My father was a fan of Agatha Christie.  Lying around my childhood home were almost every one of her mystery novels.

I devoured those books.  In turn, those books set my expectations to a rather high standard, so much that for years I could barely read a page or two into any other mystery.

Now, a personal renaissance has led me back to the genre.  Here are a few favorites:

• Lovesey’s Peter Diamond series:  a British detective in contemporary Bath.  Suspense until the end
• Dee Henderson is a favorite Christian author.  Haven’t found anything I don’t like yet, although I’m partial to the O’Malleys.
• Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon: an everyday, all-too-human park ranger driven to solve mysteries in the great outdoors? Awesome
• Dick Francis: How did I not discover him years ago?  His protagonists are usually ex-jockeys in Britain trying to find their way when they cannot compete anymore.
• Victoria Laurie’s Psychic Eye series:  Maybe the lightest in the not-serious sense.  A woman with fears, faults, and a little fury (hello? like the rest of us) helps law enforcement with a rather active and accurate psychic sense
• For laughs, I’m re-reading the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman