UK Book Club discussion

Starting this a bit late but I've also just started the USA challenge and thought I might as well have a go at this one. Looks like it might take a while so no time limit.

Start Date: 28 April 2014
End Date:

ENGLAND

1. Bedfordshire - A Rural Affair - Catherine Alliott (13/8/14)
2. Berkshire - Dear Thing - Julie Cohen (25/8/14)
3. Buckinghamshire - With Love at Christmas - Carole Matthews (10/12/14)
4. Cambridgeshire - Just Desserts - Sue Welfare (25/1/15)
5. Cheshire - After Anna - Alex Lake (24/7/16)
6. Cornwall - A Seaside Affair - Fern Britton (3/5/14)
7. Cumberland - The Night Before Christmas - Scarlett Bailey (16/12/15)
8. Derbyshire - Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop - Jenny Colgan (13/12/15)
9. Devon - Murder on the English Riviera - J.L Harward (28/4/14)
10. Dorset - Broadchurch - Erin Kelly (10/5/15)
11. Durham - Run For Home - Sheila Quigley (6/4/15)
12. Essex - The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie (10/10/14)
13. Gloucestershire - Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Jill Mansell (14/7/14)
14. Hampshire - The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins (17/8/14)
15. Herefordshire
16. Hertfordshire - Calling Mrs Christmas - Carole Matthews (5/12/15)
17. Huntingdonshire
18. Kent - The Darling Buds Of May - H.E. Bates (1/10/14)
19. Lancashire - Star Struck - Val McDermid (2/10/14)
20. Leicestershire - A Poison Tree - John Dolan (1/11/16)
21. Lincolnshire - The Dam Busters - Paul Brickhill (30/7/16)
22. Middlesex - Anno Dracula - Kim Newman (6/6/14)
23. Norfolk - Ruth's First Christmas Tree - Elly Griffiths (6/12/14)
24. Northamptonshire - A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon (24/7/14)
25. Northumberland - The Puppet Maker - Danielle Ramsay (14/4/17)
26. Nottinghamshire - Lady Chatterley's Lover - D.H Lawrence (3/6/15)
27. Oxfordshire - Insanity (Mad in Wonderland) - Cameron Jace (12/7/15)
28. Rutland
29. Shropshire - Wild Oats - Veronica Henry (28/1/15)
30. Somerset - Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (16/5/14)
31. Staffordshire
32. Suffolk - The Sloping Experience - Ursula Bentley (14/6/14)
33. Surrey - A Room with a View - E.M Forster (14/3/15)
34. Sussex - The Flavours of Love - Dorothy Koomson (3/2/15)
35. Warwickshire - The DCI Jones Casebook: Raymond Francis Collins - Kerry J Donovan (15/9/14)
36. Westmorland - #Forfeit - Caroline Batten (16/9/15)
37. Wiltshire - The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time - Mark Haddon (31/5/14)
38. Worcestershire - Silent Scream - Angela Marsons (6/5/17)
39. Yorkshire
a) North Riding - The Radleys - Matt Haig (25/1/15)
b) East Riding - The Greatcoat - Helen Dunmore (17/3/16)
c) West Riding - Before The Poison - Peter Robinson (29/5/14)

WALES (including Monmouthshire)

40. Anglesey
41. Brecknockshire
42. Caernarfonshire
43. Carmarthenshire
44. Cardiganshire
45. Denbighshire
46. Flintshire
47. Glamorgan - Rubbernecker - Belinda Bauer (2/7/16)
48. Merioneth
49. Monmouthshire
50. Montgomeryshire
51. Pembrokeshire
52. Radnorshire

