The 100 book list
I said I would do it once I finished my 100th book. So here are the 100 and some descriptions. Maybe you'll find something you want to read.
Don Bruns
1) Barbados Heat
2) Jamaica Blue
These are light mysteries about a musician solving crime in tropical locations.GRADE C+
Michael Chang
3) Holding Serve: Persevering On and Off the Court
My favorite tennis player growing up and his life and the role God played GRADE B+
Agatha Christie
4) Curtain (Hercule Poirot's Last Case
5) Sleeping Murder (MNiss Marple's Last Case)
Somehow in high school I never read these. I love Agatha GRADE A
Jeffrey Cohen
6) For Whom the Minivan Rolls
7) Farewell to Legs
VERY quirky mysteries featuring a New Jersey setting and a kid with Asperger's. He's as punny as I am GRADE B+
Michael Connely
8) Black Rain
9) The Black Ice
10) The Concrete Blonde
11) The Last Coyote
The Harry Bosch series. Good police thriller series in a Los Angeles setting. GRADE A-
Anderson Cooper
12) Dispatches From the Edge
CNN anchor and "Mole" host's memories. Not what I thought it would be- travels the world for news, but very cynical GRADE C-
Diane Mott Davidson
13) Catering to Nobody
14) Dying for Chocolate
15) The Cereal Murders
16) The Last Suppers
17) Killer Pancake
18) The Main Corpse
19) The Grilling Season
20) Prime Cut
21) Tough Cookie
22) Sticks & Scones
23) Chopping Spree
24) Double Shot
25) Dark Tort
26) Sweet Revenge
27) Fatally Flaky
These are all the books in the Goldy Schultz catering mystery series. I LOVE these books. Easy reads and has recipes throughout the books. Easy reads and characters you will grow to love. A+
BARRY EISLER
28) Rain Fall
29) Hard Rain
Series featuring John Rain, a Japanese American assasin. They take place in Japan and if you can get past a bunch of Japanese- they aren't too bad. Book 3- which I just checked out has him fleeing to Brazil for a much needed change of scenery. GRADE B
ERIC GARCIA
30) Annonomous Rex
31) Casual Rex
What happens when dinosaurs still live on earth and go around in human costumes? Try these books. Casual Rex was a HUGE disappointment after the first one GRADE C
DOROTHY GILMAN
32) The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax
33) The Amazing Mrs. Polifax
34) Mrs Polifax, Innocent Tourist
This sweet little old lady wanted some adventure in her life- so she went to the CIA for a job. The first book cleverly explains how this series started and each book is well written, describing "Far away places" Grade B+
NOREEN GILPATRICK
35) The Piano Man
Interesting "Stranded on an Island" mystery featuring a young man who gives up a concert pianist career to fix pianos on the island. Grade B-
SUE GRAFTON
36) A is for Alibi through
53) R is for Richochet
Yes, I've fallen for Kinsey Milhone. They are good reads about the PI from Santa Theresa, CA. I have S and T and then I will be caught up with Alphabet Series. Grade B
KATE GRENVILLE
54) The Secret River
When sentenced to leave England. A family is boated to their prison in Australia. They serve their time and once free they deal with Aboriginals. Really good historical fiction!
MARK HADDON
55) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
56) A Spot of Bother
The Curious Incident is now on the BBC's 100 books you should read. It is very interesting written from the perspective of a 14 year old autistic kid. Spot of Bother- about people kind of going crazy. Hard to describe, but it amused me! GRADE B
PETE HAUTMANN
57) No Limit- a poker mystery it was OK
58) Mrs. Million- a lady wins the lotto and offers a million dollar reward to get her deadbeat husband back.- wackiness ensues. Grade C for no limit B+ for Mrs. Million
JA KONRATH
59) Whiskey Sour
60) Bloody Mary
61) Rusty Nail
62) Dirty Martini
63) Fuzzy Navel
HOLY CRAP!! I love Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels. These books have you laughing one page and freaking out the next. These are my FAVORITE books that I started reading. It's the series besides Goldy that I am counting down until the next book comes out. GRADE A++++
MARY LOGUE
64) Blood Country
65) Bone Harvest
66) Dark Coulee
67) Glare Ice
68) Poison Heart
69) Maiden Rock
Rural Wisconsin at it's finest. Depuity Sheriff Clarire Watkins and her adventures. This reminds me of where my parents live. They are good reads. GRADE B
CORMAC McCARTHY
70) The Road
Another book on the BBC's list. I am not in love with this as much as some of my other friends were. It won awards, but I was a little bored with it. GRADE C (however most say A)
PAT McGERR
71) Pick Your Victim
72) The Seven Deadly Sisters
These were written in the 1940's and were pioneering in their time. Both involve knowing part of the story (someone was murdered or who the murderer was) then someone who knew the participants explains who the victims may be and at the end they receive a cable putting all the pieces together. Knowing the time they were written- these are Agatha Christie worthy! GRADE A
KYLE MILLS
73) Rising Phoenix
74) Storming Heaven
75) Free Fall
More thrillers. This time featuring Mark Beamon. Tom Clancy really speaks highly of him and so do I. These are some great books! GRADE A
JACQUELINE MITCHARD
76) The Deep End of the Ocean
