Review of the "Captain Heimrich" series by Richard and Frances Lockridge

 Yes, the same authors as Mr. and Mrs. North. They ultimately wrote four mystery series, along with a number of standalone fiction and non-fiction works. There are 24 novels in this series, published between 1947 and 1977, but my library only has 13 of them. I was able to pick up a few more from B&N for 99 cents.  Unlike with the Mr. and Mrs. North series, Richard continued writing books in the series after Frances' death in 1963. 

Lieutenant -- later Captain and then Inspector -- M. L. (Merton) Heimrich is introduced in the 1940 Mr. and Mrs. North mystery, Murder Out of Turn, set at a vacation resort in the Hudson Valley (eventually, this is revealed to be in Putnam County). Lt. Heimrich, a homicide detective with the New York State Police, is assigned to investigate the murder of one of the guests. He later appears in Death of a Tall Man (1946) and Think of Death (1947) before getting his own series in 1948 with I Want to go Home. He lives in the fictional village of Van Brunt, which is near Brewster in Putnam County. As with the Mr. and Mrs. North series, a few of the books are set in Florida. Characters in these books do work and shop in Manhattan and the murder investigation sometimes takes Heimrich to the City. He works with officers Furniss and Crowley, who appear in all of the books. Furniss is as experienced as Heimrich and always has a contact wherever necessary. He and Heimrich are more like partners than superior and subordinate. Crowley is a new officer who develops throughout the series.

Set among New York's wealthy country club set, these works are sharper and more socially observant than Mr. and Mrs. North. They incorporate issues of class prejudice, racial bias, and political extremism, and are an excellent view of the changing social norms between 1947 and 1977. Putnam County is a little like Cabot Cove, in that it seems to be inhabited primarily by murders (LOL). We do get some lovely views of historic inns and houses and the lush countryside of the Hudson Valley, as well. 

Heimrich marries local widow Susan Faye and becomes stepfather to her son, Michael and large, morose Great Dane, Colonel. In case you're worried that they may be a weaker version of Pam and Jerry, they are not. Each one is a new character. While their marital relationship is always a feature of each novel, it's different from the one between Pam and Jerry North, but is still as positive and supportive. Michael is a secondary character who is fleshed out, but unobtrusive. 

Lockridge is a master at portraying the emotions of animals, or perhaps interpreting is a better word. He did it with cats in Mr. and Mrs. North and does it again with Colonel in this series. Although he does anthropomorphize them, it always feels authentic. Those of us who have lived with animals recognize the behaviors and his interpretations of them.