SCOTLAND

53. Aberdeenshire - Cold Granite - Stuart MacBride (23/9/14)
54. Angus/Forfarshire - Birthdays for the Dead - Stuart MacBride (20/9/14)
55. Argyllshire
56. Ayrshire
57. Banffshire - In the Cold Dark Ground - Stuart MacBride (19/7/16)
58. Berwickshire
59. Buteshire
60. Cromartyshire
61. Caithness
62. Clackmannanshire
63. Dumfriesshire
64. Dunbartonshire/Dumbartonshire
65. East Lothian/Haddingtonshire
66. Fife - Tell Me No Secrets - Julie Corbin (30/9/14)
67. Inverness-shire
68. Kincardineshire
69. Kinross-shire
70. Kirkcudbrightshire - Five Red Herrings - Dorothy L Sayers (15/4/16)
71. Lanarkshire - The Unburied Dead - Douglas Lindsay (28/8/16)
72. Midlothian/Edinburghshire - Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin (13/10/14)
73. Morayshire
74. Nairnshire
75. Orkney
76. Peeblesshire
77. Perthshire
78. Renfrewshire
79. Ross-shire
80. Roxburghshire
81. Selkirkshire
82. Shetland
83. Stirlingshire
84. Sutherland - The Barber Surgeons Hairshirt - Douglas Lindsay (23/9/15)
85. West Lothian/Linlithgowshire
86. Wigtownshire

NORTHERN IRELAND

87. Antrim
88. Armagh - The Dead Ground - Claire McGowan (7/9/14)
89. Down
90. Fermanagh
91. Londonderry
92. Tyrone

Kicking off in Torquay, DEVON with Murder on the English Riviera by J.L Harward, a book that badly wants to be Agatha Christie style but fails miserably.


More books set in DEVON (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

27/6/14 - Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie.
16/1/15 - And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
18/1/15 - Dead Man's Folly - Agatha Christie
28/2/15 - Never Coming Back - Tim Weaver
14/3/15 - Trust in Me - Sophie McKenzie
27/5/15 - The Cruellest Game - Hilary Bonner
3/6/15 - Claiming Victory: A Romantic Comedy - Beverley Watts
16/7/15 - The Sittaford Mystery - Agatha Christie
27/4/16 - The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle

(hide spoiler)]

Enjoy your journey, Caroline. There are some really good books out there.

Thanks Sue, I'm looking forward to discovering new authors :)

Hopping over the county border to CORNWALL with A Seaside Affair by Fern Britton, a book I was lucky enough to win in a Goodreads giveaway.


More books set in CORNWALL (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

22/5/14 - Angel with Two Faces - Nicola Upson.
6/11/14 - The Unpredictable Consequences of Love - Jill Mansell
7/2/15 - Peril at End House - Agatha Christie
3/12/15 - Mistletoe And Murder - Carola Dunn
20/12/15 - It Must Have Been the Mistletoe - Judy Astley

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I think that the tv series 'Vera' is based on the books by Ann Cleeves. I assume they are set in Northumberland, as that's where the tv series is set.

There's also one of the Val McDermid's that's set in Cumbria (I think!). Possibly "Fever of the Bone", or something like that :)

Thanks Samantha, have read Fever of The Bone before I started the challenge but didn't take much notice of it's setting to be honest (I am much more aware of these things now!), never tried Ann Cleeves though. Will have to give her a go :)

As an alternative any of the Heartbeat books deal with 60's yorkshire.

Thanks for all the suggestions, much appreciated :)

#3 - Not travelling too far, my next stop is Bath, SOMERSET and Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Although the abbey of the title is based in Gloucestershire, the majority of the book is set in Bath.

More books set in SOMERSET (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

11/11/14 - The Little House - Philippa Gregory
8/3/15 - A Walk in the Park - Jill Mansell

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Cassandra wrote: "And don't forget Hardy country - Dorset is just down the road from Austen county!"

I think I might have read 'Children of the New Forest' as a child. Will have to see if I can find a copy for a re-read. Never read any Hardy though. Any suggestions for which one to start with?

I would go for Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge or Far from the Madding Crowd. 'Scuse me jumping in here but I love Hardy!

