Re: A Series, A Series... I Need a new Series


I posted this before, but for some reason it vanished from the server--at
least as far as Mozilla is concerned--so I'm reposting since I took the time
to write it! <G> Hope it isn't a duplicate.

You seem to prefer writers on the more literate side of things as well as
those who deal with culture (in both senses of the word). So here are my
recommendations:

1) Nicholas Kilmer. This is one of my very, very favorite authors, and he is
nowhere near as well-known as he deserves to be. Knowledgable people here
have said that it is because his publisher is not a normal genre house. He
is a published art historian, and you would not be surprised by that given
his obvious expertise, but his style, although intelligent, is not in the
least academic. His books have to do with art collecting and theft and are
set in Boston. Do yourself a favor and get these books!
2) Jane Langton. Her series detective, Homer Kelly, is a retired
police detective who has pursued his passion for American Literature into a
professorship. Homer and his wife are sometimes major and sometimes almost
minor characters in her books. Most of her books take place in and around
Boston and Massachusetts, but they eventually stray into Oxford and Italy.
Langton is highly intelligent, somewhat fanciful, a tad eccentric, a keen
observer of human behavior, and has an original, literate voice.. Her books
often have to do with cultural events and institutions, ranging from Emily
Dickinson to morris dancing to art museums to Dante, but not always. A
number of them involve art. I can't recommend her too highly.
3)Iain Pears' art theft series set in Italy. This is not as strong a
recommendation. I must say that although these are quite good, I much prefer
his novels _An Instance of the Fingerpost_ and _Dream of Scipio_.
4) If you are willing to take a stab at an hisorical series, try Stephen
Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series. His history is top notch, as is his writing.
He's another major favorite of mine.
5) Reginald Hill.I can't imagine that you have actually managed to miss this
one, but if you have, get reading. His Dalziel and Pascoe series is one of
the best ever. And he's been doing it for wuite a while so it should keep
you busy while you are waiting for your hard-to-find Kilmers to arrive.
6) Another series I think you would like is the Dutch classic by Janwillem
van de Wettering (hoping I spelled that correctly). If, of course, you
haven't already read them.
7) Stephen Booth. Not recisely exotic in locale--north of England--but very
well written.

Lastly, it's not a series--or even a mystery--but I bet you would love to
dig into Vikram Seth's novel "A Suitable Boy." It's so big that it almost
qualifies as a series. <G> A great look into Indian culture, and a big chewy
read.


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