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I thought I'd add this as another subgenre. I don't normally read this kind of thing, but I just saw a blurb for a book called The Strings of Murder, which sounds like it should belong in this category.

Any other recommendations???

Does the crime itself have to have a supernatural element or does there just have to be a paranormal element to the book?

Monica wrote: "Does the crime itself have to have a supernatural element or does there just have to be a paranormal element to the book?"

Whatever you think fits!

There's a bit of a trope at the moment of police procedural / supernatural mashups, generally set in London.

Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series and Paul Cornell's Shadow Police both deal with ordinary coppers becoming involved with branches of the Met (Metropolitan Police) who deal with supernatural incursions. Flat descriptions would make them sound identical, but they are quite different in style, tone and approach.

My personal favourites are Charlie Stross's Laundry books, which pre-date the above. A branch of the UK Civil Service nicknamed the Laundry deals with squamous threats from beyond time and space. They don't always strictly fit into the 'crime' heading, the first few books being modelled after the styles of various espionage authors (John le Carré, Len Deighton). Seriously brilliant.

I've also just started Kraken by China Miéville, which starts very similarly but, being Mieville, is getting very weird very quickly. He is such a good writer, though, he pulls it off.

Paul 'Pezski' wrote: "There's a bit of a trope at the moment of police procedural / supernatural mashups, generally set in London.

Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series and Paul Cornell's ..."

I LOVE The Laundry Series. Absolutely. He wrote one that was just sheer James Bond knockoff.

Kraken is a really good one too.

Some of the Pendergast books by Preston and Child do this - either very strange science, a seemingly supernatural explanation (at first), or touches of ESP type abilities.

I just read the first Aaronovich book (the Peter Grant series mentioned above), Midnight Riot, and it was great, but I'd say it was definitely over the line into Urban Fantasy, if that makes a difference.

My own first Mike Gage Thriller falls into this category. (Hope this isn't inappropriate promotion)Pagan Moon

William wrote: "My own first Mike Gage Thriller falls into this category. (Hope this isn't inappropriate promotion)Pagan Moon"

Technically speaking, it is rather inappropriate.

Ooops!

no worries -- you'll know for next time. But we do have lots of space for you to promote your book - so all is not lost!

Some of the earliest mysteries I've read with a 'supernatural' element were the Gabriel DuPre western mysteries by Peter Bowen, a very definite thread of Native American mysticism in that series.

Craig Johnson's series also incorporates an occasional thread of Native American mysticism as well, especially in the first book of the series, Cold Dish.

I've read a number of mysteries recently that do seem to walk the line between mystery/supernatural and urban fantasy. The series by Ben Aaronovich which has been mentioned, the "Grave" series by Charlaine Harris, the Diane Tregarde books by Mercedes Lackey are ones I think of first.

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman. It is classified as a children's fantasy but i think of it as a good mystery with (more than) a hint of ther supernatural.

Love the Preston/Child Pendergast series. I'm now reading Still Life with Crows.

Also enjoyed The Ice Limit and The Kraken Project.

Sharon wrote: "Some of the earliest mysteries I've read with a 'supernatural' element were the Gabriel DuPre western mysteries by Peter Bowen, a very definite thread of Native American mysticism in that series.

..."

Re the Diana Tregarde series: did you know that Mercedes Lackey actually got threatening letters and death threats because of that series? Sometimes people are just nuts.

I've been writing a series, reviewing magical and secondary-world mysteries, over at Strange Charm this month:


Titles covered so far have been:

* Servant of the Underworld (historical Aztec murder mystery)
* Dark Currents (present-day paranormal)
* The Buried Life (actually more dystopian-future than fantasy, but that wasn't obvious when I started reading it!)

Forthcoming reviews:

* Wolf Winter (historical Swedish crime fiction)
* The Malykant Mysteries Compendium (a series of secondary world murder novellas)
* Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (paranormal cozy crime)

I'm not going to read it, but here's another to add to the list (I just saw this today):

Werewolf Cop, by Andrew Klavan

John Connolly and James Oswald are good authors to check out for that hint of the supernatural. Here's a really good relevant article on John

The Mystery at Sag Bridge is a present-day/historical mystery, where our heroine Cora is racing to solve a murder mystery while contending with an agitated ghost. It’s really fun!

Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun series set in Laos has a supernatural element - the Doctor, who considers himself a man of science, discovers in THE CORONER'S LUNCH that he also is a Hmong shaman. I assigned this in a course in which I had a Hmong student whose grandfather was a shaman. She said it was extremely accurate about her spiritual traditions. I like the way he integrates the not-totally-rational elements. The plots are never entirely dependent on supernatural interventions.

