Contemporary fantasy

I like my fiction in series. It's nice having a reliable author and world I can happily fall back into any time they write a new book. My favorite genre is what I guess can be called contemporary fantasy - where the denizens of the fantasy world live in our time and place. Luckily, this is a popular genre. Unluckily, this this a popular genre.

Why both? Because that means a lot of complete crap gets written. And a lot of it just devolves into soft core (or occasionally hard core) porn after a while - and I have no idea why. Are there those who just can't have their vampires and werewolves and witches without them getting some, in graphic detail? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude, but I don't need for all my novels to have sex scenes. As a matter of fact, Irarely need my novels to have sex scenes. Generally, it's a sign of lazy writing - sex sells, generally no matter how crappy the plot is. Look at the romance shelves in a bookstore sometime.

This big flaw is why I don't read books by Laurel K. Hamilton anymore. At first her books were just fine, but after a while, sex was about half the book. And if you have to skip half the book out of disinterest, why read it in the first place?

There are, however, some good - or at least decent - series out there. They could all also probably be classified as mysteries, as well. I think it's just an easy way to have a reason for a person to keep having interesting stuff happen to them. :) My favorite series of this genre:

The Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison
First book: Dead Witch Walking

Rachel Morgan is a witch in Cincinnati in a world where vampires, werewolves, fairies and more live side by side with humans. Rachel, with her vampire and pixie partners, runs a detective agency that deals with the darker side of Cincinnati's population. I thought at first that I wasn't going to like this series, but I got sucked in and now I really like it. It's got a bit of alternate history to it, too, which adds a little extra spice.

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
First book: Storm Front

An "out" wizard, Harry Dresden, is a private detective in Chicago when most of the world doesn't know about the reality of the supernatural around them. It's an nteresting world and the writing's pretty good. The recurring characters are also pretty good.

Southern vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris
First book: Dead Until Dark

Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic waitress in this series, set in the south shortly after vampires out themselves to the world after the development of artificial blood. The writing's good, even if the plot's a little on the thin side sometimes.

Nightside series by Simon Green
First book: Something From the Nightside

John Taylor is a private detective in the Nightside, an evil reflection of our own world. This isn't the best writing in the world, but it's got enough entertainment value in it that I recommend it.

Any other series of this type you'd recommend? I'm always looking for books to read!