and solved mysteries. But when I was 19 I discovered romance and never looked back. Then I realized that in all those books I would always be drawn to the relationships and the characters. So yes. I would read mysteries as long as they had a good dose of romance. Btw..I love Jo Beverley’s “into the mist” she always did have a great turn of frase. Never liked the term “pantser” what a ridiculous name. Lol
I used to like mysteries as a teenager. I would read the Sherlock’s, the Poirot’s and I remember reading a huge book with five stories in it. And I even remember a couple of them but can’t say who was the author or even if it was an anthology. As a child I would love the adventures. Dumas and Verne were my thing. Also Tom Sawyer and the school girls of Malory Towers and in general books where kids had adventures and solved mysteries. But when I was 19 I discovered romance and never looked back. Then I realized that in all those books I would always be drawn to the relationships and the characters. So yes. I would read mysteries as long as they had a good dose of romance. Btw..I love Jo Beverley’s “into the mist” she always did have a great turn of frase. Never liked the term “pantser” what a ridiculous name. Lol
I used to like mysteries as a teenager. I would read the Sherlock’s, the Poirot’s and I remember reading a huge book with five stories in it. And I even remember a couple of them but can’t say who was the author or even if it was an anthology. As a child I would love the adventures. Dumas and Verne were my thing. Also Tom Sawyer and the school girls of Malory Towers and in general books where kids had adventures and solved mysteries. But when I was 19 I discovered romance and never looked back. Then I realized that in all those books I would always be drawn to the relationships and the characters. So yes. I would read mysteries as long as they had a good dose of romance. Btw..I love Jo Beverley’s “into the mist” she always did have a great turn of frase. Never liked the term “pantser” what a ridiculous name. Lol
I used to like mysteries as a teenager. I would read the Sherlock’s, the Poirot’s and I remember reading a huge book with five stories in it. And I even remember a couple of them but can’t say who was the author or even if it was an anthology. As a child I would love the adventures. Dumas and Verne were my thing. Also Tom Sawyer and the school girls of Malory Towers and in general books where kids had adventures and solved mysteries. But when I was 19 I discovered romance and never looked back. Then I realized that in all those books I would always be drawn to the relationships and the characters. So yes. I would read mysteries as long as they had a good dose of romance. Btw..I love Jo Beverley’s “into the mist” she always did have a great turn of frase. Never liked the term “pantser” what a ridiculous name. Lol
I used to like mysteries as a teenager. I would read the Sherlock’s, the Poirot’s and I remember reading a huge book with five stories in it. And I even remember a couple of them but can’t say who was the author or even if it was an anthology. As a child I would love the adventures. Dumas and Verne were my thing. Also Tom Sawyer and the school girls of Malory Towers and in general books where kids had adventures and solved mysteries. But when I was 19 I discovered romance and never looked back. Then I realized that in all those books I would always be drawn to the relationships and the characters. So yes. I would read mysteries as long as they had a good dose of romance. Btw..I love Jo Beverley’s “into the mist” she always did have a great turn of frase. Never liked the term “pantser” what a ridiculous name. Lol
I love that we live in a time we can acquire our old favorites so easily! And right now, I have no idea whodunnit .
I love that we live in a time we can acquire our old favorites so easily! And right now, I have no idea whodunnit .
I love that we live in a time we can acquire our old favorites so easily! And right now, I have no idea whodunnit .
I love that we live in a time we can acquire our old favorites so easily! And right now, I have no idea whodunnit .
I love that we live in a time we can acquire our old favorites so easily! And right now, I have no idea whodunnit .
then you should be good to go if I throw romances in with my mysteries. And yes Jo knew how to use the language to perfection!
then you should be good to go if I throw romances in with my mysteries. And yes Jo knew how to use the language to perfection!
then you should be good to go if I throw romances in with my mysteries. And yes Jo knew how to use the language to perfection!
then you should be good to go if I throw romances in with my mysteries. And yes Jo knew how to use the language to perfection!
then you should be good to go if I throw romances in with my mysteries. And yes Jo knew how to use the language to perfection!