At the Deadly Ink conference in New Jersey last weekend, I was invited to talk about mysteries that I like and would recommend to other readers. As a handout to attendees, I turned out a list of some favorites. This is NOT meant to be a "10 best" list - it's merely a list of books that I enjoy reading and often rereading that I think would make good introductory selections for someone who wants to go back and read some of the classics in the field and meet some of the classic authors. It's NOT meant to be comprehensive, particularly since I have tried to limit my choices to books that are still in print or otherwise readily available, as in e-book formats.

Your comments and suggestions are equally valid and are welcome below. Here are the ones I suggested.

The four “Crime Queens” of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Agatha Christie And Then There Were None The A. B. C. Murders 4:50 from Paddington Dorothy L. Sayers The Nine Tailors Murder Must Advertise Gaudy Night Margery Allingham Flowers for the Judge Ngaio Marsh Death in a White Tie

Other “Golden Age” (and beyond) authors worth reading

Edmund Crispin The Moving Toyshop Gladys Mitchell A Hearse on May-Day Josephine Tey Miss Pym Disposes The Daughter of Time Michael Innes Lament for a Maker Hamlet, Revenge! Anthony Berkeley The Poisoned Chocolates Case Christianna Brand Green for Danger

Impossible Crimes and Locked Rooms

John Dickson Carr Hag’s Nook He Who Whispers “Carter Dickson” (John Dickson Carr) The Judas Window The Plague Court Murders Hake Talbot Rim of the Pit

Funny mysteries

Craig Rice The Corpse Steps Out Home Sweet Homicide Phoebe Atwood Taylor Going, Going, Gone “Alice Tilton” (Phoebe Atwood Taylor) The Left Leg

Some classic Americans

Ellery Queen The Siamese Twin Mystery There Was an Old Woman Rex Stout The Doorbell Rang Before Midnight Elizabeth Daly The Book of the Dead Earl Derr Biggers The Black Camel Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep The Lady in the Lake Dashiell Hammett The Maltese Falcon The Thin Man

Other places, other times

Robert Van Gulik Necklace and Calabash Arthur W. Upfield Murder Must Wait Ellis Peters An Excellent Mystery

‘Tecs in shorts