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.
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"The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series by Alexander McCall Smith?
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.
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.
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.
Good call, JZ. I'd recommend much of Deb's work as fitting your description, flea.
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Flea - what about Tony Hillerman? a little cozy, a lot of southwest. they're a good friend's 'airplane books'.
I haven't read Hillerman, but I like the adaptations on PBS, starring Adam Beach and Wes Studi (who is amazingly sexay in them).
I'd recommend CF Roe's books about a Scottish doctor, whose name I can't remember. It's sort of country house murder stye, with the doctor juggling responbsilities of being a doctor, a mom, and solving crimes.
My dad likes those and he really liked the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency stories as well.