I don't think it is a touchy subject but my friends all say I wierd so it could be.  I have trouble with female author, it seem to alway turn into a love store instead of mystery.   Now it seems as if the men are joing in.  I must be a very low  minority. 

Does anyone have authors to recommen.  Just mysteries and thriller.  No spy or lawyers.

ruthie

Deborah Crombie's good. Val McDermid, Donna Leon, Elizabeth George, Anne Perry, and Martha Grimes all highly recommended.

Ruthie,

I guess I should be counted in that minority too. I, too, feel that mysteries written by most female authors seem to degenerate into love stories. Love/marriage is sort of to be expected in series dealing with recurring characters since they show the character evolving over a period of time. While a romantic interlude is expected and can even heighten the tension in a story, it should not overshadow the mystery/thriller part. Maybe authors think the romance makes the protagonists more human, show their softer sides, etc. But I wish they would either weave them better into the story/plot or leave them as side notes.

Some female authors that I have found who do not fall prey to this are: Agatha Christie (of course!), Martha Grimes' Inspector Richard Jury series (though he often lands in trouble because of his love interests including being suspected of murder), P. D. James' Adam Dagliesh series, Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Whimsey series (though the number of books which involve Harriet Vane may make you wonder).

Nita

Patricia Moyes has a series featuring Inspector Henry Tibbitt that doesn't disolve into romance - maybe because he is already married, lol. But, his wife is usually involved, even if peripherally, in the story.

Minette Walters never has a romance in her books.

Stephen Booth has recurring characters who are more at odds with each other than anything else.

Charles Todd's series has no real romantic aspects to it.

Thanks Ladies for your help.  I'll be sure to try some of these authors.

ruthie

what about Faye Kellerman-------the Decker and Lazarus series

That whole series starts off with how Peter Decker meets and falls in love with RIna Lazarus and most of the books deal with their ongoing struggles working on the many challenges their relationship faces. It is a classic example of interpersonal relationships overshadowing the story/plot, the mystery aspect of it.

Nita

The Robert Barnard mysteries are good.  The ones I've read were written in the 1970s and 1980s and are all freestanding (not a common detective in a series).  Romance did not figure into the ones I've read.

Also, my current favorite mystery series is by Emma Lathan.  She wrote beginning in the 1960s and up through the 1990s and her detective is a Wall Street banker.  Again, romance isn't really a part of the plot.  (I've got one of the early ones -- Banking on Death -- on my shelf if you're interested!!)

Hope you find something interesting out there!

I know what you mean, ruthie...I don't particularly like romancey/chick-lit type books either. I don't mind a "love story" or sex in a mystery if it's well done, an integral part of the story and not just so much gratuituous groping. :-D But the constant love triangles or situations where the main character is wonderful and gorgeous and has a passel of men chasing her and she can't make up her mind which one she wants...bah! humbug! LOL It's one of the things that I finally got sick of in the Stephanie Plum series. Make up yer damn mind already, before Joe and Ranger find they love each other and ride off into the sunset together leaving Stephanie with Grandma Mazur for company! hee hee

I second the Martha Grimes' series about Richard Jury. Deborah Crombie I really like...BUT...her two main characters DO end up in a relationship and it becomes a big part of the stories later in the series. However, for some odd reason, this didn't bother me the way it has with some other series.

Kris Nelscott writes an interesting series set in the late 1960's about an African-American man...I've only read the first three, but so far no romancy stuff there, and they are VERY good.

Kate Sedley writes a historical series featuring a male peddler (Roger the Chapman) that are excellent.

Cheryl

Sarah Caudwell wrote four little gems of mysteries featuring main protaganist Professor Hilary Tamar.  There are fleeting romances with the secondary characters, but there is no clue as to Prof. Tamar's gender, much less a romance.  It's very skillfully done - not as a campy "Pat" skit, or a series of improbably phrased interactions designed to disguise.  You really don't even notice, and the author makes the point that Tamar's gender is irrelevant to the story.

I just ordered some mysteries by Gayle Roper. They're in the love inspired romantic suspense line so I'm guessing there wont' be any sex involved! they sounded good and sometimes there are some good books (harlequin type t hough 'christian' based aka 'no sex'!) I'm just  hoping they wont' be too preachy. I really liked one of the other suspense books in this line though..anyone heard of these? caught in the act is one..seems like they all have 'caught' in the title. also gonna try the 'body movers' books by stephanie bond..found 2 on their website along with some other stuff...