'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?

[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

[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

[Rick Senley]

Apparently Moustache Man and the Deadly Whiskers is extremely amusing...

[Keith thomson]

Gregory McDonald's first Fletch and Flynn books based on laughs per page. Or even per paragraph.

[Hallie Ephron]

Three books this year made me laugh out loud --

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn (pen name for Peter Abrahams)
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Last year the prize went to Three Bags Full.

oh, and Tim Maleeny is a very funny writer - his new novel Jump is hilarious.

[ms.pamila]

I have come to consider the Toby Peters mystery series by Stuart M. Kaminski my all time favorite antidepressant comfort read. The Toby Peters series is set in Los Angeles in the 1940s and all of Toby's cases involve classic Hollywood figures. His character is lovable beyond belief and the humor is both dry and slapstick. There must be something like 10 or 12 books. Mr. Kaminski wrote some good straight crime and mystery series as well, he was very prolific. I was sad when he died recently, I selfishly lamented, oh, no more Toby Peters stories.

[doug anderson]

I find Elmore Leonard very funny, particularly his dialogue. I also like Reginald Hill's novels featuring detectives Pascoe and Dalziel.