Lisa's 11 in 11 in 2011 Part 2

I think posting of book # 50, plus my new category that I am going to add merits a new thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/96746

1. Happy Birthday!

(I will read a book by an author born in each month of the challenge)
CATEGORY COMPLETE
1. January 8th-Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White ****1/2 Jan 27th
2. February 17th-Ruth Rendell, No More Dying Then **** Jan 31
3. March 22nd- James Patterson,The Sixth Target ****March 23
4. April 23rd-Ngaio Marsh Death in a White Tie August 14 ****
5. May 20th- Margery Allingham Deadly Duo September 30 ****
6. June 14th-John Edgar WidemanFatheralong June 25 ****
7. July 1st-Lisa ScottolineMistaken Identity July 15 ***
8. August 25th-Carolyn HartThe Christie Caper August 4 ****
9. September 15th-Agatha Christie Mrs McGinty's Dead Sept 2 ****
10.October 25th -Anne Tyler Back When We Were Grownups Sept 16 ***1/2
11.November 6th-Karin Fossum He Who Fears the Wolf Sept 7 ****

2. 1001 List (Books that have appeared on this list at one time)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.Love in the Time of Cholera Sept 6 ****
2.Tess of the D'Ubervilles March 17 ****
3.Tenant of Wildfell Hall May 25 ****1/2
4.The Corrections Jan 22
5.Tender is the Night October 1 ****
6.Therese Raquin March 31 ***1/2
7.Of Human Bondage
8.The Handmaid's Tale June 12****
9.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes June 29 ****
10.Northanger Abbey ***
11.Perfume

3. A Thrill a Minute
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1Heart of IceJuly 26 ***
2 The Burning August 11 ****
3 The Survivors Club Jan 29th ****
4.Love You More Lisa Gardner March 17 ****
5 The Night Season March 25 ****
6. Three Weeks to Say Goodbye March 29 ***
7City of Bones May 22 ****
8The King of Lies June 17th ****
9 Down River July 5 ****1/2
10Odd Thomas July 19 ****
11Sleeping Beauty July 24 ****

4. In Color (Books with a color in the title)
CATEGORY COMPLETE
1.Five Quarters of the Orange Jan 7th*****
2.Fried Green Tomatoes Jan 10th ****
3.Blues Dancing Feb 12 ***1/2
4.The Blue Hammer August 29th ****
5.Brown's Requiem August 18 ***
6.Agnes Grey May 4th ***1/2
7.Lily White June 4 ***
8.The Red House Mystery Sept 8 ***1/2
9.The Black Tower August ****
10.The Silver Swan June 28 ****1/2
11.The Redbreast July 5 ****1/2

5. Short and Sweet (Books with One Word Titles)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1. Fright Feb 26 ***
2. Immoral Jan 12th ****
3.Gangster Feb 15th ****
4.Freedom May 17 ****1/2
5.Misery June 6 ****
6.Hush April 25th ***1/2
7.Curtain June 26 *****
8.Tumbling Jan 19th ****
9.Summer April 19th****
10.Fallen: A Novel May 18 ****
11.Nemesis July 10 ****

6. It's New to Me (books by authors new to me)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.Indemnity Only w/Victoria Feb 5th ***
2.The Ice House Jan 3rd *****
3.The Case of the Gilded Fly w/DeltaQueen
4. In The Bleak Midwinter Feb 11th *****
5.Every Dead Thing April 29 ****
6.The Fabulous Clipjoint Feb 23 ****
7.A Perfect Evil March 3 ***
8.Forty Words for Sorrow March 13 ****
9.Garden Spells May 1st ***1/2
10.The Bone Garden June 2nd ****
11.In the Shadow of Gotham June 9 ***

7. Have You Seen? (books made into movies)
CATEGORY COMPLETE
1. The Asphalt JungleJuly 29 ***1/2
2. The Joy Luck Club Feb 25 ***
3.Mystic River
4.NightfallJune 13 **
5.Little Caesar June 17 ***
6.My Antonia July 7 ****
7The Lincoln Lawyer July 21 ****
8Tobacco Road July 18 ***
9 Lolita August 27 ****
10The Color of Money August 29 ***1/2
11The Screaming Mimi Sept 15 ****

8. Just Because (whatever strikes my fancy at the moment)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.Spade and Archer w/Victoria Jan 27 **
2.Miss Pym Disposes w/DeltaQueen
3.Behind the Scenes at the Museum Jan 16th ****
4.The Sculptress Minette Walters Jan 14
****
5.The Scold's Bridle **** Feb 22
6. Out of the Deep I Cry Feb 22 ****
7.Bobby Darin: A Life ***1/2 April 15
8.Dexter in the Dark *** May 11
9. To the Power of Three May 28 ***1/2
10.The Sugar Queen May 29 ****
11.Started Early Took My Dog April ??? ***1/2

9. Where Am I? (books with a specific location i.e. a foreign country or a specific US locale)

CATEGORY COMPLETE

1. Don't Look Back:Karin Fossum January 5th **** (Norway)
2.The Dead Hour September 5 ****
3. When the Devil Holds the Candle February 18 ****(Norway)
4.Crooked Letter Crooked Letter April 11 ***** (Mississippi)
5. Two for Sorrow May 18 *** (England)
6.Christine Falls June 23 ****1/2 (Dublin)
7.Tigerlily's Orchids July 2
8.The Chicago WayAugust 2 ***1/2
9.The End of Everything August 8****1/2
10.Field of Blood August 25 **** (Scotland)
11.Sleep Pale Sister April ****

10. Historical Fiction
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet w/DeltaQueen March 5 ***
2.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Jan 17th ****
3.Pardonable Lies March 6 ****
4.An Incomplete Revenge May 31
****
5.Among the Mad **** June 21
6.Mapping of Love and Death July 23 ****1/2
7.The Many Deaths of The Firefly Brothers Sept 13 *****
8.A Lesson in Secrets April?? ****
9.Messenger of Truth
10 First there is a River
11. A Test of Wills Sept 11 ****

11. A Series of Events (unread in series)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.Dearly Devoted Dexter w/Victoria Jan 9th ****
2Vengeance in Death August 6 ****
3. A Fountain Filled With Blood Feb 19****
4. All Mortal Flesh March 1 ****1/2
5. One Was a Soldier May 5th ****1/2
6.I Shall Not Want April
7.A Darkness More Than Night April
8.Dexter in the Dark May
9.Smokin Seventeen July 10 ****
10.An Unkindness of Ravens July 11 ****
11The Last Place July 13 ****

12 Food for Thought
Bonus Category (new)
CATEGORY COMPLETE

1.Crunch TimeApril 22 ****
2.A Peach of A Murder July 18 ***
3.Glazed Murder May 30 ***
4.On What Grounds June 5 ***1/2
5.Gunpowder Green August 8***1/2
6.State of the Onion July 6 ****
7.Crime de Cocoa June 19 ***1/2
8Shades of Earl Grey August 11 ***1/2
9.Fatally Frosted July 15 ***1/2
10.Death by Darjeeling August 7 ***1/2
11. Devil's Food Cake Murder April 2011

Hi Lisa, just checking in and dropping a star. Hope you had a nice Easter.

50 books! I never keep up with your pace.
I'm also planning to read Agnes Grey next month and I think that's the last tandem read we have scheduled...

Hi Judy: I had a great Easter/Mom's birthday. Hope you had a good one as well.

Hi Victoria: I think you're right, I think Agnes Grey is our last tandem read. I'll have to take another look at your thread, after all it's only April:)

50. Hush
Short and Sweet

This was a not too bad thriller, that was an easy read,and a real page turner.

Lake Warren's husband Jack, is suing her for full custody of their two children after he decided he wanted a divorce. The only thing that seems to keep her going besides her children is her work at the Advanced Fertility Center as a marketing consultant.

One day she flirts a little too much with the handsome Dr. Mark Keaton, with whom she has a one night stand. Later that evening she finds him with throat slashed and hightails it out of there. Wrong? Perhaps, but it wouldn't bode well for her upcoming custody hearing now would it?

She leaves, then has the bright idea to find out who the murderer is. Meanwhile, more and more signs point to illegal activity at the clinic which puts her life in jeopardy many times. There were lots of twists and turns, enough to keep me interested, and the reveal of the murderer was a total surprise.

51. Devil's Food Cake Murder
Food For Thought

I think I am getting tired of Hannah. The plot in this one was weak, and there seemed to be way more recipes than usual, perhaps as a filler, I don't know. Her waffling between police officer Mike and dentist Norman is getting tired. Now Bev, the other dentist takes turns dating both Norman and Mike, as does Hannah.

I do enjoy Norman having secrets from his past, I would never have suspected the little twist at the end.

52. A Darkness More Than Night
Although I love Michael Connelly, I am partial to Harry Bosch, and this book featured Terry McCaleb, with Harry making a brief appearance. While investigating another crime, Terry starts looking at Harry as a possible suspect, It was good, but not great.

I'm never too sure about authors when they use crossover characters from their different series. It just smacks of a read my other books too type of thing. Michael Connelly seems to be particularly fond of that type of thing from the looks of it.

19 Inger Frimansson, whom I've mentioned on my thread uses to do this very very subtly and elegantly. Her characters, don't cross over, but make just cameo appearances: The main character of a book reads in the paper about the murder that is the central plot of another, or meets with a relative of the killer. It's just there for the keen eye to see, but creates a feeling that the books really take place in the real world.

53. Every Dead Thing
It's New To Me

I loved this book. It's told in first person, which is perfect for this type of book and the subject matter. It's pretty gruesome, which doesn't bother me at all, but may be a bit much for some people. There are a lot of grisly details.

I had to pay close attention while reading, because there were several minor characters and quite a few subplots which were all important to the story in some way. I was glad of that, because nothing frustrates me more than to have minor characters appear and then have nothing to do with the rest of the story.

Charlie "Bird" Parker is a former NYPD detective, and also an alcoholic. One night, after a fight with his wife, he goes out and gets drunk, and comes home to find his wife and young daughter murdered, with their skins taken off. I told you it was gruesome!

After being ruled out as a suspect, he evenutally leaves the police force anyway, because he spirals out of control. He eventually sobers up as he realizes that he must find out who killed his wife and child, or he will never have any peace.

Clues take him to New Orleans, Maine, back to New York while he tracks the killer known as "The Traveling Man". When I learned the identity of the killer, I was floored!

This first book was so good, I wonder if the rest of the series lives up to the first. I intend to find out, of course.

Sounds like a good one. On to the wishlist it goes. Thanks for your review.

I've had this series on my wishlist for some time, I guess it's time to move it on up the line!

54 Garden Spells
I avoided this book thinking that it may be too cutesy for my taste.

After all, as my nephew recently pointed out, all of my books feature "black" "death" and "murder" in their titles, and there was not one dead body to be found in this book.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this book! I found it to be a great combination of realistic characters with real problems, and I didn't find the "magic" element to be over the top at all. I would definitely read more by this author.

55Agnes Grey
Although Agnes Grey doesn't have the "wow" factor that Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre possess, I found it to be a satisfying read. It's a simple basic story of Agnes's stints as a governess to two families with impossibly bratty children.

The best part of the story to me, is when Agnes slowly evolves from her protective shell and allows herself to be happy. I have to get to The Tenant of WIldfell Hall soon.

56One Was A Soldier Oh how I impatiently waited for my library to tell me that this book was in! After devouring the first six installment in about two months or so, I just couldn't get enough of this author.

I found this book to be quite different from the others in that this time there isn't some crazed serial killer running around Miller's Kill. Rather One Was A Soldier as the title implies, focuses on the very real issues that returning soldiers face as they re-adjust to civilian life.

Various characters struggle will pill and alcohol addiction, short term memory loss, anger management issues, and double limb amputation and meet with each other at a veteran's support group.

As usual, the character development was excellent, and I found it to be just the right mix of romance, mystery, and current events. There is one expected event for Russ and Clare, and one surprise at the very end. I hope I don't have to wait too long for the next book!

Yay! So glad you enjoyed Garden Spells. It's my favorite by SAA. My next favorite is The Sugar Queen.

I also found Agnes Grey to be a satisfying read but, you're right, not as flashy as other Bronte works.

Ha! Loved your comment "this time there isn't some crazed serial killer running around Miller's Kill". Read that JSF was hard at work on the next. Can't wait to read it along with you!

57. Dexter in the Dark I read this with one my LT buds, VictoriaPL *waves*

I did not love this book as much as I did the previous two in the series.

I think that the supernatural/paranormal overtone was way too much in this third installment. After a visit to a disturbing crime scene at a university campus, Dexter's "Dark Passenger" gets a bad vibe and goes into hiding, as he realizes he is being hunted by what could prove to be a very worthy adversary.

Meanwhile, Dexter is in the middle of planning his wedding and learning how to be a stepfather to Rita's kids, Cody and Astor.

I am a huge fan of the tv series (the actor who plays Dexter is excellent) and look forward to readingDexter by Design next. Both the tv series and the books make me laugh in a twisted kind of way. I hope that the next installment "returns to normal".

Hey Lisa! *waves* I completely agree with you, this one wasn't as good as the first two.

The fourth in the series goes back to more of the Dexter that appeared in the first two books and is all the better for it. I still need to pick up the fifth in the series yet though.

I've only read the first, but after the first two, a lot of people seems to feel it's literary hit and miss - one good book is followed by a bad, which is followed by a good...

#29 Glad to hear that about book# 4, which I will get too soon.

#30 Good point re: literary hit and miss, now that I think about it, this has happened with other authors also.

58. Two for Sorrow

I was drawn to this book because I think that Josephine Tey was an extremely talented writer. What I liked about all of her books is that they were all different, but all good, and didn't remind me of anything else. I thought it would fun to read a fictionalized mystery in which she is featured.

I realized that this book is the third in the series, other than a few minor references, not having read the previous two installments did not ruin my reading pleasure in any way.

The story takes the real life 1903 hanging of Amelia Sach and Annie Walters, who were sentenced to death for a series of newborn murders, while the birth mothers believed that their children were being given good homes and taken care of.

Josephine Tey's part of the story takes place in 1936, while she is researching the facts of this case for a book that she is writing. She then finds herself thrust in the middle of two other murders, which may or may not be related to baby murder case.

The story fell a little flat for me in that Josephine doesn't actually have anything to do with solving the current murders, but spends a lot of time with Inspector Archie Penrose who is in charge of the case and has feelings for Josephine, who is conflicted about embarking on a lesbian relationship. I never felt as though I had enough background about the baby killer case, and not having read the other two books, I wasn't sure of the history between Archie and Josephine. I will at some point, read the previous installments to satifsy my curiosity.

59. Freedom

I finally finished this book after many months, not because it wasn't good, it is, but I kept getting distracted by other books.

I loved Corrections, and I thought that Freedom was just as good. Yes both books are full of political rants, anti capitalism viewpoints and unlikeable, self-absorbed characters, but you have to give the author the credit he deserves, because I thought that the writing in both books was excellent.

Patty and Walter Englund are the epitome of ordinary people with common problems. Their children Joey and Jessica were trying at times, and Joey's point of view seemed to be a little more fleshed out than Jessica's was. Overall I enjoyed this book very much.

60. Fallen: Karin Slaughter

I am a big fan of of Karin Slaughter's work. When I first stumbled on one of her books last year, I promptly obtained every single one that I could find, and read them within a two or three month period.

I have to admit though, I wondered what would happen to the Sara Linton storyline after the unspeakable event which took place in Beyond Reach. But then the author did a very smart thing and merged the Sara Linton Grant County series with her Will Trent Atlanta series, and I'm really enjoying it.

In Fallen, Will Trent's partner, Faith Mitchell can't get in touch with her mother and comes to her house to find her mother and her infant daughter missing with blood all over the place. There's a dead body in one room, and a hostage situation in the other. Faith finds her daughter, but not her mother.

Unfortunately, Faith is also considered a suspect, and her mother's past comes back to haunt everyone. In addition to the storyline of Faith trying to find out what happened to her mother, Will and Sara are realizing that they have real feelings for each other, despite his being married to the very unstable Angie, who he feels responsible for, as they both share very turbulent childhood experiences in the children's home where they grew up.

I also enjoyed the several humorous lines supplied by Will's boss Amanda, who was at her snarkiest, and the best friend of Faith's mother, Evelyn.

I can hardly wait for the next installment!

61. City of Bones It's New Year's Day, and a dog finds bone in the Hollywood Hills which is later found to be that of a young boy. Further analysis reveals that the bone is at least twenty years old.

As Det. Harry Bosch and his partner try to piece together what happened, he also had to deal with the stress of his superiors watching him, waiting for his next mistake, in order to force him into retirement. The case also stirs Harry's memories of his own painful childhood as an orphan.

Harry fights to keep his emotions under control, and later makes a decision that I did not see coming!

62. Tenant of Wildfell Hall I loved this book!

I thought that the character development was excellent, it was engrossing, and it was a lot less gothic than I originally thought it would be.

