Someone approaches you because they know you read crime fiction.
It is a genre they have discovered they like, and they want your suggestions for 3 authors to look for.
You may find this difficult to do without being able to quiz them a bit further, but do try. I'm sure you are just bursting with suggestions. Leave a comment if you'd like to tell us what authors you suggested.
Add your suggestions to the Answer Garden below. If after you've added one, the entry box does not clear, just refresh the page. You should then be able to add a second. You'll probably have to refresh again to add the third. I'm not sure what will happen if people try to add simultaneously. Be patient :-)
DRAT: I've just discovered the tool will only let you add one a day, so you decide whether you will come back tomorrow and the day after to add more! (Maybe you could just tell us your other 2 suggestions in a comment)
Mentor a newbie, suggest an author list... at AnswerGarden.ch.
Can't add 3 authors Kerrie - says you can only add to answer garden once a day - even after a refresh
ReplyDeleteyes- I just discovered that too Bernadette. Who else would you have added?
ReplyDeleteIf AnswerGarden had let me, I would have added Peter Lovesey and Michael Robotham.
ReplyDeleteI was planning to add Sue Grafton and Reginald Hill to the mix Kerrie :)
ReplyDeleteRather than recommend starting at the beginning (Doyle, Christie, "Golden Age" writers), I'd recommend writers who are still writing today and then urge the "newbie" to work backwards from there. I know it may be blasphemy to suggest it, but someone completely new to crime/detective fiction might find Christie et. al. a bit on the slow side simply because they're not familiar with some of the characteristics of the genre. I would suggest:
ReplyDeleteCynthia Harrod-Eagles: The Bill Slider mysteries are not only interesting mysteries, but the books are full of word play, wit, and puns, and the relationships between Bill and the police who work for him are nicely drawn.
Tana French: In just three years, Tana French has published three marvelous mysteries (IN THE WOODS, THE LIKENESS, FAITHFUL PLACE) set in contemporary Ireland but also set in that most ambiguous of places: The past.
Elizabeth George: Although George is hit-or-miss for me (some of her books, I can't put down, some of them, I throw down...and never pick back up), there's no denying she's built up a massive back catalog and someone new the genre would appreciate having a lot of one author to choose from.
In addition, I would recommend that a newbie look for a good non-fiction overview of mystery fiction just to get an idea of the standards, characteristics, and most significant books/authors in the field.