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Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Older Whodunits Still On My TBR List


Many of the Top Ten Tuesday prompts focus on the shiny and new, so I'm digging the topic du jour: Top Ten Books I Love That Are Over Ten Years Old. That doesn't mean I'm not going to twist it up a little, though! Everyone knows I love a good mystery, even a dated one, so I decided to focus my list today on older whodunits on my TBR list that I still want to read. 

If you want to join in the TTT fun (and you definitely do), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten Mysteries On My TBR List That Are Over Ten Years Old
- in order of publication - 


1. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George (1988)—The first installment in George's well-known Inspector Lynley series, this one features a strange and vicious murder that has a village on edge. The plot summary describes it thus: "Fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were, 'I did it. And I'm not sorry." Color me intrigued!

2. The Eight by Katherine Neville (1988)—A computer expert (in 1988??) is setting out on a work-related trip to Algeria. At the behest of an antiques dealer, she will be searching for a set of priceless chess pieces. What she doesn't know is that the game pieces are a whole lot more powerful than anyone could ever imagine... 

3. Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell (1990)—Another series debut, this one introduces Cornwell's beloved medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. The forensics expert is tasked with solving the case of a brutal serial killer. Can she find the murderer before she becomes the next victim?

4. Sleeping With the Enemy by Nancy Price (1991)—I've seen the Julia Roberts movie based on this book, but I've never read it. The story concerns a woman who changes her identity to hide from her abusive husband, who will do anything to find her.

5. Booked to Die by John Dunning (1992)—In yet another series opener, Cliff Janeway—a homicide detective in Denver who was forced to turn in his badge after enacting vigilante justice on a local murderer—has opened a bookstore. When valuable volumes start to disappear and bodies start to stack up, he finds himself with a new case to work, shield or no shield.

6. The Alienist by Caleb Carr (1996)—This historical mystery takes place in 1896 New York City, where psychologist (or "alienist") Dr. Laszlo Kreizler is tasked with helping the police investigate the murder of a young man. They seek to create a criminal profile, a revolutionary idea, which takes them into the disturbing mind of a brutal killer.


7. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James (2001)—This first-in-a-series introduces Cordelia Gray, a rookie private investigator, who is hired by a wealthy man who is desperate to find the truth behind his son's suspicious suicide. 

8. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (2003)—Technically, I've read this historical mystery, but it's been a long time and I need to re-visit it before I continue on with the series. The story revolves around the titular character who, in 1929, has just opened her own detective agency. 

9. A Simple Plan by Scott Smith (2006)—When three men happen upon a wrecked plane harboring a dead pilot and four million dollars in cash, they devise a simple plan to hide their discovery and keep the money. Their plans, naturally, go awry. 

10. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (2006)—I adore Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series, so I definitely need to get going with this one. It stars Lady Julia Grey, whose husband dies suddenly in the middle of a dinner party at their home. Assuming his death is the result of natural causes, she's outraged when his private inquiry agent suggests a murder may have taken place. When he convinces her that something nefarious has gone on, Lady Julia starts looking into the murder herself.

There you are, ten older mysteries that are still sitting on my TBR list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What are your favorite older books? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

Happy TTT!

57 comments:

  1. Great list! :D I've read the first three books of Patricia Cornwell's series with Postmortem. I especially enjoyed the third book. I love the movie Sleeping with the Enemy. I wouldn't mind read the book. I hope you enjoy all of these!

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    1. I didn't even realize Sleeping With the Enemy was based on a book until I came across a list yesterday of older mysteries that shouldn't be missed. I hope it's a good read. The movie definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Jenni!

      Delete
  2. I actually haven't heard of any of these books! I love the topic twist!

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    1. They are older books. I'd forgotten about some of them until I started putting together my list yesterday. That's what happens when I get distracted by all the shiny, new books out there! LOL.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cindy!

      Delete
  3. Awesome subject Susan. I loved the movie, Sleeping With the Enemy! It was insane but.I haven't read the book either!💜

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    1. Like I told Jenni above, I didn't even realize the movie was based on a book until yesterday. I'm excited to read it!

      Thanks for popping in, Susan!

