Reading the Detectives discussion
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Which series have you read?
Actually, I have read two series that after I finished them, I wondered why I had wasted my time and money: Maisie Dobbs series by J. Winspear and the Aunt Dimity series by N. Atherton.
I've read every Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin book at least twice, and some more than that. I agree fully with Wodehouse's comment on the Wolfe books: "He [Rex Stout] passes the supreme test of being rereadable. I don't know how many times I have reread the Nero Wolfe stories, but plenty. I know exactly what is coming and how it is all going to end, but it doesn't matter. That's writing."
I've read a number of the Nero Wolfe books and when they started republishing them several years ago I started rereading them. I am reading the Montalbano stories by Andrea Camillieri. I was enjoying the tv shows which were being shown on one of the PBS stations in Chicago but they are not on in North Carolina.
Still reading the Grafton books, I think I am stuck on P.
Similarly stuck on Nevada Barr's Flashback.
Also working my way through Georges Simenon. Just got the first book yesterday. Although reading in order doesn't seem as important as with other series.
Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan books and her standalones. Both are excellent. I think I was attracted originally because she bases her books in Baltimore and I lived there for a while.
And, of course, being from Chicago I like Sara Paretsky's V I Warshawski stories.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
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Hopefully, I will have finally read all the Lord Peter Wimsey books by the end of the year :)
Two series I've read recently are both by J M Gregson his Lambert and Hook series and his Percy Peach series - both police procedurals.I have also read and enjoyed Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' Bill Slider series.
A Victorian mystery series which I found very good is the one by Linda Stratmann featuring Frances Doughty. A 1920s series which I think is really good is by Frances Brodie and features private detective Kate Shackleton.
I've read all of these series: Miss Marple and Poirot by Agatha Christie
Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L Sayers
Roderick Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh
Alan Grant by Josephine Tey
Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler
Death in ... by M.M. Kaye
Adrien English by Josh Lanyon (and other shorter series by JL)
Hilary Tamar by Sarah Caudwell
Charles & Mélanie Fraser/ Malcolm and Suzanne Ranch by Tracy Grant
Julian Kestrel by Kate Ross
Bernie Rhodenbarr (Burglars) by Lawrence Block
Lessons by Charlie Cochrane
Laetitia Talbot by Barbara Cleverly
Sarah Tolerance by Madeleine E. Robins
Falco by Lindsey Davis
Robert Amis by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Peter Marklin by Neville Steed
Plumber's Mate by J.L. Merrow
Fatal by Marie Force
Kinsey by Sue Grafton
I've read most of and intend to read all of
Sebastian St Cyr by C.S. Harris
Lady Julia by Deanna Raybourn
Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
Rev. Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne by Julia Spencer-Fleming
I've read many of these but don't plan to read the continuation:
Spenser by Robert B Parker
I like series!!
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Just remembered I have also read all the Sophie Rivers books by Judith Cutler, although the quality of those varies a lot - I remember one of the books doesn't even have a murder in it, despite having death in the title! But I love her writing style.
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In general, just wondering, do people think it's better if series are constructed so you can read out of order with the main characters staying pretty much the same, or if they develop and change over the series?
The Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes should be read in order.I'm not sure that Simenon needs to be because it is basically police procedural and I don't think that one book builds on another. While we may learn more about Maigret (and possibly his wife) and assistants, I don't really think there is relationship development. Hopefully there is some character development given the amount of books he wrote.
But my thinking is that most straight police procedurals don't need to be read in order because they are more about the procedure than the character.
I think this is probably not true (don't know for sure) about Tey or Marsh. Not sure if the difference is because the authors are male vs. female. But it appears we follow their lives more, learn about their relationships. And I'm not sure we learn much about the relationship Maigret has to anyone, except possibly to Mrs. Maigret, and, I think, even that is on the periphery. Although thus far my reading of Maigret is scattered.
Judy wrote: "In general, just wondering, do people think it's better if series are constructed so you can read out of order with the main characters staying pretty much the same, or if they develop and change over the series? ..."I much prefer it if the characters change and develop during the series. However, one of the reasons I like reading mysteries is that (generally) they do include a variety of characters who interact with each other. One could argue that they should do, because the essential element of a mystery is a good number of suspects who may or may not have done it for reasons which should emerge for the reader as we see them talk to each other, etc..
