100 IMBA Mysteries, 1900-1999

Submitted by cmonster on Tue, 08/24/2004 - 05:55
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  1. Allingham, Margery. The Tiger in the Smoke.
  2. Ambler, Eric. A Coffin for Dimitrios.
  3. Armstrong, Charlotte. A Dram of Poison.
  4. Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity's Death.
  5. Ball, John. In the Heat of the Night.
  6. Barnard, Robert. Death by Sheer Torture.
  7. Barr, Nevada. Track of the Cat.
  8. Blake, Nicholas. The Beast Must Die.
  9. Block, Lawrence. When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
  10. Brand, Christianna. Green for Danger.
  11. Crispin, Edmund. The Moving Toyshop (four bones, eggzellent)
  12. Crombie, Deborah. Dreaming of the Bones.
  13. Crumley, James. The Last Good Kiss.
  14. Dickinson, Peter. The Yellow Room Conspiracy.
  15. Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles (two and a half bones. Sorry, purists)
  16. DuMaurier, Daphne. Rebecca.
  17. Dunning, John. Booked to Die.
  18. Elkins, Aaron. Old Bones.
  19. Evanovich, Janet. One for the Money.
  20. Finney, Jack. Time and Again
  21. Ford, G.M.. Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?
  22. Francis, Dick. Whip Hand.
  23. Fremlin, Celia. The Hours Before Dawn.
  24. George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance (two bones. Decent, but wouldn't read again.)
  25. Gilbert, Michael. Smallbone Deceased (two and a half bones. Creative body disposal.)
  26. Grafton, Sue. "A" is for Alibi (one bone. Just not memorable.)
  27. Graham, Caroline. The Killings at Badger's Drift (three bones. Memorable. Creative. Engrossing.)
  28. Grimes, Martha. The Man With the Load of Mischief (Best of the series).
  29. Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon (two bones. I liked the movie better.)
  30. Hare, Cyril. An English Murder.
  31. Harris, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs.
  32. Hiaasen, Carl. Tourist Season.
  33. Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley.
  34. Hill, Reginald. On Beulah Height.
  35. Hillerman, Tony. A Thief of Time.
  36. Himes, Chester. Cotton Comes to Harlem.
  37. Innes, Michael. Hamlet, Revenge.
  38. James, P.D.. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (two and a half bones. Eh.)
  39. Kellerman, Faye. The Ritual Bath.
  40. Kellerman, Jonathan. When the Bough Breaks.
  41. King, Laurie. The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
  42. Langton, Jane. Dark Nantucket Noon.
  43. le Carre, John. The Spy Who Came in From The Cold.
  44. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird (three bones, but I wouldn't necessarily have classified it as a mystery)
  45. Lehane, Dennie. Darkness, Take My Hand.
  46. Leonard, Elmore. Get Shorty.
  47. Lochte, Dick. Sleeping Dog.
  48. Lovesey, Peter. Rough Cider.
  49. MacDonald, John D.. The Deep Blue Goood-by.
  50. MacDonald, Philip. The List of Adrian Messenger.
  51. Macdonald, Ross. The Chill (four bones. I can't begin to do this book justice.)
  52. Maron, Margaret. Bootlegger's Daughter.
  53. Marsh, Ngaio. Death of a Peer. (four bones. One of my My 74 Favorite Novels)
  54. McBain, Ed. Sadie When She Died (two and a half bones. Not one of his better efforts.)
  55. McClure, James. The Sunday Hangman.
  56. McCrumb, Sharyn. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O.
  57. Millar, Margaret. Stranger in My Grave.
  58. Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress.
  59. Muller, Marcia. Edwin of the Iron Shoes (two bones. Feh.)
  60. Neel, Janet. Death's Bright Angel.
  61. O'Connell, Carol. Mallory's Oracle.
  62. Padgett, Abigail. Child of Silence.
  63. Paretsky, Sara. Deadlock (one bone. Boo.)
  64. Parker, Robert. Looking for Rachel Wallace.
  65. Perez-Reverte, Arturo. The Club Dumas. ("I must have that book!")
  66. Perry, Thomas. Vanishing Act.
  67. Peters, Elizabeth. Crocodile on the Sandbank (one bone. DeadlyM loves this series, though. Deadly, care to explain?)
  68. Peters, Ellis. One Corpse Too Many.
  69. Pronzini, Bill. Blue Lonesome.
  70. Queen, Ellery. Cat of Many Tails.
  71. Rendell, Ruth. No More Dying Then.
  72. Rice, Craig. The Wrong Murder.
  73. Rinehart, Mary Roberts. The Circular Staircase (two and a half bones. Ginchy.)
  74. Robinson, Peter. Blood at the Root.
  75. Rosen, Richard. Strike Three You're Dead.
  76. Ross, Kate. A Broken Vessel.
  77. Rozan, S.J.. Concourse.
  78. Sayers, Dorothy. Murder Must Advertise (one and a half bone. I liked The Nine Tailors and Gaudy Night better).
  79. Sjowall & Wahloo. The Laughing Policeman.
  80. Stout, Rex. Some Buried Caesar.
  81. Tey, Josephine. Brat Farrar.
  82. Thomas, Ross. Chinaman's Chance.
  83. Todd, Charles. A Test of Wills.
  84. Turow, Scott. Presumed Innocent.
  85. Upfield, Arthur. The Sands of Windee.
  86. Walters, Minette. The Ice House.
  87. White, Randy Wayne. Sanibel Flats.
  88. Woolrich, Cornell. I Married a Dead Man.
Author Comments: 

Where IMBA is the Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association. (I had to go look that up).

There are all kinds of lists of great books in general, but this is a pretty comprehensive list specific to mysteries. Listed alphabetically by author last name, with the ones I've read in bold. Now with ratings! Woo!

Although I'm open to replacing the bone-rating system with quotes. Talk to me, people.