I decided to go back and see how the Frieda Klein series started. It is a strong start indeed although by the fourth book you can see growth in character development and plot. Frieda Klein is a therapist who is drawn into a kidnapping case in BLUE MONDAY when her patient describes his dreams of a small red-headed boy who matches a child newly snatched. She takes her story to the police, feeling the similarities are too striking not to report it.
A lot of this novel is taken up with therapy sessions with this patient, which are well-handled if a little repetitive. Klein's personal life and personal quirks are also given attention. Have now started on Tuesday. It is very unusual for me to read a series book after book. I usually get tired of the characters or the setting, but the writing here propels it past those concerns. How often do you read right through a series?
11 comments:
I'm glad you liked this one, Patti. I thought it was a strong start to the series, too. And what I especially noticed was the way the threads of the story arcs were laid out. For my taste, the ending answered the story's main questions, but still left some larger things for later development. I like that.
Reading a series from start to finish is my preferred method. Right now I'm reading the second book in the Perter Ash series by Nick Petrie about a former soldier with PTSD who gets into violent adventures. It's similar to Lee Child's Jack Reacher series.
Met him at Bouchercon and he seemed like a nice guy too.
-Very much so, Margot.
I prefer to read a series from the beginning. Sometimes I have started with a later book in the series, enjoyed it and gone back to the start. I did this with Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.
I prefer to read a series from the beginning, although I more often binge willy-nilly on an author I have discovered. Sometimes it is just too difficult and time-consuming to follow a series in order.
I really have to try Nicci French, Patti.
I would have started from the beginning if I hadn't just stumbled onto Thursday without realizing it was a series! I have read most of Robinson but very little or Rankin. Not sure why.
I almost always start at the beginning of a series. In the last few years I have started several series but only read one or two of them, possibly because there are so many good authors to read. Some series I am reading now I will try to stick with. I have read most of Stuart Kaminsky's Inspector Rostnikov series and plan to finish it. Same for Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko series.
In the past I often read series all the way through. In 2005 I read the first 20 mysteries by Jane Haddam. In 2002, I read most of the books by Caroline Graham. Somewhere around 2010 I discovered Olen Steinhauer and Charles McCarry and read all of the books they had written at that time.
My husband loved Steinhauer and McCarry.
Tracy - good choice of the Rostnikov books, one of my all-time favorite series.
Yes, I like to read a series in order, but these days I never binge read a series, if that is what the question was.
Jeff are you home?
We got home this afternoon at 2.
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