deliberate choice to use the cities of Bath and Brighton, etc., in such a way. And I disagree with the example used of Las Vegas -- I think setting a book in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Los Angeles, or San Francisco would be making a statement that certain things are going to happen here that may not happen in the same way somewhere else. I do not believe that authors just plunk people down any old where and expect the story to work -- I believe they are well-thought-out decisions to illustrate some aspect of the work. And when the use is consistent over time and several books, I think a good case can be made. Now it is possible to present a mystery or crime novel in a small town that seems very normal on the surface, as a contrast of what we expect in the setting (mom, home, and apple pie), and what we get (an exploding meth lab), but that too is a deliberate choice.