The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Mysteries do seem comforting in troubled times. Howard Haycraft, the great mystery historian, says that during the Nazi bombing of London, the most popular books being read by those taking shelter in the tunnels were mysteries.

Scout, you have my sympathy - the pictures from the coast are just awful. I live in north MS and have enjoyed the Gulf coast all my life. I feel that we are losing something very precious.

Yes, very precious, and it breaks my heart. Devastation of the ecosystem. Death for innocent creatures, and bankruptcy for people who depend on seafood for a living (although I do see some irony in that). I can't even watch the news now. In these times of great and mysterious (at least to me) technological feats, how can this be happening?

Donna wrote: "Hi Scout, I read somewhere that mysteries increase in popularity during times of general difficulty, like the Great Depression or in wartime, because they allow conflicts to be resolved and order restored..."

I think this is why my mystery-reading has increased drastically over the last 2 years. Seriously.

I like mysteries because I love the process of solving the crime. I like nearly all mysteries as long as the author doesn't pull a rabbit out of the hat to solve the mystery (and even then, I can overlook it if the pursuit of truth was particularly satisfying). I find I tend to like the ones that don't/can't rely on modern forensic science to solve the crime. I like a solid detective figure with a good brain.

I am yet another Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew devotee. And I was fortunate to have an uncle who read nothing but mysteries and thrillers. For years, every time we went to visit, he'd give me grocery bags (remember brown paper bags?) of books he'd read. They were so much better than the romantic crud my mother kept on her shelves. Early on, I came to the conclusion that every romance she purchased was the same story line with the names and locations changed. I've yet to run across that problem with mysteries.

Tingles my spine, Judith! Boxes of Nancy Drews! *sigh*

I had to borrow them from friends to read them. My mother, an incredible book snob (over and above the call of duty, really) wouldn't buy them for me. (They weren't written by a "real" author! Horrors!!)

I'm tempted to go buy them all and read them again!

Mystery novels are like solving puzzles. We often have access to most of the facts, but usually can't find who did it till it's disclosed. Also, I like the thrill it gives me.

I've thought about what a tightrope mystery writers have to walk. They can't give too many clues, or you figure it out before the resolution. If they don't give enough clues, or if they give too many misleading or irrelevant clues, you're angry when you find out that no one could possibly have solved the mystery. It takes real talent to do it right, doesn't it?

I wasnt hooked on mysterys until I stumbled onto a Michael Connely (Harry Bosch) novel- then the floodgates opened for me! first I spent a large amt of time going back and getting every Connelly book and then I went into Nelson Demille and back tracked all of his books. I then went into Greg Ilse and so on and so on... Now I just wait around for one of these guys to publish another book-- and boy do they deliver every 4-6 months. I'm re- reading Demilles book The Lion Game getting ready for his newest release (sequal-the Lion) cant wait! I'm sure the others are currently writing something just to keep me entertained!

Scout, I think you must be right. I remember as a teen reading The Black Tower by P.D. James. I got to the end and said "no way!" I was so sure she'd pulled a fast one that I immediately went back to the beginning and reread the book. Sure enough, the clues were all there, but Dalgleish never had a Eureka! moment. He never said, "There's a clue." I couldn't gobble up her books fast enough after that. And I think that was when I fell in love with the brilliant, but understated mysteries.

I loved Nancy Drews' when I was younger, and I learned that I liked trying to figure out who did what along with Nancy. Then I started reading Agatha Christie and my love of mystery books just continued. I like trying to figure out who did what although a lot of the time I can't figure it out before it is revealed. But since I like being surprised thats ok.

Nancy,
I too enjoyed both the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, wow that's going way back, but I am down for that. I have also read a few of Agatha Christie's mysteries, but not lately, do you have any suggestions on " who done it " stories, love to hear back from you, read on !

Looks like a lot of us initially read Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys and Agatha Christie. I started off on Enid Blyton books as a child, from the Fairy Tales then onto the mystery books and I think as a natural progression as I grew up, stayed with the mystery novels. Nancy Drew in my early teens, Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen late teens/early twenties and have been hooked every since on murder/thriller/who-dunnits.

I was never a Nancy Drew reader, but boy did I love Trixie Belden mysteries! Did anyone else ever read those? I hardly ever come across anyone who read Trixie Belden books, and they were very similar to the Nancy Drew ones, or so I believe. I read the entire series as a young child and always loved the mystery novels after that. I love all books and can read just about anything, but mysteries are my first love.

Dottie wrote: "I was never a Nancy Drew reader, but boy did I love Trixie Belden mysteries! Did anyone else ever read those? I hardly ever come across anyone who read Trixie Belden books, and they were very sim..."

