Sunday, January 11, 2009

Time for a Good Read Recommendation

I enjoy mysteries set in foreign countries. Donna Leon's Venetian series is one I find particularly appealing. I've got another series for you that is less well-known, but that I really enjoyed.

The author is Rebecca Pawel. She is a young woman who lives and teaches in New York City. Her series is set in post-Civil War Spain and centers around a police officer, Carlos Tejada, who is flawed but, at heart, decent.

The four novels are: Death of a Nationalist, Law of Return, The Watcher in the Pine, and The Summer Snow. Each one is set in a different part of Spain and they all give an idea of the terrible time it was for the citizens of the country.

I knew next to nothing about the Spanish Civil War before reading these books. They really opened my eyes and so I am grateful to Ms. Pawel and hope I can get another person or two to try them.