Barbara wrote: "Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun series set in Laos has a supernatural element - the Doctor, who considers himself a man of science, discovers in THE CORONER'S LUNCH that he also is a Hmong shama..."

You're right, there is definitely a spiritual/ ghostly element in the story. I have to read the next one, as it was excellent.

I second the vote for John Connelly's Charlie Parker series. The supernatural aspects are very well played; in fact, they could (nearly...) all be psychological misinterpretations triggered by massive emotional trauma. Or not. Connelly is great at blurring the line between para/normal. His protagonist is an excellent example of a man who does bad things for the right reasons, and almost every novel has a debate about the nature of good / evil at its core.

I also read an American gothic historic roadtrip thriller just lately, which has more than a hint of the weird about it. Mr. Shivers encouraged me to go look for other titles by the author.

Full review, if you're interested:

Rowena wrote: "I second the vote for John Connelly's Charlie Parker series. The supernatural aspects are very well played; in fact, they could (nearly...) all be psychological misinterpretations triggered by mass..."

I loved Mr. Shivers. I have to admit to being surprised by its low ratings on goodreads.

I think Mr Shivers maybe suffers by being hard to categorise. I've noticed this happening quite a bit; where an author blurs boundaries between genres, or tries something a little bit more ambitious than the run of the mill, reviews tend to be quite polarised. if people 'grok the fullness'* then they tend to rate highly. But if the reader feels a bit bewildered by the change in direction then the author can take a pummelling.
It's one of the challenges of reader ratings; a 2-star review can mean 'it's awful'. Or it can mean 'it's not my thing.' And sometimes folks don't differentiate between the two.

I also think many people are uncomfortable with uncertainty / ambiguity in their fictional reading. Totally understandable: we often turn to books for entertainment and an escape from real life. So for some people the experience isn't satisfying if they're left with loose threads and unanswered questions.

Me, I'm always happy to imagine what goes on in the spaces between. I *like* the spaces in between...




*that really dates me, doesn't it?

Rowena wrote: "I think Mr Shivers maybe suffers by being hard to categorise. I've noticed this happening quite a bit; where an author blurs boundaries between genres, or tries something a little bit more ambitiou..."

Everyone who reads Heinlein should get "grok" no matter what your age!

Personally, I'm with you. Ambiguity allows you to fill in the holes, generally a post-reading phenomenon. i happen to like books with "blurred" personalities.

Slice by William Patterson - it was crime but had a touch of supernatural to it.

Has anyone read the Amber Foxx Mae Martin series?

All righty -- I've just finished The Beetle: A Mystery by Richard Marsh (1897). Definitely hints (more than hints) of the supernatural in this one. It's an oldie, but definitely quite good.

Some excellent suggestions have been made here, especially the John Connelly, Colin Cotterill, and Preston and Child series.
If you are looking for something a bit lighter, try Carolyn Haines book Them Bones, the first in a series that includes the ghost of a nanny in a big, old house.
Another ghostly series is by Karen Robards and begins with The Last Victim. The ghost happens to be virile and sexually appealing to the psychiatrist who he refuses to leave. Not my bag of nails, but some love the sense of futility of love between the ethereal and real.

Iris Johansen
Her Eve Duncan series has supernatural elements, starting with a ghost and adding more elements as the series goes on.

I haven't read any of his books yet, but the missus and I watched a British mini-series based on Midwinter of the Spirit by Phil Rickman, which is the 2nd book in the Merrily Watkins series, which might fit the bill here. Very supernatural and an interesting mystery as well.

Love the Ben Aaronovitch books and Colin Cotterill, a bit neutral on the John Connelly and Preston Child books, some of which I liked and some I didn't. I just finished Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer that mixes police procedural and horror/demon crimes. Not usually my thing, but it was actually quite good.

The Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn books by the late Tony Hillerman did an amazing job of blending in Navajo mysticism with modern police work.

PS - I forgot all about this series yesterday, but the Repairman Jack books by F. Paul Wilson are dark and have a supernatural element to them - not always explained.

Well, there are also the Joe Pitt books by Charlie Huston, the Felix Gomez books by Mario Acevedo - both vamp PI series - and many Steampunk books that get blended in. Certainly cozies are rife with ghosts, talking skeletons, magical pigs, and witches of all sorts.

Michele wrote: "Some of the Pendergast books by Preston and Child do this - either very strange science, a seemingly supernatural explanation (at first), or touches of ESP type abilities."

In the Pendergast books, the psychic/paranormal aspects almost seem incidental to the narrative. I can't remember which book, but when an ESP incident popped up, it seemed to come out of nowhere.

I kind of have a prejudice that if you're going to introduce a supernatural aspect -- even in a series -- you should do it early on so readers understand that feature exists in this world.

