Mystery Writers Choose Their Favorite Mysteries, Part Three

Yesterday's lists of mystery authors choosing their favorites mysteries was derived from the website "Detective-Fiction.com." Today's set will rely on those presented in The Armchair Detective's Book of Lists.

Robert B. Parker

Among other works, Dr. Parker wrote 40 novels with his detective hero, Spenser. As is reflected in his list, he wrote a doctoral dissertation on the works of Chandler and Hammett. He also completed the unfinished Chandler work "Poodle Springs," and wrote a sequel to The Big Sleep.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939)
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (1940)
The High Window by Raymond Chandler (1942)
The Lady in the Lake  by Raymond Chandler (1943)
The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler (1949)
The Long Goodbye  by Raymond Chandler (1953)
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1929)
The Diggers Game George V. Higgins (1973)

Elizabeth Peters

With a doctorate in Egyptology, many of Peters best works were mysteries set in Egypt, including Crocodile on the Sandbank.

The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr (1937)
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (1961)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (1902)
The Dark Place by Aaron Elkins (1983)
Phantom Lady by William Irish (1942)
Through a Glass, Darkly by Helen McCloy (1950)
The Family Vault by Charlotte MacLeod (1979)
Calamity Town by Ellery Queen (1942)
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (1930)
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (1951)

Peter Straub

Although famous for fantasy and horror, Straub has also penned complex mysteries and thrillers including Koko, The Throat, and (appropriately) Mystery.

Trent's Last Case by EC Bentley (1913)
When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes by Lawrence Block (1986)
The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler (1943)
The Long Good-bye by Raymond Chandler (1953)
The James Joyce Murder by Amanda Cross (1967)
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981)
Pale Gray for Guilt by John D. McDonald (1968)
Mortal Stakes by Robert B. Parker (1975)
Live Flesh by Ruth Rendell (1986)
The First Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders (1973)

Donald E. Westlake

Westlake was a master of the too-cool, humorous caper, many using his master thief John Dortmunder.

The Light of Day by Eric Ambler (1962)
Sleep and His Brother by Peter Dickson (1971)
The Eighth Circle by Stanley Ellin (1958)
Interface by Joe Gores (1974)
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930)
Kill the Boss, Good-by by Peter Rabe (1957)
The Red Right Hand by Joel Townsley Rogers (1945)

Phyllis A. Whitney

In a career that spanned over fifty years and well into her nineties, Whitney wrote romantic suspense mysteries. She lived on to 104 years of age.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1909)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938)
A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman (1988)
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope (1894)
Act of Darkness by Francis King (1983)
Night of the Juggler by William P. McGivern (1975)
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (1905)
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (1934)
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (1958)
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (1949)