Mini-Reviews #18…
[Do you like series? Series can be problematic for an author. On one hand, your characters can demand another chance to live again amidst your prose, and you can get another chance to develop them further. On the other, you run the risk of becoming formulaic and neglectful of those other stories your muses are pressuring you to tell. Whether for those, or for some other reasons, few people review an entire series. I have four myself, and it’s hell to advertise them and get reviews for them. In the spirit of trying to turn that situation around, today I review two crime series that have captured my R&R reading attention.]
Z series. John Stockmyer, author (Stockmyer Books). Z is for Bob Zapolska, an unlicensed PI with some interesting high school buddies (one cop, one mobster)—they played on a championship football team together. He also has a steady and sexy girlfriend who looks like a model but is an insurance company’s slave, and an on-again-off-again mistress who’s a sexy ghostbuster. That’s basically the series cast—the villains come and go. You’d think that Z’s encounters with them would be minimal—Z is for almost zero on the PI pecking order—but the bad guys seem to find him as his mundane cases turn into major ones.
Z is the quintessential anti-hero, an ugly bruiser who stumbles through life doing the best he can. The stumbles, including tightrope walking between legal and illegal and balancing girlfriend and mistress, add some comedy. The books in the series are uneven and formulaic at times, though. Some new ones have appeared that are on my TBRoR list (“To Be Read or Reviewed”). Jump in anywhere. In each ebook there are references to Z’s previous cases, but the books can be read independently in any order, the mark of a good series writer. I’m hooked. (Yes, John, is also the author of the “Under the Stairs” fantasy/sci-fi series, which is even better.)
The books I’ve read so far are irregular as far as editing errors go. Stockmyer’s son, who is honoring his father’s memory by republishing the various books, recognizes this and invites readers to write and tell him about them. That’s an interesting tactic, but I don’t think many readers will bother. No matter. I didn’t find the errors to be high hurdles to jump over—the plots stumble along with Z and without any content lapses. Son John is doing a favor for new generations of readers.
Fitzjohn series. Jill Paterson, author (J. Henderson). Maybe I’m just a sucker for any crime story with a DCI or DS in it, but Ms. Paterson hooked me with her main characters in #1, Celtic Dagger, and #2, Murder on the Rocks—I reviewed both those books, #1 probably only on Amazon, and #2 in #17 of this mini-review series. There are now three more books in the series. The principal characters are Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Alistair Fitzjohn, an amiable English immigrant from York to Sydney and recent widower, the main character, and Detective Sergeant (DS) Martin Betts, his younger protégé. Fitzjohn is a meticulous sleuth; Betts holds his own and makes quality contributions toward solving the cases. Villains come and go—they’re equally interesting.
There are no complex themes treated here. You’ll only find murders spawned by jealousy, greed, cover-ups of past crimes, and opportunity in these pages. In other words, human frailties lead to the murders, not government conspiracies or evil corporations. These aren’t cozies—heaven forbid—because Australia isn’t rural and Fitzjohn and Betts are professional crime fighters. For lovers of classic mysteries in a modern setting, this series will definitely be your cup o’ tea (although it seems that Australians also are aficionados of good coffee, and I know for a fact they make good wine).
I did notice that #5, Deadly Investment, had more editing errors than the previous four books. Perhaps the author changed editor(s)? Or was in a rush to publish? These are minor blemishes, though. The plotting is first-rate, the characters very human and well-drawn, and the settings are fascinating for someone like me who will never be courageous enough to make that long plane ride to the land down under. The novels also give you a peek beyond the stereotypes into that special Australian psyche. #5 even features a small cameo for a case of wine from the region I assume produces my favorite shiraz and cabernet—and I’m Californian! What more can you ask for?
***
[Want more mystery, suspense, and thrills? Do you like to develop familiarity with interesting characters by following their adventures in a series? Have you tried my own “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series”? Some of the books are more thriller than mystery, but in either case the two NYPD homicide detectives, often with viewpoints that are yin and yang, make an astonishing crime-fighting duo. There are six novels in the series that starts with The Midas Bomb, already in its second edition and available in all ebook formats and paper (Create Space)—other ebooks in the series are still Amazon only.]
In libris libertas….
