This is a new feature I developed where each month we will look at our favorite – the best – series in a genre or topic.
The topic here, by my definition, is a series set primarily in Minnesota. Since I lived there for 35 years, I enjoy reading books set there. These are mostly mystery series with detectives or cozy mysteries. These are the ones which came to mind. I enjoyed some more than others.
Since I haven’t read everything, it’s a subset of the possibilities. I’m sure I am forgetting some great authors. There are also plenty of authors I have yet to read. Please share your favorites with me in the comments, also.
My favorite Minnesota series are (in no particular order):
Cork O’Connor Nils Shapiro Detective Max Rupert
by William Kent Krueger by Matt Goldman by Allen Eskens
A Needlecraft Mystery Hannah Swensen Jake Hines
by Monica Ferris by Joanne Fluke by Elizabeth Gunn
What are your favorite series?
Vote for your top 3 favorites! You can vote for my favorites or add favorites of your own. Remember this is how the winning option is chosen for the giveaway.
Then enter the giveaway below. The winner will get the first book in the winning series! Open to anyone who can receive an Amazon digital ebook.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Hands down it’s the Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger for me. I discovered the series when I participated in a group read of the first book years ago. I switched to the audio format with the second book, narrated by the wonderful David Chandler, and now look forward to new releases. Everything about this series is perfection.
Yes that and the Allen Eskens ones are definitely the favorites for realism.
I haven’t read any of these but I do absolutely love the Monkeewrench series by P.J. Tracy. The audio books are excellent!
Well I’d seriously recommend the Krueger and O’Connor ones and on audio. The others are all lighter. Actually the Gunn ones have some realism too. I haven’t heard of the PJ Tracy – I’ll have to look into them.
Your list has given me some new series to try. I’ve read the Fluke and Ferris books. of the two, I like Ferris’ series more.
The ones you mention are both more cozies. The others are more realistic and I like them better.
I don’t think I’ve read a series that is set entirely in MN, but I’ve read some good individual series books and standalones there- mostly winter ones. 🙂 I’ve got the Cork O’Connors on my list to read eventually.
The Cork O’Connors are amazing. I think you would definitely like them.
I don’t know if I have read a series set in Minnesota. I have had the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder book on my tbr forever but haven’t read it yet.
That’s a quirky cozy series which I have read almost all of them. My favorites are the more serious ones. William Kent Krueger’s series is set in northern MN and has lots of tribal cultural things. I really like the Allen Eskens series also, set in Minneapolis and I recognize streets, restaurants etc, which is true of the Matt Goldman series. Crewel World has tons of knitting, needlepoint and other crafts and is set in the small lakeside suburb where I lived for 18 years.
I’ve only read from one of these series. Allen Erskin. I have the book featured to listen to. The only other one I read was book one in that series and I loved it. My favorite Minnesota based books are the Prey series by John Sandford.
yes I’ve also read the Prey series a long time ago. I remember it as very dark and I read really dark stuff. The Krueger and Eskens series are my favorites here.