Ten on Tuesday - 10 Favorite Mystery Books

Ten favorite mystery books!  Only ten? I read mysteries all the time.  It's my favorite genre... which is ironic since I've been wanting to tell you all about a really good book I just read and it isn't a mystery at all. It isn't even fiction.

It's called "The Destiny of the Republic" by Candice Millard and it's about James Garfield.  Never in a million years would I have thought I'd read a book about him, or enjoy it so much, but there it is. I suspect that I'm like many of you when I say that prior to reading this book all I knew about Garfield is that he was our president and he was assassinated.  What I learned was that there's so much more to know. This was a president who should've left such a lasting mark on our country and yet, all that most of us know is how he died. You should really check this book out.



But back to the subject at hand.  Mysteries! I read many stand alone books but I read a lot of series.  I tend to enjoy the development of characters over time.  I like to see how they change over time.  Each time a new one comes out its like watching Law & Order with a visiting friend.  You catch up a little and enjoy a really good story.

1. Sue Grafton's Alphabet series - I stopped reading them years ago because I was afraid to finish the series.  I didn't want them to end.  So recently I went back to the start to refresh my memory before continuing through to "V".  So close to the end of the alphabet.  Then what?
2. Karin Slaughter's Grant County books - they're twisted and she really doesn't seem to like her characters very much but the stories are very absorbing.
3. JA Jance's JP Beaumont series - These take me to a setting that is foreign to me in a way that is so vivid and that adds something to the experience . I remember when I first started reading them and I felt like if I actually got to visit Seattle I would recognize it.  
4. Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series -  this is one of my favorite authors.  So much so that she makes 2 appearances on my list.  As a plus, these are set mostly in Baltimore which is close and feels very familiar.
5. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - I picked up this book at a library convention where they were giving away copies for free.  Signed copies!  How could I resist?  Then it sat, unread, until it started showing up on lists of the best books of the year.  So I had to read it and I'm so glad that I did.  It's just so good.
6. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo - This is the first in a series and these mysteries are set in Amish Country, an unusual setting that fascinates me.  
7. William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series - this is another series that takes me to an unfamiliar part of the country and offers a little taste of another culture.  In this case the setting is Minnesota 
8. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series - No list would be complete without Harry. Not only have I read the books, but I've had the pleasure of hearing the author speak about them a few times as well.  I even read one of Raymond Chandler's books because he cited them as an inspiration.  I didn't like them though.  I'll stick to Harry.
9. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series - these are just fun.  Silly, escapist, fun.
10. To The Power of Five by Laura Lippman - my oldest daughter and I read this one around the same time and it really stayed with us.  We discussed it a lot.  It's that kind of book.  One that makes you think a little about relationships and peer pressure and family.  It still stays with us.