The character of Helen Huntingdon particularly stands out, as she rebels against typical Victorian norms, as she tries to protect her son.

When Helen arrives at Wildfell Hall, she instantly becomes fodder for neighborhood gossip. When Gilbert Markham realizes that he has feelings for her, and mistakes a situation for something that it isn't, Helen gives him her diary, where he learns about her past, and what Helen's so called secret life is all about.

I really enjoyed how Anne's works (so few) are so remarkably different from her sisters.

63. To the Power of Three This was an okay read for me, I love Laura Lippman, but the ending in this one fell just a little flat for me.

It's the story of three best friends who all live in an affluent Baltimore suburb: Josie the athlete, Perri, the drama queen, and Kat, the popular beauty who likes everyone and everyone likes her.

On the last day of class, one of these girls brings a gun to school and tragedy ensues. One girl is left mortally wounded, and one in critical condition. One girl is left with a superficial wound, and her story doesn't add up when she is questioned by the police.

Slowly, we learn how the three girls became friends, and their individual stories are revealed. Other minor characters are introduced, and then the not so great ending.

64. The Sugar Queen I think I read this book in a day and a half! I may have enjoyed it just a tad more than Garden Spells. We have the story of Josey, who is obsessed with hiding food in her closet, and has a crush on her mailman. When we are introduced to Josey's mother, the reader can certainly understand why Joesy would take comfort in her sweet treats.

Hiding in Josey's closet, is Della Lee, who had fled from her abusive boyfriend. Della refuses to leave the closet, and slowly begins to help Joesy becomer her own person and stand up to her mother. She also has a big secret that she reveals to her.

Della also enables for Joesy to meet Chloe who becomes very important to her and is brokenhearted over her cheating boyfriend.

Overall, I thought that the book had just the right amount of magic (books appearing out of thin air, love that) and romance.

65. A Glazed Murder I have to say, when my mother first approached me a couple of years ago about reading books from the culinary mystery sub genre, I had reservations. Since then, there has been an explosion of "foodie" mysteries, which I found that I enjoy for light reading.

I find that this is something that we can share together, as she is not a big fan of the twisted serial killer type novels, which I read more than my fair share of.

Glazed Murder is the first in a doughnut store owner series, although I did make a few comparisons to the Hannah Swenson series as I was reading.
(i.e. overprotective widowed mother, law enforcement love interest)

All in all, not a bad read.

66. An Incomplete Revenge I am a big fan of the Maisie Dobbs series, and usually I don't have a problem plowing through them, but I found this book to be a bit slow moving at times.

Maisie is hired by James Compton to investigate what he thinks are acts of arson and petty crimes related to a land purchase that the company he works for is interested in. The property is located in Kent, and the timing coincides with hop picking season, which her assistant Billy and his family are involved in so that they can earn extra money.

Also helping out with the hop picking are gypsies, who are victims of many acts of prejudice, and who welcome Maisie into their group.

Maisie unlocks village secrets, comes to terms with the passing of a loved one, and moves one step closer to mending her relationship with her mentor, Maurice.

I think I will take a little break before diving into the next one.

67. Bone Garden This is is my first Tess Gerritsen. I had no idea what to expect and I wanted to try something that was not part of a series for a change.

I thought that this book was an excellent blend of mystery, thriller, history and a little bit of a love story as well. I loved the way that the story was told in historical and present day timing. It was very suspenseful and held my interest from start to finish.

Julia Hamill, fresh from a divorce, buys a house on the outskirts of Boston. While working on her grounds trying to create a garden, she comes across a skull, and then the police later find remains, seemingly that of a female, and buried sometime in the early 19th century. Julia becomes engrossed in finding out not only who the deceased was, but her history as well.

The historical part of the story takes place in 1830 in Boston. Norris Marshall, an excellent medical student at Boston Medical College, is also a 'resurrectionist"-one who trolls graveyards for fresh dead bodies to sell on the black market. It seems as though this was a common practice at this time, which makes sense I guess, how else would the students have learned? Pretty gross though.... When nurses and doctors are found mutilated, Norris becomes a prime suspect. In order to prove his innocence he teams up with Rose Connelly, a seamstress, and sister of a patient who died at the hospital after giving birth to a baby that everyone seems interested in.......

Now I have to decide if I want to start reading the Rizzoli and Isles series, which I hear are very good.

>40 lsh63: Isn't it interesting how we all have different reactions? Though I've enjoyed all of them, An Incomplete Revenge was one of my favorites.

Ivy: I have to find your thread again, I thought I had it starred, so you are all caught up with Maisie? I think at one time you had mentioned something about spacing them out a little bit more. I will have to look back and see which one will be my favorite when I am all finished. I'm still not sure what it was about An Incomplete Revenge that didn't wow me.

I haven't gotten to that one yet! Maybe later this year.

68 Lily White

Lee White is a criminal defense lawyer practicing on Long Island. She takes the case of Norman Torkelson, a life time con man who is accused of strangling his latest mark. In an effort to clear Norman, Lee takes a close look at Norman's girlfriend Mary, who assists Norman with his scams, and is clearly hiding something.

Meanwhile, the reader is also told the story of Lee's life. She was born to very self absorbed parents, who spent most of their time denying their heritage, respecting power and money, and social climbing.

I enjoyed the interweaving of the Torkelson case along with Lee's life sotry, it just seemed like an eternity getting there.

re Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Another recommendation, I must get my hands on this!
I should also find more of the Maisie Dobbs books, I have one languising on my TBR pile in the UK.

Great categories - I must be more inventive for next year.

