Top Five Mystery Books

*Wind howls through the trees and rattles the old windowpanes*

BOO!

Hehe, sorry. Couldn't help it. Right blustery out there, ain't it? Here, come sit by the fire. *Curls up in a large wingback chair* Perfect mystery weather out, if you ask me. That's why I got— *reveals a stack* —these to keep me company. There are few things better than a good mystery. Here's are some of my favorites!

Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason

This was the first book of Lynette's I'd read, and it was a good one. I liked how there was action and exciting things happening, but she didn't go overboard describing what could've been a lot more gory and just unnecessary. Definitely not for everyone, but enough for me that it now sits on my shelf next to its siblings (AKA, the rest of the series).

The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene

*sighs* Nancy Drew... Okay, I grew up on the abridged versions and loved them. Then I found out the originals. The originals and the unabridged are so drastically different to the point of being a completely different story sometimes. The original Secret of Shadow Ranch was fair. But I just love the abridged so much more. Yes, I know, it's not the real one. But I still love it. Like, it's my favorite out of all of them (of the abridged ones that it. Still working on my original collection ;)).

Five Star Spy by Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick

I'm rather new to the Perry Elizabeth Fanclub, but don't mistake my membership date for my loyalty or liking rank. I can't get enough of this series! You won't believe (or maybe you've been there and can) how hard it is to find good, clean spy books these days! It's ridiculous! Perry did an excellent job with Brent and Emily in this little bundle of fun series.

It took some effort picking out my favorite one (picture me staring at the entire series on a shelf and wondering just how I could pick only one) but I gotta say, Five Star Spy is just a tad more fun than the rest. But I did say I loved them all, right? Like, all all of them?

Exploit by P.D. Atkerson

Exploit. I can't make a list of anything without a book of P.D.'s showing up on it. *grins* Maybe that's cause her books fall under the categories of "absolutely awesome" and "must-have-on-shelf-ASAP." Gregory's in the thick of it yet again with this installment of Deadlock #2. Seriously, this kid cannot stay out of trouble (even though most of it isn't his doing.) Exploit's setting was unique, not that I've read many books set inside juvie, but hey. There's a first for everything, right? ;)

The House on the Cliff by Franklin W. Dixon

Another classic. And this time I mean the original, folks. In my humble opinion, the original Hardy Boys are far superior to the abridged. Frank and Joe are younger, more independent, and the book doesn't skimp on the details. I think the abridged are really toned down, as this edition was far more interesting and tell-it-like-it-is. As of writing this... I only have one original Hardy Boys in my possession (this one, if you couldn't guess), but that is a problem I wish to remedy soon.

So there you have it! Five books perfect for those blustery, moody kinda days that practically beg you to read a mystery. How about you? What are some of your favorite mysteries?

And, if you haven't done so yet, be sure to enter the giveaway for the grand prize! You can find that and more here at Kate's post.

Catch ya on the flip side!

_Mac