>>After reading almost nothing but SF and Fantasy for too many years to remember, I finally shifted over to the mystery genre. Lots of good stuff, but I still drift back to the SF section in the book store now and then to see if Richard Morgan, David Weber or Elizabeth Moon have anything new to offer. I recently read Weber's Born in Fury, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's really space opera stuff, but he writes it very well.
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>I've recently read "Gun, with occasional music" (or vice versa?), which is a perfect mix of SF and detective genre.

If you want a real hoot, pick up a copy of The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fford (not a typo). And then read the rest of the series. This guy is right up there with Douglas Adams and Tom Holt.