'Best' Humourous Crime Novel

[Jeff Ross]

I've begun reading Carl Hiassen and wonder what other people believe are the 'funniest' or 'most humorous' crime novels out there. Steve Hamilton's stuff is great as well, but I feel like I'm missing out on a bunch.
Any ideas?

[Julie Lomoe]

I don't know about "best," but I'm currently laughing aloud a lot while reading Janet Evanovich's Fearless Fourteen. I'd thought her series was getting a bit stale, but the humor in this one seems better than ever - or maybe I'm just in a giggly mood lately. I heard her interviewed several years ago at the New England Crime Bake Conference, and she talked about how hard she works on her humor - it doesn't flow forth as effortlessly as you might believe while reading it.

Julie Lomoe's Musings Mysterioso

[Libby Cudmore]

Has anyone ever read Gary K. Wolf's Who Censored Roger Rabbit? Weird, wonderfully silly, and has almost nothing to do with the movie.

[p-squared]

Victor Gischler's GUN MONKEYS had me smiling all the way, clever and effective. And his first time in print, too.

[JJ Stick]

Westlake's - Somebody Owes Me Money and The Fugitive Pigeon.

[Morgan St. James]

I think Carl Hiassen, Donald Westlake and Laurence Shames all write with the same delightful humor, all set in Florida.

I'm not sure if Shames is still writing, because I notice that Amazon has quite a few of his books released in 2007, but they say they are re-issues. Anyway, I particularly enjoyed Florida Straits, which involves a New York wiseguy who goes to Florida in search of the big score. But it all goes bad. I read an earlier post about Westlake's "What's the Worst Thing That Can Happen," which was Dortmunder at his best.

I'd anxiously looked forward to the movie when it came out, but whover cast the movie and approved the script, definitely did not march in tune with Donald Westlake. What a bomb. Like me, I'm sure you've seen this time and again. Great book, lousy casting and script. I'd love to be the fly on the wall so I'd know how that happens.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP-Best Mystery Audio Book-2007 USA Book News
Releasing this month: the second comical crime caper: SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS

[Rick Henkel]

I just started the Myron Bolitar series by Harlen Coben, and I really like those.

Others that I like are the Toby Peters series by Stuart Kaminsky, the Monk series by Lee Goldberg, the Psych series by William Rabkin (the last two would probably really appeal to fans of the two TV series on USA Network), and the Pepper Martin series by Casey Daniels.

I always find myself laughing aloud at Archie Goodwin in the Nero Wolfe books, and I loved all the Fletch books (Gregory McDonald) way back when.

Rick

[Michael Matthews]

Here are a few humorous mystery/PI novelests I enjoy.

Steve Brewer
Joe Lansdale
Rick Riordan
Lawrence Block's The Burglar Who... series
Tim Dorsey (a bit whacky)

And it may not be crime writing but Christopher Moore is one of the funniest authors out these days.

[Paul Brazill]

Charlie Williams' 'Deadfolk'.

[Marlina de Aragon]

Maggody series by Joan Hess. I love the Brother Verber parts!

[Edward G. Talbot]

Late to the party on this thread, but here goes. . .
\
I love Hiaasen. Here are two more I haven't seen mentioned. Bob Morris, who writes Florida-based stuff as well. Bahamarama, Jamaica Me Dead and several others. And then Ben Rehder, who writes humorous mysteries with a Texas game warden as the main character. Buck Fever is his first one, and he's got several others.

And two of the funniest books I've read are by Robert Ludlum - more humorous thrillers than "crime" per se, but the same vein as someone like Hiaasen in a lot of ways. He only wrote two humorous books, but The Road to Gandolfo and the Road to Omaha are hilarious.

Dave Barry's two novels are both funny if you like your humor even more crazed than Hiaasen.

[doug anderson]

I find much of Elmore Leonard funny (excluding his "westerns"). I'd start with Get Shorty. I'd read the book before seeing the movie.

[Susan]

Hitman by Lawrence Block. Keller (killer?) is a hitman with a sense of humor. Dry. Ironic. Followed by Hitlist, same author, good but not as good the first. Of course, Elmore Leonard makes me laugh out loud sometimes, tho few would consider his crime novels humorous.

Susan