Magpie Mystery Lounge is Reading…
Sandra Jordan, Proprietor and Main Writer (with a little help from her friends)
Welcome to MAGPIE READS :: Nancy Drew was my gateway drug. Since the day I found those chunky, blue-bound volumes in the boxes of my mother’s childhood books I’ve been a mystery fan. From Nancy it was a short leap to my parent’s bookshelves crammed with Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, Agatha Christie, Eric Ambler, Dorothy L. Sayers, Phyllis Whitney, Dick Francis, Josephine Tey, Leslie Charteris, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. A great Aunt’s downsizing added the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and E. Phillips Oppenheim. And then there were books of history, biography, poetry and best selling novels, often dropped off in cartons by friends and relatives. We really didn’t have what you would call a library—it was more of an orphanage for books. I read everything happily, indiscriminately, the beginning of a life long obsession.
No matter how well you think you’re hiding it, word of your addictions gets around. Friends began sitting me down to ask for suggestions about what to read next. Giving advice is almost as addictive as reading and combining the two is irresistible. About six years ago I began keeping lists of mystery writers, and one thing has led to another, as things so often do. The books and writers here are all ones I enjoyed reading for one reason or another. There is no attempt to be fair or to review award winners and best sellers. If it’s here I like it. If you don’t find a book you are looking for on these lists it might be that I didn’t get around to writing about it yet. I have held back some favorites to add as I go along. On the other hand, I find some very popular writers completely resistible. Reading is pretty subjective, isn’t it? Of course, I might never have heard of the writer or the series. That happens all the time. New books always are turning up, and isn’t that a good reason to get up in the morning. Please take a minute to make recommendations of your own. I’m always looking for my next great read.
MAGPIE READS