      Delete
  4. Deanna Raybourn is great, you will enjoy that series. I couldn't get into Maisie Dobbs, but I'm really enjoying the Mary Russell series by Laurie King, and I love the old Anne Perry Monk series.

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    1. Truthfully, my world wasn't rocked by the first Maisie Dobbs book when I read it years ago. Still, I want to give it another go because it just seems like the kind of series I'd love, you know? We'll see.

      I *think* I read the first book in the King series back when it came out. I don't remember anything about it, though, and I don't think I read the next book. That's another series I should probably revisit. The Anne Perry series is one I haven't ever tried, so that's going on my list as well. Thanks for the recs!

      Thanks for stopping by, CurlyGeek!

      Delete
  5. Thanks for stopping by earlier.

    I haven’t read any of these books yet, but they sure do look good.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I think so, too. We'll see how they all pan out! You never know...

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lydia!

      Delete
  6. I've read a couple of Cornwell's books and really enjoyed them! I went ahead and collected them all and then haven't picked up another one since. LOL Great list!

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    1. Oh my goodness, you sound like me! As soon as I have a book on my bookshelf, I seem to completely forget about it. I don't own any of Cornwell's books, so I'll have to make a trip to the library. Hopefully, they've got them.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leslie!

      Delete
  7. I haven't read any of these yet, but I am familiar with some of them. I've enjoyed the occasional historical mystery.

    Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog today.

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    1. I do love a good historical mystery! They combine my two favorite genres :)

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cheryl!

      Delete
  8. I like that you just did mysteries. With so many books, that was a smart decision.

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    1. Right? I considered a few different twists, but mysteries just seemed the right direction to take. I can't resist a good mystery/thriller!

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Wendy!

      Delete
  9. I've not read any of these but I'm pretty sure several of them are still on my TBR too, lol.

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    1. Ha ha. My TBR mountain chain is vast and neverending...

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Suzanne!

      Delete
  10. Jacqueline Winspear, Patricia Cornwell, and Elizabeth George... all great ones!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm excited to try them. I just picked up POSTMORTEM and A GREAT DELIVERANCE at the library today. Hopefully, I can get to them soon.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!

      Delete
  11. Love your list! There are several on here that I had never heard of that I am now looking into.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, good! I'm glad I piqued your interest. Let me know what you think of the ones you read.

      Thanks for stopping in, Rebecca!

      Delete
  12. I really enjoyed Postmortem. I read the first several of the Kay Scarpetta series and they were very good.

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    1. That's good to hear! I picked up POSTMORTEM at the library yesterday. I'm excited to read it.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Tanya!

      Delete
  13. I like this topic! Yes, I've read a few of these and a few are on my TBR for whenever. I do enjoy Elizabeth George's series and read that first one way back. I used to read Patricia Cornwell's series, but she lost me along the way. I didn't like how she took her story and so I don't read those. That being said, when she started writing her series, a woman medical examiner was very interesting. I have read Maisie Dobbs, but again, haven't read all the series. I loved Silent In The Grave and read several more in that series, but I'm not caught up. Oh, Deanna Raybourn has a new book coming out soon that features older women who were possibly assassins in their work lives. Anyway, it's called Killer Of A Certain Age. I definitely want to read that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I figured your mystery-loving self would relate well to this post :) Glad to know these series are worth taking a look at. Like you, I can name dozens of series that I've started and not finished. I made a spreadsheet of all of them and it's long. Ha ha.

      Raybourn's new one does sound fun! I have an e-ARC of it, just haven't read it yet.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Kay!

      Delete
  14. Ivlove the spinyou put into this week's topic! I really like the Veronica Speedwell series, so I also want to give Silent in the Grave a chance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do, too. It's just fun. Veronica makes me laugh. I'm glad you're a fan as well.

      Thanks for popping in, Sofia!

      Delete
  15. I haven't read any of these but they all sounded interesting. I do like a good murder mystery.

    I did see Sleeping with the enemy but I doubt I would read the book, it didn't seem like a mystery to me.

    Thanks for dropping by my blog. Have a lovely day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right—SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY is more of a thriller, at least if it's the same as the movie. I like mysteries best, but I dig thrillers, too.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lissa!