Sue wrote: "I would go for Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge or Far from the Madding Crowd. 'Scuse me jumping in here but I love Hardy!"

Jump in whenever you like Sue, all suggestions welcome!

Can vouch for Far from the Madding Crowd!

Yep, both Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles are very good.

It will be decided by which one of those I can beg, steal or borrow a copy of first then :)

Putting in a copy of the original challenge county list to help me remember which towns are in each county (as a spoiler to save space)

(view spoiler)[ENGLAND

1. Bedfordshire (Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy)
2. Berkshire (Reading, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham, Abingdon)
3. Buckinghamshire (Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, Slough, Buckingham, High Wycombe)
4. Cambridgeshire (Cambridge, Wisbech, Ely, March, Whittlesey, Chatteris, Linton)
5. Cheshire (Chester, Stockport, Ellesmere Port, Birkenhead, Wallasey, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Crewe)
6. Cornwall (Bodmin, Truro, Camborne, Redruth, St. Austell, Falmouth, Penzance, Newquay)
7. Cumberland (Carlisle, Whitehaven, Workington, Penrith, Keswick, Brampton)
8. Derbyshire (Derby, Chesterfield, Glossop, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Swadlincote, Buxton, Matlock, Ashbourne)
9. Devon (Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Paignton, Barnstaple, Tiverton, Newton Abbot, Tavistock)
10. Dorset (Dorchester, Poole, Weymouth, Sherborne, Wimborne Minster, Shaftesbury)
11. Durham (Durham, Sunderland, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Hartlepool, Gateshead, Washington)
12. Essex (Chelmsford, Basildon, Romford, Southend, Colchester, Harlow, Brentwood, West Ham)
13. Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, Tewkesbury)
14. Hampshire (Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Basingstoke, Newport)
15. Herefordshire (Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Leominster, Ledbury, Bromyard, Kington)
16. Hertfordshire (Hertford, Watford, St. Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Hatfield)
17. Huntingdonshire (Huntingdon, St. Ives, St. Neots, Ramsey, Yaxley)
18. Kent (Maidstone, Canterbury, Bromley, Rochester, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, Greenwich)
19. Lancashire (Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Bolton, Warrington, Barrow-in-Furness)
20. Leicestershire (Leicester, Loughborough, Hinckley, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Lutterworth)
21. Lincolnshire (Lincoln, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Boston, Grantham, Stamford, Skegness, Louth)
22. Middlesex (City of London, Harrow, Enfield, Staines, Ealing, Potters Bar, Westminster )
23. Norfolk (Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Dereham, Cromer, Hunstanton)
24. Northamptonshire (Northampton, Peterborough, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough)
25. Northumberland (Alnwick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Morpeth, Hexham, Berwick-upon-Tweed)
26. Nottinghamshire (Nottingham, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Retford, Southwell)
27. Oxfordshire (Oxford, Banbury, Witney, Bicester, Henley-on-Thames, Carterton, Thame)
28. Rutland (Oakham, Uppingham. Cottesmore)
29. Shropshire (Shrewsbury, Telford, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Ludlow)
30. Somerset (Taunton, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Wells, Glastonbury)
31. Staffordshire (Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Cannock, Lichfield)
32. Suffolk (Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds, Lowestoft, Felixstowe, Sudbury, Haverhill, Bungay)
33. Surrey (Guildford, Croydon, Woking, Sutton, Kingston-on-Thames, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Brixton)
34. Sussex (Chichester, Brighton, Worthing, Crawley, Hastings, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Horsham)
35. Warwickshire (Warwick, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon)
36. Westmorland (Appleby, Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside, Kirkby Lonsdale)
37. Wiltshire (Trowbridge, Salisbury, Swindon, Chippenham, Devizes, Marlborough, Warminster)
38. Worcestershire (Worcester, Dudley, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Malvern, Evesham)
39. Yorkshire
a) North Riding (Northallerton, Middlesbrough, Scarborough, Whitby)
b) East Riding (Beverley, Hull, Bridlington, Driffield, Hornsea, Filey)
c) West Riding (Wakefield, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Halifax, Harrogate)

