Mysteries appeal to the intellect. They offer a puzzle, clues to solve it, and red herrings meant to be misleading. Some readers derive satisfaction from solving the mystery before the detective does. Others prefer the surprise of a twist ending. The same book can offer either of these experiences, depending on the reader.

The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Mystery, 2d ed., by John Charles, Candace Clark, et al., is a superb resource. Stop, You’re Killing Me! (www.stopyourekillingme.com) is ideal for finding read-alikes as well as links to mystery awards—a sure bet for recommendations. Try following the “Crime Lady,” Sarah Weinman, on Twitter at @sarahw, the Mystery Writers of America at @EdgarAwards, and Mystery Scene magazine at @­MysteryScene. (See also LJ’s annual mystery preview, “Novel Crime Scenes,” LJ 4/15/17, and a roundup of diverse mysteries, “Diversity Is No Mystery,” LJ 11/1/16, p. 42.)

Getting cozy

Cozy mysteries tend to center on a crime that has taken place off-stage—there is no overt violence, just the results. The person solving the crime is usually an amateur and can be in just about any profession. The popular TV show Murder, She Wrote spawned the trope affectionately known as “Cabot Cove syndrome,” which refers to the large number of dead bodies that tend to appear in rural towns and remote locations in these types of stories. Donald Bain writes the series of books spun off from the show.

Cozy mysteries can be set in various locations, time periods, and industries. Joanne Fluke dishes up a delicious series with small-town baker Hannah Swenson. Lilian Jackson Braun gave us talking cats in her “Cat Who...” series, while dogs have their voice in the “Chet and Bernie” mysteries from Spencer Quinn. M.C. Beaton sent advertising executive Agatha Raisin into retirement, only to find murders overflow in her Cotswold village (it’s also a DVD series). Naomi Hirahara’s Mas Arai is a retired gardener-turned-sleuth. Rhys Bowen and Laurie R. King write wonderful historical cozies. Humor pops up in cozies, too; look at the works of authors Mary Kay Andrews, Elaine Viets, Janet Evanovich, and Lawrence Block. Check the Agatha Awards at malicedomestic.org/agathas (named for Agatha Christie, the Grande Dame of cozies) to find uniformly excellent titles.

On the case

Another popular subgenre is police procedurals, in which the police detective is the protagonist and the reader gets to follow along as the different aspects of police work inform the clues. These tend to be series and can be set almost anywhere. Dozens based in the United States feature a variety of law enforcement personnel. Michael Connelly’s homicide detective Harry Bosch works out of Los Angeles; James Lee Burke’s Deputy Dave Robicheaux wanders Louisiana; Eleanor Taylor Bland’s Marti MacAlister hails from Illinois; Lisa Gardner features Boston detective D.D. Warren; and then there’s Ed McBain’s “87th Precinct” (New York City), to name a few. Readers who enjoy reading about cops (and criminals) with an edge should try George Pelecanos’s gritty tales.

Canada boasts of one of the most popular police procedurals from Louise Penny, featuring Quebec Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. There are many from Great Britain, and in fact many European mysteries focus on police work. Ian Rankin is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his “Inspector Rebus” series. Peter Robinson sets his “Inspector Banks” series in Yorkshire, England, and Stephen Booth writes about young Derbyshire detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry. The “Inspector Montalbano Mysteries” by ­Andrea Camilleri are set in Sicily, and Donna Leon’s novels are based in Venice, starring Commissario Guido Brunetti. Scandinavian police procedurals can be on the dark side. Among the most popular are Henning Mankell’s “Inspector Kurt Wallander” series, Jo Nesbø’s “Oslo Inspector Harry Hole” titles, and Kristina Ohlsson’s “Fredrika Bergman” books.

Private eyes

Private detective stories allow the protagonists more leeway than police officers—they can walk in that gray area just outside the law. Private detectives abound in crime fiction, from Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe to Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins; Sue Grafton’s alphabetical series with PI Kinsey Millhone; Laura Lippman’s reporter-turned-PI Tess Monaghan; and Robert B. Parker’s Spenser. The “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” is a cozy series from Alexander McCall Smith, set in South Africa, while Jacqueline Winspear writes about psychologist sleuth Maisie Dobbs, in early 20th-century England.

The numerous mystery subgenres can feel intimidating to librarians trying to wade through it all. Appeal factors can be all over the place, so first determine what elements the reader wants and proceed from there.

Stacy Alesi was a Borders bookseller/manager before moving to the Palm Beach County Library System, FL, and is a professional reviewer. She contributed to Nonfiction Readers’ Advisory (Libraries Unlimited, 2004), gives webinars, and speaks at various conferences. Alesi is one of the original book bloggers, creating Stacy Alesi’s BookBitch.com in 1998. She is also a cat aficionado and a foodie