To kick off my month of my ten-year blog anniversary, I decided to start with a list that I compiled with the assistance of some of my blogging buddies. Each participant had to choose a crime fiction writer whose first or second name began with J. There were no time restrictions. It was important to me to find a way to include the blogging community in my anniversary celebrations, as my interactions with others and the friendships that I have subsequently formed, are a key part of why I have remained blogging. We are an eclectic bunch, but I think that is one of our strengths, as it means our recommendations provide a variety of mystery writing styles. Hopefully one or two will catch your eye!
So, without further ado, let’s begin with Aidan’s choice…
Congratulations Kate on your blog’s ten year anniversary! The author I’d like to recommend to your readers is South Korean writer You-Jeong Jeong. Two of this writer’s novels have been translated into English so far: The Good Son and also Seven Years of Darkness. Both are interesting, if dark, reads that explore the psychologies of their characters as well as relationships between parents and their children. The first of these books to be translated into English was The Good Son. In this story, a young man wakes in a state of disorientation and slowly begins to piece together that something is very wrong in their home. This ultimately builds to the discovery of a body at the foot of their stairs. While there is an inevitability to a few of the early revelations in this novel, it is the question of why this has happened that drives this story. I appreciated the novel’s exploration of memory and the complexity of its characters. Of the two novels though, the one I prefer was Seven Years of Darkness. Written earlier in the author’s career, this story also is a search to understand why a crime has happened. In this case, the crime is the opening of sluice gates at a reservoir that caused the inhabitants of a village to drown. The man responsible was the father of the novel’s protagonist, who was eleven at the time it happened. He has had to grow up with the shame of his father’s crime. Told out of sequence, the book is a fascinating exploration of the circumstances that led to that fateful night. The revelations are rarely surprising but they are really gratifying and the experience of reading this is like piecing together a jigsaw. I appreciated how rich and dimensional the characters were and became really invested in Sowon’s search for the truth. Sadly these are the only two of the author’s works translated into English to date, but I remain hopeful that someday others may follow.
Aidan blogs at Mysteries Ahoy. He is keen on translated crime fiction and inverted mysteries.
Next up we have Bev’s selection…
Veronica Parker Johns (1907-1988) was a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the author of five mystery novels. Her two series characters were Webster Flagg and Agatha Welch (if two books each count as a series). Agatha Welch is a self-described “professional spinster” and Webster Flagg is an actor turned butler turned landlord who also turns his hand to detection when mysteries present themselves. He is one of the earliest black detectives on record and is the first (possibly only) detecting butler in my reading experience so far. My experience with Johns is limited to the second Flagg book, Servant’s Problem, but she gave her characters such life (especially Flagg) that I immediately put her on the To Be Found List. I recently acquired the first Flagg, Murder by Day, and look forward to reading the butler’s first foray into detection.
Bev blogs at My Reader’s Block. Her TBR pile is a sight of awe, and I remain impressed at the way she completes so many reading challenges each year.
Our third pick comes from Agatha Christie aficionado, Brad…
Happy tenth anniversary, Kate! In a year full of “bloggers’ tenths,” it makes sense that yours
would fall first because you are so very much older than me!! Thank you for letting me
celebrate with you by selecting a favorite mystery author whose name begins with J. I
decided to let others fight over the Man Named John (I’m speaking, of course, not of Bude
or Rhode or Le Carre or Grisham or MacDonald, but of Carr!) and select one of the best
modern-day crime novelists: Janice Hallett. Janice cut her teeth on journalism and screenwriting before making a tremendous splash in 2021 with her debut mystery, The Appeal. This is easily my favorite novel of hers so far, for a variety of reasons: it’s the purest whodunnit of the bunch, and it takes place in one of my favorite settings, a village community theatre, where the players are willing to do any and all sorts of nasty things to make their personal theatrical season bright. The Appeal introduced us to Hallett’s trademark style of a modern-day epistolary mystery, where the plot unfolds through e-mails, text threads, memos, and other documents. The characters are so delightful – especially the hilarious and terrifying Issy Beck – that when Hallett returned to the village in 2023 with a Christmas novella (The Christmas Appeal), it didn’t
much matter that the mystery itself was almost non-existent! It was so much fun spending
more time in these insane folks’ company! Since then, we have been treated to a nationwide treasure hunt involving a scary Enid Blyton-like children’s author (The Twyford Code), a scary doomsday cult nightmare (The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels), and an art school crisis that just might signal the end of the world (The Examiner). None of them have quite scaled the heights that The Appeal did, but they have all been fun reads. And 2025 promises a double dose of intrigue from the author: in September, Hallett’s new novel, The Killer Question, brings us to the (perhaps literally!) cutthroat world of pub quizzes. What a delightful tenth anniversary
present for my own blog!! But I won’t have that long to wait for more of Janice’s writing
because in early June her first epistolary mystery for kids, A Box Full of Murders, will drop.
You can bet I’ll be covering both of these over at Ah Sweet Mystery.
Brad blogs at Ah Sweet Mystery. He is also the only one in the group (I think) who has directed mystery plays.