WALES (including Monmouthshire)

40. Anglesey/Sir Fon (Beaumaris, Holyhead, Llangefni, Amlwch, Menai Bridge)
41. Brecknockshire/Sir Frycheiniog (Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Talgarth, Llanwrtwd Wells)
42. Caernarfonshire/Sir Gaernarfon (Caernarfon, Bangor, Llandudno, Conwy, Pwllheli, Porthmadog)
43. Carmarthenshire/Sir Gaerfyrddin (Carmarthen, Llanelli, Ammanford, Llandovery, Kidwelly, St. Clears)
44. Cardiganshire/Ceredigion (Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron)
45. Denbighshire/Sir Ddinbych (Denbigh, Wrexham, Ruthin, Abergele, Llangollen)
46. Flintshire/Sir Fflint (Mold, Flint, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Buckley, St. Asaph)
47. Glamorgan/Morgannwg (Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Barry, Caerphilly, Bridgend, Neath, Pontypridd)
48. Merioneth/Meirionnydd (Dolgellau, Bala, Tywyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Barmouth, Harlech)
49. Monmouthshire/Sir Fynwy (Monmouth, Newport, Blackwood, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Chepstow, Tredegar)
50. Montgomeryshire/Sir Drefaldwyn (Montgomery, Newtown, Welshpool, Machynlleth, Llanidloes)
51. Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro (Pembroke, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Tenby, St. David's)
52. Radnorshire/Sir Faesyfed (Presteigne, Llandrindod Wells, Knighton, Rhayader, New Radnor)

SCOTLAND

53. Aberdeenshire (Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Inverurie, Huntley, Ellon, Turriff)
54. Angus/Forfarshire (Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Montrose, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir)
55. Argyllshire (Inveraray, Oban, Dunoon, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead, Tobermory)
56. Ayrshire (Ayr, Kilmarnock, Irvine, Saltcoats, Kilwinning, Largs, Troon, Cumnock)
57. Banffshire (Banff, Buckie, Keith, Macduff, Portsoy, Dufftown)
58. Berwickshire (Greenlaw, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder, Coldstream)
59. Buteshire (Rothesay, Millport, Brodick, Lochranza)
60. Cromartyshire (Cromarty, Ullapool)
61. Caithness (Wick, Thurso, Halkirk, Castletown)
62. Clackmannanshire (Clackmannan, Alloa, Tillicoultry, Tullibody)
63. Dumfriesshire (Dumfries, Annan, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar, Langholm, Gretna)
64. Dunbartonshire/Dumbartonshire (Dumbarton, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Helensburgh, Alexandria, Kirkintilloch)
65. East Lothian/Haddingtonshire (Haddington, North Berwick, Dunbar, Tranent, East Linton)
66. Fife (Cupar, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, St. Andrews, Cowdenbeath, Burntisland)
67. Inverness-shire (Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Portree)
68. Kincardineshire (Stonehaven, Banchory, Laurencekirk, Inverbervie)
69. Kinross-shire (Kinross, Milnathort)
70. Kirkcudbrightshire (Kircudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, New Galloway)
71. Lanarkshire (Lanark, Glasgow, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Coatbridge, Carluke)
72. Midlothian/Edinburghshire (Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Penicuik, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg)
73. Morayshire (Elgin, Forres, Rothes, Lossiemouth, Fochabers)
74. Nairnshire (Nairn, Auldearn, Cawdor, Ferness)
75. Orkney (Kirkwall, Sromness, Balfour)
76. Peeblesshire (Peebles, Innerleithen, West Linton)
77. Perthshire (Perth, Crieff, Pitlochry, Callander, Blairgowrie, Rattray, Coupar Angus, Kincardine)
78. Renfrewshire (Renfrew, Paisley, Greenock, Johnstone, Port Glasgow, Barrhead, Kilmalcolm)
79. Ross-shire (Dingwall, Stornaway, Tain, Alness, Invergordon)
80. Roxburghshire (Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Roxburgh)
81. Selkirkshire (Selkirk, Clovenfords, Galashiels)
82. Shetland (Lerwick, Scalloway, Baltasound)
83. Stirlingshire (Stirling, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Bridge of Allan, Denny, Alva)
84. Sutherland (Dornoch, Helmsdale, Brora, Golspie, Lairg, Durness, Tongue)
85. West Lothian/Linlithgowshire (Linlithgow, Livingston, Bo'ness, Broxburn, Whitburn, Armadale, Bathgate)
86. Wigtownshire (Wigtown, Stranraer, Newton Stewart, Whithorn)

