Addicted to Mysteries

[J.P. Farris]

I'm a lot like my father. I have to keep my mind working or the anxieties of mundane life catch up with me. The enduring cure for life's tedium is the mystery story. A mystery is a study of human nature, psychology and sociology. It is a puzzle that engages the mind of a reader unlike any other genre. I am disinclined to say it is the most popular of genres since I don't have the statistics, but take it into consideration. There are bookstores that specialize in crime & mystery. How many specialty bookstores are there for the other genres. I turn on the television at any time of the day and I can find a crime drama - CSI, Law & Order, NCIS, or Bones - which happens to be my personal favorite.

Some people read mysteries. I devour them. I have an entire library devoted to mysteries and forensics. Since January I have read more novels than I have in years. I can't seem to get enough. I go from one novel into another. When I'm almost finished with one I already have another lined up. One of my all time favorite novelists - I've read all his novels at the local library - is Tony Hillerman. When I pick up a Hillerman I can't put it down until I've read the very last page and I'm ready to pick up another one. I'm currently reading Michael Connely's Void Moon. It has me hooked.

Tony Hillerman, Jeffrey Deaver, Michael Connelly, James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark, not to mention Mickey Spillane, Ed McBain and Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm a mystery novel "junkie" and I can't get enough of my favorite genre..

[B.R.Stateham]

Hillerman at his best brought Navaho mysticism into play. Loved his books. Still reread them often. Same can be said with Ed McBain. When he was good he was very, very, very good. When he was bad he was still pretty damn good.