Following on from that we have Jim’s choice…
It’s a real joy to be able to recommend James Ronald these days, because, since Moonstone Press undertook the republishing of his entire criminous output over 12 volumes, he’s actually available and affordable. Gone are the days when you needed deep pockets and special contacts to enjoy the emotional upheaval at the heart of Murder in the Family (1936), or the increasingly ingenious impossibilities as a madman gets back at his tormentors in They Can’t Hang Me (1938). If inverted mysteries are your thing, the wonderful dilemma at the heart of This Way Out (1938) surely puts it near the pinnacle of that form, and if you just want to blow back with heroic derring-do, the limping Julian Mendoza more than provides in Cross Marks the Spot (1933) and Death Croons the Blues (1934). Whatever your poison, Ronald can serve with up with flourishes to spare, and his newfound availability is something to behold and celebrate. Happy reading!
Jim blogs at The Invisible Event and is also the author of The Red Death Murders (2022).
After that we have John’s pick…
When Kate asked whether I wanted to contribute an author with the initial “J” to her anniversary celebrations, the most suitable contender for me, Countdown John, was Sébastein Japrisot as this pseudonym is an anagram of his real name Jean-Baptiste Rossi. I have read four of his novels and will go through them in reverse chronological order:
- 1992: Le Passager de la Pluie (The Rider on the Rain) – this is the novelisation of his 1970 screenplay for a film starring Charles Bronson which I found unpleasant and crude as it opens with the rape of a woman which then seems to be trivialised by the male protagonist. Not recommended.
- 1977: L’Été meurtrier (One Deadly Summer) – the subject matter is exceedingly dark but Japrisot does so much more with it than in The Rider on the Rain. The mysterious Elle arrives in a village in Provence and sets her cap at garage mechanic Florimond. She has a lot of questions about his father and the family piano which was delivered by three men many years ago. Gradually the reader understands the reasons for her interest and how it leads them both into a series of horrific events. I would not want to re-read it but it is worth reading.
- 1966: La dame dans l’auto avec des lunettes et un fusil (The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun) – having done some overnight overtime for her boss, Dany Longo, drops him and his wife off at Orly airport and then rather than returning the car to their house, sets off for the South of France on a whim. But the further she goes the more it appears that has travelled the same route only the day before. A Woolrichian nightmare that fully delivers a satisfying denouement.
- 1962: Compartiments tueurs (The 10:30 from Marseille a.k.a The Sleeping Car Murders) – Georgette Thomas is found strangled after all the other passengers have disembarked from the Marseille to Paris night train. The police try to track down the five people who shared her compartment only to find that they start being murdered as well. Can they stop the killer before they complete a macabre half-dozen? An excellent example of the serial killer mystery in a suitably French wrapping.
Japrisot never wrote the same book twice which is why I am now excitedly awaiting the arrival in the post of 1963’s Piège pour Cendrillon (Trap for Cinderella).
John blogs at Countdown John’s Christie Journal. Having successfully blogged about all of Christie’s crime novels and short stories, his blog now ranges far and wide within the world of mystery fiction.
Next, we have Karen’s selection…
John Dickson Carr is one of the masters of Golden Age crime, and he’s particularly lauded for his locked-room mysteries. He’s often declared the king of these, and I wouldn’t argue with that. However, I wanted to highlight him for Cross Examining Crime’s tenth birthday not necessarily for that element, but more for the sheer inventiveness of his plotting and also for the atmosphere and characterisation of his writing. His mysteries featuring Dr. Gideon Fell, probably his best-known series detective, are full of clever, twisty conundrums, and I pretty much always find myself beaten by his plots. His characters are often larger than life, but memorable and wonderfully fleshed out; never cardboard cut-outs, I always find myself committed to their stories and anxious for a good outcome for many of them. But it’s the atmosphere of his books which often gets to me the most. JDC is quite brilliant at building up tension, often introducing almost supernatural elements into his books, and I would particularly recommend his lesser-known works featuring Henri Bencolin, a Parisian examining magistrate. These books (four of which have been reissued by British Library Publishing) are darker than his others, full of creepy elements, scary events plus ghoulish and quite unexpected murders. The puzzles they present are complex, even abstruse, and the hint of the supernatural is strongest in these stories. The first in the Bencolin series was It Walks By Night, set in 1920s Paris, and it was also the author’s first novel. It’s a dark and dramatic read and a great place to start with both writer and detective. JDC was an excellent novelist, not just a crime writer hack, and these sophisticated, clever books are a joy to read!
Karen blogs at Kaggy’s Bookish Ramblings and biannually co-hosts a reading club. Each “club” focuses on a particular year (usually between 1920 and1980) and participants during the week of the club share online about books published from the chosen year.