So since I'm reading as much for the characters as for the solution, I will incline towards mysteries which focus on characters rather than clever twists in method etc., so would expect the recurring characters to grow from book to book.
Judy wrote, “In general, just wondering, do people think it's better if series are constructed so you can read out of order with the main characters staying pretty much the same, or if they develop and change over the series?”I agree with HJ that I prefer the characters to develop and change (but not too much) over the course of the series—though sometimes I am disappointed in the ways they change. It’s a fine line for authors to make each book able to stand alone but also be a thread in the larger weave of the series. Some of them have obvious recap paragraphs that I just skip; others take too much for granted.
One of the frustrations of reading Margery Allingham for me is that although Campion develops over the course of the novels, there are crucial gaps when important events in his life take place offstage and unremarked—or at least noted only elliptically. It’s as if she asked herself only “Where is Campion now, in the world as it is today?” and not “How did he get here?”
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Cormoran Strike by Galbraith (aka Rawlings)
Fergussen / Van Alstyne by Spencer-Fleming
Lady Julia by Raybourn
Gaslight mysteries by Thompson
Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall
Detective Kubu by Michael Stanley
Maise Dobbs by Winspear
Insp. Gamache by Penny
Jim Stringer by Andrew Martin
Flavia Deluce by Alan Bradley
Whimsey
Active series: (how active is sometimes debatable!)
Phryne Fisher by Greenwood
Gervase Fen
Monk by Anne Perry
Hamish Macbeth by Beaton
Rumpole
Ruth Galloway by E Griffiths
Mary Russell by Laurie R King
Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters (I have only the last one to go, but am reluctant to say goodbye)
There are many series that I have read, and enjoyed, the first one or two that I intend to continue but I feel I should concentrate on what I've already started.
Abigail wrote: "Judy wrote, “In general, just wondering, do people think it's better if series are constructed so you can read out of order with the main characters staying pretty much the same, or if they develop..."Something that annoys me in a series is when the main detective has particular character traits or idiosyncrasies and the author just reiterates them every single time. Like a policeman who dreads the first time he has to look at the body, or a detective with backache which always flares up at some point during the story. These tend to be the series where you can read in any order and the main character is fairly two-dimensional and unchanging.
Perversely though, sometimes it can be comforting to have a character who you know will always act or react in a particular way, like Miss Silver. She has characteristics, like her cough and her love of Tennyson, which always crop up. But you also know she will always sort things out, no one nice will die or turn out to be the murderer and there will always be a happy ending.
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Today I was dipping into piles of detective paperbacks at The Works (a remaindered bookshop in the UK) and many of the stories on offer were the latest in long-running series, so I was reluctant to try those!
I haven't finished that many series 100% though there are several which I have read most of the books. Completely done:
Poirot & Miss Marple by Agatha Christie
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Julian Kestral by Kate Ross
Hilary Tamar by Sarah Caudwell
Lord Peter by Dorothy L. Sayers
Alan Grant by Josephine Tey
Gervase Fen by Edmund Crispin
Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters
Sir John Fielding by Bruce Alexander
Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny
Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter
Dick Francis (not really a series)
Hannayside/Hemingway by Georgette Heyer
Inspector Erlendur by Arnaldur Indridason (well, I have one left to go)
King's Hounds by Martin Jensen
Alex Plumtree (Booklover's mysteries) by Julie Kaewert
Martin Beck by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (well, I have one left to go)
Inspector Bonaparte by Arthur W. Upfield
Mostly done or read a bunch:
Miss Silver by Patricia Wentworth
Rodrick Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh
Campion by Margery Allingham
Inspector Appleby by Michael Innes
Eve Dallas by J.D. Robb
Kinsey Millhone by Sue Grafton
Nero Wolfe by Rex Stout
Penny Spring/Toby Glendower by Margot Arnold
Anna Pigeon by Nevada Barr
V.I. Warshawski by Sara Paretsky
Inspector Mallet by Cyril Hare
Leaphorn & Chee by Tony Hillerman
Read several (5-10) but not close to all:
Jim Qwilleran by Lillian Jackson Braun
Charles Paris by Simon Brett
Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald
Miss Seeton by various (Heron Carver, Hampton Charles, etc)
Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell
Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich
Alexandra Cooper by Linda Fairstein
Inspector Lynley by Elizabeth George
Theophilos the Fool by Alan Gordon
Richard Jury by Martha Grimes
Annie Laurence (Death on Demand) by Carolyn G. Hart
Adam Dalgliesh by P.D. James
Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
Homer Kelly by Jane Langton
John Putnam Thatcher by Emma Lathen
Kathleen O'Malley by Carol O'Connell
Faith Fairchild by Katherine Hall Page
Sugawara Akitada by I.J. Parker
William Monk and Charlotte & Thomas Pitt by Anne Perry
Stone Barrington by Stuart Woods
Judy wrote: "Everyman, I've only read a few Rex Stout books so far but am definitely hooked - I absolutely loved the second one in the series, The League of Frightened Men."I think he and Sayers display the most intelligence and literary strength of any authors of detective series that I know of.
