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Well-Being

Want Answers? Curl Up with a Good Mystery

Posted November 16, 2008

These are unsettled, insecure times. There scarcely seems to be any justice in a world in which countless people are losing their jobs or their savings or their homes, while bailout bucks get thrown away by the billions.

We can’t figure out what the hell is happening. Or, why it’s happening.

During times like these — harsh and frightening times — reading a well-told, well-written mystery is a truly satisfying experience. If you haven’t picked one up recently, you may be surprised by just how far the right form of escapism can take you.

The Whiner has always loved a good mystery. After all, escapism is appealing in even the best of times. Pehaps there is also the tiniest bit of glee that comes from peering into the lives of people who are in trouble — the kind of trouble that’s much bigger and far more interesting than our own. Three corpses, seven suspects, $24 million missing, and a nymphomaniac with amnesia and half-a-jar of peanut butter who’s been hiding out in the attic: How’s that for irresistible?

But we suspect there’s something more serious at work here too. It’s part of our nature to want answers, not just about how everything will turn out next week or next year, but (drum roll, please) when all is said and done, what is the meaning of our lives? Why do things happen the way they do? Why do the people who surround us make the choices they make? And when they do, how could — or should — we behave?

Take it from The Whiner: There’s no better place to find answers than in a well-written mystery. There will be people who are somehow lost or weak and need help. Sometimes they’ll get it. You can count on a struggle being waged between the forces of good and evil, even when you can’t exactly tell who’s good or evil.

There’s a deep pleasure to be found in the patterns you can count on. You’ll find “our hero,” decent, yes, but inevitably flawed and fallible. (Sometimes, you’ll even be smarter than our hero and when that happens, it’s strangely comforting — not at all the way it feels whenever you’re reminded that you’re smarter than our Lame-Duck-in-Chief in Washington.) Often, there will be a sidekick who protects, enlightens, and sometimes rescues our hero, or at least straightens him out. (And yes, even The Whiner might kill for a sidekick like that.) Justice is promised. Answers are found.

Yes, on some completely symbolic but utterly gratifying level, reading mysteries gets us closer to the answers we seek. Some people turn to religion to learn how to live with the mysteries in life; some people turn to stories for the answers to those mysteries.

Now, every Whiner has favorite genres and favorite writers, and we would like to recommend a few to keep you company this winter.

The Whiner-in-Chief prefers mysteries that take place outside the U.S. One reason: W-i-C has a travel budget of $0 at the moment. Some favorites include Denise Mina (Scotland); Henning Mankell (Sweden); and Qiu Xiaolong (Shanghai). Each manages to combine a strong sense of place with a great yarn, plenty of room for despair, details about the weather, and something just a tiny bit hopeful about their endings.

The Deputy Whiner loves hard-boiled American detective stories, and misfits. D-W recommends the novels of Robert Crais, whose Elvis Cole and enigmatic Joe Pike characters have developed deliciously over the years; Michael Connelly’s novels, set in Los Angeles, with deeply flawed characters who step in and out of each other’s stories; and the mesmerizing series by Lee Child, whose renegade, ex-military-police-officer Jack Reacher travels with nothing but a toothbrush and a powerful sense of right and wrong.

And when it comes to misfits, don’t miss Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn, Patrick McGrath’s Spider, The Caveman’s Valentine by George Dawes Green, and B.R. Robb’s River Ghosts. With protagonists ranging from a young Tourette syndrome sufferer to paranoid schizophrenics and a man trying to get beyond great childhood damage, these are four ingeniously crafted stories with wry humor and unforgettable outsiders who’ll stay with you for a lifetime.

See what we mean about escapism? We haven’t EconoWhined for at least five minutes.

The Whiner wants to know: What are some of your favorite mysteries? We’d love to get your recommendations.

Reader Comments

  1. Holly Clark

    Whiner, will you take anti-recommendations too? I really like Scandinavian mysteries myself, but I’ve just given up on a book because I can’t get more than half-way through it. The mystery, which takes place in a really over-the-top church community in a very cold and isolated town, is interesting. Gory, but interesting. But every chapter is about 5 pages shorter than it should be. The characters aren’t well-developed and the plot seems to be going nowhere. Oh yes: It’s called Sun Storm by Asa Larsson, who apparently won Sweden’s best first crime novel award, although I can’t figure out why.

  2. BlueDog

    Holly–On a particular milestone birthday, which one I will let you guess, I made a liberating decision: I no longer have to finish any book that is not doing it for me–no matter what any reviewer or acquaintance or friend might have told me that got me to read it. Hoow liberating–I always felt it was a crime to not finish a book I had started–and perhaps that is a good rule for the early part of your life. On the other hand, I know nothing about Scandinavian mysteries, but I think I’ll check some out now–and the ones set in Shanghai sound really appealing, too.

