Friday, September 27, 2013

A Feast of Foreign Climes


British author Ann Bridge (1889-1974) wrote a passel of novels based on her travels around the world. She also wrote a series of entertaining mysteries featuring Julia Probyn, intrepid journalist and part-time spy for British Intelligence. The first in that series, The Lighthearted Quest, took Ms. Probyn to Morocco. 

The time span in the Probyn mysteries covers the years 1956 to 1972 - a time of civilized travel - and the stories take the reader to foreign locales including Portugal, Switzerland, and Ireland. 

I bring this up because today Amazon has all eight of the Kindle editions of the mysteries published by Bloomsbury Reader (as well as other classic ones by Edmund Crispin, Margery Allingham and Nicolas Freeling) on sale for $1.99 each. I paid $7 for the first one in January 2012 when I was introduced to this globe-trotting heroine. So now it looks like I can get the remaining seven for only twice that much!

Ms. Probyn's adventures in North Africa led me to Edith Wharton's In Morocco, an account of her time spent there after World War I. Wharton stayed in the Bahia Palace, a fact mentioned in Ms. Probyn's tale. 

A case of one book leading to another, or in this case, many others.

4 comments:

  1. Decided to try this new to me author so went to our library website and reserved the only one they have - The Malady in Madeira. If i like it I'll check out the Kindle ones - hoping the price is still $1.99 ea! It's taking a lot to hold my interest in a book these days - some of the cozy mysteries are just too cozy! Maybe I'll look into some other travel books.

    Joyce in KS

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    1. Hi Joyce. I hope you like Julia Probyn's adventures. The travel bits alone are fascinating and the mystery is a bonus. I agree that some cozies are so cozy they put me to sleep. I don't think you will find the books in this series to be that way at all.

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  2. I just discovered Julia Probyn this year and have an edition that has the first three Julia Probyn books. I still have one to go--I'm trying to read them slowly instead of all at once. Lots of fun and Julia is an interesting character.

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    1. I have only read the first one, Kathy, but now I own all of the eight (in e-book editions). I am happy to have them and next up is the second in the series - 'The Portuguese Escape'. I have long wanted to visit Portugal and here is my chance!

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