Sunday, January 23, 2005

Madcap mysteries

My taste in mysteries runs the gamut from the coyest "cozies" to the nastiest noir. As long as the writer has a flair for words and dialogue, and more than a glint of humor, I'm likely to enjoy the book.

Charlotte MacLeod, who died this week at age 82, was a delightful writer and one of the grand dames of the American cozy. After a career as a business excutive, MacLeod began writing fiction in her 40s. She said she preferred to write in her bathrobe so she wouldn't be tempted to leave the house on errands.

Her Peter Shandy series set in New England (The Corpse in Oozak's Pond, Rest You Merry, Something in the Water, and more) fully exploited the rich all the possibilities of the academic mystery. MacLeod's books are available at your local used bookstore or through Amazon.

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