NORTHERN IRELAND

87. Antrim (Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne, Lisburn, Newtownabbey)
88. Armagh (Armagh, Newry, Craigavon)
89. Down (Belfast, Newry, Dundonald, Newtownards, Bangor)
90. Fermanagh (Enniskillen, Lisnaskea)
91. Londonderry (Londonderry, Coleraine, Limavady)
92. Tyrone (Omagh, Cookstown, Dungannon, Strabane) (hide spoiler)]

That's clever re spoiler......didn't know that was possible using the "some html is ok" link. Old dog taught a new trick....woof lol.

Ian wrote: "That's clever re spoiler......didn't know that was possible using the "some html is ok" link. Old dog taught a new trick....woof lol."

Lol. I saw somebody else do it over on a different thread and stole the idea :)

Am changing this as I've mixed up North Yorkshire with North Riding of Yorkshire.

#4 - WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE - Before The Poison by Peter Robinson.

Not one of his DCI Banks series but still an interesting mystery. Set just outside LEEDS.


More books set in WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

27/7/14 - Cross and Burn - Val McDermid
14/7/15 - Union Jack - Val McDermid

(hide spoiler)]

The first Brother Cadfael novel is primarily set in Gwytherin Denbighshire, although it was written to promote Shrewsbury Abbey in Shropshire.

#5 - WILTSHIRE (Swindon) - The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time by Mark Haddon.

Really, really good.


More books set in WILTSHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

21/8/14 - Cuckoo - Julia Crouch

(hide spoiler)]

#6 - London, which according to the list is MIDDLESEX - Anno Dracula by Kim Newman.

Imagine Van Helsing and co. didn't defeat Dracula, then imagine that Dracula marries and 'turns' the widowed Queen Victoria. Now throw in some Jack the Ripper, and you have Anno Dracula. Weird but a good read.


More books set in MIDDLESEX (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

26/4/14 - (London) Rotten at the Heart - Bartholomew Daniels
15/7/14 - (London) Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
26/9/14 - (London) The Night Watch - Sarah Waters
6/10/14 - (London) The Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle
23/4/15 - (London) The Dead Tracks - Tim Weaver
12/5/15 - (London) The Playdate - Louise Millar
31/5/15 - (London) Coco Pinchard's Big Fat Tipsy Wedding - Robert Bryndza
13/7/15 - (London) - Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty
18/8/15 - (London) - Cinema Lumière - Hattie Holden Edmonds
31/8/15 - (London) - Lady of Devices - Shelley Adina

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#7 - SUFFOLK - The Sloping Experience by Ursula Bentley.

According to the blurb this is "a blackly comic tour de force". It's not, it's just rubbish. Recommended only if you're really stuck for a book set in Suffolk. I'm sure there are better ones out there.

Haven't done a new county in ages! Been busy on my tour of USA states which seems to have involved an awful lot of serial killers!
So for a change of pace, this weekend I read Jill Mansell's Don't Want to Miss a Thing, which is set in GLOUCESTERSHIRE, giving me county #8.


