Southern Spooky Mysteries & Thrillers

Hey Y'all!

I'd like some recommendations of books set in the South, particularly Louisianna/New Orleans area that revolve around voodoo/ghosts/vampires etc. I'd also be interested in any other recommendations of southern set mysteries/thrillers whether they be modern day crime novels or more historical. Thanks so much!

I would like to recommend the "Southern Vampire" series by Charlaine Harris. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for 2002.

"Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability". She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable.

And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome -- and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life.

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of -- big surprise -- murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next....

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea. A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed."
SUSAN SIZEMORE



You might also like the Benjamin January mysteries by Barbara Hambly. The first book in the series is A Free Man of Color. This series is set in 1830's New Orleans. In the third book, Graveyard Dust, Ben's sister Olympe is charged with murder partly because she practices voodoo.

Joe R. Lansdale writes in various genres, including horror and crime, and many of his books are set in the Southern USA. I've read some of his crime novels, and I'd recommend them:

The Hap Collins & Leonard Pine series (a dark comedy/crime series):
Savage Season (although it's the first in the series, it's also the weakest - I'd advise starting with one of the other books)
Mucho Mojo
The Two-Bear Mambo
Bad Chili
Rumble Tumble
Captains Outrageous

Stand-alone novels:
The Bottoms
A Fine Dark Line
Freezer Burn

Daniel Woodrell is another good writer who has various crime novels set in the Southern USA:

Rene Shade crime novels:
Under the Bright Lights
Muscle for the Wing
The Ones You Do

Stand-alones:
Give Us a Kiss
Tomato Red

Sharon McCrumb writes mysteries set in the Appalachian mountains in TN. Not Louisana, but still southern.

The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris are what you are looking for. They are very interesting and will keep you very entertained.

Ohhh.... I like books about vampires! Thanks for the tip for me too!

Mary Ann Mitchell has a series called the MARQUIS DE SADE series that is about vampires and voodoo and takes place mostly in New Orleans.