fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4832 ]

[ SECRET POST #4832 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4832 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

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06. https://i.imgur.com/NXzUw6N.png

IA so much! It doesn't seem like this should be such a hard line to tread. Just want nice, normal, well-written mysteries with likable but not overly cutesy characters. Is that so hard?

For real!

Maybe this is why I like Murdoch Mysteries so much.

Not overly twee, he's not an alcoholic... sounds like a win to me.

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-29 20:42 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-29 22:12 (UTC) - Expand

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thewakokid - 2020-03-29 22:57 (UTC) - Expand

Authors aren't failing to write the mysteries you want because it's particularly hard. They're just writing the mysteries they want.

Well, there's always Murder She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder.

Both solid shows, and I can never see the Diagnosis murder title without humming the intro song.

I'm guessing Murder She Wrote is too cozy for OP

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-30 17:50 (UTC) - Expand

John Sandford's Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are reasonably well put together - they're not depressed alcoholics.

Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware is a bit of an odd duck and I've never liked how his relationship with Robin is portrayed, but he's not a depressed alcoholic either.

Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone is a loner but not a mess.

There are zillions of detective books, only you've never heard of them because if they're not popular on Twitter and Tumblr, it's like they even exist.

*Don't even exist.

The TV adaption of No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is not so bad. It's way darker and much less cutesy than the books, but the two main characters are fairly psychologically stable.

I love the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency books and while I suppose they are cutesy, it's such a lovable flavor of cutesy. It also may be a different enough flavor from what OP is talking about that it might be worth OP's time to check out!

I never got around to watching past the first episode of the TV show because the library groups all the disks together so you have to check the entire thing out at once but it's only a 3-day rental and I wound up not having enough time that weekend and never got around to checking it out again. Maybe someday when the libraries re-open I'll go back and get it.

Four words: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

YES. Miss Fisher has her shit together and lives (and loves) life to its fullest. She's very clever, and there are no baking puns or helpful cats.

The BBC show New Tricks *sort of* skirts that trope. I mean, one of them is still a recovering alcoholic (and relapses once) and one of them is a widower with the criminal who killed his wife being a major antagonist but those aren't the defining parts of the show. It's three retired dudes brought back into semi-active service trying to navigate a changing world and they do become sort of friends, including with their boss who is a serving detective still. I found it heartwarming most of the time, but it does get dark occasionally.

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-29 21:05 (UTC) - Expand

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sparklywalls - 2020-03-29 21:13 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-29 21:59 (UTC) - Expand

Foyle's War might fit what you're looking for. Foyle is competent and I don't remember deep personal problems, besides the usual, general family stuff anyone has.

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-29 22:22 (UTC) - Expand

I'll fully admit to being a cozy mystery junkie, so I don't have very many suggestions on the book side of things. As for TV... Maybe Endeavour? There's some personal life drama, especially in season 3, but the two main detectives are fairly well put together and the darker bits of backstory don't take over the entire show like how things sometimes do. But I feel like we have very different tastes XD

I have to agree that most are either over the top or really stereotypical/tropey.

Though I have/am enjoying the *hell* out of Stumptown. But then, I don't think Dex is super-typical, though who knows - I don't watch a lot of those kinds of shows.

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-29 23:11 (UTC) - Expand

OH! I might have a thing for you! Judge Dee! Set in the 600's china. Magistrate solves crimes. His homelife is only periodically mentioned - only one of his wives is even named. but when it is brought up its shown that it is his oasis of peace in an otherwise hectic and all consuming job.

Ofcourse I'm possibly bais because I happen to be reading them right now - and loving them - so of course I'm going to evangelise them to try and get more people reading them. But they do fit the "Normal, not messed up detective with a happy home life" criteria.

not op but

(Anonymous) - 2020-03-30 00:11 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-30 06:26 (UTC) - Expand

Cadfael - the detective is a mediaeval monk, so he doesn't have a family, but the monastery and town give him a found family.

Lord Peter Wimsey. Family's very much in the background, but they're decent and supportive enough.

Granada Holmes, with Jeremy Brett. Minimal family - Mycroft only appears once iirc - but the relationship with Watson and Mrs Hudson is how a good family should be.

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(Anonymous) - 2020-03-30 00:29 (UTC) - Expand

Sorry, OP, my sheer adoration for the kind of mysteries you hate probably doesn't help. The stupider more ridiculous the pun the more likely I am to love it.

I hope you find more things you like! <3

Sounds super boring, OP. There has to be conflict somewhere in the character's life or they're too boring.

You could try 'The Consulting Countess'. She is a sensible women who keeps her life very organized. She is a Skilled Physic However, So that my be the biggest thing for you.

I wish I knew how cozy is cozy, but honestly I think there are lot more than you think OP. "unstable" is usually part of the "genius/special detective" version of mysteries, and "cozy" tends imo toward either "elderly detective" or "light historical" so if you avoid those you should be okay.

I'd recommend Murdoch Mysteries.

That was one of the things that drew me to the early Midsomer Murders - no drug or alcohol problems, no significant personal angst, and his wife is never more than mildly exasperated when he's called away in the middle of something important.

(I haven't seen the later episodes, after Barnaby left, so I don't know how those go.)

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