13 Authors Who Write Funny Crime Fiction
Death is no laughing matter. Unless you're reading one of these books!
Here’s a classic post that originally went live back on my original Thrill of It All blog back in 2013. (It has been revised, don’t worry.)
From the modern Knives Out movies and classic Thin Man movie series to TV shows like Monk and Psych, we have seen that mysteries don’t have to be depressing. This post, I’m sharing a list of authors who often find the funny side of crime fiction, suspense and mysteries.
This current list includes authors Gregory McDonald, Elmore Leonard, M.C. Beaton, Christopher Fowler, Donald Westlake, Rex Stout, Janet Evanovich, Robert B. Parker, Carl Hiaasen, and Lawrence Block. To freshen up the list, I’ve also added a few more recent authors who come with high recommendations—including Elle Cosimano, Donna Andrews, and Lee Goldberg.
Who would YOU add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!
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13 Authors Who Write Funny Crime Fiction
Gregory Mcdonald (1937-2008)
Former journalist and mystery writer Gregory Mcdonald is best remembered for writing the Fletch mysteries—featuring wisecracking investigate reporter Irwin Maurice Fletcher (i.e., “Fletch”). The character made his literary debut in the 1974 novel Fletch, which won an Edgar Award (“Best First Novel”) from the Mystery Writers of America.
In fact, the 1976 sequel, Confess, Fletch, also won an Edgar Award (“Best Paperback Original”). This was the first time (is it still the only time?) that a novel and its sequel won back-to-back Edgar Awards.
Although the subsequent books in the Fletch (and Son of Fletch) series varied in quality, the original two novels are wonderful—and hilarious. The prequel novel Fletch Won is also pretty great.
And, of course, there have been three noteworthy movies about Fletch. These include the 1985 movie Fletch (based on the original novel), starring Chevy Chase as the title character. Chase also starred in the 1989 sequel Fletch Lives, which was not based on any of the books—although, to be honest, I liked it a lot. (More than some of the other books, in fact.)
The 2022 movie Confess, Fletch was based on Mcdonald’s 1976 novel of the same name. This one starred Jon Hamm as Fletch, and followed the book very faithfully.
By the way, the original book Confess, Fletch introduced the brilliant but eccentric Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn. He went on to star in his own series of funny mysteries.
Final complaint: If you look at the Fletch DVDs, one of the designers clearly had NO IDEA what the movies were about. Just sayin’.
Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)
Crime writer Elmore Leonard wrote many distinctive crime novels, several of which have been adapted to the movies and TV. Novels that led to adaptations have included Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Rum Punch (made into the movie Jackie Brown).
Leonard was a novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, in the 1950s, were Westerns. But he soon moved on to crime fiction and suspense fiction (some of which seems an awful lot like modern-day Westerns).
He was a master of creating quirky characters and snappy dialogue. In fact, several of Leonard’s memorable characters have found their way to the screen: Justified‘s U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (introduced in the novel Pronto), Chili Palmer (Get Shorty and Be Cool), U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco (Out of Sight), and Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara (The Switch).
M.C. Beaton (1936-2019)
Prolific author Marion Chesney, under the name of M. C. Beaton, wrote mysteries—including the detectives stories starring Hamish Macbeth, a police constable in the fictional village of Lochdubh, found in the Scottish Highlands. He made his debut in the 1985 novel Death of a Gossip.
Although Hamish is generally considered to be lazy, he often finds himself embroiled in solving one crime or another—and working at odds with his superiors to get to to the truth. There are three-dozen novels in the series.
Hamish Macbeth was loosely adapted into a TV series. Although the show is quite different from the books, it has its own quirky charm and is also worth checking out.
Find Hamish Macbeth books on Amazon
Find Hamish Macbeth TV show on Amazon
Christopher Fowler (1953-2023)
British thriller writer Christopher Fowler wrote numerous horror, satire, and crime novels. His most famous creation would be the Peculiar Crimes Unit mysteries starring crotchedy old investigators Arthur Bryant and John May. They made their debut in Full Dark House: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery.
Their team is responsible for solving seemingly impossible crimes. However their, well, unusual investigative techniques often put them at odds with the more traditional police and their government superiors.
Donald Westlake (1933-2008)
With more than a hundred books—written under more than a dozen pen names—to his credit, Donald Westlake wrote a great deal of crime fiction, with the occasional side trip into other genres. The three-time Edgar Award winner wrote a series of caper novels starring career criminal John Dortmunder.
The character practically came about by accident: Westlake was writing the next installment of his Parker series—which he wrote under the pen name Richard Stark—but the novel started to get too, well, zany. Westlake decided the whole thing was too funny to work for Parker.
As such, he rewrote the novel with a cast of bumbling but likable robbers. That original novel, The Hot Rock (1970), led to a series of novels and short stories starring hard-luck professional thief Dortumunder. The Hot Rock was adapted into a 1972 caper comedy starring Robert Redford and George Segal. It’s a funny movie, yet somehow not quite as over-the-top as the source material.
P.S.—By the way, I love the Parker books, too. But those are crime caper books that are very serious.
Find the Dortmunder novels on Amazon
Rex Stout (1886-1975)
A novelist and pulp writer, Rex Stout (1886-1975) is most remembered today as the creator of the Nero Wolfe Mysteries, starting with 1934′s Fer-de-Lance. Wolfe is an armchair detective from the Golden Age school of mysteries, while his assistant, Archie Goodwin, is a two-fisted detective from the school of pulp fiction.
