30 years ago is way before I started blogging what I read, so I have no ratings for older books that I read at the time. Also, no list of books from the late 90s I might have sold or given away after I read them, so I’ve got a handful of books I still have in paper and a vague notion of whether I read them or not.

Obviously, books I picked up backlist–or picked up a second copy as an ebook or audio book and read later are easier to quantify.

~ Shadows of the Heart by Tracy Grant (The Lescaut Quartet #3) 9/10
Avg Rating: 8.8 | read 3X | Historical, Romance

The first book I read in the series was the second, then this one, then the fourth, then finally the first. What stands out about this story is the woman is pregnant and has amnesia.

~ Chance by Robert B. Parker (Spenser #23) 8.5
Avg Rating: 8.5 | read 2X | Private Eye ^[1]

This is the book prior to where I began reading the Spenser series. I remember regularly scanning the shelves of used book stories for more of this series.

This is also the first book where Spenser essentially stops aging–there are no references to him having fought in Korea or fighting Joe Wolcott in this book or any book after.

~ The King’s Bishop by Candace Robb (Owen Archer #4) 8/10
Avg Rating: 7.8 | read 2X | Historical

~ Acqua Alta by Donna Leon (Commissario Guido Brunetti #5) 8/10
Avg Rating: 7.3 | read 3X | Police

This is quite early on in the series, which is why I read it multiple times. At some point I gave up on rereading the entire series and just read new stories as they came out.

~ Captiva by Randy Wayne White (Doc Ford #4) 8/10

This series and the Elvis Cole series I read after I broke my ankle and needed distractions from the post-surgery misery. I remember very little about it except science and ex spy. I think.

~ Sunset Express by Robert Crais (Elvis Cole #6)
Avg Rating: 8.5 | read 2X | Private Eye

This started off wanting to be like Spenser, but soon Elvis Cole became his own thing. And like the Spenser series, Elvis and Joe Pike stopped aging several books in.

~ A Test of Wills by Charles Todd (Inspector Ian Rutledge #1) 7/10
Avg Rating: 7.0 | read 2X | Historical, Police

This is one of the first mystery series I read set in the aftermath of the Great War, and it kicked of a kind of horrid fascination with the war and the years around it.

~ Let it Bleed by Ian Rankin (Inspector Rebus #7) 8/10 (1995)

~ Watery Grave by Bruce Alexander (Sir John Fielding #3) 7/10 ^[2]
Historical | Police

Bow Street runners with one of the main characters being one of the magistrates who founded the runners.

~ Killer Pancake Diane Mott Davidson (Goldy Bear Culinary Mystery #5) 7/10 ^[1]

~ The Kindness of Strangers Julie Smith (Skip Langdon #6)
Police

~ Lying in Wait J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #12)

~ Dead to Rights J.A. Jance (Joanna Brady #4)

I know I searched for used copies of all the J.A. Jance books I could find, so I likely read this series out of order as I picked up what books I could get my hands on. I’m guessing I read both of these but am honestly not sure one way or the other.

^[1] I probably read this at least once before 2004.

^[2] I want to reread this, but the first books are not available except in paper, at least as far as I can find.