“They needed the mother from hell. `Let’s get Gless!’ ”

This was prompted when I recently finished a mystery that kept me going, that was filled with action and had good characters, both good and villains.

But what bothered me was that the lead character hasn’t really grown or changed or been affected by all the death that has surrounded this character through the years.

I enjoyed the novel. I would recommend it. But there was something lacking for me.

Which got me to thinking about TV and what draws us back to TV series year after year.

For me to stick with a program, year after year, the characters have to change, have to grow.

Take Buffy the Vampire Slayer — one of the best TV series ever.

Buffy changed each year as did her Scooby gang. The Buffy at the end of the series was not the same Buffy at the beginning. To use horror as a metaphor for teenage angst was brilliant.

Along the same lines, that’s why I am enjoying this season of Burn Notice (9 p.m. Thursdays on USA Network).

Burn Notice is down to its last two episodes for this season. Burn Notice is about Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan, left)  a spy who was burned, or fired, during an assigment. He acts as a quasi private investigator while trying to find out why he was burned.

Here’s another look at Burn Notice at the other blog I write for the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale.

While the premise has remained the same for three seasons, and a couple of mini seasons, each season also has given us new perspective on the characters.

This season, Burn Notice has looked more at the “spy business.” More action doesn’t neglect the characters. Bit by bit, we’ve learned that Michael’s father was abusive and that his mother, played by the wonderful Sharon Gless, had to be stronger than strong.

But I really want to know what made Fiona and Sam the way they are.

Oh well, there’s always next season.

(Next up, I’ll discuss Law & Order and other TV series.)

This is how mystery fans – whether in novels, movies or TV – help each other: We are shameless about introducing our friends and family to new works.

Several months ago, I mentioned to Kate and Brian about this terrific new television show I was enjoying called Burn Notice. It’s a spy show, sure, but it is also a witty detective show; a bit The Rockford Files, a bit MacGyver.

So Kate did what any good editor does – she asked me if I wanted to do a review.

And I did what any good critic does, I wrote one.

Which, she tells me, inspired Kate to watch the series and, yes, become a fan.

Burn Notice is about Michael Weston (played by Jeffrey Donovan), a spy who was fired – or got his “burn notice” — during a covert sting operation. Without money or a government agency to back him, he’s forced to make his own way after being dumped in his hometown of Miami. His only backup are Fiona Glenanne, (Gabrielle Anwar) a former girlfriend who cut her arms-dealing teeth in the I.R.A., and Sam Axe, (Bruce Campbell) a retired spy who’s not above informing on Weston, especially if a free dinner and drinks are on the agenda. There’s also a brother who’s had more than a few scraps with the law and a mother (Sharon Gless) who clearly adores Michael but also knows how to manipulate him.

Burn Notice mixes wide swaths of humor with a serious plot and a breathtaking view of South Florida. To make a living while trying to find out who “burned” him, Weston plays private detective.

Right now, Burn Notice is wrapping up a mini season with the finale set for March 5.

The original episodes air on the USA Network at 10 p.m. eastern time/9 p.m. central time on Thursdays; with numerous repeats during the week.

Filming for the third season begins March 1 with the 16 episodes airing this summer.

TOP: Gabrielle Anwar, Jeffrey Donovan. USA Network photo

Tana French’s In the Woods was a favorite of Mystery Scene readers and won  the Edgar for Best First Novel of 2007. Now her second, The Likeness, has critics hailing a major new talent. Cheryl Solimini chats with this former actress who has taken a flair for the dramatic from the stage to the page.

Clyde Ford launches an intriguing new boating series set in the Pacific Northwest with an ex-Coast Guard officer as hero. Ford reports that he’s working with actor Morgan Freeman on a screenplay.

John J. Lamb’s popular mysteries combine two seemingly disparate worlds—the cozy milieu of teddy bear collecting and the gritty details of police procedure. Our reporter discovers striking similarities between Lamb’s work and life.

In the midst of this historic presidential election season, Art Taylor takes a look back at mystery fiction from the tumultuous Civil Rights era of the 1950s and ’60s.

Verna Suit explores fiction set in “Mysterious Maryland” with a special focus on Baltimore, where the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention will be taking place in October.

Our own Jon L. Breen, who won an Edgar Award for Novel Verdicts: A Guide to Courtroom Fiction, puts his expertise to work in a round-up of new legal thriller fiction. Following Jon’s glowing recommendation I’ve just read Justin Peacock’s debut, A Cure for Night. Don’t miss this book!

Best wishes,
Kate Stine
Editor-in-chief