I don't keep that good track of series, but in addition to Stout I've read all of Sayers, Marsh, Tey, Allingham, Ross Macdonald, Dick Francis, Raymond Chandler, and all of the Judge Dee series, the Bony (Australia) series, and some others I don't have time to recall now.
Judy wrote: "Wow, HJ, I'm awed!! Just remembered I have also read all the Sophie Rivers books by Judith Cutler, although the quality of those varies a lot - I remember one of the books doesn't even have a mur..."
HJ wrote: "I've read all of these series:
Miss Marple and Poirot by Agatha Christie
Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L Sayers
Roderick Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh
Alan Grant by Josephine Tey
Philip Marlowe by Ray..."
I've read some of Judith Cutler's series too - I especially like her Fran Harman series and her Lina Townend series. I have read some of the Sophie Rivers series too.
Judy wrote: "Damaskcat, thanks for mentioning Linda Stratmann - she is a new name to me and I really like Victorian mysteries. I've just downloaded the first Frances Doughty mystery, [book:The P..."Sher writes non-fiction too so her research is impeccable.
I too have read and enjoyed the Ruth Dudley Edwards Robert Ames books - just love Baroness Troutbeck and the cat of course :-)How could I forget Phryne Fisher - one of my favourite series as well the same author's modern Corinna Chapman series.
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Now I keep seeing other series in people's posts of which I've read some or all, but didn't include in my original list (message 7 above). So, I'm adding these (thanks especially to Leslie):Maise Dobbs by Winspear (some -- I find them rather depressing)
Phryne Fisher by Kerry Greenwood
Corinna Chapman by Kerry Greenwood (love these -- very foody!)
Gervase Fen by Edmund Crispin
Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter
Dick Francis
Hannayside/Hemingway by Georgette Heyer
V.I. Warshawski by Sara Paretsky (probably not all)
Inspector Mallet by Cyril Hare
Charles Paris by Simon Brett
Travis McGee by John D. MacDonald
Miss Silver by Patricia Wentworth
Campion by Margery Allingham
Inspector Appleby by Michael Innes
Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich (not the most recent ones)
Inspector Lynley by Elizabeth George (some only -- they changed)
Richard Jury by Martha Grimes
Adam Dalgliesh by P.D. James
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She writes non-fiction too so her research is impeccable.
I'm about a third of the way through and really enjoying it so far - looking forward to going on to more of the series!
HJ wrote: "Now I keep seeing other series in people's posts of which I've read some or all, but didn't include in my original list (message 7 above). So, I'm adding these (thanks especially to Leslie):..."lol! My post was inspired by yours so right back at you HJ! :-)
Well, now that we've discussed series in general, how about people listing, for the benefit of others, your three (or if you've read a lot of series, maybe up to five) favorite series? Mine are pretty simple.
Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin
Dorothy Sayers: Lord Peter Wimsey
Robert van Gulik: Judge Dee
John D MacDonald's Travis McGee series (+ misc singles)Simenon's Magrait (sp?) series
Chandler's Phillip Marlowe
Ed McBain's 87th Precinct
Connely's Reacher, Bosch
Everything Elmore Leonard wrote, incl some westerns
Judy wrote: "Damaskcat wrote: "Judy wrote: "Damaskcat, thanks for mentioning Linda Stratmann - she is a new name to me and I really like Victorian mysteries. I've just downloaded the first Franc..."Great! Glad you're enjoying them :-)
HJ wrote: "Now I keep seeing other series in people's posts of which I've read some or all, but didn't include in my original list (message 7 above). So, I'm adding these (thanks especially to Leslie):Maise..."
