I'm at a literary seminar exploring the dark side of literature -- primarily murder mysteries.
I'm taking notes and will report in when the seminar is over. Yesterday heard talks by Scott Turow, Sara Paretsky, Joyce Carol Oates and others.
Sessions included: "Crime writers are not psychotic: They're just like you."
Does anyone read mysteries? Who are your favourites? Talk to you all around midnight.
I write mysteries (not yet published) and am definitely not psychotic. That said, I prefer - and write in - the "cosy" genre, so there isn't the gore and darkness of harder-boiled crime writing. My all-time favourite is Agatha Christie so that's whom I attempt to emulate.
Love the Sherlock stuff. Doyle has a few non mystery novels that are good as well, just found my illustrated copy of "The White Company" while packing things up to move, it's a fun read. Walter Mosley's, Easy Rawlins series is great. Read a lot of historical fiction mystery books that were pretty good. My Mom and Aunts devour mystery novels, I occasionally read one if they pass it on.
I'm more interested in what you've learned so far. You're at the seminar after all. What new perspective has it given you? My favourite murder series is Baantjer, a longstanding book series and tv-series. It features the detective De Cock (with his catchphrase being, "my name is de cock, with c-o-c-k", that must sound really funny for you guys) who investigates murders in and around Amsterdam. The kind of book / tv series where you always know what you're gonna get. A murder, three to five possible suspects being interrogated, some action scenes, another dead body and a reveal at the end which makes it obvious that it was that guy all along.