It's a tall order to ask for a mystery novel that's also funny, like wanting a dog who can both fetch and mix a cocktail. But such things do exist (the novels, not the dog, though surely you'll tell me if I'm mistaken), and a number of you responded to my call for recommendations for a crime fiction novel that made you laugh out loud. I wasn't at all surprised by the title most often cited: "The Thursday Murder Club," by Richard Osman, came out in 2020 and brightened many a pandemic Sunday afternoon. The tale of four seniors in a pastoral and excessively llama-laden British retirement village who attempt to solve a real-life crime, it's very funny and the characters are a treat. They return for a 2021 sequel, "The Man Who Died Twice."
Other books getting multiple votes were:
— Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie mysteries. A lot of readers chimed in for this 12-book series, about a detective agency run by Bernie, who is a person, and Chet, who is a dog. (But can he make cocktails?) The titles all play on famous novel or movie titles; my favorite is "A Fistful of Collars."
