the end

The End has come.  I knew it would.  I wanted to postpone it as long as humanly possible, but I felt compelled to hurry it along with my bad habits.  A paradox, I know.

No, I am not dying.

I am talking about The End of the list of Ian Rutledge novels by author Charles Todd.  I found the first of the series -- shared by a friend who had yet to read it -- only four weeks ago.  These mystery novels are so well written and exciting and thought provoking and engaging that I can't stop reading them.  Each is over 300 pages long, and I am not a fast reader, but, just to give you an idea, I got two of them out of the library on Friday and returned them both this morning, Monday.  Now I am on the Last One.

I sniffle a bit.  I want to make it last, but alas, I can't put it down, except long enough to write about it!  It is even better than Brother Cadfael, which I found and devoured last summer.  What makes this series so good? 

Ian Rutledge is a real character, meaning he has flaws as well as good points.  He has a consistent enemy, a nemesis that follows him in each book, not a new one each time, reminscent of Superheroes and their Archenemies.  The difference is Hamish MacLeod is only in his head.  Which makes things quite interesting.  What else?  The descriptions allow me to see the English scenes in my mind without clogging up the page, which means words are used to a premium, not wasted.  Something I need to remember, as my descriptions have bordered on Dickensian, and people have not meant it as a compliment!  In addition to flaws and descriptions, these mystery novels give me enough clues that I think I could figure it out, although I am always surprised at the end.  Even in this Second to the Last One that I read, just yesterday, the story began with Todd telling the reader who did it -- I knew by page 5 who it was!  But Ian Rutledge didn't know, and I found myself wondering right along with him until the end.

So why am I going on and on about this?  Because, again, I want to try my hand at a mystery novel.  I think I have a character and a set-up.  Molly is a newspaper writer whose fiance was murdered in their small town.  The police are doing what they can, but let's face it, these small town cops don't have the experience, so she takes the case herself.  Which of course gets her in trouble with the local chief (her nemesis) and possibly threatens her life.  Her fiance is a character in the book, in flashbacks, etc.  This, too, will follow her through a series. 

Hey, if I am going to get it in my head to write one mystery, why can't I tell myself it will be a series.  Every good writer has to have an active imagination, after all...