Their dueling points of view on each case—retold through the sardonic lens of Goodwin’s narration—was a driving force behind the series longtime popularity. The series was nominated Best Mystery Series of the Century, and the author nominated Best Mystery Writer of the Century. The series has also been adapted a nunber of times in different formats.
When the novels were republished in new editions a few years ago, a who’s who among mystery writers stepped up to write all-new introductions, including Robert B. Parker, Lawrence Block, and Walter Mosley.
Find Nero Wolfe Mysteries on Amazon
Janet Evanovich
Starting out as a romance writer, Janet Evanovich really hit her stride with the creation of Stephanie Plum, a New Jersey girl who loses her job as a lingerie buyer…and becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet. Kicking off with One for the Money (1994), the series feature adventures and romance in equal measure, with a large supporting cast that includes Stephanie’s family, co-workers, and the members of the community where she grew up.
Said to be a “spunky combination of Nancy Drew and Dirty Harry,” the female bounty hunter was described by Evanovich as “incredibly average and yet heroic if necessary.”
As of this writing, Stephanie Plum has been in at least 30 novels, four holiday novellas, and a short story. There was also a movie: Katherine Heigl starred as Plum in the 2012 film One for the Money, which adapted the first book.
Find the Stephanie Plum books on Amazon
Lee Goldberg
Although Lee Goldberg has written a number of books, right now we’re applauding his several original mysteries inspired by the comedy mystery TV show Monk. As both an experienced TV writer as well as a novelist, Goldberg was the ideal candidate to write fifteen official Monk novels. (Once he moved on to other things, there were a few novels by another author.)
By the way, his TV resume also includes working in one way or another with shows like Diagnosis Murder, Nero Wolfe, Martial Law, Spenser: For Hire, Hunter, The Glades, and more. In fact, his mystery writing for television earned him two Edgar Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America. He was also the 2012 recipient of the Poirot Award from Malice Domestic.
Fun side note: Goldberg and Janet Evanovich (who we just talked about) co-wrote the Fox and O'Hare series.
Find Lee Goldberg’s Monk novels on Amazon
Robert B. Parker (1932-2010)
In his career, Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) published nearly 70 books—including mysteries, westerns, and YA titles. His best-known series starred a private investigator named Spenser—just “Spenser”—a modern-day update of the type of smart-mouth, tough-guy detective modeled by the likes of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe.
However, Spenser turns out to be pretty complex for a smart-mouth, tough-guy: He’s an ex-boxer who is also quite erudite, philosophical, and who maintains a relationship with one woman. Following Parker’s death in 2010, the Spenser series was resumed by author Ace Atkins.
There are more than 50 books in the Spenser series!
Here’s a three-in-one collection that makes an excellent character introduction: A Triple Shot of Spenser (Spenser Mysteries)
Find the Spenser books on Amazon
Carl Hiaasen
Drawing on his longtime experience as a newspaper reporter, Carl Hiaasen’s Florida-based crime fiction often revolves around oddballs, greedy low-lifes, and the bizarre schemes that can pull them together.
Hiaasen’s memorable characters include:
Clinton Tyree, a.k.a. Skink, a crusading environmentalist, road-kill cooking, ex-governor (seen in the Skink series, including the novels Native Tongue, Squeeze Me, and Stormy Weather);
Honey Santana, the impassioned and bipolar “queen of lost causes” who takes it upon herself to teach a telemarketer a lesson (Nature Girl);
Chaz Perrone, a marine biologist on-the-take who unsuccessfully tries to murder his wife over what turns out to be a misunderstanding (Skinny Dip);
and Ricky Bloodworth, an ambitious but idiotic newspaper reporter who lacks any of the necessary skills to do his job—and inadvertently becomes the accidental victim of an incompetent terrorist (Tourist Season).
Find Carl Hiaasen books on Amazon
Lawrence Block
Award-winning crime writer Lawrence Block has been writing mysteries and suspense for decades. These include the long-running series featuring burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block has actually written about lots of different characters in his crime fiction over the years—having published more than 100 books. He was also named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994.
The character of burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr debuted in Burglars Can’t Be Choosers (1977). He was introduced as a New York City-based thief who excels in lockpicking and breaking and entering. Unfortunately, during some jobs he would stumble across a dead body—and then have to solve the murder just to clear his name.
Later in the series, Bernie becomes the owner of a used bookstore in Greenwich Village…and now has to burgle so he can pay for the upkeep.
As of 2022, the burglar and crime solver had appeared in at least a dozen books, including a few short stories. He was also portrayed in the 1987 movie Burglar by… Whoopie Goldberg. (Actually, I liked the movie in some ways. Even if the casting choice was a bit odd.)
Find the Bernie Rhodenbarr books on Amazon
Elle Cosimano
Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano’s witty, fast-paced Finlay Donovan mystery series follows a struggling suspense novelist and single mom turned-amateur-sleuth whose fiction begins to tread dangerously close to the truth. Author Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a People magazine pick and was named one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021. The fourth book in the series—which at the time of this writing is just now coming out!—is Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (Finlay Donovan Series #4).
Donna Andrews
Donna Andrews’ “hilarious” Meg Lanslow mystery series stars a successful decorative blacksmith and exceptional amateur sleuth. This mystery series is now at more than 30 books—and has won Agatha, Anthony and Lefty Awards.
Andrews has also won Barry Awards, an RT Book Reviews Award for best first novel, and two Toby Bromberg Awards for “funniest mystery.” She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and Novelists, Inc.
Find Meg Lanslow mysteries on Amazon
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