I remember reading the Trixie Belden's. For some reason I only read one or two of the Nancy Drew's but I read several of the Trixie's. Maybe our small library had more of them. My very favorite mystery novels in my early years were the Perry Mason books.

The covers of the Nancy Drews were sometimes so enticing I thought I would go crazy.

Dena, I read Trixie Beldon's books also. I don't know why but I didn't know that there were Perry Mason books. Duh! :)

Karendenice wrote: "Dena, I read Trixie Beldon's books also. I don't know why but I didn't know that there were Perry Mason books. Duh! :)"

I think the books came before the tv series but I'm not sure. I think I began reading the books because I liked the tv shows. After I discovered Agatha Christie I abandoned Perry Mason.

Would you believe with all of the reading that I did when I was younger I never did read any of Agatha Christie's books? I'm going to have to get caught up. :)

Yes, Erle Stanley Gardner began publishing his Perry Mason series in 1933, long before TV was broadcasting this type of programming.

Oh, now I remember him. I guess I just didn't realize that he wrote Perry Mason books. But I do remember his name. It's funny because up until recently I was taping reruns of the Perry Mason show and watching them. Tv sure has changed a lot! :)

Dottie wrote: "I was never a Nancy Drew reader, but boy did I love Trixie Belden mysteries! Did anyone else ever read those? I hardly ever come across anyone who read Trixie Belden books, and they were very sim..."

I loved the Trixie Belden books! I even think I still have them somewhere in my attic. Never got into Nancy Drew or the others, but really adored the Trixie stories>

'Cause it's fun playing a detective to see if I'm right at the end:)

Susan wrote: "Dottie wrote: "I was never a Nancy Drew reader, but boy did I love Trixie Belden mysteries! Did anyone else ever read those? I hardly ever come across anyone who read Trixie Belden books, and the..."

Oh goodness, i haven't thought about Trixie Beldon mysteries in years! What fun they were...and the Bobbsey Twins...i would get one, perhaps two, of the books from those series for Christmas...and spend the whole day reading until the last page was turned. Then beg for more, only to be told i shouldn't have read it in one day (unfair parental control). My addiction to mysteries and reading...what a great life!

Dottie wrote: "I was never a Nancy Drew reader, but boy did I love Trixie Belden mysteries! Did anyone else ever read those? I hardly ever come across anyone who read Trixie Belden books, and they were very sim..."

I never read Nancy Drew either. I got one Trixie Belden book for Xmas one year and read it over and over. I didn't know there were any more! They must not have been in our city library.

Why do I like mysteries? I don't need years of expensive psychotherpy to tell me that this is one thing I can blame on my father. He was constantly reading Ed McBain, Nero Wolfe, John D. MacDonald, Joseph Wambaugh, Donald E. Westlake... I was daddy's girl - of course I read the same stuff! We also never missed an episode of Dragnet or The F.B.I.
Good times, good times.

Dena wrote: "Karendenice wrote: "Dena, I read Trixie Beldon's books also. I don't know why but I didn't know that there were Perry Mason books. Duh! :)"

I think the books came before the tv series but I'm not ..."

Yes, the Perry Mason books were first published in the early 1930s, twenty-five years or more before the television program began. I believe, though, that there were at least a couple of Perry Mason movies made in the '30s or '40s.

Well, James, you have hit the nail on the head. That's why I don't remember them. I was too young. :D

I do remember Trixie Belden, the Bobbsey Twins and if I'm not mistaken there was one named Sherry Adams , Nurse or something like that. Does anyone remember that one?

I found it!! Yeah! They are not ,mysteries, but I really enjoyed them.

I forgot about Trixie Belden too. I think there were more Nancy Drew books so maybe that's why we remember them better and they did have great covers. I remember the Cherry Ames books too.

Trixie Belden and her friend Honey Wheeler were my introduction to mysteries! Loved Trixie and the rest of the gang.

I'm really going to age myself here...Every weekend my mom would give me a dollar and I'd run down to the TG&Y store and get the next book in the series. I was so disappointed when I came to the end of the series. But I think they've written more.

I still have all my books in the closet in my bedroom of my Mom's house.

I also read Nancy Drew, but didn't care for her as much as Trixie.

I read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but I'd never heard of Trixie Belden until joining this group. Guess I missed some good stories. I recall that my sister read Judy Bolton books, although she never passed them on to me.

I read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Agatha Christie. Then I "graduated" into Edgar Allen Poe and Victoria Holt books. Now I read a wide variety of mystery and suspense books, from cozies to funny capers to suspenseful outdoor-oriented mysteries. I steer clear of thrillers that delve into "icky stuff" that turns me off, like rape, child abuse, torture, etc.

