Tuesday, December 26, 2006

 

Top 50 Mystery Books 31 - 40 Black Book Bingo

Books, books, book recommendations from a fellow bingo player on Black Book Bingo sponsored by B2KBINGO

31. Gaudy Nights by Dorothy L. Sayers
Academic life, mixed with vitriolic hate. Harriet Vane, mystery writer and alumna of the College, comes back for the annual Gaudy night, where she receives a note full of hatred. Some time later she is called back by the Dean because the unpleasant events have intensified.

32. The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
Probably the most chilling and believable first-person story of a criminally warped mind I have ever encountered.

33. Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver
Army Lt. Manion has obviously killed tavern owner Barney Quil, the man who allegedly raped his wife. A cunning prosecutor and a determined defense attorney are battling out the convoluted case, with a surprising end.

34. Dark Eyes Of London by Edgar Wallace
Mr. Gordon Stuart has been found drowned in suspicious circumstances. The investigation leads Inspector Holt into a string of exciting adventures and romance.

35. The Rainmaker by John Grisham
The Rainmaker is about a rooky lawyer named Rudy Baylor who just graduated from law school. Not as fast as "The Firm", but much funnier. Grisham's cynical portrayal of big firm lawyers is an excellent look into the real world of law. Also an excellent film by Francis Ford Coppola.

36. The Last Juror by John Grisham
More than a courtroom drama, the Last Juror is the portrait of a small town in Mississippi and its people - including the renegade Padgitt family who is terrorizing the region. Willie Traynor, a long-haired college dropout, launches a crusade in the local newspaper to bring a murderer from the Padgitt family to justice.

37. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
Two Supreme Court justices are assassinated. Darby Shaw, a second year law student, finds out why. In a brief she points out a possible suspect to her professor. As he gets killed with a car bomb that was obviously intended for her, Darby is on the run.

38. Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith
Ed, his father-in-law, blames Ray for his daughter's death and tries to kill him. But Ray survives and follows Ed to places all over Venice trying to explain his wife's suicide to the outraged father - seemingly unaware of Ed's unforgiving hate.

39. Absolute Friends by John Le Carré
LeCarré is mad about what he sees as a fraudulent and unnecessary war in Iraq. Ted Mundy is hired by a mysterious benefactor to counter the widespread propaganda on behalf of an Iraqi war. Even if you don't like LeCarré's political slant, his writing is first class.

40. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
Jason Bourne is dragged from the sea. His identity is unknown, his body is peppered with bullets and his face altered by plastic surgery. He is running for his life, targeted by professional assassins. No other writer comes even close to Ludlum's kaleidoscope of puzzles within puzzles.

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