Humorous Novels

[Patricia Abbott]

If this topic appeared before I apologize, but my mother asked me to find her some humourous crime novels such as Evanovich writes. Can anyone give me some specific titles? They should be light-hearted and easy to read but not too cute. She's not a cat lover, for instance. Thanks for the help.

Incidentally, to those who named sixties radical novels for my husband, thanks too. He read most of them and is writing the piece now.

[JANE PADRUTT]

If you have room, here are a couple of suggestion: Lawrence Block and his Bernie Rhodenbarr series. The Burglar Who Thought he was Bogart, The Burglar on the Prowl, The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza, etc. Also, Joan Hess's Maggody series (Maggody is a place in Arkansas.) These are laugh out loud funny and full of larger than life characters. P.S. I also love anything written by Carl Hiassen.

[Neil Plakcy]

I second the nominations for Nancy Martin's Blackbird Sisters mysteries and for Lawrence Block's "The Burglar Who..." series. I'd like to add Chris Grabenstein to the list. His three Jersey shore mysteries (Mad Mouse, Tilt A Whirl and the new Whack a Mole) are really funny, with a great voice. Also a new author, Susan Goodwill, whose Briga-DOOM is about a girl trying to restore her family's classic old theater on a lake in Michigan.

[Patricia Abbott]

Thanks for the reminder about Grabenstein. My mother grew up on the Jersey shore.

[Laura Root]

Kinky Friedman, M C Beaton (Agatha Raisin series)