Thursday, December 30, 2021

Linda Barnes, Stand Up Detective

Sue Grafton is not only one of my top three favorite authors, but she is my top favorite mystery author. The contemporary female private eye is my favorite sub-genre within the mystery field, and Grafton’s famous investigator, Kinsey Millhone, is easily my favorite mystery protagonist. I just simply identified with Millhone. Millhone was forward. She also had a loner-type personality, independence, and the matter-of-factness that I identified with from the first book, A is for Alibi. Nevertheless, as well all know, Grafton died four years ago as of my writing this. And with Grafton’s death went the last book in her Kinsey Millhone series, which would have been titled “Z is for…” presumably “Zero” (actually I think Grafton confirmed that “Zero” in an interview). Grafton’s death was a blow in all matters of mystery and literature in general. But, especially, to her fans.

But I am going to stop here, as after her death I decided to concentrate seriously on reading her peers. 2018 saw me smash through Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone series. 2019 saw me do the same with Sara Paretsky’s V. I. Warshawski series. Earlier this year I nailed Maxine O’Callaghan’s Deliah West series and finally finished P. D. James' second (and final) Cordelia Grey mystery. 2022 I have plans for reading another British author, Liza Cody. Cody's British private eye, Anna Lee, was making waves overseas during the beginning of Grafton, Warshawski, and O'Callaghan's stories. Nevertheless, there is one other Western author I had on my list to at least start in 2022. That is Linda Barnes and her Carlotta Carlyle female investigator (Barnes has an earlier series featuring a male investigator).

Honestly, it took me a while to find a quality copy of the first book, A Trouble of Fools. Finally, I did. Barnes' Carlotta Carlyle came out in 1987, five years after Grafton and Paretsky made waves. Therefore, Barnes/Carlotta definitely counts as a pioneer contemporary female investigator.

Thus, my journey to take on these ladies and their stories continue. Happily.

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