>43 lsh63: I did space them out a bit -- January to May to read the first 7 books -- but I liked them so much that every time I was ready to read a mystery, the next Maisie Dobbs seemed to be my 1st choice. I don't have and haven't read the 8th book, and will probably wait until it's out in paperback or I can find a bargain price.

I don't think I can pick one favorite, but there were 3 of them that I liked better than the others, and a couple that I didn't like as much. Since there are several of us reading this series right now (and a few more who have already read them), it might be interesting to start a thread for favorites -- with such diverse themes in the books, I'd be willing to bet that there's no clear favorite.

(I have links to my challenge threads posted on my profile. I just can't keep up with all the threads, even if I have them starred, and sometimes I lose my own threads too.)

69. On What Grounds This is the first in the Coffeehouse Mystery series.

Clare Cosi returns to manage Village Blend Coffeehouse at the request of her ex-mother-in-law, affectionately known as Madame. With her daughter now in New York attending culinary school, Clare decides to leave New Jersey and live closer to her.

While getting back in to the swing of things, she finds her assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store. The police consider it to be an accident, but Clare thinks otherwise. There are little things that seem out of place to her, but not to anyone else.

While trying to get to the bottom of things, her ex-husband Max shows up and she also finds herself attracted to him again and also one of the detectives on the case.

I found this to be a pretty good read, I would definitely read more in the series. The coffee making references are just enough to be interesting, but not overwhelming.

70 Misery

After a car accident which takes place during a blizzard, author Paul Sheldon is rescued by Annie Wilkes, his "biggest fan".

While nursing Paul back to health, Annie demands that he revive one of his characters, Misery, who met her maker in his last book. Paul's not too thrilled with the idea, but Annie gets him to see things her way, using powerful narcotics for his pain and suffering, and then wielding a hypodermic needle as well as an ax, to let him know that she is in control.

I wish I had read the book first before seeing the movie. The book is a lot gorier, and really kept me on the edge of my seat.

I think that what kept me riveted, is the fact that this kind of thing could actually happen, it wasn't that far fetched.

71. In the Shadow of Gotham
It's New to Me

I found this book to be just an ok read. I guess I expected a little more "wow" factor, since it won an Edgar award last year for best first novel.

Simon Ziele lost his fiancee in the 1904 General Slocum ferry disaster, and fleeing from his painful memories, relocates from NYC to Dobson New York. While solving the case of a young woman murdered in her bedroom, Simon consults with a Columbia University criminologist, Alistair Sinclair. It appears as though Alistair's patient, Michael Fromley is the murderer. But is he, or is it someone else?

There were a few things that annoyed me about this book: First, there seemed to be many references to the "telephone" for the story to take place in 1905. Also, I felt as though I never got a real feel for turn of the century New York. Lastly, I was waiting for a twist, a turn, a suprise, but alas, nothing. It's kind of like when you devote a couple of hours to a movie or a tv show thinking that there is going to be this great ending, and nothing happens.

Hmm, In the Shadow of Gotham is on my TBR shelf, but not at the top of my list...you've just inspired me to move it a little farther down.

#51 I would say In the Shadwo of Gotham can wait until you are in the mood for it, it's not a must read!

72 The Handmaid's Tale I'm not one to gravitate toward dystopian novels, but I highly enjoyed this one.

It's a tale of a society gone wrong, from an open free democracy to a world where women are viewed as nothing more than breeders, and are not allowed to work, own property, or read and write.

All in all, I found it to be a very thought provoking read about who determines what is socially acceptable or is against the law. Thinking about it really gave me chills at times.

I'm glad that I gave this book a chance.

73. Nightfall I was beyond thrilled when I stumbled upon several David Goodis books available for download on my Nook. As I gave serious thought as to how I could fit them into my categories, I researched them, and found that this book had been made into a movie, sometime around 1957 or so.

I think that this is a case where the movie might actually be better than the book. That doesn't happen too often, but every once in a while it does.

I love David Goodis but this book did absolutely nothing for me. I was annoyed with a page long diatribe about the heat, and then the detective in the story takes time out from looking for his suspect to discuss the case at length with his wife. Huh????? Not at home, but when he was actually on the street working! It made no sense whatsoever.

I'm going to see if the movie is available through Netflix, it stars Aldo Rey, Brian Keith, Anne Bancroft and Jocelyn Brando. Oh, and the director is the same director who did Out of the Past, so now I know it must be better than the book!

Hey Lisa!
That's exactly the same problem I had with Nightfall - the whole conversation with the wife. There's just no way that would happen.

74. Little Caesar
Have You Seen?

Some of the best older movies were adapted from classic novels which are often hard to obtain. I was lucky enough to find not only Little Caesar, but also High Sierra and The Asphalt Jungle, also by this author. One would probably not feel the need to read the book after seeing the movie or vice versa, but I enjoy comparing and contrasting both.

In the case of Little Caesar, I think that this is a case where the movie is more powerful than the book. This is the movie that “made the career” of the relatively unknown Edward G. Robinson and it also credited with being the first American classic gangster movie. The overnight success of this movie led to an impressive career and body of work where the author not only wrote many short stories, and two other novels, but also wrote many scripts for radio and later television.

That being said, I found Little Caesar, a story told through the eyes of the gangster Rico, to be a good, but not great read. Burnett’s brilliance lies however, in telling the story of a power hungry ego maniacal killer whose quest for more and more power is his downfall.

75. The King of Lies
A Thrill a Minute

I hadn’t read anything by this author until I read about his new book Iron House coming out, and that he had won awards for his later novels The Last Child and Down River.

