I often take the pulse of what my fellow MSW fans are thinking about by keeping a close eye on Donald Bain's website discussion page, and yesterday (happy Easter, by the way), a very interesting tidbit was dropped by Mr. Bain himself. Yet another debate has been stirring among readers about Mr. Bain's controversial (but apparently much-loved) character of George Sutherland, and the pros and cons of Jessica taking her arm's length involvement with him to another level. In response, Mr. Bain noted that
"... enthusiasm for George Sutherland as a recurring character in the series is shared by many readers. Even those who don't want to see Jessica become too romantically involved with him seem to like George as a character. There's even been talk of spinning off a new series featuring him."
Oh, really? It's an intriguing concept, to say the least. What would a book series based on George be like? And would it be worth reading?
The idea certainly has merit. But although George is a very interesting character, to me he is at his most interesting when he's interacting with Jessica. Any book featuring him alone would probably be more police procedural than lighthearted mystery since he is, after all, a policeman. Part of what makes Jessica's adventures so interesting is that as an amateur, she is not bound by the same rules, regulations, and protocols as the police - this gives her a lot more latitude when she investigates, and gets her into all kinds of trouble, which is why we love her. There's nothing wrong with the police procedural as a genre, but I think that by nature they're a little dryer, a little stiffer, than what I'm used to reading. That being said, as a fan of George myself I would certainly read anything that was put out there about him, no matter what form it took. But I don't think a novel featuring him would be as effective - or as popular - as a book about Jessica would be, at least not for the Murder, She Wrote crowd.
What do you think, Gentle Readers? Would you read books featuring George as the main character, even if Jessica never made an appearance? I'd love to hear your responses.
