I'm a little bit obsessed with them.
When Lovebug talks about his DS, my first thought is Detective Sergeant, not Nintendo product. Sometimes I wonder why DS Fry doesn't ask DI (Detective Inspector) Banks
for help, until I remember they live in different books and are not, in fact, real. Though in most of Jasper Fforde's
books, there is such a thing as the BookWorld, where characters interact with each other when they're not appearing in their books.
Jasper Fforde's books are also British mysteries, albeit with some fantasy and science fiction elements. If you are an avid reader, start reading the first one, The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel
, RIGHT NOW. No, seriously. You'll thank me later.My latest discovery is Stephen Booth
. Sort of similar to Peter Robinson's Detective Banks series, but maybe a bit darker. And more detailed; the landscape is really one of the main characters. I've been trying to space out my Booth books, which is the one advantage of coming to a series late - you have a whole bunch to read before you start anxiously awaiting the next one. Not that this has been helpful with Song of Ice and Fire
series (aka Game of Thrones), but fortunately most mystery authors are more prolific than George RR Martin.But to space out my Booth books I've been reading Alison Weir
. She does not write mysteries or fantasies, which will probably surprise the people who know my reading habits. But she does focus on British history, so at least I'm staying true to my Anglophile bias. She has written some historical fiction, which is much more grounded in reality than Philippa Gregory's stuff (though Philippa is fun) as well as some great biographies and histories of the Tudor era. For someone who is an historian by profession, she is surprising down to earth and direct when writing. Her book about Mary Boleyn
, Anne's sister, is freaking fascinating.
Self-Portrait of Justification
What books should I add to my list? I'm going to run out of British authors soon, I expect.
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