Oprah can be wrong (her first book club book) . The movie was OK (I read the book first) Someone slap that mama! Grade C-
SISTER CAROL ANNE O'MARIE
77) The Corporal Works of Murder
78) The Missing Madonna
79) A Novena for Murder
80) Advent of Dying
81) Murder in Ordinary Time
82) Murder Makes a Pilgrimage
83) Death Goes on Retreat
84) Death of an Angel
85) Death Takes Up a Collection
Keep me away from these nuns who happen to keep stumbling upon murder. My wife loves the detective and her family who also develop in these cosy mysteries. GRADE A
NANCY PICKARD
86) The Virgin of Small Plains
Finalist for Mystery of the Year. I picked it up on a whim and enjoyed. Can't really remember all the details. (What does that say) Grade B
BEN REHDER
87) Buck Fever
88) Guilt Trip
another quirky series I started about a Game Warden in Texas. The players in these books are ones that stick in your mind. GRADE B
ELLIOT ROOSEVELT
89) Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom
90) Murder at the President's Door
The son of Elinore and FDR. He writes about murders taking place and Elinore solves them. Written at the time of FDR's presidency. They are (for me) a harder read, but still good. GRADE C+
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING
91) In the Bleak Midwinter
92) A Fountain Filled With Blood
93) Out of the Deep I Cry
94) To Darkness and to Death
95) All Mortal Flesh
Reverand Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstine in Millers Kill, NY... JA Konrath and her Julia toured the country together promoting their books and if she hung around with JA I gave her a try. This series is amazing. GRADE A+
RUDY STEGEMOELER
96) Dead Money
Another poker murder mystery. Grade C-
ANDREW VACHSS
97) Flood
98) Strega
99) Blue Belle
100) Hard Candy
Burke. The guy who fights New York Cities sexual predators. Honestly, these are creepy. There are no gruesome sex details, but you know that these guys prey on prostitutes and boys. However, Burke's clan of people fighting back are great and you cheer for them! I'm just starting the series and according to his website he just finished the last book. I'll enjoy them to the end. GRADE B+
If you made it to this point. You see what I like... any suggestions???
Don Bruns
1) Barbados Heat
2) Jamaica Blue
These are light mysteries about a musician solving crime in tropical locations.GRADE C+
Michael Chang
3) Holding Serve: Persevering On and Off the Court
My favorite tennis player growing up and his life and the role God played GRADE B+
Agatha Christie
4) Curtain (Hercule Poirot's Last Case
5) Sleeping Murder (MNiss Marple's Last Case)
Somehow in high school I never read these. I love Agatha GRADE A
Jeffrey Cohen
6) For Whom the Minivan Rolls
7) Farewell to Legs
VERY quirky mysteries featuring a New Jersey setting and a kid with Asperger's. He's as punny as I am GRADE B+
Michael Connely
8) Black Rain
9) The Black Ice
10) The Concrete Blonde
11) The Last Coyote
The Harry Bosch series. Good police thriller series in a Los Angeles setting. GRADE A-
Anderson Cooper
12) Dispatches From the Edge
CNN anchor and "Mole" host's memories. Not what I thought it would be- travels the world for news, but very cynical GRADE C-
Diane Mott Davidson
13) Catering to Nobody
14) Dying for Chocolate
15) The Cereal Murders
16) The Last Suppers
17) Killer Pancake
18) The Main Corpse
19) The Grilling Season
20) Prime Cut
21) Tough Cookie
22) Sticks & Scones
23) Chopping Spree
24) Double Shot
25) Dark Tort
26) Sweet Revenge
27) Fatally Flaky
These are all the books in the Goldy Schultz catering mystery series. I LOVE these books. Easy reads and has recipes throughout the books. Easy reads and characters you will grow to love. A+
BARRY EISLER
28) Rain Fall
29) Hard Rain
Series featuring John Rain, a Japanese American assasin. They take place in Japan and if you can get past a bunch of Japanese- they aren't too bad. Book 3- which I just checked out has him fleeing to Brazil for a much needed change of scenery. GRADE B
ERIC GARCIA
30) Annonomous Rex
31) Casual Rex
What happens when dinosaurs still live on earth and go around in human costumes? Try these books. Casual Rex was a HUGE disappointment after the first one GRADE C
DOROTHY GILMAN
32) The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax
33) The Amazing Mrs. Polifax
34) Mrs Polifax, Innocent Tourist
This sweet little old lady wanted some adventure in her life- so she went to the CIA for a job. The first book cleverly explains how this series started and each book is well written, describing "Far away places" Grade B+
NOREEN GILPATRICK
35) The Piano Man
Interesting "Stranded on an Island" mystery featuring a young man who gives up a concert pianist career to fix pianos on the island. Grade B-
SUE GRAFTON
36) A is for Alibi through
53) R is for Richochet
Yes, I've fallen for Kinsey Milhone. They are good reads about the PI from Santa Theresa, CA. I have S and T and then I will be caught up with Alphabet Series. Grade B
KATE GRENVILLE
54) The Secret River
When sentenced to leave England. A family is boated to their prison in Australia. They serve their time and once free they deal with Aboriginals. Really good historical fiction!
