The Wickeds continue to celebrate Sheila Connolly’s book birthday for Razing the Dead. Today, we are going to talk about authors who write multiple series. As readers of this blog know, Sheila writes the Orchard Mysteries and the County Cork Mysteries in addition to the Fundraising Mysteries. Who else wears a few hats?
Julie: Well, historically, I need to give a hat tip to Dame Agatha Christie. Most people only think of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot when they think of her. But she also wrote Tommy and Tuppence mysteries, a couple of books that featured Inspector Battle, and a number of stand alones. She also had characters visit each other–Inspector Battle does some cross overs.
Jessie: I love all the series by Charlotte MacLeod. She wrote the Peter Shandy Mysteries, the Sarah Kelling Mysteries and the Grub and Stakers Mysteries. Charlotte wrote a lot of other things besides series though. She also wrote short stories, young adult mysteries and Had She but Known: A Biography of Mary Roberts Rinehart. She even wrote a book entitled Astrology for Skeptics.
Barb: I’ve often written here of my love for Ruth Rendell. Under her own name she’s written the twenty-four books in the Inspector Wexford series and twenty-seven stand-alone novels of psychological suspense, plus countless short stories and three works of nonfiction. As Barbara Vine, she’s written fourteen additional novels. While the Wexford series has my undying love and devotion, one of the Barbara Vine’s, Asta’s Book (published here as Anna’s Book), is on my short, short list of desert island books.
Edith: I’m not ashamed to say that Sheila is my favorite multi-series author. I guess there are different ways to look at multi-series authors. Roberta Islieb had two series, her golf lover’s mysteries and her psychologist advice column series, before becoming Lucy Burdette and writing the delicious Key West Food Critic series. But those are sequential, not concurrent like Sheila’s. Catriona McPherson has an ongoing historical series featuring Dandy Gilver, and she’s concurrently writing standalone suspense novels, starting with As She Left It, and continuing with The Day She Died. But they aren’t actually series! Leslie Budewitz has the new Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries coming out to keep her fabulous (and Agatha-winning) Food Lovers’ Village series, so she’ll have two concurrent before long. And of course, Daryl Wood Gerber/Avery Aames has the ongoing Cookbook Nook Mysteries (as Gerber) and the Cheese Shop Mysteries (as Aames). So much reading to do, so little time…
Oh – and I write two concurrent series. Ha – kind of forgot about that. My next Lauren Rousseau mystery, Bluffing is Murder, will be out under my Tace Baker hat in November!
Sherry: I met Nancy J. Parra at Malice this year when she was on a panel I moderated. For the panel I read Engaged in Murder which is the first in her Perfect Proposals Series. I also just read All Fudged Up the first in her Candy Coated Mystery Series. I’m looking forward to reading Gluten for Punishment the first in the Baker’s Treats Mysteries which she writes at Nancy Coco. Her protagonists have great voices and I love her settings!
Readers: Who is your favorite multi-series author?
Too many to mention, but I’m so happy to have you mention one of my big favorites Charlotte MacLeod.
I really enjoy Kylie Logan. She also writes as Casey Daniels, which I love. She also writes as a million other names too!
You’ve all mentioned many of my favorites — and thanks for including me, Edith! I’m curious: Do you find yourselves loving one series by an author but not another?
I have Leslie with an author i will never name! How about you?
None that I can think of at the moment, but certainly some settings or protagonists are more appealing than others by the same author — who knows why!