Adding to what I said in first sentence, almost never do I read series books where the same character is in each story. That means no Nancy Drew, no Agatha Christie, no Raymond Chandler, not many mysteries. There is an exception-- every single word written by Tony Hillerman in his Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mysteries set on the Navajo Reservation.
What made them stand out is what trapped me into Craig Johnson's books: Nature, the West, character driven stories, and a touch of Native American mysticism. Okay, like everybody else, I fell in love with Walt too ;).
Early summer was when I first heard of Longmire. Writers in the Amazon forums asked if others had liked the A&E television series based on the books. I don't watch series television either; so I didn't go looking further until my daughter got me interested, and I bought the first Longmire book-- The Cold Dish. Big mistake as there was no stopping after that. I now own all but the last one with only three left to read before I have to wait for him to put out his ninth novel. I also have to find a way to get to see the cable series to see if I think they did the books good.
These stories are not romances but romance is in them. They are set into a community of characters which I really like, a town and area where I have been (okay not the exact town as it's fiction but towns just like it in Wyoming), realistic Native American characters, and the feel of the West today. The hero is the kind who draws a lot of women to him in the books and boy howdy, he would me if I came across him-- married woman or not ;).
The appeal is how much more there is to the stories than just the mysteries or the characters. An example is written about in the link.
For me, the author, Craig Johnson, has written a winning series, very addictive, and actually reminds me of some things I should be sure are in my writing: Crisp, brings you right to where the story is set, and winning characters that make you come back to see how their relationships are progressing and how will the next mystery be solved when it lands in his part of Wyoming-- a part I found very beautiful and addicting all in itself.
