Question…have you ever read a fictional book that was based near to where you live, & did it portray the area accurately…??????
Question…have you ever read a fictional book that was based near to where you live, & did it portray the area accurately…??????
Peter Robinson based near me in East Anglia
Yes I have we are living in North Dakota right now and I read Nora Roberts black hills it’s a story in the black hills in South Dakota only 5 hours from us very good book
All Ian Rankin’s books. I live in Edinburgh and have lived in the highlands of Scotland and he is very accurate.
Yes @Sheila and they did, which made the book even more enjoyable
And the Seahills Estate behind the Beehive pub!
cheers Gillian, and @Richard xx
My hubby enjoyed Malcom Hollindrake’s novels – based in Harrogate and very accurate !!!
Thank you.
no problem – I’m looking forward to reading them too !!!!
@Terri I do hope you enjoy them too. Have a lovely weekend.
I’m hoping living in Harrogate for 10 years will help me picture the places in the book – have a great weekend.
Lots of Martina Cole’s book are based where I live. She grew up on the street my mum lived and yes she portrays it brilliantly back in the day what it was like in Essex and the East end.
Don’t read South African authors, but soak up British authors especially those who write books about Yorkshire and Newcastle police. This is where I’m from and visit regularly but live in SA.
I live in Yorkshire & my dad’s family are from Newcastle…!!!??
I hope you enjoy my York series ?
@Leigh ooh which are those, Ian, Lucy or Geraldine, think I’ve missed them.
Yes. I live in London. And other places.
Yes
Yes love the Stephen Booth in Peak District, and now Joy Ellis in the Fens
Yes. Val McDermid set a couple in Worcester. Quite accurate
Yeah! A lot of bookstores where I live have a section that they deem “regional fiction” (sometimes they even have “regional mysteries”)! Most of the time it’s pretty accurate and it helps me get fully immersed in it. I live in the US on the largest lake (by surface area) in the world, so I love when they describe the lake ?
Yes books by Chevy Stevens and Sean Slater.
@Malcolms books are based around Harrogate & surrounding areas I know well and are all well informed and accurate. Louise Ross’ books are all based round Northumberland and portrayed accurately too x
Thank you.
xx
M C Beeton’s Agatha Raisin series based in the Cotswolds, not bad at all
Angela Marsons’ novels.
Louise Ross’s books are spot on
Yes and completely unrealistic
Yes a long time ago it was a crime book but was based in Greenock and Gourock and was very accurate
Yes, Mikael Ressem. They capture our town.
Mark Billingham set one of his books in north Warwickshire Polesford, I live in the N Warwickshire village of Polesworth. He was pretty accurate although obviously changes were made.
Just incase you don’t know there is an adaptation of that book on TV now. It started last week and is called In the Dark. It has the Helen Weeks character and rather than Tom Thorne being her partner who goes with her to Polesford she’s still with Paul the father of her baby and he goes with her.
@Tracey thanks. I hadn’t realised it was that book. I’m on holiday now but will look for it when I get home
Yep, C L Taylor and Sanjida Kay both from Bristol. Realistic and have been to the places that are mentioned which makes it really interesting xx
Northumberland – Mari Hannah’s books…
Ian Rankin is very Accurate regarding Edinburgh.
Yes Michael Woods books are set in and around Sheffield !
Really? I will look it up. Don’t know any crime books set in Sheffield tbh, thanks!
@Patricia you’ll love them looking forward to his next one in the series he needs to write faster ?? X
? thanks again Eileen x
Matilda Darke is the DCI in them forgot to say !!!! Hope you enjoy them x
I’ll need to look in library tomorrow and if not available, then online. Thank you x
Ben Cheetham’s books are based where I live and the descriptions are spot on
Yes Angela Marsons and very accurate set just up road from me
Yes! I read The Taxidermist’s Daughter set around Chichester and Fishbourne. I knew all the places used in the story and even the house l lived in with my husband was given a mention!! I nearly fell off the sofa when it appeared ?
Yes, St. Louis MO. Usually right on.
Nicky Black The Prodigal from Newcastle streets & areas. Yes definitely
I try ti do just that with my Workhouse Mysteries. I call Norwich, Broadland City but to portrat like it is for real.
Adrian mckintys ‘Sean duffy’ series (which is AMAZING btw) is set in and around carrickfergus, a town I’ve spent a lot of time in and have huge affection for. He gets it dead right. I walk down the roads with Duffy, see the views he sees, from exactly the right places. It’s remarkable actually.
Roy Grace series based in Brighton where i uesd to live, such fond memories .
Currently reading ‘Good As Dead’ Mark Billingham, based in areas of London I know well ???
Peter James based in Brighton not far from us. We used to own a flat in Brighton and his descriptions of places and buildings are very accurate.
Yes Peter James, extremely accurate
Tom Bale’s Skin and Bones was based fairly near to me and was an absolutely fabulous read!!
Kate Wilhelm has a series of books based in the town I used to live in. It’s so fun hearing about places that I know exist. However, the person who reads the audio book doesn’t know how to say words like Chemeketa and Willamette (not many people do) and mispronounces them every single time.
Yes, Hilary Bonner and C L Taylor, Somerset. I love recognising the local landmarks.
I have a book coming out in the next few weeks and I’ve set it in Cornwall where I live. My books have generally been international until now, but the whole experience of writing on my home turf has been brilliant. Writing about where I live makes it accurate and great for local publicity. Hopefully it will be the start of a new series. I’ve read several authors featuring Cornwall and have wondered if they have even been down here.