      Delete
  16. Great twist. And I haven't read any of them. But neither have you this time, so it seems we're even. LOL

    Thanks for visiting my TTT this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True, true! I've been a mystery lover for my whole life, so it's actually kind of weird that I haven't read any of these since many of them are classics (well, modern classics) of the genre. So many books, so little time!

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Marianne!

      Delete
    2. Well, if you haven't read any of them even though you love mysteries, it definitely isn't a mystery why I haven't. LOL

      Delete
  17. Seeing that Julia Roberts cover really ages the book. Haha! I remember that movie.

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    1. Right? Ha ha. In some ways, 1991 doesn't seem like that long ago. In other ways, it seems like FOREVER ago. LOL.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Deanna!

      Delete
  18. I had no idea that Sleeping with the Enemy was a book before it was a movie! And I have to strongly recommend Postmortem - I'm a huge fan of the Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell!

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    1. Oh, good! I just grabbed POSTMORTEM from the library. Maybe I'll read it next.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leah!

      Delete
  19. I didn't know Sleeping With the Enemy was a novel, too; I've only seen the movie. And Dunning's Booked to Die is a favorite of mine. I love that series a lot. :)

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    1. Yay! Knowing that the Dunning book is a favorite of yours makes me even more excited to read it :)

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!

      Delete
  20. I love your twist! I've not read any on your list but a few are on my TBR.

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    1. I hope we both enjoy the ones we read!

      Thanks for stopping in, Charlotte!

      Delete
  21. These are big names, makes sense they would be on your TBR. I hope you can get to them soon.
    I tried a Winspear one day, but was actually disappointed. But I'm super picky, lol

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I've always loved mysteries, so I'm actually surprised I haven't read any of these authors yet. I picked up several of the books on my list from the library yesterday, so I'm going to be rectifying this oversight soon!

      Like I said somewhere above, I wasn't actually bowled over by MAISIE DOBBS the first time I read it. I think I'll like it more the second time around, but we'll see.

      Thanks for popping by, Emma!

      Delete
  22. Silent in the grave is wonderful. Way better than the veronica speedwell books.

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    1. Really?? Now I'm even more excited to read it!

      Thanks for stopping in, Sara!

      Delete
  23. There's something about older mysteries. I've wanted to try Maisie Dobbs series for a while, and Anna Huber's books (even though they're not that old) are appealing to me too.

    Greg

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    1. I agree! Even if they're a bit dated, I'm still interested, you know?

      I enjoy Huber's Lady Darby series. It's a good one. I think you'll like it as well.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Greg!

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  24. Great twist on this post! :-)

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    1. Thanks! It was fun to focus on mysteries, my favorite genre :)

      Thanks for popping in, Meezan!

      Delete
  25. I've not read any of these, but glad you enjoyed them!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/top-ten-tuesday-381/

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    1. Well, I haven't read them yet, but I hope I WILL enjoy them :)

      Thanks for stopping by, JJ!

      Delete
  26. Fun twist! I might have to try this series by Deanna Raybourn. I didn't like her Veronica Speedwell characters, but I did enjoy the writing, so I've been considering giving her books (standalones or in a different series) a try.

    Happy (belated) TTT!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Oh really? I love Veronica and Stoker! I also love Raybourn's writing style, so I'm sure her other series will be great as well. Let me know what you think if you do try it.

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Nicole!

      Delete
  27. Great list! Postmortem scared me to death but it was such a good thriller. I reread it a few times. I really disliked the PD James book but I know I'm in the minority on that one. I'll be curious to see what you think of it if you pick it up! I read a later book in that Deanna Raybourn series and really enjoyed it. I keep meaning to read all the books but newer books keep getting in the way!

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    1. So, I actually DNF'd POSTMORTEM. I was a few chapters in and just not loving it. It's dated, disturbing, and the prose and characters just weren't grabbing me. Oh well. Different strokes for different folks and all that!

      I know what you mean about being distracted by the shiny and new. That's why I liked this week's prompt so much. It gave the spotlight back to some oldies that I had never heard of or totally forgotten about!

      Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Katherine!

      Delete
  28. I hope you enjoy reading each of these when you get the opportunity! Thanks for stopping by my blog last week!

    Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!

    ReplyDelete

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