This is the first in a series of police procedural mysteries featuring Detectives Jim Neal and Ava Merry. They are set in the fictitious East Midlands cathedral city of Stromford. This first novel in the series is an investigation of the murder of a teenage girl.

These novels work well because Neal and Merry have very different personalities, but both are devoted detectives who over the course of the series become more drawn to each other. I’ve read the entire series so far, and found that the novels only get stronger as it goes along. Because there is a development arc, they should be read in order.

As a regular reader of this blog may have noticed, I have been focussing heavily as of late on British procedurals. This is because I feel that they frequently offer a good balance between action, suspense, and thoughtful detection. Also, although not completely lacking in violence – they are murder mysteries, after all – they do not rely on graphic violence or indiscriminate killing to hold the reader’s interest. If you agree that this is an enjoyable type of mystery, why don’t you let me know?

This is the first book in Ford’s police procedural series set in Tinton, England featuring Detective Sergeant David Slater and Detective Sergeant Norman Norman. This series relies on the close relationship between two somewhat flawed individuals who, working together turned out to be more than the sum of their parts.

Humor, good plotting, and a fine sense of place make these books well worth reading. I would strongly recommend that you go in order through the series. There is a clear arc of character development, and later novels contain spoilers that will affect your enjoyment of earlier books in the series. New and important characters are also introduced along the way, and it helps to have the correct chronology. So I would start with this one and make your way through. If you like British procedurals, you should enjoy this series.

AVARICE is the second of the six novels written so far by Peter Bassett to feature DI Munro and DS West. Munro is an older man verging on retirement and somewhat despairing about life, and Munro is a younger woman who is desperately searching for purpose. Slowly, they begin a professional relationship and friendship which supplies what each of them needs. Both characters are well developed as is a rather large supporting cast.

Set in the north-west of Scotland, these stories feature solid police work, lots of humor (some of which is uniquely Scottish and may remain mysterious to Americans) and well developed plots. I would skip SHE, the first book in the series and begin with Avarice. Nothing substantial will be lost and the later books are far superior.