Wicked Wednesday–It’s Traditional

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by Barb in Key West, not ready for March to march in

We’ve explored some of the myriad crime fiction subgenres this month, and on the next to last day I’m going to indulge in my favorite subgenre–the Traditional Mystery. You know them, you love them. There’s a crime and sleuth and the hunt for the perpetrator and a resolution at the end. The sleuth can be amateur or professional, a public employee or private. The crime is usually, but not always, murder. None of the restrictions for cozies apply, but the crimes and characters can range anywhere from horrifying to quaint, and sometimes both.

Wickeds, tell us about your favorite traditional mysteries, contemporary ones, older books from authors no longer with us, favorite books, series, characters, authors. Go!

Edith/Maddie: Deborah Crombie’s long-running Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James mysteries and Julia Spencer-Fleming’s Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries are traditional, and they are two of my favorite contemporary authors. Also anything (everything!) by Ann Cleeves. I loved Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee series, although I haven’t read Anne Hillerman’s continuation of the stories. Farther back Dorothy L Sayers gets my vote, as well as Dame Agatha.

Julie: Edith, I recently started reading Deborah Crombie’s series, and I’m loving it. I love traditional mysteries, and there are so many authors writing wonderful stand alones and series these days. Gigi Pandian’s Locked Room Mysteries are wonderful. I’m looking forward to Kim Giarratano’s second Billie Levine mystery, Devil in Profile. I’m also looking forward to Anthony Horowitz’s next Hawthorne book, Close to Death.

Liz: Edith, I love Clare and Russ too! I have also completely fallen for the Thursday Murder Club – Richard Osman has become one of my favorite authors. Deborah Crombie’s series is on my list for sure – I haven’t read it yet but have heard great things.

Sherry: One of my favorite books from 2023 is Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head. It’s a mash up of mystery, thriller, and historical. It was just named a finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category! I also loved All We Buried by Elena Taylor and am thrilled the second book in the series is coming out this summer. The all too short series, the Abish Taylors mysteries, by D. A. Bartley were also very good.

Jessie: I have to put votes for any of the novels by Vaseem Kahn, but especially the Malabar House books. I also love Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway books. For older books I would mention the Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters, as well as books by Ngaio Marsh, and, of course, Agatha Christie. I have reread both of those authors many, many times.

Barb: I endorse all above, especially mysteries by Julia Spencer-Fleming, Deb Crombie, Richard Osman, and Ann Cleeves. I would add Louise Penny, Paul Doiron, Craig Johnson, and my all-time favorites, gone but never forgotten, Ruth Rendell and P.D. James.

Readers: Do you enjoy traditional mysteries? Add authors and/or titles to our recommendations list.

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Published by Barbara Ross

Barbara Ross is the author of twelve Maine Clambake Mystery novels and six novellas. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com

23 Thoughts

    1. So many wonderful suggestions! For a current series, I’m a fan of Inspector Shadow’s mysteries by H.L. Marsay.

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  2. You’ve already named all of my favorites, but I’ll give them a shout out again. Clare and Russ, Longmire, and Ruth Galloway. Love them!

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  3. I cut my teeth on the Spencer series by Robert Parker. My mom, aunt and I were all members of the Judas Goats Society. Bob would host dinners at a restaurant in Cambridge, MA where we’d dine on meals that Spencer had made for his Susan, and then we’d all hang out and gab. For some reason, Bob loved My aunt, and ended up at our table all night. Although I mourn his death, it didn’t escape me that he died at his desk, with a partially finished manuscript in front of him. He left us with the mystery of what comes next. Although the manuscript was finished by another writer, I’ve always wondered what outcome would have happened if “the Master” had completed it.

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  4. Love them all as long as a clean read. Getting the heart pumping with a great mystery – traditional, cozy, and anything in between – is good for your health and reading well being. Keeping some on your TBR list ensures you will always have some great books on hand and on your wish list.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  5. I love traditional mysteries. My goal this year is to catch up with Deb Crombie’s books. I started around book 15 and haven’t gone back to the beginning because of new releases that keep cropping up.

    You’ve mentioned most of my favorites.

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  6. This is a great discussion and a lot of my favorites were included! Barb, I love that you listed Paul Doiron because I really like his Mike Bowditch series. I want to get a plug in for Robert Dugoni, his Tracy Crosswhite books are outstanding!

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  10. Okay, there are so many. But my absolute favorite is the Spenser books by Robert B. Parker as mentioned above along with Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. But I love Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series, any by Dashiell Hammett (Maltese Falcon and the Thin Man and more), John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee, and Ian Fleming’s 007.

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  11. I love traditionals! Besides Deborah Crombie, and Julia S-F, other favorites are Margaret Maron, Terry Shames, Jane Haddam, and Dana Stabenow. Older: Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey, the Lockridges’ Mr. & Mrs. North series, Tommy & Tuppence Beresford, and Miss Marple.

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