More books set in GLOUCESTERSHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

8/12/14 - Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble - M.C. Beaton
28/6/15 - Take a Chance on Me - Jill Mansell
1/12/15 - The Christmas Crimes At Puzzel Manor - Simon Brett

(hide spoiler)]

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon is set in a village near Peterborough,which I'd always thought was Cambridgeshire but according to the official list for this challenge is part of Northamptonshire. (I'm assuming our list is from before they rearranged and reclassified the county borders?)

So county #9 - NORTHAMPTONSHIRE


More books set in NORTHAMPTONSHIRE (view spoiler)[

13/10/15 - Mansfield Park - Jane Austen

(hide spoiler)]

By the way - the book wasn't very good, which was disappointing because I really enjoyed his previous book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Double figures! #10 - Cross and Burn by Val McDermid. Set in Bradfield, a fictional town in WEST YORKSHIRE.

EDIT: Not counting this as I mixed up my ridings and already have West Riding. (See comment 24)

Caroline wrote: "A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon is set in a village near Peterborough,which I'd always thought was Cambridgeshire but according to the official list for this challenge is part of Northa..."

Right assumption to make Caroline.

Ian wrote: "Caroline wrote: "A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon is set in a village near Peterborough,which I'd always thought was Cambridgeshire but according to the official list for this challenge ..."

I have to admit, my geography knowledge is fairly poor so most of the time I haven't got a clue which county I've got until I check the list!

#10 - BEDFORDSHIRE - A Rural Affair by Catherine Alliott.

Set in a small village near Leighton Buzzard this is a fairly predictable 'chick-lit' book in the style of Jilly Cooper or Fiona Walker. Enjoyable enough for a lazy afternoon of reading.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is fairly evenly spread between Hampshire, Cumberland and London but HAMPSHIRE has the largest page count so that's what I'm counting it as. (County #11)

I'd had this book on my shelf for ages but never got around to reading it before (for some reason I thought it was a ghost story). It was a little bit long-winded but I really enjoyed it. I'm off to read something a bit less 'wordy' now.


More books set in HAMPSHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

9/10/14 - (Southampton) - Eeny Meeny - M.J. Arlidge
9/1/16 - Pop Goes the Weasel - M.J. Arlidge

(hide spoiler)]

#12 - BERKSHIRE - Dear Thing by Julie Cohen.

Really enjoyed this story about a couple who can't conceive and their friend who offers to be a surrogate for them.

#13 - ARMAGH, Northern Ireland. My first non-English county.

The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan.

First book I've read by this author, will be looking out for more of her work.

Looks good! I tend to read books set in Eire, mainly Dublin. Don't think I've got to N Ireland yet! This would make a change from scandi-crime!

It was good, apparently it's the second in a series so you might want to start with the first, although I had no problem reading this as a standalone. I will be going back and reading the first one though.

I've 'wanted to read' the first one - I do like to start at the beginning! Thanks.

I'm so confused! I've just been told that I've mixed up my 'Ridings' of Yorkshire and the books I've got for North Yorkshire are set in North Yorkshire but that's not the same as the North Riding and they're actually part of the West Riding. That makes my head ache but I'm changing it!

#14 - I'm hoping it's ok to count a short story. If not I'll look for something else but for now

The DCI Jones Casebook: Raymond Francis Collins by Kerry J. Donovan for Birmingham, WARWICKSHIRE.

8/10/14 - Just in case the short story is not allowable I've now got Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes also for Birmingham.

Birthdays for the Dead by Stuart MacBride is set in the fictional Scottish town of Oldcastle. Oldcastle is described in the book as being located between Dundee and Aberdeen, roughly an hours drive away from Aberdeen. By my calculation that puts it somewhere around Brechin or Montrose, giving me county #15 ANGUS/FORFARSHIRE.

#16. My second Stuart MacBride book this week. Cold Granite. Set in ABERDEENSHIRE.

