Series I Missed
It is not that I did not know of the existence of M.L. Longworth’s series featuring Antoine Verlaque, the chief magistrate of Aix-en-Provence and law professor Marine Bonnet, after all I do a lot of the ordering. However, I had never actually read any of the series until last month when I read an advanced reader’s copy of the eighth in the series, A Noel Killing, which is being released in November (TP $22). I really enjoyed it and went on to search out and read the already published titles. What back story there is revolves around the relationship between the main characters and the people in their social and professional circles. The series is realistic and believable and quite charming. A definite thumbs up.
Series I Recently Reread – Which You Might Not Have Read
Emma Lathen is, as is not uncommon, really two people, American writers Martha Henissart and Mary Jane Latsis. The first title in the series, Banking on Death, appeared in 1961 and introduced us to her main character John Putnam Thatcher, a Wall Street banker. Some of plots deal with different businesses, e.g. Murder to Go deals with the growth of fast food franchising, Murder Without Icing deals with the NHL and professional hockey. Some plots deal with world events, When in Greece, takes place during the Colonels Revolution of the 1960s, Double, Double, Oil and Trouble has John Putnam Thatcher embroiled in the North Sea oil ventures of the 1970s. The twenty- four books in the series, published between 1961 and 1997 are good reads and as the back story is minimal there is no need to worry about reading a book out of order.
New Author to Whodunit
Author J.P. Carter writes a police procedural series set in London. The main character is DCI Anna Tate. I did not read the first title in the series, In Safe Hands (tp$17.99) but I have just finished the second title At Your Door (tp$19.50). There were no problems in not having read the first title. The story and the plot move right along. It was an enjoyable read set firmly in the present time.