Mystery Writers Choose Their Favorite Mysteries, Part Seven

Some contemporary mystery writers have provided lists of their favorite mysteries and non-mystery books.

Jeannette de Beauvoir

Jeannette de Beauvoir is the author of the Martine LeDuc mystery series, with Asylum currently available and Deadly Jewels coming out in 2016. She may be found at: jeannetteauthor.com and runs a Goodreads blog. 

1) December by Phil Rickman (in fact, anything by Phil Rickman should be on this list)
2) The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall (both thriller and mystery)
3) The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
4) In The Woods by Tara French
5) The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook

Mary Reed

Mary Reed and Eric Mayer co-author the John, Lord Chamberlain, Byzantine historical mysteries. The latest, Murder In Megara, appears in October 2015. The Guardian Stones, a WWII mystery set in rural Shropshire, written as by Eric Reed, is slated for January 2016 release. Her webpage. Her books Amazon and Poisoned Press.

1) The Spiral Staircase aka Some Must Watch by Ethel Lina White. A great favourite. The slow build-up of tension is enough to make readers of a nervous disposition swoon.

2) The Plague Court Murders, John Dickson Carr writing as Carter Dickson. As a locked room mystery fan I love Carr's work and this one, with its suggestively supernatural overtones, takes the biscuit.

3) Murder On The Orient Express by Agatha Christie. A classic, featuring clues in plain view and an astonishing yet logical explanation for the titular murder.

4) The Three Hostages by John Buchan. Gripping post-war adventure of Richard Hannay and friends, whose only lead in the kidnappings is a poem sent to the parents of the hostages.

5) The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. The night I saw the play strangers were comparing notes in the interval as to the culprit. I guessed wrong! I cannot say more because at curtain call the inspector asked the audience not to reveal whodunnit to their friends.

John Dufresne

John Dufresne has authored five novels and has taught a generation of aspiring authors how to write. His short story, The Cross-Eyed Bear, appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories 2010 compilation. In No Regrets, Coyote, he has recently turned his considerable skills to writing noir.

1) William Trevor: Selected Stories.

2) Alice Munro: Collected Stories.

3) J.D. Salinger: Nine Stories.

4) Anton Chekhov: The Complete Works.

5) Absalom, Absalom and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Dufresne's list as presented at The Whimsical Project.

Continued

Previously.

The first post:
P.D. James 
Andrew Klavan 
Thomas H. Cook
John Dickson Carr 
Arthur Conan Doyle

The second post:
Isaac Asimov
Robert Barnard
George Baxt
James Ellroy
Michael Gilbert
Sue Grafton
Reginald Hill
Tony Hillerman
HRF Keating
Peter Lovesey
Charlotte MacLeod
Sara Paretsky
Julian Symons
Martin Hill Ortiz

The third post:
Robert B. Parker
Elizabeth Peters
Peter Straub 
Donald E. Westlake
Phyllis A. Whitney

The fourth post:
Aaron Elkins
John Gardner 
Michael Malone
Marcia Muller

The fifth post:
Robert Barnard (best recent)
Jacques Barzun
Rex Stout 
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine 1950.

Martin Hill Ortiz, also writing under the name, Martin Hill, is the author of A Predatory Mind. His mystery, Never Kill A Friend, will be available June 27th from Ransom Note Press. His epic poem, Two Mistakes, recently won second place in the Margaret Reid/Tom Howard Poetry Competition.