Jackson Workman Pickens, known as “Work” is a struggling criminal defense attorney who shares his law practice with his father Ezra. When Ezra is found shot to death more than a year after he disappeared, indications point to Work as a suspect. Work however is concerned that his sister Jean is the murderer and is reluctant to help the police with the investigation of his father’s murder. In addition to his conflicted feelings about his father, he also has to deal with a loveless marriage to his socialite wife, his girlfriend, and the fragile mental health of his sister, who appears to be bullied by her partner Alex. When his father’s will is read and the police find that Work is to receive 15 million dollars, it would seem that the case against him is airtight. The reader learns important background information about how overbearing and abusive Ezra was and how his sister came to be so psychologically damaged.

Even though the story was told in first person, I though that the character development and the pace of the story was excellent. I found this book to be a great mystery thriller, and I honestly had no idea who the murderer was until the reveal at the end.

Hi Lisa, I love the old black and white gangster movies, and of course Little Caesar is a classic! His line at the end of the movie is often quoted.

I was happy to see you gave a good review to the John Hart book as I have Down River sitting on my TBR shelves.

Hi Judy: Isn't it funny how there's one line from a movie that is often quoted? I was looking for it while reading and it was in there!

I'm glad that you are joining us for the Down River read also!

76. Crime de Cocoa This book is a compilation of the first three Chocoholic mysteries :

The Chocolate Cat Caper, The Chocolate Bear Burglary and The Chocolate Frog Frame Up.

I consider chocolate a food group, so I found these to be fun reads and will finish the series.

Lee Mckinney moves to Warner Pier, Michigan after her divorce and the death of her uncle to help her Aunt Nettie in her chocolate shop.

I found her malapropisms slightly distracting, but not overly annoying. The descriptions of the truffles and bonbons made my mouth water!

I continue to be amazed at the "foodie" type mysteries that are out now, I can't keep track of them.

79. Fatheralong
Happy Birthday

I'm working backward from my most recent read.

Parent and child relationships are often difficult at times. I like to think as we grow older we have greater appreciation for our parents and finally "get" who they were while we were growing up and who they are in later years.

The father and son dynamic in the African American community has often been traditionally more difficult for a myriad of reasons. John Egar Wideman's Fatheralong examines the role of race and the distance that it creates in fostering the African American father and son relationship.

Most of the book is the author's memoir about trying to forge some sort of connection with his distant father, Edgar as they travel to a South Carolina small town named Promised Land. There in Promised Land, father and son comes a little bit closer to understanding each other and learn more about their ancestors as well.

I found it to be an especially poignant read.

78. Christine Falls

This was an excellent read. Although I would say that it is more character driven than mystery, the descriptive writing had me mesmerized.

Quirke, an alcoholic pathologist, is celebrating during the holiday at an office party and finds his brother in law Mal in his morgue, where he has no business being. He later finds out that his brother in law was tampering with the file of a Christine Falls and has falsified her cause of death.

Quirke, convinced that Mal is up to something sinister, decides to investigate. Hidden secrets emerge and relationships unravel, making for quite the interesting read.

Quirke is a such great a character. I liked him so much that I am currently reading The Silver Swan.

77 Among the Mad I just can't say enough about the Maisie Dobbs series. I think that they keep getting better.

In this installment, Maisie goes to to toe with Scotland Yard in trying to stop a terrorist who demands better treatment for the WWI vets who are mentally ill, physically injured and unemployed, who seem to be forgotten by their country after their service and sacrifice.

At the same time, Maisie tries to help Billy with his wife Doreen, who has suffered a mental breakdown after the death of their young daughter.

I love that Maisie is independent, strong, and can hold her own against her male counterparts. She's not much for romance and frivolity, which makes sense after all she's been through. I hope that her best friend Pris can "lighten" her mood some in the future.

>61 lsh63: Added to my wishlist!

>62 lsh63: I just can't say enough about the Maisie Dobbs series. I think that they keep getting better.

I think so, too. The next one, The Mapping of Love and Death, is one of my favorites so far. I really want to read the newest one, too -- I'm hoping it's released in paperback, or that I can get a good discount on it, soon!

Hi Ivy:

I think you'll enjoy Christine Falls. I am trying to wait a little before I read The Mapping of Love and Death, because I know I will anxious for another Maisie, and there will be a pretty long wait.

I read the newest one can't recall the title. I couldn't help myself as it was displayed in the New Fiction section just waiting for me!

80 Curtain
Short and Sweet

**** There will be a spoiler at the end of this post, don't read, if you haven't read the book*****

It is always a treat to pick up an Agatha Christie, some are better than others, and this one deserves five stars.

Poirot and Hastings meet again, one last time, at the scene of their first case together, at the former Styles estate.

Poirot has asked for Hastings help in catching the murderer, the mysterious X before he or she strikes again. It seems X committed or was involved in five seemingly unrelated murders. Hastings is often frustrated by Poirot, who appears to keep him in the dark, insisting that he use his "grey cells" to stop the killer.

I thought that this was a fitting end to the career of Hercule Poirot. It was genius of Ms. Christie to kill him off so as to make it difficult for anyone else to write future stories after her death.

81. The Silver Swan
In Color

I am loving this series. Quirke, the pathologist with a drinking problem, is contacted by an old acquaintance, who asks him not to perform an autopsy on his wife. He agrees, does it anyway, and finds evidence of foul play, yet rules the death a suicide.

I never was able to figure out why Qurike did this exactly, but I found the book overall to be excellent. I look forward to the others in this series.

82.The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1001 List

A collection of 12 short stories featuring Holmes and his sidekick, Dr. Watson. Some stories were better than others, but all were good. My favorites were: Five Orange Pips, Scandal in Bohemia, and The Adenture of the Red Headed League.

83 Tigerlily's Orchids

I just can't pass up an opportunity to read a Ruth Rendell book. While her earlier works are her best, her latest efforts are still worth a read.

Tigerlily's Orchids is the story of several residents in an apartment building and also of the inhabitants of a nearby house. Many of the residents have secrets that they would rather their neighbors not know about, and it is interesting to see how some of the characters perceived each other, without really knowing them.

