I feel like crime novels always follows the same template. The protagonist is divorced / have trouble with the wife, and they have a Personal Issue put on them, like alcoholism or depression, one of their colleages are lazy and is mean to them, but want to take credit for their works, and in the end whoever close to them gets kidnapped, and whatever dark secret in their past gets hinted at consistently.
I liked mysteries which are a bit on the fantastic side, such as Ring, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and Who Censored Roger Rabbit or the off-kilter feeling of the TV series Twin Peaks and Millinium. Would be great if a crime novel could give some of the same.
The Miss Fisher series was good too.
Anything veering of the standard template is welcome!
by Legitimate-Record951
3 Comments
Have you read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd?
A case of mice and murder by Sally Smith is one I read recently and really enjoyed. I also enjoyed the sequel. It’s set in the early 1900s.
Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. This is a quirky fantasy crime series. The main character is a London police officer who meets a ghost and ends up joining the magical arm of the metropolitan police and training to become a wizard.
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next series) by Jasper Fforde. Quirky fantasy set in a parallel version of 1985. Jane Eyre gets kidnapped out of her book and held to ransom and the main character, Thursday, has to try and find her and fix the book. Also see the Nursery Crime books by the same author.
The Stranger Times by C. K. McDonnell. Playing a bit fast and loose with genres here, but solving a mystery is at the heart of it so I reckon it’s worth a mention.
The Last Policeman by Ben Winters. A man determined to solve a crime despite the imminent apocalypse.
All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Christopher Brookmyre. Middle-aged suburban housewife is forced into a world of espionage when her son is kidnapped.
They all have some elements you mentioned, but I think are unique enough that you may enjoy them.