MARK HADDON
55) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
56) A Spot of Bother
The Curious Incident is now on the BBC's 100 books you should read. It is very interesting written from the perspective of a 14 year old autistic kid. Spot of Bother- about people kind of going crazy. Hard to describe, but it amused me! GRADE B
PETE HAUTMANN
57) No Limit- a poker mystery it was OK
58) Mrs. Million- a lady wins the lotto and offers a million dollar reward to get her deadbeat husband back.- wackiness ensues. Grade C for no limit B+ for Mrs. Million
JA KONRATH
59) Whiskey Sour
60) Bloody Mary
61) Rusty Nail
62) Dirty Martini
63) Fuzzy Navel
HOLY CRAP!! I love Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels. These books have you laughing one page and freaking out the next. These are my FAVORITE books that I started reading. It's the series besides Goldy that I am counting down until the next book comes out. GRADE A++++
MARY LOGUE
64) Blood Country
65) Bone Harvest
66) Dark Coulee
67) Glare Ice
68) Poison Heart
69) Maiden Rock
Rural Wisconsin at it's finest. Depuity Sheriff Clarire Watkins and her adventures. This reminds me of where my parents live. They are good reads. GRADE B
CORMAC McCARTHY
70) The Road
Another book on the BBC's list. I am not in love with this as much as some of my other friends were. It won awards, but I was a little bored with it. GRADE C (however most say A)
PAT McGERR
71) Pick Your Victim
72) The Seven Deadly Sisters
These were written in the 1940's and were pioneering in their time. Both involve knowing part of the story (someone was murdered or who the murderer was) then someone who knew the participants explains who the victims may be and at the end they receive a cable putting all the pieces together. Knowing the time they were written- these are Agatha Christie worthy! GRADE A
KYLE MILLS
73) Rising Phoenix
74) Storming Heaven
75) Free Fall
More thrillers. This time featuring Mark Beamon. Tom Clancy really speaks highly of him and so do I. These are some great books! GRADE A
JACQUELINE MITCHARD
76) The Deep End of the Ocean
Oprah can be wrong (her first book club book) . The movie was OK (I read the book first) Someone slap that mama! Grade C-
SISTER CAROL ANNE O'MARIE
77) The Corporal Works of Murder
78) The Missing Madonna
79) A Novena for Murder
80) Advent of Dying
81) Murder in Ordinary Time
82) Murder Makes a Pilgrimage
83) Death Goes on Retreat
84) Death of an Angel
85) Death Takes Up a Collection
Keep me away from these nuns who happen to keep stumbling upon murder. My wife loves the detective and her family who also develop in these cosy mysteries. GRADE A
NANCY PICKARD
86) The Virgin of Small Plains
Finalist for Mystery of the Year. I picked it up on a whim and enjoyed. Can't really remember all the details. (What does that say) Grade B
BEN REHDER
87) Buck Fever
88) Guilt Trip
another quirky series I started about a Game Warden in Texas. The players in these books are ones that stick in your mind. GRADE B
ELLIOT ROOSEVELT
89) Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom
90) Murder at the President's Door
The son of Elinore and FDR. He writes about murders taking place and Elinore solves them. Written at the time of FDR's presidency. They are (for me) a harder read, but still good. GRADE C+
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING
91) In the Bleak Midwinter
92) A Fountain Filled With Blood
93) Out of the Deep I Cry
94) To Darkness and to Death
95) All Mortal Flesh
Reverand Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstine in Millers Kill, NY... JA Konrath and her Julia toured the country together promoting their books and if she hung around with JA I gave her a try. This series is amazing. GRADE A+
RUDY STEGEMOELER
96) Dead Money
Another poker murder mystery. Grade C-
ANDREW VACHSS
97) Flood
98) Strega
99) Blue Belle
100) Hard Candy
Burke. The guy who fights New York Cities sexual predators. Honestly, these are creepy. There are no gruesome sex details, but you know that these guys prey on prostitutes and boys. However, Burke's clan of people fighting back are great and you cheer for them! I'm just starting the series and according to his website he just finished the last book. I'll enjoy them to the end. GRADE B+
If you made it to this point. You see what I like... any suggestions???