• Agatha Christie • Lillian Jackson Braun • Joan Hess   Cozy Mysteries This is a lighter mystery, one without blood and gore, simply a nice "civilized" murder. The sleuth is nearly always a "reluctant" amateur. Murders take place close to home.     • Mary Daheim • Malice Domestic anthologies • M.D. Lake • Carolyn Hart     • Janet Evanovich • Julie Smith • Sharyn McCrumb   Soft-Boiled Mysteries This is a mystery with a bit of an edge. There may be some violence, a hint of blood and a more sinister overtone, but there are often wonderfully comic moments throughout.     • Jessica Speart • Harry Paul Lonsdale • Laura Lippman • Malcolm Shuman     • Raymond Chandler • Lawrence Block's Scudder series   Hard-Boiled Mysteries A tougher and grittier mystery, one that often incorporates violence and some no-holds-barred descriptions of crime scenes.     • Lawrence Block • Blair S. Walker • Dennis Lehane     • PD James • Martha Grimes • Colin Dexter • Tony Hillerman   Police Procedurals As the term suggests, this mystery features a policeman or detective who is responsible for solving the crime. Filled with details of policework and the investigative procedure, these mysteries can be set in America or abroad.     • Peter Robinson • J.A. Jance     • Anne Perry • Caleb Carr • Ellis Peters   Historical Mysteries Describes the mysteries which are set in time periods prior to current day. Typically these settings are before WWI.     • Elizabeth Peters • Margaret Lawrence