I've enjoyed the Fethering Mysteries by Simon Brett and his Mrs Pargeter series but I don't like his Charles Paris series.
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Amelia Peabody by Elizabeth Peters (but for the family and the setting over the mystery)
Whimsey, especially those with Harriet Vane
Insp Gamache by Louise Penny, at least until his retirement
Cormoran Strike by Galbraith
Mary Russell / Sherlock Homes by Laurie King
William Monk by Anne Perry
I know that's 6, not 5, but I couldn't decide. Whimsey wouldn't have made it before we started the re-read just because I read him so long ago. Same with Holmes; read them as a teenager with frequent rereads, but not one a think of as a favorite series.
I am definitely drawn to series that develop the characters and that usually means a romantic interest.
I have never read Nero Wolfe but definitely must, based on this discussion.
Judy wrote: "I listened to one of the Charles Paris books on the radio in a dramatisation starring Bill Nighy and really liked it, although that might have been partly down to Nighy's voice! I haven't read any ..."I've listened to the radio dramatisations as well as read the books. I much prefer the radio versions as the character of Charles Paris really grates on me in the books. His drinking perpetually leads to him letting people down, which they seem to have toned down a lot in the radio versions, where he comes across very sympathetically - but as you say I think Bill Nighy's potrayal helps a lot!
Everyman wrote: "Well, now that we've discussed series in general, how about people listing, for the benefit of others, your three (or if you've read a lot of series, maybe up to five) favorite series? Mine are p..."
So hard to narrow it down to even 5! I like different series for different reasons...
Julian Kestrel series by Kate Ross (wonderful historical fiction and excellent mysteries) and Sir John Fielding series by Bruce Alexander - great mysteries and again some excellent historical fiction. I love the 'Blind Beak' and how he can solve the cases using his other senses! I have put two 'historical fiction' mystery series because sadly the Ross series is just 4 books.
Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers - classic Golden Age mysteries. I have read and reread these so many times and they never disappoint.
Gervase Fen series by Edmund Crispin for the wonderful wit
Napoleon Bonaparte series by Arthur W. Upfield for transporting me to the Outback and making me love it even though I have never been to Australia
Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny - contemporary Quebec setting is intriguing but her true strength is in the characters of Gamache and his team (though I agree with Sandy's caveat)
Dick Francis - this one doesn't actually qualify as with the exception of the 4 Sid Halley books he didn't write a series. I love all the different ways I get to see the racing world from the obvious riders and trainers to accountants, insurers, caterers, amateur riders, owners, horse transport firms, bookmakers, vets etc. These are also books I have read and reread without disappointment.
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Which series have I finished?Completed reading series/standalons by the following authors:
Agatha Christie
Dorothy Sayers
Josephine Tey (as far as I can find them)
PD James
MC Beaton
Dashiell Hammett
Raymond Chandler
All the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins and Encyclopedia Brown books (that's how I first got into mysteries!)
Have read many books by each of these authors, but I still need to finish series/standalones by:
Elizabeth George
Ruth Rendell
Ngaio Marsh
Rex Stout
Georgette Heyer
Charles Finch
Boris Akunin
Janet Evanovich
Sue Grafton
Planning on reading more books by:
Simenon
Victoria Thompson (gaslight mysteries)
Just recently added Allingham to my kindle, but haven't started reading her books yet.
If anyone has suggestions for more authors based on my list, I'd really appreciate it!
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Susan wrote: " I think we under-estimate the effect children's books have upon our reading when we are older. ..."I agree! I too loved the Enid Blyton mystery series; my favourite was the R series, which I see is also called the Barney series, which I liked because I love Barney and his monkey Miranda. And I still love mysteries, or crime fiction as we used to call it. I still have a preference for old-fashioned i.e. not too gory or scary books.