Yes and it was fairly inaccurate. I think the author got away with it because it’s a small town few people are likely to know.
Liane Moriarty books are set in the area I grew up in Sydney. She gets the tone and the people spot on!
Frances Brody set A Medal for Murder in Harrogate.
Mark Sennen writes books based in my hometown Plymouth, Devon and they’re really accurate. Good books too. The main character is called Charlotte Savage who has a family and is only slightly screwed up (for a change!)
I read a book called “Driven” that was set in Whitby which is where I used to live. I would love to find a book set in or around Darlington x
I’m an author who used to live in darlo. Might have to give that a go. It’d make a great setting.
Excellent idea! Do let me know if you decide to. You are so right, it would make a great setting ?
There was a couple of books set on medway regarding a p i and i recognised a few landmarks in the books
Yes, the River’s of London books by Ben Aaronovitch feature my local area, local estates and lots of very known places in London and he has got them exactly right so far as I can tell.
All the Roy Grace books by Peter James. Set in or around Brighton and mostly very accurate
Read a few. Some did, some didn’t.
Vera and George Gently both filmed where I live.
Yes @John writes very good and enjoyable books about Teesside . X highly recommended x
I’ve written a novel set in Sheffield and tried to make it accurate as possible.
I love Graham Hurley’s portrayal of Portsmouth and surrounding area in his Faraway and Winter series. It accurately reflects the changes over the years too.
Yes and my knowledge of my hometown is shocking lol. I learn places and go check them out (usually on google). Im a couch potato so not wanting to get too crazy and actually go to said places ? xxx
No.
Yes, an Elizabeth George book and no, it didn’t portray it accurately at all!!
Grr it’s going to annoy me now thinking of the name of the book and author I wanted to describe
I live near D.C. So lots of books and it’s usually obvious if the writer did their research.
Do you like George Pelecanos books? I was not crazy about some of his earlier ones but starting with Right as Rain I became a huge fan. Loved that series.
@Linda I have not read them do you recommend starting with right as rain?
@April I do because it starts a series, only 3 or maybe 4 in the series but they are all good. I think one of his books was made into a movie or tv show but don’t hold me to that, I will need to look that up to be sure I am remembering correctly. It was not one in this series but a later one titled The Night Gardener. I think he is an excellent writer, his books are set in what might be described as the mean streets of D.C. Inner city stories. They are not books on national politics.
I think these should be read in order.
Okay I just looked up the movie Night Gardener and the only one that comes up is a Disney movie and is definitely not from the Pelecanos book.
I cannot imagine anyone not liking Right as Rain. Seriously.
Pelecanos also wrote for the television series The Wire. He received an Emmy nomination for that. I really thought that was a good series. I think it was a cable show and I did not subscribe to it so I caught it on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
I live in Perth…nothing happens here to write about…lol
Soubds lke the opening line of a book ? xxx
we cant even get Oprah here ffs…lol
Andy Barrett’s books are set near where I live, some of the events are set here in my town, although I couldn’t pinpoint exactly where, but I suspect that is deliberate.
Martina Cole writes about the East London and parts of Essex where I used to live. I must say it did make her books more enjoyable.
Luca Veste, David Jackson and Mark Roberts all portray Liverpool brilliantly!
Not read David Jackson, so just ordered one of his books.
@Philip First few set in America. Last couple in Liverpool. Nathan Cody is his cop.
Yes. The one I ordered is Nathan Cody. I recommend all the writers I mentioned earlier.
Have read Kevin Sampson and will try others. Latest by Conrad Jones is mainly set in Liverpool
Another just ordered!
Love Luca Veste. Will have to check out David and Mark 🙂
Both recommended!
Several based on Merseyside. Plenty of familiar places featured. Mark Roberts, Luca Veste, Martin Edwards, Ron Ellis, Ed Chatterton and Kevin Sampson the writers involved.
I try only to read books based around the area in which I know well. My favourites are Stephen Booth, Steven Dunne and John Harvey all depict The Peak District , Derby and Nottingham so well.
Yes.. Im very lucky as live in Oxford…. Colin Dexter…
So jealous. I’ll have to move. I’ve just started the series and I’m 3 books in. Absolutely love them. A box set I found in a charity shop for 2 euro. Mint condition. Obviously never read. …
Enjoy… Brilliant reading material
Ann Cleeves’ Vera series – yes it does, as does the TV series. Well, except we don’t seem to have as many murders ?
I’m from Yorkshire one of my favourite authors is Peter Robinson his books are set in a fictional town in Yorkshire but he often mentions real places he has to visit to interview suspects etc, as I can picture the towns he talks about I enjoy them more.
A lot of the books based in York do portray it quite well. The book I’m reading now describes the Rowntree factory restaurant being used an an emergency hospital. It is now a private hospital!!
Leigh Russell’s Ian Peterson’s books are set in York, they are really good x
Kate Ellis’s and Peter Turnbull’s novels are based in York.
@Jenn yes I like those too, especially Jack Plantagenet x
Have you read any from Helen Cadbury? Brilliant books it’s a shame we won’t get any more.
I just read Gestation Seven and it describes northern Virginia really well.
Very definitely. I have read all the Bob Skinner books by Quintin Jardine. They all feature Edinburgh & East Lothian & are very accurate. Excellent read into the bargain.
Yes! The DCI Lorimer books by Alex Gray are based in Glasgow, I worked in the city centre and recognised a lot of the streets, parks etc
Totally. Lots of local authors portraying local settings for me.
Living near Brighton all the Peter James Roy Grace books are pretty accurate
Angela Ashes… did resonate of Limerick in times gone by