One of the great puzzles in my library life is the divide between mystery readers who prefer British authors and those, including me, who stick closer to home. Last week I tried a vaguely worded Google search and came away with the impression that British mysteries tend to be more cerebral and less gritty than American. Also, that no respectable British writer would dilute a mystery with humor, romance or niche market appeal (scrapbook, quilt store, coffee shop, etc.). I suspect that the entries I read originated across the pond. Don’t misunderstand me – everyone should read everything and anything. I just prefer Margret Maron and Julia Keller to Ruth Rendell and Martha Grimes. This could all change by next month. I could also develop a liking for pistachio ice cream.
I have recently discovered two new series. The first, by New Jersey author Dave White,
features Jackson Donne. Donne has left
the New Brunswick Police Department and is working as a private detective. He burned all of his bridges when he left the
PD and has enrolled at Rutgers. The
books (When One Man Dies, The Evil that Men Do, Not Even Past, and An Empty Hell) are set in familiar New Jersey locations and
readers, especially those who attended Rutgers, will recognize the
neighborhoods and restaurants. It is
best to read the books in order - advice I should have followed. The stories are sufficiently convoluted, the
action zips along, and the dialogue is reminiscent of hard-boiled detectives
from the past. No words are wasted. It
does take a page or two to understand the punctuation.
The second series, by Janey Mack, is Jersey-like. In Time’s
Up Maisie McGrane has been booted from the Chicago Police Academy and ends
up a Traffic Enforcement Agent, a.k.a. meter maid. She thinks she is a complete disappointment
to her large and very vocal family of policemen and attorneys. Maisie will remind you of a well dressed and
accessorized Stephanie Plum. The meter
maid job and uniform are good for laughs until a dead body appears. Like Ms. Plum, Maisie is being romantically
pursued by a policeman and an ex-army ranger with a dangerous and highly questionable
career. The second book, Choked Up, is much darker, steamier, and
more violent. The third book will be a make or break for me to continue reading
the series. The important thing is that Maisie
remains well dressed and accessorized as she plays both ends against the
middle.
An even greater to puzzle to me, aside from the
British/American schism, is people who don’t read any mysteries. That is a mystery.
-S. Bakos
1 comment:
This comment is from a longer comment submitted by an old friend, a librarian who escaped from NJ. She states that Sue Grafton has retained her readers because
A) interesting secondary characters
B) suspense maintained throughout the book
C) readers are sometimes anal retentive in their book selection
My friend also states that Sue Grafton must be read in order.
This is only part of the comments she submitted - I am not guilty of censoring, just not sharing what she said about her son. The sweetie I remember is now 25 and, I am sure, no longer finds a diet of ketchup and mustard appealing. When he was two years old we called him the Condiment King!
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