Not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been a bit quiet lately- sorry about that!
Frankly, I’ve just not been able to finish a book for a while. I fell in love with Moshin Hamid’s How To Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia but after that, I couldn’t seem to settle on anything.
I think there’s so much going on in the world, and I’ve been pretty stressed with stuff going on in my life, so it’s been hard to find a book I wanted to read. Even the classics started to feel like a slog, making it hard for me to finish a book.
A friend of mine is having a similar issue, and when she gets reader’s block she tries a cheap, trashy romance novel.
I’m not big on romance, but I do love crime fiction, and cosy crime with a dash of romance can be a really good way to get out of a slump.
So when I found Murder In Provence with Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll, I knew if there were books, I needed to read them.
Fortunately, there are about 10 in the series from M L Longworth. I liked the TV series for its cheesy dialogue, rustic setting and cosy premise.
There were definitely downsides- Nancy Carroll’s law professor turned police psychologist does literally no psychology- but this series still has a lot going for it. It’s worth the watch for Patrica Hodge’s character alone!
When searching for the books, I found a review stating they were like ‘Bergerac Meets Mills And Boon’. I wouldn’t say they’re quiet that racy, and although they’re very different from the show, the books are cosy and comforting all the same.
Following the escapades of a Judge in Aix-en-Provence, a small town in France, and his law professor girlfriend-turned-wife in later books, the books are easy to read and helped me get out of my slump.
The plots are quiet intriguing and there are some good twists, with clever plotting making the books grilling enough to keep you hooked, while also being easy enough to get through that the pages go by pretty quickly.
The setting does a lot of the heavy lifting, like in the TV show, and the characters are easy to follow. There’s a bit of over-explanation at times, but frankly, that helps as there are a lot of characters with similar names.
Reading books that your favorite films or TV shows are based on can be risky- you know my views on Agatha Raisin– but it can be really useful if you’re dealing with a slump.
So, if you’re too hot, stressed or just can’t settle on anything to read, try finding a cool cosy TV show or film, then reading the books it’s based on. For the Dorset Book Detective, I’m getting my shit together, and I’ll be back with more reviews and book-based rants soon enough! For now, enjoy this one.
