With many series to choose from I am going to credit Tana French for bringing modern Dublin to life through her Dublin Murder Squad series. Runner-up would be Tony Hillerman's books about Navajo life in the Four Corners.Waiting for the next Hillerman was a treat in the 90s.
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What I knew about California (before I went there) came from Raymond Chandler and Hammett.
I know there are many others, but what first came to mind was Ken Bruen's Ireland as seen through the eyes of Jack Taylor.
Hillerman and Bruen are two excellent choices.
Also:
Dana Stabenow, Alaska (moves around the state, much like Archer Mayor does with Vermont)
Craig Johnson, rural Wyoming
Margaret Maron, North Carolina
I would go with Jeffrey Deaver's Rune series, set in New York around 1990. It's shocking to go back just a quarter century or so and be reminded of what a menacing place the city was.
I'd like to add to this mix Edward Marston's Nicholas Bracewell series, about a theatrical troupe that becomes regularly involved with criminal acts during Britain's Elizabethan era. Marston's explorations of that period's culture, conventions, and characters are top-notch. And he brings a great deal of humor to his mysteries. The first book in the Bracewell series is "The Queen's Head."
Cheers,
Jeff
Another great question. I don't know of just one in particular, but one of my current reads is Ghost Month by Ed Lin, set in Taipei, the hero Jing-nan owns a stall in the Night Market. It's a cool place, except for the eating of pig intestines!. Lin describes place brilliantly.
I don't know why it is not acknowledged that crime fiction writer who write series explore places, events and time periods more thoroughly than other writers.
There are many. I keep putting off reading French's novels. I'll have to check for downloadable audio versions.
Arkady Renko series are great for Soviet times to (almost) present day. Same for Brent Ghelfi's VOLK series about modern Russia.
Philip Kerr's detective in nazi Germany.
Only read one Kerr and it was years ago. Haven't read Ghelfi at all.
I'd have to agree about Tony Hillerman, Patti.
That's a good question. In reading there's no doubt, it would be the Travis McGee series. I don't know about TV
Laos - Colin Cotterill
Tibet/China - Elliott Pattison
Iceland - Arnaldur Indriðason
Scotland - Ian Rankin and Adrian McKinty
oddball Scottish folklore and legends - Catriona McPherson
the forgotten history of London - Christopher Fowler
Appalachia - Sharon McCrumb
Alaska - John Straley
Japan - Keigo Higashino, Shizuko Natsuki
Amsterdam - Janwillem de Wetering
...maybe I should stop.
See this is what I think. How many mainstream novels are part of a series which examines this closely life in a different place/time. I have read some of about half of these and wish I had time to read more. Miss De Wetering esp. And what about Nicholas Freeling and Sjowal and Wahloo
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