The story is told from the point of view of several characters, some who stood out, and others who were forgettable. I found the main character Stuart to be pretty funny at times and somewhat interesting, but the ending fell just a little flat for me.

84.Down River

I recently read The King of Lies and thought it was very good. Then I read Down River with a few of my LT buds *waves to Kay, Judy and Victoria*, and I thought it was just a notch or two above King of Lies.

I found the Southern setting, the character development, and the storyline to be excellent. I did not see the ending coming, and for once I didn't try to figure out the "whodunit", I was just content to let the story unfold.

I also like it when an author leaves a few resolution threads hanging. Now I want to read the author's other works: The Last Child and Iron House.

85. The Redbreast
In Color

I started to read Nemesis a few weeks ago, then I stopped myself when I realized that maybe I should read The Redbreast first. I'm glad that I did, because there are a few references in Nemesis that were introduced in The Redbreast.

I greatly enjoyed this story of the flawed, awkward detective Harry Hole, and the way that the story switched back and forth from Norway in World War II to the year 2000. Full of Neo Nazis, assassination plots, and a host of characters, that at times I struggled a bit to keep straight, the Redbreast is one of my top reads of this year. I also loved that a few things were not resolved, that the reader knows about, but that Harry has yet to discover.

I am now reading Nemesis because I just can't help myself.

86. State of the Onion
Food For Thought

I have found that I enjoy reading culinary mysteries. This sub genre is one that I can share with my mom, so that part is also fun for me.

Granted, many of these mysteries are similar: overbrearing mothers, torn between two boyfriends, constantly doing dumb things etc., but they are usually entertaining reads.

I found this first White House culinary mystery, to be very well written and I plan to continue with the series.

Olivia Paras is the Assistant Chef at the White House, and is a contender for the Executive position upon the retirement of Henry, the current Executive Chef. Olivia is secretly or not so secretly dating a Secret Service agent, Tom, who repeatedly warns Olivia about getting herself into danger, but of course she doesn't listen.

I found this to be a fun and also interesting read, as I learned just a little bit about White House protocol. The recipes are interesting, but probably a bit too ambitious for me unless I am really in the mood to use many ingredients and more importantly, many utensils, pots and pans.

87My Antonia
Have You Seen?

I enjoyed this wonderfully written story about the friendship between Jim Burden and the immigrant girl Anotnia, who he befriended and later realized that he loved.

Set in the late 19th century, and narrated in first person by Jim, we learn of the harshness of Midwestern pioneer life as we travel with Jim through his early childhood after going to live with his grandparents, to his struggle as an adult, between the life he knew and the life that he wants, without turning his back on his roots.

Although Antonia and Jim were both raised on a farm, it is later when the farm life prove to be too much for Jim's grandparents and they move to the city, that Antonia and Jim become separated and lead totally different lives. Jim focuses on school and carving out a career, while Antonia becomes a little wild and makes a few ill advised choices that lead her into a very different life from Jim.

*waves to Lisa* Happy you enjoyed Down River but sad it was our last (scheduled) tandem read. I still have a few slots left in my "new to me" category. If you find something you think is a good candidate, let me know!

Wow Lisa, great books you have been reading lately. I loved Redbreast when I read it a couple of months ago, and My Antonia was a book I loved last year (must remember to look for other books by Willa Cather). The Quirke series sounds really good, and I too, really enjoyed Down River.

Hi Judy: I loved Redbreast so much that I just devoured Nemesis. It was nice to take a tiny break from all my mysteries with My Antonia also. I'm trying to track down some of her other works as well.

Hi Victoria: *waves back* I will be on the lookout for something else that we can read together. Off to take a look....

88.Smokin Seventeen I can always count on the Stephanie Plum series to make me laugh, ususally out loud.

Stephanie is an inept bounty hunter, with a crazy friend Lula, and an out of control grandma, both of whom make this series hilarious.

Nothing unusual in this installment, I just felt that maybe the Ranger vs. Morelli stickers in the back of the book and the vampire bit were trying to reach a certain audience, I don't know.

Side note: I read yesterday that Debbie Reynolds will be playing Grandma Mazur in the movie version of the first book. I'm not sure that I see her in that role.

89. Nemesis
Short and Sweet

After finishing The Redbreast last week, I decided that I needed more Harry, so I started Nemesis and was captivated yet again.

Nemesis is an interesting stroy with an intricate plot and seemingly dozens of plot twists that really kept me on my toes. I had to turn back a couple of times just to make sure that I had some details straight.

Harry, a recovering alcoholic, is investigating a bank robbery where an employee is killed because another bank employee took a few seconds too long in getting the funds out of the just replenished ATM.

At the same time, naughty Harry is called in to investigate the apparent suicide of a woman named Anna, with whom Harry had a brief affair with and who had reentered his life. How the two stories weave together is simply genius.

I keep looking at my copy of Nemesis, but am doing my best to save it. You are not helping!

The kids and I are listening to a children's book written by Jo Nesbo called Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder. They are enjoying it very much.

Kay: you are so good saving your Nesbo books! I'm going to be good and wait before I read the others.

Ok, Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder is just too funny, I didn't know that there were chidren's books also.

90. An Unkindness of
Ravens Ruth Rendell

Inspector Wexford and Mike Burden investigate the disappearance of Rodney Williams. All of the evidence indicates that this is a case of a man leaving his wife for another woman. That is, until another woman reports her husband missing as well.

Suspense builds as Wexford begins to realize that the two disappearances are connected in some way. As is the case with most of her books, it's not necessarily the whodunit that matters so much, it's the intricately woven plot and the character development , which are excellent.

