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Joined: 3/31/2011
Posts: 5
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Where are your favorite mysteries set and which author captures the city best? Is it Michael Connelly's LA? Marcus Sakey's Chicago? Laura Lippman's Baltimore?
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Joined: 4/28/2011
Posts: 24
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I prefer mysteries set in fictional cities and towns. The author usually seems less confined by geography, but still manages to create a strong sense of place. I think of Hedeby in in the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, or Deborah Sharp's Himmarshee, Florida from "Mama Does Time". However, certain writers do an excellent job using real cities as backdrops. Barry Eisler brought the vibe and subtleties of Tokyo to life in his Rain series. The city seems to influence the actions and reactions of the characters. Stuart M. Kaminsky was pitch perfect in his depiction of Skokie, Evanston, and Chicago in his Abe Lieberman mysteries.
I'm not a huge fan of several novels set in South Florida, where I currently live. Miami feels like a caricature in some of these.
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Joined: 11/17/2011
Posts: 21
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Mine are set in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, a rural place that offers strong characters, excellent backgrounds, and yet is just a stone's throw from a big city when I need one. I have always preferred mysteries in a place, rather than those that jump all over the world. Think of Robert Parker, or Dick Francis, or Stephen Hunter. The character is free to roam, but always knows where home is.
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Joined: 7/18/2011
Posts: 24
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Oddly, most of my favorite books and movies are set in Boston. And I've only ever spent one day in Boston. I'm a huge fan of The Departed and also really enjoy Mystic River, Shutter Island, and The Town. Of course, Good Will Hunting is a great one too, though not a mystery. Along the way I've noticed that I can't really pinpoint a movie or book that takes place in Boston that is not centered around crime. Why is that?
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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I am reading a mystery right now called THE MAN FROM BERLIN (by a debut mystery writer named Luke McCallin) that is set in occupied Sarajevo in 1943. It's really, really good, and I think the setting just makes it. I visited Sarajevo in 2004 for a few days on a backpacking trip, and this author brings back so many memories and impressions that I haven't thought about in a long time.
I think if I were going to write a mystery, I'd set it on Washington Island in Wisconsin. Has anyone out there ever been there? Gorgeous, desolated in winter, a big history of knitting and weaving, full of charming old characters . . . in fact, I think I might be onto something here!!  Maybe I'll spend this winter writing such a cozy mystery.
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