I've noted that I like mystery stories, and that I have a goal of reading at least 12 mystery books this year. (I'll actually complete that goal before the end of May!)
I have dreams of writing a mystery of my own - the honey story for which I've been collecting notes and ideas. So all this reading is for research on top of the pleasure.
Out of curiosity, I decided to look back at some of the mysteries I have read in recent years. I began tallying annual lists of books read back in 2013, so I went back and put this combined list together:
Trent’s Last Case by E. C. Bentley
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters
The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters
The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters
Brother Cadfael's Penance by Ellis Peters
The Hermit of Eyton Forest by Ellis Peters
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
This Side of Jordan by Bill Kassel
The Beekeeper's Apprentice: or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie King
The Good Friday Murders by Lee Harris
Hunting Badger by Tony Hillerman
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters
The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters
The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters
Brother Cadfael's Penance by Ellis Peters
The Hermit of Eyton Forest by Ellis Peters
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
This Side of Jordan by Bill Kassel
The Beekeeper's Apprentice: or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie King
The Good Friday Murders by Lee Harris
In the earliest years of the reading lists I was still teaching, so a lot of my reading was school related - multiple re-readings of books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, and The Great Gatsby, to cite three examples. That cut down on the number of mysteries I read for fun.
There are a number of mystery books I read prior to starting the lists. I read several other Hillerman, Havill, and Peters books, for example. I also read a lot of Ralph McInerny's Father Dowling and Sister Mary Teresa books, several of Robert Parker's Spenser books, and a number of Sherlock Holmes stories. Rebecca by Daphne du Murier was read as a school book, but it clearly is a mystery novel.
Earlier in my life when i read for fun I tended to read science fiction and horror, in addition to the classics I felt I needed to read. But more recent science fiction and horror have taken a darker turn, and I changed as well, growing more sensitive to such dark topics. Indeed, they touch on darker things withing me, and i didn't like that. Mysteries do touch on the dark forces in the world, but good and justice win in the end. That's more satisfying.
As I look back, I see certain authors I've obviously liked - like Hillerman and Peters. And there were a few books I didn't recall reading. I checked posts that touched on these books to refresh my memory. The Kienzle book I viewed as okay, but not great, and was open to reading another of his books to give him a chance, though I was not determined to do so. The Coel book I liked and I intended to read more of her books. I will do so.
I'm currently slowly reading a Chesterton Father Brown collection (in conjunction with other books), and I should finish that in the next few days. It's fitting that I will reach my goal with a Chesterton book.
After Father Brown, I'll read Christie's And Then There Were None. I have a copy and I know the story, but, to be honest, I don't remember if I read the novel; I have read Christie's play adaptation of it, and saw the classic 1945 film version.
After that, maybe another of the Coel mysteries, perhaps a Tey, and then, who knows, maybe some by some favorite writers..
Pax et bonum
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