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Bierdigan_ t1_iy6agda wrote

I'm hoping to get recommendations of books to gift my Grandpa for Christmas. He watches cop dramas religiously (like Law&Order, Blue Bloods, and Chicago P.D.), loves the old West (he still watches Gunsmoke and The Rifleman occasionally), and typically reads mysteries from what I can tell (like the Gone Girl series, a lot of Dean Koontz, and Sherlock Holmes), and he usually reads the new books by his favorite authors as they come into stock at his library, so ideally I'd love recommendations that are older classics as well as from newer, lesser known authors, to increase the chance that he hasn't already read what I get him.

I've perused lists of the 'best' mystery novels and recognize some names, but I haven't had the time to pour through descriptions and reviews to find something that I know he'd enjoy, so I'm hoping to rely on the kindness and knowledge of this community. Thank you all so much for any recommendations you can offer!

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Arthurs_librarycard9 t1_iy6yjxe wrote

Do you think he would like the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box, or the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French?

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Bierdigan_ t1_iy711om wrote

I think he would love both of those, thank you so much! The idea of the everyman hero stepping into trouble sounds right up his alley. The more recommendations I get the more I feel I should've shared about my grandpa haha. He grew up very simply in a small town in Utah, shootin' and idolizing guys like John Wayne, and he's always had a great sense of humor, so simple folk doing great and unlikely things is a theme I think he'd gravitate toward. There's also an incredible intellect about him, our whole family thinks he should be on Jeopardy cause he's always watched it daily and usually gets all the answers right.

That being said, the Dublin Murder Squad sounds right up his alley as well. When Grandma's not around he watches English detective shows, and that's not too far off from what this series seems to be. Thank you, I'm definitely adding those (probably just the first ones in the series unless there's some other standouts?) to his pile!

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Arthurs_librarycard9 t1_iy8frfj wrote

I think the first in the series is a great place to start!

And thank you for sharing about your Grandpa! My Nana (grandma) loves to read, and I love picking out books for her for Christmas as well. It is such a little thing that I cherish, and I hope you and your Grandpa have a lovely Christmas. I am sure he will enjoy whatever book you pick for him!

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rohtbert55 t1_iy6tw5m wrote

  • The Shadow of the Wind
  • A Matter of Honour
  • The Name of the Rose
  • The Prague Cementery
  • Falcó
  • Rogue Male
  • The Caves of Steel

I'll try thinking of more.

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Bierdigan_ t1_iy6vn6o wrote

I really appreciate that! It helps a lot to have a more narrow list to search up. 'The Name of the Rose' especially sounds right up his alley. His family was from Italy, and I know he likes his mysteries with a side of thriller. Thank you!

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silkymoonshine t1_iyabitd wrote

The Bernie Gunther books by Phillip Kerr! I especially liked Prague Fatale, but maybe because it was the first one I read...

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Raineythereader t1_iybfhka wrote

For Western mysteries, I like Tony Hillerman and Craig Johnson better than C.J. Box. (There's also the Arapaho mysteries by Margaret Coel, but I've only read the first book and I thought it was middle-of-the-pack.)

Johnson's first book, "The Cold Dish," is really good, although it goes to some dark places. For Hillerman, I'd recommend starting with "Dance Hall of the Dead."

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