The Bookshelf

To those of you who are new to my blog and to this website, let me introduce you to my Bookshelf.

On this page, I’ve collected and displayed covers of some of my favorite detective novels. Not all, by any means, I have here fifteen, one each by different authors. In some cases, I’ve displayed their first publication. All of these writers have many titles to their credit. I’ve read a couple hundred detective novels, and I will be changing out the ones on this page regularly. If I come across a new book that I really like, I will feature it here and add a review in the blog.

In my reading journey, I have tried to cover the length and breadth of this genre. I have my favorites, of course, Raymond Chandler being first among equals. But I have reached back to the beginnings, Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, then on to Maurice Leblanc, Josephine Tey, Agatha Christie, and Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m sure I’ve overlooked many of the early writers.

I’ve also tried to search out writers outside the U.S. I’ve been particularly drawn to Nordic Noir, with Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, and Jussi Adler-Olsen to name a few. I am listing their names in full in case you want to check them out yourself.

On the other side of the world, there are great mysteries from Korea, Japan, China, and Australia.

My favorite setting has always been the hard-boiled scene of 40s and 50s Los Angeles, not just for Chandler, but James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, Walter Mosley… It’s a long list and getting longer with newer authors like Michael Connely, Naomi Hirahara, and Lee Goldberg.

It’s a fun pursuit.

If you have any favorites or a new discovery you want to share, post in the comments below.

Happy reading!

Mike