Dennis wrote: "Michele wrote: "Some of the Pendergast books by Preston and Child do this - either very strange science, a seemingly supernatural explanation (at first), or touches of ESP type abilities."

In the ..."

I agree. If I know it's what I call a "woo-woo" book going into it, that's one thing. If it comes out of left field, that just makes me mad.

I'd recommend the Cree Black series by Daniel Hecht.
/series/6271...

I've enjoyed Marion Eaton's Mysterious Marsh series, set in the Romney Marsh area of England. They blend events in the 1970's and historical events in Romney Marsh with a kind mystical, ghostly feel, layering crimes of the past and crimes of the present. Truly original. When the Clocks Stopped When the Tide Turned

My own books have a paranormal element but the mysteries aren't always crimes.

Amber wrote: "I've enjoyed Marion Eaton's Mysterious Marsh series, set in the Romney Marsh area of England. They blend events in the 1970's and historical events in Romney Marsh with a kind mystical, ghostly fee..."

For something different, try Winter Wind by J. R. Rain. Supernatural mystery with an occult edge. Very satisfying.

There's a true crime story just waiting for an intrepid author to make into a novel. A murderer in 1960 is acquitted of hacking someone to death because he "truly" believed that the victim was a ghost.

Read about it.

Michael wrote: "There's a true crime story just waiting for an intrepid author to make into a novel. A murderer in 1960 is acquitted of hacking someone to death because he "truly" believed that the victim was a gh..."

That's an excuse to keep in mind......just in case. :)

Maurizio De Giovanni's series featuring Commisario Ricciardi (Blood Curse: The Springtime of Commissario Ricciardi) features a protagonist who sees dead people everywhere, often ones who died in a grisly manner; he also hears their last words, but has to fit the context to solve the case.

I'm having something of a psi week - stared off with Collecting the Dead: A Novel which is mainly a police procedural, tinged with a spot of ESP. Highly entertaining - it's out at the end of June so you might want to add it to your shelves...

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And I've just finished another somewhat 'super' thriller - this time it's The Tehran Text by Nik Morton. A solid Cold War espionage thriller, set in and around the Iran revolution, in which the female protagonist just happens to be psychic. Ticks all kinds of boxes for me!

/review/show...?

Michael wrote: "There's a true crime story just waiting for an intrepid author to make into a novel. A murderer in 1960 is acquitted of hacking someone to death because he "truly" believed that the victim was a gh..."

Not true crime, in fact not true at all, but Ruth Rendell sort of does this with her Adam and Eve and Pinch Me.

When we think of Agatha Christie, we think of Poirot and Miss Marple. But she also wrote a limited amount of short stories based on the character of Harley Quin which have a slightly supernatural twist. They never got the attention that they deserved and I find them delightful. Here is one of them.
The Mysterious Mr. Quin

Thanks! I never heard of these.

Gail wrote: "Or paranormal... or magical realism... or Fantasy... or Sci-fi... combining genres is fascinating but difficult to categorize for authors."

I don't know -- sometimes I think confining oneself to genre can be limiting to both an author and to a reader. I'm discovering that when lines are blurred it tends to make for a better reading experience.

Paul wrote: "There's a bit of a trope at the moment of police procedural / supernatural mashups, generally set in London.

Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series "

You beat me to it. I've just started this series but it's very good!

I love these stories. BBC produced radio versions and periodically replays them under the title Agatha Christie - The Mysterious Mr. Quinn

They are clever mysteries with a supernatural twist at the end - one ending made me cry. I'd never heard of these until BBC radio, after which I went and found copies. I wish she had written more Mr. Quinn stories!

Elaine wrote: " You beat me to it...."

Keep reading, you'll enjoy them. I find myself researching the different rivers and areas of London that are mentioned. So I'm learning history while having a fun read.

I spend a lot of time researching places - especially in a Scandinavian/Nordic setting involving pagan practices � and try my best to relate crime with rediscovery of the past in a teasingly-supernatural vein.

One of the best things I liked the most about The Exorcist, was the reference to an ancient form of demonology going back to the days of Babylon. I love stories that re-create the past, bringing us into contact with it through the premise and engine of story.

I've been working up stories based on Nordic myths involving the detectives investigation to entire a world of things are not what they quite seem to be.

One of the biggest problems I've faced is what to skim off for later books, what not, since suggestion has to involve a reader's imagination in the beginning. I've been looking at a lot of very unusual things that have happened and have been documented involving Emmanual Swedenborg I'm going to tap into, as well as some rather odd/strange goings-on during the Cold War.

The Prologue book just out (), currently being reviewed for Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, involved so much research â€� I decided to get the sources out as a separate project.

Current work-in-progress!