Our 7th choice comes from Mallika…
The mysteries of Scottish author Josephine Tey (born Elizabeth MacKintosh; 1896–1952) may not always appeal or turn out the kind one is expecting (traditional whodunits) but with her wonderful writing and characterisation, they certainly keep one reading. Where Inspector Alan Grant may be an ordinary policeman (no Poirot or Holmes) who methodically follows leads and solves his cases (sometimes being himself surprised by the outcome), there’s also Miss Lucy Pym, with new-found fame as a psychologist (somewhat reminiscent of D. E. Stevenson’s Miss Buncle), who finds herself playing ‘detective’. Scotland features in more than one of the books, Tey’s evocative descriptions bringing the settings alive (The Man in the Queue; The Singing Sands). Worth exploring among her books for the idea alone is The Daughter of Time (1951) where Inspector Grant, in bed with a broken leg, happens to see a portrait of Richard III, who comes across as a kind looking man, not one capable of murder. The leads Grant to approach the case of the Princes in the Tower much like he would any ordinary investigation to determine whether Richard III was indeed responsible. In another of the Grant books, A Shilling for Candles (1937), a famous actress, Christine Clay is found dead on a beach in Kent, when just a year previously an astrologer had foretold her death. There are a fair few suspects whom Grant investigates (from her husband to good-for-nothing brother), the matter culminating in an interesting denouement. A standout in this book was sixteen–seventeen- year-old Erica Burgoyne, the spirited, clever, and resourceful daughter of the local Chief Constable who dives right into the investigation in her ramshackle car, Tinny. Miss Pym Disposes (1946) too is
different from ordinary mysteries, even though it does involve a crime—but as Lucy Pym enters the world of the girls’ college, she is faced with plenty of moral dilemmas. This book incorporates many of Tey’s experiences as a PT instructor and is interesting for that as well. There’s much to appeal to one in these books and if one approaches Tey’s works without expecting a certain kind of plot or mystery, they might end up surprising one!
Mallika blogs at Literary Potpourri and in recent years she has begun running a themed week called Reading the Meow, which focuses on cat-themed literature.
Following on from Mallika, we have Moira’s pick…
Charlotte Jay: She wrote around a dozen books, in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and the extraordinary thing about them is how varied they are – in style, setting, protagonist and genre. Jay was very well-travelled herself and lived in many different places and that comes over in the books. Each of them gives a telling picture of the time and place – in Arms for Adonis, it’s Lebanon in the early 50s, and it could almost be a romantic thriller. The Yellow Turban is more of a straight thriller written at a similar time about Pakistan. They have highly authentic exotic settings and a keen awareness of history and politics in the region. But then Hank of Hair is a claustrophobic tight story set in a few streets of London, a tale of obsession and fear. The Fugitive Eye has a blind man on the run in the English countryside. Her best book, for me, is Beat Not the Bones – set in Papua New Guinea. A young woman comes out there as part of the British/Australian colonial administration, to find out what happened to her much older husband. In the end she goes on a terrifying journey into the interior to find the truth. It is eerie, spooky and absolutely compelling, a tour de force, and unlike any other book I have read.
Moira blogs at Clothes in Books and she writes for the iPaper. I am looking forward to taking part in a panel with her at this year’s Bodies from the Library conference.
Next up we have Steve’s selection…
There are a few authors I could recommend whose name begins with a J – Jamie West, Antony Johnston, Oskar Jensen, Jeffrey Deaver, Jo Callaghan and Jim Noy – but my pick has to be Michael Jecks. After all, he did dedicate one of his books to me, I have to pay him back somehow. He has a mastery of combining a complex and entertaining novel dripping with historical detail while never forgetting that he is writing a detective story. Set in the 13th Century, The Last Templar series is one of the most outstanding sets of historical mysteries that you will find – highlights include The Mad Monk Of Gidleigh and Squire Throwleigh’s Heir, the latter of which contains a beautifully subtle clue. A quick mention though to his recent book, One Last Dance Before I Die, a noir novel set in 1922 Shanghai – it must be good, because I don’t like noir, but I loved this!
Steve blogs at In Search of the Classic Crime Novel, and he was instrumental in Brian Flynn’s mysteries being reprinted by the Dean Street Press (who incidentally are releasing the next few reprints in this series, in July).
Finally, we have my pick…
Ianthe Jerrold was an author that I was introduced to through the reprinting endeavours of the Dean Street Press, back in 2015. She only wrote four mysteries: The Studio Crime (1929), Deadman’s Quarry (1930), Let Him Lie (1940) and There May Be Danger (1948). All but the last one, can be considered to have a more traditional detection style, although I would say Deadman’s Quarry also leans into the novel-of-manners and is arguably her best mystery. Each story has something different to offer with. For example, Let Him Lie features a female protagonist who seemed, to me, like a young Miss Marple in training. The Studio Crime depicts a jocund and sarcastic relationship between the amateur sleuth, John Christmas and his friend, Lawrence Newtree, who he tries to designate as a Watson figure. Let’s just say there is no risk of Christmas suffering from too inflated an ego, any time soon, with Newtree around. Hero worship is not a problem here! Characterisation and engaging dialogue are definitely two skills Jerrold demonstrates in her books. It is a shame that Jerrold wrote so few mysteries, and in particular only a pair of stories featuring John Christmas. But I guess at least Jerrold left us wanting more!
How many of these authors have you tried? Which crime writers beginning with J would you recommend?