Current Trends - what have you been readings? Who's your favorite sleuth?

[Miriam Pia]

I'm actually wanting to know: Who are today's most read sleuths?  Do you believe in team - crime solvers or does it only work for you if there is one detective?  Things like this are what I am wondering.

 

Please, do tell.

[Stephen Brayton]

I'm listneing to a Flowers novel now.

[Dana King]

If you're interested in how police procedurals work, Ed McBain's still can't be beat. He pretty much invented the form, and no one has written it better,

 

My favorite contemporary sleuths? Elvis Cole, Declan Hughes's Ed Loy. John Connolly's Charlie Parker is also very good.

[Tanis Mallow]

Love Charlie Parker in all of his morose glory (he's a Ex-cop turned Private Investigator, Miriam)... would love to have John Connolly's gift with words. Harsh subjects/beautiful prose.

[Dana King]

Connolly is the only crime writer who can interject supernatural aspects and not turn me off. He's such a beautiful word smith, and everything still makes sense in the universe he creates. It's not like he said, "Wouldn't it be cool if this killer could...?" He creates supernatural situations with verisimilitude better than anyone I've read.

[Stephen Brayton]

Yep, Connolly keeps going pretty good every year. Good choice.

[Tanis Mallow]

Here's a recent interview he did (Black Abyss):

http://blackabyss.co.uk/2011/04/john-connolly-the-inquisition-2/

Seems Connolly shares your appreciation of Ed McBain, Dana.

[Stephen Brayton]

I don't know about modern - I'm still reading Perry Mason. I like Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther. I also enjoy Donald Harstad novels.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Forget the hero, I'm more interested in the villain. A good bad guy makes the story. Especially in noir, they're sometimes the same thing.

[Tanis Mallow]

I agree. Too many villains are one-dimensional (usually psychopathic); shades of grey apply to villains as well as heroes. There was an episode of Six Feet Under where Michael C. hall's character picks up a hitchhiker (I know, just don't do it) because he finds him attractive. The hitchhiker ends up car-jackiing (Hearst-jacking?), robbing, dousing him with gasoline and holding up a match... all sorts of sick s*@t but throughout the show there's this weird sexual tension between them and the dichotomy is fascinating. Made it all the more chilling. Still gives me creeps years later.

[Miriam Pia]

Thanks to everyone for your posts.  Its a windy day in NW Germany.  Between the brick houses and the brick streets and the fields with domesticated animals its...rather picturesque actually.

 

I'm hoping to interact with some people in person today, I mean in a way where they will actually relate to me, rather than just mind their own business and therefore ignore me. 

 

Can you tell me a little more about Elvis Cole and Charlie Parker?  Also....I realize that I make a lot of presumtions when I read 'ex-cop turned private investigator'....I don't know why I think that almost tells me too much about the deep personality of this character....but for some reason I think that says a lot about the guy.