A while back, Linda M. asked a very interesting question:
Have you ever thought about adding a category where the hero is a bad guy? I’m just finishing Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr’s series (a very likeable burglar) and I loved them! I can think of a few others just now – such as Mary Anna Evans’ Faye Longchamp who in the first few books dug for artifacts to sell on the black market to keep her crumbling plantation house from falling down. Also, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher (definitely NOT a cozy). I would like to find more in this category and I can’t – but I’m sure there are some. I get tired of the goody-goody heroes and these are exciting and refreshing – something different! Anyway, just a suggestion – and I could just click on this category and there they would all be!
Angela replied:
Hailey Lind (aka Juliet Blackwell) writes the art lovers series. Her main character is the granddaughter of an international art forger and while she’s “gone good” she has a past as an art forger that haunts her. Meanwhile her frequent sidekick is an art thief and her art forging grandpa and his friends make appearances often as well. There’s only 4 books in the series now but I am hopeful she’ll write more. Might be one you’d like to check out as part of your “bad guy” idea.
My question for all of you is this: Can you think of any other Cozy Mystery series that feature a sleuth with criminal (past or present) tendencies? If so, please post a comment below.
Sleuth with Criminal History:
Lawrence Block: Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery Series AND John Keller Mystery Series
Simon Brett: Mrs. Pargeter Mystery Series
Leslie Charteris: Simon Templar, the Saint Mystery Series
Lee Child: Jack Reacher Mystery Series (not Cozy)
Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg: Fox and O’Hare Mystery Series
Mary Anna Evans: Faye Longchap Mystery Series
Jonathan Gash: Lovejoy Mystery Series
Bruce Graeme: Blackshirt the Burglar Series
E.W. Hornung: Raffles Series
Maurice LeBlanc: Arsene Lupin Series
Hailey Lind (aka Juliet Blackwell): Art Lover’s Mystery Series
Wyndham Martyn: Anthony Trent Series
J. Michael Orenduff: Pot Thief Mystery Series
Frank L. Packard: Grey Seal Series
Elaine Viets: Dead-End Job Mystery Series
If you’re interested in finding all sorts of other mystery themes, make sure to visit the Cozy Mystery by Themes page on the site.