Looking for a reading list of series Mystery authors and the best starting books for those authors. Here's what/who I've gotten into (not all may be specifically mysteries...):
Archer Mayor - Joe Gunther series
Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum series
Robert B Parker - Jesse Stone series, Spenser series
Sara Paretsky - VI Warshawski series
Darynda Jones - Charley Davidson series
Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford series
Raymond Chandler - Philip Marlowe series (Really, only seven...?)
Dashiell Hammett - Sam Spade series
Micky Spillane - Mike Hammer series
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (and others) - Sherlock Holmes
Sue Grafton - Kinsey Milhone series
Lawrence Block - Matthew Scudder series and Bernie Rhodenbarr series
Faye Kellerman - Peter Decker series
Mary Higgens Clark (Not really a series and mostly suspense...)
Agatha Christie (Not in years though)
I've obviously missed a number of major seriues authors in my reading. Haven't read John D. MacDonald yet, never got to Jonathan Kellerman or David Baldacci either. Nor Harlan Coban, Michael Connely or Stuart Woods. Read one Tony Hillerman. I've read single works by many other authors as well. Don't know if Ellery Queen really fits since I've only read the short stories. My wife likes Dorothy Sayers and a number of cozy writers that I have the books on the shelf and have not yet read either. Edgar Allen Poe I've read everything, not sure it's really mystery as much as thriller/suspense. I've read Hammond Innes, John LeCarre and Ian Fleming. I've seen movies made from other author's books and not read the books (Hey, I just read the Harry Potter series in the last two weeks!). Dean Koontz and Dan Brown I can't read past the first few chapters.
So, who else should I be letting influence my work...?
Jeff
Archer Mayor - Joe Gunther series
Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum series
Robert B Parker - Jesse Stone series, Spenser series
Sara Paretsky - VI Warshawski series
Darynda Jones - Charley Davidson series
Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford series
Raymond Chandler - Philip Marlowe series (Really, only seven...?)
Dashiell Hammett - Sam Spade series
Micky Spillane - Mike Hammer series
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (and others) - Sherlock Holmes
Sue Grafton - Kinsey Milhone series
Lawrence Block - Matthew Scudder series and Bernie Rhodenbarr series
Faye Kellerman - Peter Decker series
Mary Higgens Clark (Not really a series and mostly suspense...)
Agatha Christie (Not in years though)
I've obviously missed a number of major seriues authors in my reading. Haven't read John D. MacDonald yet, never got to Jonathan Kellerman or David Baldacci either. Nor Harlan Coban, Michael Connely or Stuart Woods. Read one Tony Hillerman. I've read single works by many other authors as well. Don't know if Ellery Queen really fits since I've only read the short stories. My wife likes Dorothy Sayers and a number of cozy writers that I have the books on the shelf and have not yet read either. Edgar Allen Poe I've read everything, not sure it's really mystery as much as thriller/suspense. I've read Hammond Innes, John LeCarre and Ian Fleming. I've seen movies made from other author's books and not read the books (Hey, I just read the Harry Potter series in the last two weeks!). Dean Koontz and Dan Brown I can't read past the first few chapters.
So, who else should I be letting influence my work...?
Jeff