Do you feel like you will never have enough time to read all the books you want? I certainly feel that way. In addition, I overestimate the number of books I can read in a month. I tell myself that I will finish a certain mystery series in a short time, so I better start looking for my next series. When I find the next series I want to read, I get so excited that I start to read the new series. It becomes a sort of domino effect, where I am starting a series but never getting around to finish them. Not to mention that I have a thing about needing to read a series in order. If I am missing a volume, say volume 5, I must wait until I find it, even if I have volume 6 and others in the series.
There are four series that I have been able to finish. Thanks in part to Carol and Books by the Lake. I bought many volumes for these series from this bookshop before I bought the shop. The series are very different from one another. They are written by a British, American, and an Irishman. Some involve murders while others involve simple crime mysteries.
One thing they all have in common though, is how I discovered these series. I discovered all of them on stopyourekillingme.com. It is a wonderful site where you can look up mystery series by author, character, location, time period, occupation and more. I like to search by “books” or “teacher” under occupation.
The first series, of four, that I am going to write about is the Homer Kelly series of mysteries by Jane Langton. Homer Kelly is a lawyer and former police lieutenant now a Harvard English professor in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I enjoyed the series because 1) he is an English professor and 2) it takes place in and around Boston. He is loveable and a little bit unkempt and prone to spills. He and his wife travel around Boston and Europe solving literary based crimes. I thought they were quick enjoyable reads. There are 18 titles in this series.
Another series that involves books is the Mobile Library series by Irishman Ian Sansom. This series involves a down on his luck lad who takes a job as a mobile librarian in rural Ireland out of necessity. Upon arrival at his new job, he finds the library, all 15,000 volumes missing. His first task is to solve the mystery of the missing books . Another enjoyable series with lots of humor. There are no murders in this series, in case that pleases or disappoints you. There are four titles in this series, which may explain why I was able to complete the series.
The third series I have been able to complete is the Rumpole series by John Mortimer. There are roughly 20 books in this series. It is difficult to give an exact number as there are different titles for the UK and US editions. This series is based on a character developed for British television. Rumple is a wine swilling barrister who defends the criminal element in the Old Bailey court in London. He is another loveable character who fights for the underdog whomever he may be. Lots of humor involved in his court proceedings and in his relationship with his wife. He affectionately calls her, “she who must be obeyed” throughout the series. He has a fondness for cheap cigars and cheap red wine.
The Easy Rawlins series by Walter Mosley is the final series that I have finished. There are currently 15 but the number of books in the series keeps growing. I have read that there is another one due out this year. Easy Rawlins is an out of work black WWII veteran who lives in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. There are plenty of colorful characters in these books with lots of murders. His cases take Easy through the sleazy and fearful parts of LA but he is protected by his murderous childhood friend Mouse. Easy Rawlins is a fascinating character and Walter Mosley made a reputation for himself in his first novel. I enjoy his novels because of his many references to reading and other literary works. The first novel in the series, Devil in a Blue Dress, was turned into a movie starring Denzel Washington as Easy. I have not seen the movie, as I have a thing against seeing the movie version of a book I have read; I’m always concerned the movie will disappoint. I am sure it is good. But the book is wonderful.
I hope you enjoyed my simple reviews of some mysteries that I have enjoyed. I will continue this topic in my next blog by reviewing mystery series that I have started but not completed. There are many more that fall into that category. Until then, enjoy your reading.
Comments