I’m currently working on a mystery novel for an upcoming Guideposts series, so I’ve been thinking a lot about mysteries lately. The truth is I love mystery stories. I love reading them and watching them. But before now, I was scared to tackle writing one! And yet here I am. It’s been a learning curve, for sure, but it’s been fun to figure out how to set up the clues and the tension and them make it all come together—with a twist at the end, of course!
So while I’m deep in revising this story, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite mystery series, both print and video. Let’s go with TV series first:
As for books:
I’ve long loved the Victorian mystery series by Anne Perry, both the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries and the William Monk mysteries. And now she’s writing the next generation with the Daniel Pitt mysteries, Charlotte and Thomas’s son!
A new to me mystery series writer: Anna Huber. I’ve enjoyed the first couple of books in both the Lady Darby and the Verity Kent series. Two different time periods, both series set in England, both enjoyable reads. I’ll eventually make my way back to these series!
And of course who doesn’t love Agatha Christie novels in both their book and movie/tv show forms? Miss Marple and Hurcule Poirot as favorites around our house.
Hm. See a theme? Yep, these are either British TV shows, authors or settings. So I guess my love of mystery rose out of my love of all things United Kingdom. Or maybe it was the other way around?
Of course many other books I enjoy have a mystery element to them, but they do not technically fall in the mystery genre. And while most of these I’ve suggested to you involve a murder of some kind, I’m writing a mystery about an object, not a murder.
I’ve always been a bit in awe of mystery writers. And I still am. It is no easy feat to set up and solve a mystery for the reader without being too obvious or having too much of a pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat solution.
I don’t know if I’ll write another mystery-heavy novel again, but it sure has been fun figuring it out and realizing I can do it, even if it has taken a bit more effort for this seat-of-the-pants writer!
What is your favorite mystery book or tv series?
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I have two favorite mystery TV shows: Remington Steele and Hart to Hart. One of my favorite mystery reads so far this year has been The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham. It reminds me of a historical Hart to Hart.
Joy – I loved those shows! You just brought me back to my 80’s happy place. Ha! And I knew I wanted to read The Mistletoe Countess, but now I want to read it even more. Thanks for that recommendation!
What Karen said! On both counts! 🙂
I’m not often drawn to mystery novels, although when I read them I enjoy them. Like Diane Mott Davidson’s culinary mysteries. But all of the shows you listed above are favorites of mine.
Those will have to go on my list, Robin. They sound fun. 🙂
I love that you’re bringing the mystery angle into your new book, D’Ann. I definitely don’t consider myself a mystery writer, but I have had a couple books that featured mystery elements, and they were fun to write. One of my favorite mystery shows is UK-adjacent. I loved The Murdoch Mysteries set in 1890’s Canada. I don’t read mysteries, but the vast majority of the television shows we watch have mystery/crime-solving angles.
Yes, I enjoyed that series, too. Always love it when we can combine history and mystery!
I love mysteries! I’ve woven a mystery element of some kind into my last seven novels. 🙂
I agree with you — they’re not easy to do well. So I have a lot of respect for the screenwriters and authors who do them brilliantly. I’ve watched and really enjoyed Endeavour. I’m grateful for these other suggestions!
Lately I’ve been watching some episodes of Astrid on Prime. (It’s set in Paris with subtitles and features a young Autistic woman who helps a female detective solve murders.) I’m also a fan of the BBC’s Sherlock. Broadchurch (the first two seasons were too heavy for me, so I watched season three — also heavy but extremely well done with great pacing and twists). Miss Scarlet and the Duke. And Vienna Blood.
Those are great ones, too! And I agree, Broadchurch was so heavy.
I love mysteries! Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, the works of Wilkie Collins, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers–and on and on.
Three favorite mystery series of mine are Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series, Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen Mysteries, and Ann Swinfen’s Oxford Medieval Mysteries.
Love so many of these, so I’ll have to add the others to my list! 🙂
You hit all my favorites and the other commenters did too! We love British mystery at our house. My favorite book/ movie is Rebecca. My favorite genre to read is Historical Christian Fiction and a close second is mystery/ Suspense. All the better when they are combined!
Rebecca is so good. And yes, very fun when all your genres end up in one book! 🙂
I have TRIED reading mysteries. Problem is, I have a horrible habit of jumping to the end to make sure everything ends up okay, which means I miss all those clues! I certainly could never write one, although I can figure out the “who-dun-it” quote easily in a tv show. As for series, my husband and I very much enjoy “Miss Scarlet” and “Grantchester.” Any show, especially on PBS, that gives me a break from his sports is a godsend. 🙂
Mysteries are definitely not for the readers who jump to the end first!I’ve never quite understood how you can do that, but I know so many who do!
A few of my favorite TV and book series already have been mentioned here–glad to see fellow readers of the same series!
Here are a couple I’ve enjoyed not mentioned:
The “Lady Emily” Mystery series by Tasha Alexander has been a long favorite of mine.
“Lady of Ashes” and “Florence Nightingale” by Christine Trent
“Wrexford and Sloan” by Andrea Penrose
A few things to share:
“Grantchester” has departed from the original novels since James Norton left the show. The 6th season is a little longer with a few story threads going at the moment. I read the complete series (starting with “The Road to Grantchester” prequel) from the library and enjoyed it.
“Endeavour” already has aired in the UK so it’ll make its way here stateside.
Ambrose Parry has released a 3rd and finale in the “Fisher & Raven” trilogy, a historical mystery set in 1850s Edinburgh.
Stephanie Barron has a new Jane Austen mystery releasing next year!
Those sound like some great ones! And I’m actually glad to hear that the Grantchester books were more in line with the way it was when it started. We quite watching it this season. Looking forward to adding the books you mentioned to my wish list! 🙂
Nobody does mysteries like the British! You hit my favorites with Foyle’s War and Morse (old and young). I have to add Midsomer Murders with the caveat that the first Barnaby was better than his successor. Oh, and Murder in Suburbia was really good too and very humorous. Miss Marple and Poirot get seen a lot here at our house. Murder on the Orient Express with Albert Finney is possibly the most watched movie ever at our house although David Suchet is my favorite Poirot overall. I’ve listened to all the Lady Darby mysteries by Anna Lee Huber and read by Heather Wilds. Heather does an outstanding job narrating these. I can’t remember how I discovered that series, but I went through them like candy on Hoopla. I can’t leave out Sue Grafton with her Kinsey Millhone series. Her death was quite a loss to the mystery world, IMO. Since you enjoyed all my favorites, I’ll have to check out Vera since I missed out on that so far.