alisanne

Continuing with the challenge dreamersdare made, here are more top 10 series.  This time I've gone for crime fiction books, and again in no particular order:

1. Malabar House series by Vaseem Khan
Set mostly in Bombay just after Independence, these are stories about Persis Wadia, the first female Indian detective, who's shunted off to Malabar House to keep her out of the way.  Nevertheless she gets involved in a number of high profile cases and becomes better known.  Vaseem Khan is a British writer, who spent 10 years in Mumbai.  The series is ongoing and I'm currently reading the latest The Edge of Darkness which is set in the Naga Hills in north-east India.  There's lots of details about the time, and gripping stories.  I've also enjoyed the Baby Ganesh series, which sees an ex-detective inspector in Mumbai who is sent a baby elephant by an uncle, and the crimes he solves.

2. Maigret by Georges Simenon
There are about 75 Maigret novels.  I started listening to them as audiobooks, bought a few hard copies, and am currently working my way through all the books available in our county library. The series starts in 1931 and while Maigret is based in Paris, he's fairly often in different parts of France, or visiting countries nearby.  I enjoy the atmosphere and the strong sense of time and place, as well as the variety of crimes Maigret is faced with.

3. Bradecote & Catchpoll series by Sarah Hawkswood
Set in the 1140s and based in Worcester and the surrounding area, so a similar time period to Cadfael,  Hugh Bradecote is the Under-sheriff and therefore a representative of the authorities in solving crimes, and he works with the vastly experience Catchpoll who is the Sheriff's Sergeant and Walkelin, the serjeanting apprentice.  I like the main characters, who are very human and seek to do their best for those around them, in what can be very difficult times.  The next book Act of Betrayal is out in September.

4. Jackman & Evans series by Joy Ellis
I listen to these on audiobooks.  DI Rowan Jackman is a modern day detective in the Fenland of Lincolnshire (Joy Ellis' home territory) and is assisted by his sergeant, Sally Evans.  There's a team of recurring characters and some interesting crimes, darker than some of what I read.  Black Notice is the latest, which came at towards the end of last year.

5. Inspector MacDonald series by E C R Lorac
I've only read the books which have been republished in British Library Crime Classics, but have enjoyed those.  The series begins in the early 1930s and runs through to the 1950s.  I like MacDonald, who is competent and thoughtful.  Most of the books are set in England, with a number in the Lake District.  Once more the description of place is excellent - I'm not inclined to read through long descriptions, but these are written so that the reader feels themselves there, rather than simply admiring the view from a distance.  They also give an incidental view of life as lived by most people at the time.

6. The Su Yin series by Ovidia Yu
Originally called the Crown Colony series, but with the passing of time this has become inappropriate.  The first story is set in Singapore in 1936, when Singapore was under British rule, and the series moves through the Japanese occupation, and has now reached the late 1940s, with the strong demands for independence from the returning British.  Su Yin isn't in the police force, but frequently (other than during the war years) works with Inspector Le Froy.  The next book The Tembusu Tree Mystery is out in June.

7. The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy
Two late middle-aged school dinner ladies become unexpected amateur detectives in a series of cozy-ish mysteries.  Lighter fare than most of the above, but I have a soft spot for the two, who are married to each other.  Entertaining with plots relevant to the small town they live in.  Implausible, but it all makes sense.  A Curiously Convenient Device is out next month.

8. Follet Valley Mysteries by Ian Moore
These stories are not to be taken seriously, but are great fun.  The murders happen in bizarre ways, and the main protagonist and foil is Richard Ainsworth, an English proprietor of a French guest house, who has pet hens who he has named after classic film stars. The latest in this series of books set in rural France is Death and Boules.

And lastly, two classics:

9. Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
The original stories.  Some are better than others, but the characters of Holmes and Watson are enduring.

10. Miss Marple by Agatha Christie
An overlooked older lady with a very sharp mind and a real knowledge of how people think and behave.

Finally, an honourable mention to Discworld by Terry Pratchett.  Here, I shall simply quote the Librarian, "Ook!"