The Robert Amiss Series by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Since there are two books on the shelf for Ruth Dudley Edwards, I will start there. I have read and reviewed two books in the Robert Amiss series: Corridors of Death and The St Valentine's Day Murders. I loved the first one; my reaction to the second one was tepid. But I still desire to continue the series, so I will be reading the books on this shelf eventually. The English School of Murder is the third book in the series. Amiss has left the Civil Service and finds a job at a language school teaching English to newcomers. Ten Lords A-Leaping is #6 in the series and I will probably read the intervening books before I move on to that one.
There is a good post about the series at Mystery Fanfare (written by the author).
The Jack Taylor Series by Ken Bruen
On the right end of this set of books are two by Ken Bruen, The Killing of the Tinkers (2002) and The Magdalen Martyrs (2003). These are books 2 and 3 in the Jack Taylor series and I read the first in the series, The Guards, back in May 2012. I liked that book a lot and have more in the series but never continued it. Jack Taylor, a member of the Garda Síochána (the police force of the Republic of Ireland), was thrown out because of serious problems with alcohol. He becomes a sort of private detective.This series is much more bleak and dark than the series by Ruth Dudley Edwards, which leans toward the cozy.
I actually liked Bruen's other series better, the Inspector Brant series. I read the first three books in that series (A White Arrest (1998), Taming the Alien (1999), and The McDead (2000) in 2013. That series is set in London and Brant is part of the Metropolitan police force. He is not the type of cop I usually prefer; he is amoral and does what he has to do, legal or not, to get things done. Still, I loved those books.
Both series include frequent mentions of books, especially mystery novels. Inspector Brant is a big Ed McBain fan.
I think I have gone on enough here. I might return to this portion of the shelf sometime, because there are other interesting books on it.
12 comments:
Read the Hammett! (!!) and the Lovesey! So many good things here, though the Bruen isn't my cup of tea, I'm afraid. While I might should be reading some mysteries, I'm kind of entrenched in science fiction at the present.
Oh, by the way, read the Hammett!
Rick, you have convinced me. I will read the Hammett. It does look like a good collection. As for the Lovesey, I may have read Bertie and the Tinman decades ago, but I don't remember for sure, so I should read it. And I have been enjoying historical fiction and historical mysteries lately.
Your recent reading is encouraging me to read something by John Scalzi soon.
I've read several Peter Lovesey mysteries and find him reliably good. I ought to read more, the library always has a lot, but you know how it is...
I have never read a Dashiell Hammett book and that's probably a shame as I know he's a big favourite with a lot of crime readers. A short story collection might be a good place to start so if you read it I look forward to your thoughts.
Cath, I have a few Peter Lovesey books to read, some standalone books, some in the various series he has written. I do like his writing.
Short stories would be a good place to start with Dashiell Hammett. I will let you know what I think.
What lovely, shiny new books, Tracy. the ones you'll see on my shelves are old and tattered:)
Two very different series, Tracy, but both have some really well written entries in them. Thanks for sharing your shelves.
They are nice and shiny, Neeru, but most of them have been on my shelves at least 8-10 years, which is sad. The only "new" one is the one on the far left, True Crime, by Max Allan Collins, purchased within the last year.
Margot, both of these series are good, in different ways. I hope to read another book by Bruen soon, since I have neglected his books for a long time.
The Bruen's captured my attention. I think it's another author and series I want to restart from the beginning, which as I hadn't got too far along anyway isn't quite as ridiculous as it could be.
Hi Tracy,
I'm really intrigued by the Ruth Dudley Edwards series. I'd love to read Corridors of Death. I'll look that one up! I've never heard of Edwards before. Thanks!
Col, the good thing about Ken Bruen's books are that they are short, so not too bad to reread. And I think they would be very good re-reads.
Judith, I think you would like Corridors of Death. I loved it.
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