More books set in ABERDEENSHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

12/10/14 - Dying Light - Stuart MacBride
29/10/14 - Broken Skin - Stuart MacBride
3/11/14 - Flesh House - Stuart MacBride
12/2/15 - Blind Eye - Stuart MacBride
8/7/15 - The 45% Hangover - Stuart MacBride

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I think Wuthering Heightsis set in Yorkshire and A Morbid Taste for Bones or any of the other Cadfael books is set in Shrewsbury (Shropshire) and Wales.

Caroline wrote: " The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is fairly evenly spread between Hampshire, Cumberland and London but HAMPSHIRE has the largest pag..."

Ghost story? Are you thinking of the Woman in Black? It does sound like it should be.

A.L. wrote: "Caroline wrote: " The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is fairly evenly spread between Hampshire, Cumberland and London but HAMPSHIRE ha..."

I probably was thinking of the Woman in Black, I just had it in my head that it was a scary story so put off reading it for ages! (I'm a coward)

Thanks for the suggestions. Wuthering Heights is on my list for a re-read at some point. Never tried any Cadfael though, but I do like a good mystery so will look out at my local library for them :)

#17 - FIFE - Tell Me No Secrets by Julie Corbin.

#18 - KENT - The Darling Buds Of May by H.E. Bates


More books set in KENT (as a spoiler to save space)
(view spoiler)[

20/2/15 - When the Green Woods Laugh - H.E Bates
24/2/15 - Oh! To Be In England - H.E Bates
21/5/15 - A Little of What You Fancy - H.E Bates

(hide spoiler)]

#19 - Manchester, LANCASHIRE - Star Struck by Val McDermid



More books set in LANCASHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

12/1/15 - Sleep Tight - Rachel Abbott
14/12/15 - Twelve Days of Christmas - Trisha Ashley

(hide spoiler)]

#20 - ESSEX - The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.

The very first Poirot story.

More books set in ESSEX (view spoiler)[

28/2/15 - Curtain: Poirot's Last Case - Agatha Christie
29/4/15 - Dead Before Morning - Geraldine Evans

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Recap - my tour so far, counties 1 - 20.

ENGLAND

BEDFORDSHIRE - A Rural Affair - Catherine Alliott
BERKSHIRE - Dear Thing - Julie Cohen
CORNWALL - A Seaside Affair - Fern Britton
DEVON - Murder on the English Riviera - J.L Harward
ESSEX - The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie
GLOUCESTERSHIRE - Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Jill Mansell
HAMPSHIRE - The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
KENT - The Darling Buds Of May - H.E Bates
LANCASHIRE - Star Struck - Val McDermid
MIDDLESEX - Anno Dracula - Kim Newman
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
SOMERSET - Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
SUFFOLK - The Sloping Experience - Ursula Bentley
WARWICKSHIRE - The DCI Jones Casebook: Raymond Francis Collins - Kerry J Donovan
WILTSHIRE - The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time - Mark Haddon
WEST RIDING - Before The Poison - Peter Robinson

SCOTLAND

ABERDEENSHIRE - Cold Granite - Stuart MacBride
ANGUS/FORFARSHIRE - Birthdays for the Dead - Stuart MacBride
FIFE - Tell Me No Secrets - Julie Corbin

NORTHERN IRELAND

ARMAGH - The Dead Ground - Claire McGowan

#21 - Edinburgh, MIDLOTHIAN/EDINBURGHSHIRE - Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin.

My first Rebus book and I have to admit to being slightly underwhelmed. Not sure I'll be bothering with any more of the series.


More books set in MIDLOTHIAN/EDINBURGHSHIRE (as a spoiler to save space) (view spoiler)[

10/1/15 - Northanger Abbey - Val McDermid
12/3/15 - The Book of Souls - James Oswald
22/8/15 - The Strings of Murder - Oscar de Muriel

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