  3. Mary Schilling

    Andrea Camilleri’s Sicilian cop has to put up with incompetent higher ups, the mafia, idiots on his staff…the books should be read from the beginning to get the flavor of the country, the town and its inhabitants and the food. Colin Coterill’s elderly coroner in Cambodia is wise and warm in a country that is a tad terrifying. Garry Disher’s Australian cop has to police an area where the rich live during the summer and the town people suffer from lack of jobs. I have several scandinavian writers I could mention but will leave it all for another time.

  4. jack Jr.

    Whiner, you’re completely right about how much a good mystery can take you away from whatever problems you’re dealing with. Two authors that I really like (even though they’re very different) are Charles Todd, whose main character is a shell-shocked police detective in the early 20th century — you’d like these books because they’re set in Scotland. I also recommend the trilogy by Jean-Claude Izzo, kind of hard-boiled for my tastes, but the focus on Marseilles is intriguing. There are always great descriptions of whatever the characters are eating. In fact, I feel like a shellfish broth just thinking about those books.

  5. trudy

    Whiner-in-Chief might like M.C. Beaton’s books, both the Hamish MacBeth (Scotland) ones and the Agatha Raisin (England) ones. Test drive them at your library.

  6. BJG

    Use the library. The books are free the membership is free.
    Some of my favs are: “The Emperor of Ocean Park” by Stephen Carter or his new title “New England White.” Remember, use the library…it’s free.

  7. jackie

    I love everything by Faye Kellerman. She writes great mysteries about a detective named Peter Decker, who solves mysteries with the help of his smart, religious wife Rina. Great, twisty mysteries and some good relationship stuff– I could read a new one every week and never get tired of it.

  8. Heather

    Nobody has yet mentioned Lord Peter Wimsey! Dorothy Sayers is among the best ever mystery writers and this series is a must read. Lord Peter and his faithful manservant, Bunter, solve even the most convoluted of mysteries with upper crust British flair. Lord Peter’s witty banter and intellectual insight will carry you through and leave you wanting more.

  9. Morreen Hansen

    Sujata Massey’s delightful series featuring a daring young Japanese-American woman is a new favorite. Great stories and characters and a good look at contemporary Japanese culture. Tony Hillerman’s recent death has motivated a return to his wonderful stories featuring the Navajo people–part mystery, part cultural anthropology. For unsinkable heroines–Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody stories (#1, Crocodile on a Sandbank)and Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax stories.

  10. Linda Carr

    Please consider Martha Grimes’ mysteries–If you love “cozy” English tales, these are supreme.

  11. Julia

    I second the recommendation of Qiu Xialong – Death of a Red Heroine is my favorite! For great Scandinavian atmosphere (Iceland, actually) Arnaldur Indridasson’s novels are terrific. Recently, I read almost all of Donna Leon’s Inspector Brunetti mysteries, set in Venice. Wonderful stories. Find them at your local (free) library, or a good used-book store (recycled)!

  12. Deborah Mercer

    Thanks for the great foreign mystery recommendations; they’re definitely going on my list. Two I’d like to recommend are by Kate Atkinson “Case Histories” set in Cambridge, England and “One Good Turn” set in Scotland.

  13. Marilynne McKay

    It’s always fun to return to the classics, especially when they’re free on the Internet and cheap at the store — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 56 Sherlock Holmes stories and 4 Holmes novels. Favorites on the lists of many Sherlockians include The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet (the first of the series), and the following Adventures: The Speckled Band, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League, Silver Blaze, and The Blue Carbuncle.

  14. D. Kostriken

    Laurie R King, who wrote Beekeepers Apprentice, dealing w/Sherlock Holmes’ live after retirement; love all her work, including Lesbian Detective in SF series.

  15. Amber

    Curling up with an enjoyable mystery is definitely a good escapist strategy and a low cost one too. I’ve recently rediscovered the joys of Sherlock Holmes- The Hound of the Baskervilles is an incrediby entertaining and suspenseful read. H.P Lovecraft is also a fun author to get into. And if you prefer your mysteries on the screen rather than the page you should check out the Sherlock Holmes series that aired in the UK in the 80’s and early 90’s starring Jeremy Brett. He is pretty fantastic as the eccentric detective and his disguises are hilarious.

  16. anita

    I second Mary’s reccommendation for Andrea Cammeleri. Also, Michael Dibdin’s books are amazing.

  17. pollosmoky

    If you’d like to pass some time in France, I recommend Fred Vargas’ (female author/male protagonist) Chief Inspector Adamsberg series – these are some of the most satisfying stories/mysteries I’ve ever read. The only hard part is waiting for the next translation!

    And speaking of libraries, many libraries now subscribe to downloadable audiobook lending services (most notably netlibrary and overdrive), these are fabulous for the audio “reader.” Though it does help to have an MP3 player that does bookmarking – but that’s another discussion. ;)