My Leading Men

I recently finished The Killing Way, a mystery by author Tony Hays.  While the book was relatively well-written, I found that I was still much more drawn to it than its quality would seem to merit.  I kept mentally returning to it, being excited about getting back to it, only to realize I'd already finished the darned thing and would have to wait for the sequel.  In mulling over why I found this book so fascinating, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't the plot or the writing (although both were fine) -- it was the book's hero.

I've had numerous literary crushes over time.  My first occurred when I was in Mrs. Cummins' seventh grade English class.  Every year she had her students read The Adventures of Robin Hood.   While most complained, I enjoyed the experience tremendously.  It was my first encounter with the hero, and I was totally "in love" (whatever that means to a twelve-year-old).   I even resorted to wearing what I thought looked Sherwood-Foresty for awhile (a green shirt that had laces strung across the v-shaped neckline, and leather moccasins that passed for "boots," both readily available in the early 1970s, unfortunately).

Robin Hood was supplanted by Sherlock Holmes. (...Both in print and film; I had quite the thing for Basil Rathbone - except for those movies where he affected a hairstyle that included some dorky little Caesar-like curls at his temples).  Francis Crawford of Lymond (Dorothy Dunnett's hero of The Lymond Chronocles, which I've read three times) followed thereafter, to be replaced some years later with James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (another set of books I've read more than once).  And there have, of course, been others.  (I suppose I'm a bit fickle.)

I have noticed a pattern, of course; all my heroes are from the British Isles.  I find it curious that I've never been tempted to read Dunnett's House of Niccolò series, which is very highly rated -- but features men from Italy, not Scotland.   I'm not sure if Robin Hood set some sort of bar for all my future heartthrobs, or if something early in my childhood warped me in that direction.  But it is what it is, and I'm not complaining – just looking forward to stumbling across my next leading man.

BookBrowse reviewer Kim Kovacs is an avid reader in the Pacific Northwest. All those rainy days give her the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of books that span many genres. Browse Kim's reviews.