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Originally Posted by Uncle Robin
Currently wading through Wolf to the Slaughter book 3 in Rendell's Wexford series. It is marginally less soporifically regressive than its two predecessors, but still very low on entertainment value. When I've finished it, that will have completed my customary "read the first three" for series detectives. Since her 60s works are not doing it for me, which of her later Wexfords are especially worth checking out?
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I’ve long thought that the obsessive fixation on reading series books in publication order is deleterious to enjoying the books. “Late-early” or “early-middle” to start seems the likeliest, once the author’s hit his/her stride and before the whole business gets worn out or the author starts to phone it in. Or both. Once you like a series, you might well circle back to the beginning.
I think there’s another issue here, too. There’s current and there’s classic and what’s in between is just dated. Eventually some dated will evolve into classic, hence the popularity of Golden Age even with its faults, but dated just isn’t that enjoyable. And much dated, even for an author as highly regarded as Rendell, may not ever make it to classic. At least digital will help in that regard; merit should out as books continue available.
As for Wexford, I got nothing. I read them all back in the day and got tired of him before Rendell did, which is typical for me. No blame to her; it’s a livelihood, not a holy calling.