Suggest some good, well written detective fiction for me?

[LEMmingaround]

I fancied some detective fiction - nothing too high brow, i want easy to read and gripping, preferably not american.

I just read something by Peter James, really disappointing - it was just crap, predictable, mysoginistic and unrealistic. So that would be a good guide for what i don't like............

[efeslight]

Has anyone read any Dorothy Simpson? Inspector Thanet, set in Kent, I think- if you like PD Jamesish very English style then you might like this series. Surprised she is not more popular.

[Cheboludo]

Oh, fab! Whereabouts were you? (I understand if you prefer not to say)

[DoctorGilbertson]

Ah, very good - I lived there for a while

[Cheboludo]

DoctorGilbertson - ha, well spotted! I'm not from Argentina but I have an ex who is and I spent a little bit of time there.

[DoctorGilbertson]

Sorry - off topic - Cheboludo, are you from Argentina?

[DoctorTwo]

No, I've not been to any signings etc, but he does come across as an amusing agreeable sort. I subscribe to his newsletter, it's always well written and funny.

[Cheboludo]

Doctortwo: off topic but have you been to any John Connolly events? If not, he's really entertaining. Very funny and charming and incredibly gracious. Plus he seems to do exclusive editions of books for independent book shops. He had an event in Belfast on Friday which my DH went to - he got The Lion in Winter signed & with an exclusive CD.

[RabbitsarenotHares]

I've enjoyed:

Phil Rickman – Merrily Watkins Hereford series, she’s a priest, becomes the Diocesan Delivery Minister – ie an exorcist, solves crimes

Alex Gray – set in Glasgow

Quintin Jardine – Bob Skinner series – set in Edinburgh

Mark Billingham – have only read one of his so far but kept me guessing up to the end

Ann Cleves (wrote the Vera and Shetland series, plus some enjoyable one-offs)

[cheeseandpineapple]

The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith, aka J K Rowling. Very readable. Next one in the series is out in June.

[DoctorTwo]

I like John Connolly's Charlie Parker novels. Start with Every Dead Thing and go from there. He's an Irish writer setting these books in and around Maine. It's quite rewarding to read them in order, but not at all necessary. There's a new one out next month, The Lion In Winter, and I'm beyond excited.

[CreepyCrawly]

Billingham*

[CreepyCrawly]

Mark Billingjam is my favourite. His Tom Thorne books are easy to read and I struggle to put them down once I've started. Love his standalone ones too.

[MorrisZapp]

Result, Scone :)

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

For US mumsnetters: following up on Aquelven's recommendation, I discovered that Black Dog is a 99 cent kindle special on amazon.com?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21, so that's my weekend reading sorted.

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

Morris When we were in Edinburgh several years ago, I left Ian Rankin a message with the barman in the Oxford Bar begging him to bring Rebus back. DH is convinced that I am responsible for Rebus's return.

[Aquelven]

Stephen Booth. Set in Derbyshire, the Peak District. Black Dog is the first in the series.

[MorrisZapp]

No need to worry about confusing Rebus with his creator - Ian Rankin goes to all the same haunts, I see him regularly in Starbucks etc.

Georgette Heyer wrote some Christie-esque detective novels, they're very witty and sharp. All with the same basic plot: rich cantankerous bastard with no kids gets bumped off when loads of nephews, nieces and siblings in the house. They all have a motive... But who did it? They all squabble wittily and laugh in the face of mourning etiquette. There's usually a gay one too, who takes the snidey one liners too far.

The world weary detective thinks they're all mad, apart from the pretty niece who he tries to shag.

They'd make brilliant Sunday telly.

[Cookiepants]

James Oswald - Inspector McClean series.

Mo Hayder- Jack Caffrey series.

[parques]

Just thought of another - Quinton Jardine (I think). Series about a Scottish detective, Bob Skinner

[CoteDAzur]

mmack - I think you would enjoy Eliot Pattison's Inspector Shan series.

[mmack]

I'm halfway through Qiu Xiaolong's Death of a Red Heroine and I'm really enjoying it. It's a police procedural set in Shanghai in the 1990s and both the mystery and background Chinese history and politics are very interesting.
Incidentally, I've just finished Bad Boy by Peter Robinson. According to Amazon it's the 19th Alan Banks mystery and I didn't think much of it. It was predictable and fairly boring. I loved the earlier ones though and I'm wondering if anyone has read the latest ones in the series and, if so, what the verdict was on them?

[elkiedee]

I think John Harvey is one of the best writers working in the crime fiction genre, and I like his Charlie Resnick series and his others.

I also love Denise Mina, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid.

Have you read Peter Robinson's Alan Banks series.

Laura Wilson's books are mostly historical -the Stratton series is set during and after WWII.

I was impressed by Stella Duffy's first two Saz Martin novels, about a PI in South London.

[bibliomania]

Oh, and Zoe Ferraris. Her books are set in Saudi Arabia, and it's a really fascinating glimpse of life there.

[bibliomania]

Another vote for Ann Cleeves.

Barbara Nadel - the Istanbul books, and the ones set during WWII.

New discovery - Parker Bilal. Set in Cairo.

Elly Griffiths is great (her main character is a forensic archaeologist and single mother)

If you like historical detective fiction, I recommend Ariana Franlin, Mistress of the Art of Death, set in the twelfth century.

[BlueChampagne]

Have you met Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde's literary detective? First one is "The Eyre Affair". Very British, funny, off-beat, and rattling good read.