What does a reader do when she doesn't want to read?

[Kat]

I read. A lot. I have all my life. I always have a book or three going - generally mysteries. And since joining Crimespace I've got a huge stack of new books and authors to dive into. But ever since my brush with real life crime a few weeks, reading about crime doesn't seem so entertaining.

I don't know, maybe what I need is a funny crime story - but does such a thing even exist?

[Bernd Kochanowski]

I don´t dig funny crime stories too much: More often than not they are just bloody and absurd. But my favourite author in this subgenre is Christopher Brookmyre who writes not only absolutely hilarious but constructs convincing thrillers. His “a big boy did it and ran away” kind of anticipated 9/11 and is as funny as it makes you stop laughing.

[Charles Kelly]

Donna's novel, "Go to Helena Handbasket," is very funny indeed. It's one of the greatest send-ups I've ever read.

[Julie Morrigan]

And there's Donna's award winning and highly praised novel 'Go to Helena Handbasket'. My copy is winging its way to me from Amazon even as we speak, along with King of the Road, the third in Charlie Williams' Mangel trilogy. Can't recommend the first two highly enough (and I don't doubt that the third will prove to be every bit as good). Mr Guthrie's Hard Man contains perhaps the funniest one liner I've ever read, as well as being a bloody brilliant read.

I hope your experience doesn't put you off for good - it would be a sin if the bad folk stole that from you, too.

[Donna Moore]

Kat - sorry to hear about your brush with crime. As for funny crime stories - a lot of my favourites are humourous. Some may be gentle humour, others more in your face laugh out loud stuff. But here are a few:
Donald Westlake - any of the Dortmunders (my favourite is HOT ROCK.
Bill Fitzhugh - standalones such as PEST CONTROL or ORGAN GRINDERS
Mark Haskell Smith - try MOIST a standalone that is bizarre and hilarious and...moist.
Dave Barry - BIG TROUBLE
Steve Brewer - the Bubba Mabry series, or some of his standalones
Christopher Moore - if you like your crime on the supernatural side.
Charlie Williams - The Mangel trilogy, starting off with DEADFOLK
John Welter - NIGHT OF THE AVENGING BLOWFISH - only marginally crime (it features a secret service agent whose job is to protect the president) very sweet and funny.
Joan Hess' Maggody series - a little more cosy than the other suggestions
Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard series
Ruth Dudley Edwards - has a series which pokes sly fun at British institutions and academia
Peter Guttridge - Nick Madrid series
Victor Gischler's standalones
Then there's the really dark and warped humour of writers such as Ken Bruen, Allan Guthrie, Anthony Neil Smith's PSYCHOSOMATIC

Loads more, but I hope some of those will appeal!