As a child I also loved Geoffrey Trease and Rosemary Sutcliff, who wrote superb children's historical adventures, and history and historical novels are still favourites of mine. I absorbed a great deal of history from these and other excellent children's authors.
My favourite was Malcolm Saville, who wrote very good children's adventure stories. I particularly loved his Lone Pine Club stories, about a group of children who formed a club and had adventures. He was especially good at setting his books in real places, and describing them well (with maps), so that I became fond of parts of England before I ever visited them (such as Shropshire and Rye). I still like reading books set in the Romney Marsh and Rye.
Another excellent children's author I loved was Monica Edwards, whose best series was set in the Romney Marsh. I particularly liked Tamzin and Meryon, two very likeable characters. Her stories were excellent, too.
Thinking about how this has affected my adult reading: I do like books with an identifiable setting, and I like good dialogue and realistic interactions between characters as well as good plots. They were a hard act to follow, those authors and their books, and I still enjoy re-reading them.
There is a very good publisher called Girls Gone By (or GGB) who have been re-publishing Malcolm Saville and Monica Edwards and concentrating on getting good accurate and complete editions with interesting Introductions. They also publish several authors who wrote girls school book series, such as the Chalet Girls (which appealed to me less, though I did read some of them when I was trying to find something to read!).
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Susan wrote: "I loved Malcolm Saville too. I once wrote to him as a child as I was missing one book in the Lone Pine series that I couldn't find and he sent me a signed copy, plus a long letter. What a lovely man!"I've heard of his doing this before; as you say, what a lovely man! In case you don't know, the paperback versions of the Lone Pine books were often abridged, which is one reason why the GGB reprints are so good -- they're complete.
There's an active Malcolm Saville society which gets together regularly and organises walks etc. in places where his books are set. I haven't been to any of the get-togethers, but I read their magazine which has some interesting articles.
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HJ wrote: "Another excellent children's author I loved was Monica Edwards, whose best series was set in the Romney Marsh. I particularly liked Tamzin and Meryon, two very likeable characters. Her stories were excellent, too."Wish for a Pony was one of my favourite books - I had a shelf of horses in my room and they all had names out of that book.
I read the Lone Pine books in my late teens - when my younger brother started reading them. He also wrote to Malcolm Saville and received a reply from him.
Another series I read thanks to my brother was the Swallows and Amazons books.
I've just remembered another children's author who was instrumental in engendering a love of history in me -- Cynthia Harnett. I think the first one I read was The Wool-Pack, which struck home with me because it's about the wool trade in the Cotswolds in the late-15th-century and having lived in the area I was aware how important sheep and the trade had been (for example, there are many so-called "wool-churches" which are too big for the small places they're in but which were funded by wealthy merchants). Her books are delightful adventure stories which give a real feel for daily life in the period, and are beautifully illustrated with lots of small drawings of everyday objects as well as larger ones of the people and landscapes. The books really are packed with information, but you don't feel you're being educated because the characters and the stories are good. I've just ordered some copies for another re-read (I've read them several times).
One which I only discovered relatively recently and which I think would appeal particularly to American readers is Stars Of Fortune. I don't remember it well, but I think there's a link to the American flag.
Jay-me (Janet) wrote: "Another series I read thanks to my brother was the Swallows and Amazons books. ..."I never came across these as a child, somehow! I first read them about ten or fifteen years ago as an adult, and really enjoyed them.
I hear good and bad about Maisie Dobbs. I'm on book 2 of the series and so far I love the books.
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I've just finished reading the complete Sherlock Holmes, which I loved! In the past I've read all of the Campion books and all the Wimsey books, which I'm now reading again.
With more modern detectives, I've read nearly all the Sue Grafton Kinsey books - just a couple of the most recent ones to go - although I keep thinking I'll stop, but then being tempted to go back!
I've also read all of Gillian Linscott's Nell Bray suffragette mysteries - I thought I'd read all the Victorian mysteries about Liberty Lane which she has written under the pseudonym Caro Peacock, but now I've realised there's one that was published last year which I hadn't heard about...
There are quite a few series which I've started but fallen by the wayside on and may pick up again in future. I'm not sure what it is that keeps me going with some and makes me drop others which I enjoy too - maybe sometimes availability, since for instance with Kinsey the books are everywhere.