Enjoying a series

I am a huge fan of book series. I have recently discovered The Jim McGill series by Joseph Flynn. There are ten books in this series and I am a little more than 3/4 through the second book. Jim McGill is the husband of the first female president of the United States. The first book is called The President's Henchman and the following is the blurb1 of 5 stars:

As we've just seen, it's only a matter of time--and not that long a time--before the United States elects its first female president. Which will make her husband--what?

Well, if he's the ex-cop who solved the murder of the president's first husband and brought the killers to justice...and if he's not the kind of guy to stand on formality...and if he doesn't want to be the head of the FBI...and if he takes out a license and becomes the first private eye to live in the White House...

That would make him The President's Henchman.

Jim McGill's first case is to find out who is stalking a member of the White House press corps, before that stalker turns the tables on McGill and maybe even threatens the president herself. He also has to be a shadow adviser to a young Air Force investigator who is looking into a he-said-she-said charge of adultery leveled against a female colonel working at the Pentagon, a case with the potential to derail the new president's administration before it has a chance to begin.

The second book in the series is called The Hangman's Companion and here is the blurb:

Always a good sport, Jim McGill, the first private-eye to live in the White House, agrees to accompany his wife, the president, to London to be her escort at a dinner given by the queen—yes, the one who lives in Buckingham Palace. Problem is, he’ll have a week in England beforehand, while the president attends a G8 meeting, with nothing to do.

Then a client comes to McGill, the daughter of a former Chicago cop McGill knew but didn't like when he was a captain on the CPD. McGill’s former colleague went to Paris to scatter the ashes of his late, French-born wife in the Seine. While tending to that solemn obligation, the former cop managed to get into a brawl with and kill France’s national sports hero. The guy from Chicago claims he was only saving a blonde woman from being beaten by the Frenchman, as French law actually required him to do. Only problem is, the blonde has disappeared.

The former cop’s daughter asks McGill to find the woman and save her father.

Beats glad-handing the locals in nearby London, he decides. He just has to wrap up the case in time to get to dinner with the president and the queen. 

I am thoroughly enjoying this series so far and am so glad a friend recommended the first book to me.

Musing Monday: Series

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

This weeks random question: Do you like or dislike series?

Generally speaking I do like series of books. I enjoy "seeing" characters throughout the series and watching them as they grow. My favorite is the In Death series by J.D. Robb. Right now I am reading the fourth book in the Heartbreaker Bay series by Jill Shalvis. Another favorite is Fools Gold by Susan Mallery. She brought that series to an end and has a new one called Happily Inc. I haven't read any of those yet but will be starting it within the week. 

A Brit in the FBI

I love discovering a new series of books! I love it even more when I actually like teh first book in the series and want to continue on with said series. I am currently reading The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison. It is a really enjoyable book so far. It is the first of four books at this point and I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of them!

Book Blogger Hop - Nov. 12 - 15, 2010: Series

This week's Book Blogger Hop question is:

"If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?"

No, not always.  A perfect example is the "In Death' series by J.D. Robb.  I love this series and am, in fact, reading the latest installment called Indulgence in Death.  However, I was quite afraid of this series of books before I started reading them.  J.D. Robb is a pseudnym for Nora Roberts - whom I adore.  I knew about the 'In Death' series but was leary to read stories about a homicide detective.  I thought they would be too gruesome for my taste.  Then, in 2003 (I believe) she released a book called Remember When.  The first half of the book was written as Nora Roberts and the second half as J.D. Robb and the stories intertwined a mystery over 50-ish years.  It was really quite a clever move from a marketing stand point as I'm sure it pulled in a lot of new readers for both of her writing personalities.  I loved the book and was captivated by the 'In Death' characters.  At which point I went back to the beginning of the series and read it in order.

Another thing with me and series is that I tend to get bored with them.  It's sad but true.  Unless the writing is exceptional and I love the characters for whatever reason - I find it hard to stick with a lengthy series.