Welcome aboard, Susan.
I had a couple of conversations along these lines at
Bouchercon. I said I was getting a little tired of people
casually slamming Agatha Christie. I'm reading one of hers
right now, but hadn't read any of her books in years -- I've
been discovering tons of new authors -- but I must have read
dozens when I moved up from Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Judy
Bolton, et al.
At 10:52 AM 12/10/2004 -0400, Susan Evans Shaw wrote:
>Where's the joy in trashing Dorothy Sayers and
cosies? They may not be to everyone's taste, but they have a
right to existence. How many of you hardboilers cut your
writerly teeth on Agatha Christie? As for Sayers, her style
is definitely dated, but they are well-written and researched
and more digestable than modern efforts by Martha Grimes and
Elizabeth George. What does Russell James have to say about
Sayers and cosies?
Many people tend to dismiss cosies (or traditional
mysteries), especially those with cat detectives, but I heard
at least three authors at Bouchercon say that they had
started out reading Agatha Christie. And as Jim D. mentioned,
anyone still selling the quantities she is must have done
something right. I agree with Mario that most readers are not
fanatical in their devotion to one subgenre.
At 10:09 PM 13/10/2004 +0000, Jacques Debrieurue (aka Mr T)
wrote:
>I don't think people here read books with a
Hardboiled union card in front of their nose. A good book is
a good book. Nor is there a clear dichotomy between
"hardboiled" and "cozy".
On one panel, Val McDermid mentioned two things about Miss
Marple mysteries that distinguish them from her own books.
First, Miss Marple deals with murder after murder, year in
and year out, yet remains untouched. She is exactly the same
person at the beginning of any story. McDermid (and other
writers) are interested in the impact of crime and violence
on everyone involved, including the detective. Second,
real-life murders are rarely motivated by wills.
Karin
PS Bouchercon was great. I urge anyone who can afford the
time and money to go to one whenever you can.
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