I was a big fan of the Judy Bolton mystery series as well as Trixie Belden and Nanacy Drew. Ah! childhood.

Beth wrote: "I read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Agatha Christie. Then I "graduated" into Edgar Allen Poe and Victoria Holt books. Now I read a wide variety of mystery and suspense books, from cozies to funn..."

Beth, I read all of the same. And along with Victoria Holt I read Phyllis Whitney and Charlotte Armstrong. Do you remember them?

I also started reading mysteries with Nancy Drew. I have since moved on and love Harlan Coben, Lawrence Sanders, John Sandford, and Stieg Larsson. I am reading The Girl Who Played With Fire right now. I love the details that these authors give you about the characters and their lives.

Melki wrote: "Why do I like mysteries? I don't need years of expensive psychotherpy to tell me that this is one thing I can blame on my father. He was constantly reading Ed McBain, Nero Wolfe, John D. MacDonal..."
...you are very lucky to have had a dad with marvelous taste in detective fiction.

It's so much fun to see what you all were reading as young things and what authors your parents introduced you to. Neither of my parents was a mystery lover, alas. I think I already mentioned that my best buddy's mother turned me on to Dick Francis when I was in high school and a college friend introduced me to Lord Peter Wimsey. I don't know why my parents didn't like mysteries... they are so perfect!

Hayes wrote: "It's so much fun to see what you all were reading as young things and what authors your parents introduced you to. Neither of my parents was a mystery lover, alas. I think I already mentioned that ..."

No one else in my family was a reader and when I first learned to read I had very little access to books. I remember reading my older brother and sister's textbooks. They were 6 and 7 years older than me so they had really interesting stories in their books unlike the Dick and Jane's in my reading textbooks. I read everything I could get my hands on and somewhere in there I found mysteries and historical fiction which are still my favorite relaxing reads. The biggest influences on my reading were my grandmother who let me read and didn't make me go do something useful, and the librarian in our little library in Ozark, MO. She was the only person who had any idea what I was reading she kept an eye on me and sometimes offered suggestions of new authors. She may have been the one who suggested Agatha Christie to me.

Dena wrote: "The biggest influences on my reading were my grandmother ... and the librarian in our little library in Ozark, MO."

Grandmothers and librarians... *sigh* Aren't they wonderful?

Hayes wrote: "Dena wrote: "The biggest influences on my reading were my grandmother ... and the librarian in our little library in Ozark, MO."

Grandmothers and librarians... *sigh* Aren't they wonderful?"

Now I'm the Grandmother and I love it when my grand-daughter calls to tell me about the book she's just finished.

Dena wrote: "Now I'm the Grandmother and I love it when my grand-daughter calls to tell me about the book she's just finished. "

That's so great, Dena. How old is she?

Hayes wrote: "Dena wrote: "Now I'm the Grandmother and I love it when my grand-daughter calls to tell me about the book she's just finished. "

That's so great, Dena. How old is she?"

She's 8 almost 9 and reads everything. She started recognizing words and sounding out words as she was being read to when she was three and hasn't stopped. All my children like to read but all 3 are boys so it's been fun to see how Ari's reading choices differ. So far she likes action and adventure stories with strong characters and humor and she doesn't mind if the story line gets scary. She might turn into a mystery lover!

My daughter loves to read, but not my granddaughter. I've tried different types of books with her, but it's just not something she's in to. Darn!

I have a 2-1/2 yr. old grandson, and I send him books for every occasion. Of course, at this point I try to send him cloth books that can't be torn up. :)

I read mysteries because they entertain me, and I enjoy puzzles. I love trying to solve the puzzle. And there are so many different types, from cozy to gory. I have lots of choices. I enjoy watching old black & white mysteries, too.

Mysteries are like magic. I dont want to know how it is done until the end...

Carol wrote: "Mysteries are like magic. I dont want to know how it is done until the end..."

But there's fun in trying to guess, at least for me.

Carol wrote: "Mysteries are like magic. I dont want to know how it is done until the end..." if you like to wait til near the end to find out whodunit, see "Mr X" a late tec tale from John Lutz

Carol wrote: "Mysteries are like magic. I dont want to know how it is done until the end..."

Carol, That's a beautiful way to put it. And when I think about it they are magical to me because they take me so many different places, with different people and different situations. And they seem to enliven my mind and keep my imagination going. Especially when people are like me and keep guessing what the end will be with every singe turn of the page.

I'm with you Carol... I like the magic and the surprise; I don't work very hard at second guessing. But I agree, Karendenice: I love the different places and situations.

I am bad about coming across something in a book and saying I don't remember that having happened so I have to go back and hopefully find out if I read something wrong and was therefore put off track.