Christmas gift suggestions sought: for my father in law. He is interested in mystery series. He is probably not a crime novel/thriller reader, but would be more likely to like cozy women's sort of mysteries. But I'm worrying that anything I can think of is too, well, girly for a fairly traditional 69 year old man. Any suggestions for mystery series that fit the bill?
Right. Sir. Honey.
Zoe ,'The Train Job'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
flea - Nov 27, 2007 4:07:56 am PST #4353 of 28260
information libertarian
Toddson - Nov 27, 2007 4:10:25 am PST #4354 of 28260
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"
flea, has he read any of the Laurie R. King Sherlock Holmes series? The first one is "The Beekeeper's Apprentice". It's Holmes after he's retired to, yes, raise bees and he runs into a young woman who naturally has the same sort of observant and deductive mind he does.
Dana - Nov 27, 2007 4:17:39 am PST #4355 of 28260
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
"The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series by Alexander McCall Smith?
Ginger - Nov 27, 2007 4:24:56 am PST #4356 of 28260
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
Nevada Barr? Kathy Reichs? Sharon McCrumb's ballad books? My Robert Ludlum-loving 65-year-old cousin likes them.The first two have women protagonists, but certainly can't be described as girly. Has he read Robert Parker's Spencer books? They've had their ups and downs as the series has aged, but the first 10 are great. James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux books are wonderfully written.
Connie Neil - Nov 27, 2007 5:38:12 am PST #4357 of 28260
brillig
Laurie R. King Sherlock Holmes series
I wouldn't call them girly, but they are pretty feminist-oriented, to my mind. Plus Mary Sue as all get out. t has own issues with some chick getting her hands on the Great Detective.
JZ - Nov 27, 2007 6:12:17 am PST #4358 of 28260
See? I gave everybody here an opportunity to tell me what a bad person I am and nobody did, because I fuckin' rule.
Mary Sue and all, the Laurie R. King books might be a good fit for your dad, flea. There's also Deb Grabien's murder ballads series -- mystery + ghost story + a dash of cozy (though the last two are also pretty skeery and disturbing). And yesyesyes to the Alexander McCall Smith series.
§ ita § - Nov 27, 2007 6:16:44 am PST #4359 of 28260
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Good call, JZ. I'd recommend much of Deb's work as fitting your description, flea.
Dana - Nov 27, 2007 7:27:41 am PST #4360 of 28260
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
Patricia Cornwell asks her readers to prove that they are true fans by posting positive reviews on the internet. Because the government has organized a bad-review conspiracy against her.
hippocampus - Nov 27, 2007 7:47:57 am PST #4361 of 28260
not your mom's socks.
Flea - what about Tony Hillerman? a little cozy, a lot of southwest. they're a good friend's 'airplane books'.
Kathy A - Nov 27, 2007 8:26:42 am PST #4362 of 28260
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
I haven't read Hillerman, but I like the adaptations on PBS, starring Adam Beach and Wes Studi (who is amazingly sexay in them).