Sayers would have been a Buffista too.

Her antisemitism and snobbery might have earned less than a perfectly friendly welcome.

Obviously, when someone is a Buffista, they become the ideal version of themselves, and not the irritatingly real-life version.

Ah, shame it never worked for me. I would be much happier as an ideal version of myself rather than the irritatingly real life version.

Kink isn't too bad, really (although did Teppy say it was historical? Because, yeah, not getting that vibe *at all*) ...

No, Susan said that the one she voted for was historical, with the 2 basically naked people. Because y'know, people throughout history have been naked....

Ah. Oops. Thanks, Tep!

Other people have added several people I meant to include. Definitely Nevada Barr. BTW, the latest one is excellent. I also really like Margaret Maron. I prefer the Deborah Knott ones, mostly because the Sigrid Harald series came to such an abrupt and depressing end, but also because I think she had come more into her stride as a writer with the second series.

Her antisemitism and snobbery might have earned less than a perfectly friendly welcome.

She was a creature of her era. Not everyone can be more enlightened than the people around them.

t / just a teeny bit defensive of my biggest literary girlcrush next to MFK Fisher

Sharon McCrumb (the funny ones)

That's the great thing about different points of view, because I would have said "not the funny ones," or, more to the point, not the Elizabeth MacPherson books, except for "Killing Susan," in which she takes such sly advantage of the fact that her main character is an idiot. The Ballad books are wonderful, though.

I also forgot to mention James Lee Burke, who I think is one of the better current writers in any genre, at least in the sense of "Ain't those words purty. Damn, I wish I could write like that."

Did anyone mention Deborah Crombie's Kincaid/James series? It's good British mystery and sort of Elizabeth George-lite, which I appreciate, much as I love George.

Beautiful writing, but tough stories.

They're making a movie of In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead [link]

She was a creature of her era. Not everyone can be more enlightened than the people around them.

just a teeny bit defensive of my biggest literary girlcrush next to MFK Fisher

Hmm don't want to harsh on your girl crush. But on just about anything but feminism she was reactionary even for her time. Anti-labor at a time when huge labor struggles were taking place. A supporter of aristocratic privilege at a time when even many Tories admitted that privilege needed reform. Even her feminism including the view that the suffragettes of the preceding generation were dull and dowdy, and that she was part of a more conservative fun branch of feminism. A lot of this arose from her particular interpretation of Catholicism which (in her view) seemed to require a lot of very reactionary. You don't have to end your girlcrush. She was a brilliant writer, a brilliant theologician, probably a witty and charming person to know. But even with the context of her time, she chose to side with the right. If she was alive today that would translate into some sort of very conservative feminism. Megan McArdle AKA Jane Galt is about where her relative position on the political spectrum then might translate on the political spectrum into today.

Dana Stabenow has two good series of mysteries set in Alaska. The Kate Shugak ones involve a lot of Native issues; the Liam Campbell ones are set on the coast and involve fishing and bush pilots. Both have ongoing arcs dealing with the lead character's love lives. I like them: they have a real sense of place, and Dana Stabenow is a big Buffy fangirl.