91The Last Place

This is the seventh in the Tess Monaghan series. In this installment, Tess's friend Whitney asks her to to some investigative work for her family's charity, which is based on reducing domestic violence.
Tess is asked to look at five murder cases and see if she can find instances where the police did not perform a thorough investigation.

As Tess begins to delve deeper into the five murders, she finds very disturbing information, which also puts her life in danger.

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series to date, I thought that this one was just a tad bit darker, but very good.

92Mistaken Identity

I found this book to be way too long. At 560 pages or so, I felt that the story of criminal attorney Bennie Rosato, and her client Alice Connolly, could have been told in about 100 fewer pages.

I found the overall story to be pretty good, but the ending fell just a little flat for me. Alice, is accused of killing her boyfriend, a police detective, and has sought out Bennie, because she claims that they are twins. As a Philly girl, I do enjoy reading about the various local landmarks.

Unfortunately, we do have more than our fair share of crime, which is written about in a very realistic manner.

93Fatally Frosted
This book is the second in the Donut Shop Mystery series. A local gossip drops dead after eating one of Suzanne's lemon filled doughnuts. I suspected who the killer was, but it was a fun read anyway.

One thing about reading these "foodie" mysteries, they make me hungry and make me think about eating bad foods!

94.A Peach of a Murder
First in the "Fresh Baked Mystery" series, A Peach of a Murder is the story of retired teacher Phyllis Newsom, and her boarders who are also retired teachers.

Phyllis has her heart set on winning first prize for her peach cobbler at upcoming Peach Festival. When she is suspected of killing one of the judges with her cobbler, Phyllis decides to do some sleuthing on her own, which doesn't sit too well with police officer son, Mike.

This was just an ok read for me, although I have to admit, the identity of the murderer did surprise me.

Hi Lisa - Bouncing through to say you are making amazing progress on your challenge!

Can't wait to hear what you think of Tobacco Road!

#84. Thanks!
#85 Hi Judy: I can see now why Tobacco Road was so controversial and banned!

95. Odd Thomas I loved this story, because I simply loved the central character, Odd Thomas. Short order cook who has a gift or curse (it depends on how you look at it) of being able to see dead souls who seek him out as they seek justice for their deaths and closure.

Odd's gift also allows him to possibly prevent disasters before they occur, which allows him to have a close and unusual relationship with the police chief.

Sometimes a first person writing style doesn't work, but it was powerful in this story. The ending made me sad, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

96. Tobacco Road This story of a southern sharecropper family torn apart by the effects of the Great Depression, will really make you think really hard about what people will do to survive.

Jeeter Lester, his wife Ada, and their children all turn on each other as they plot and scheme, and do whatever they have to do in order to stave on the pangs of hunger and survive on day at a time.

The tone of this book is one of overwhelming sadness as you realize that the family's hopes and dreams are not likely to occur, and the cycle of poverty passes to each generation.

97 The Lincoln Lawyer
My sister and I have argued for months over whether I should give this non Harry Bosch series a chance. I relented and agreed to read The Lincoln Lawyer. Silly sis wanted me to start with The Brass Verdict, but I couldn't do that as I wanted to start with book #1.

I loved it! I should have known that Michael Connelly is an excellent enough writer to cross over his characters in a way that works. Although Harry doesn't appear in The Lincoln Lawyer, since my sis blabbed, I know that he shows up in later books of this series.

Mickey Haller is a slimy defense attorney, who you just can't help liking. He's too slick for his own good and conducts business from the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car. The police, most prosecutors, and some of his clients, don't have much use for him, as all he cares about is the big payday.

When he takes the case of a wealthy Beverly Hills rich playboy, who is charged with the vicious beating of a woman, Mickey thinks he has hit pay dirt.

There are many twists and turns which made for a real page turner. Let's just say, money or no money, this is one case that Mickey regretted taking.

I can't wait to read The Brass Verdict.

98. The Mapping of Love and Death
Historical Fiction

This may be my favorite of the Maisie Dobbs series. In this seventh installment, Maisie is hired by parents whose son’s remains have been discovered in France.

They want Maisie to find a mysterious nurse whose love letters were found among their son's belongings. At first it appears that their son, an American cartographer, was a war casualty, but it is later discovered that he was murdered.

During the course of Maisie’s investigation, she faces her own feelings about her war memories, the deterioration of her mentor's health, and the fact that she is falling in love again after so many years of being emotionally tied to her first love, Simon.

I thought that this book provided a very good balance between the case that Maisie was working on and the developments in her own life. In previous books, it seemed that sometimes the case overwhelmed Maisie’s own story. As I have many times, I always feel as though I am getting a history lesson along with the mystery, which is always a good thing. Now I have to wait for the next book!

99 Sleeping Beauty
A Thrill a Minute

I used to read Philip Margolin just about every time a new book came out, and for some reason, I have several that haven’t been read.

Sleeping Beauty is the story of author Miles Van Meter, who is promoting his book Sleeping Beauty, which is about his sister's attack by a serial killer, which left her in a coma.

Flashbacks reveal that six years earlier, 17 year old Ashley Spencer, a high school soccer star, escaped unharmed after an intruder killed her father and her best friend. Traumatized, Ashley accepts a scholarship to an elite private school, which is offered by the dean, Casey Van Meter, the author's sister.

Tragedy strikes in Ashley's life yet again and after she flees the country for her life, she comes back home to find that the key to her survival is in the book that she could never bring herself to read.

Good plot twists, and edge of the seat suspense, had me reading this one non-stop.

>90 lsh63: This may be my favorite of the Maisie Dobbs series.

Mine too, Lisa, although there were a couple of others that I especially liked. I think this one has even more depth, and shows how she has matured as a writer.

>91 lsh63: I've also gotten behind on Margolin's books, and have at least 1 or 2 in the tbr stack. I think I've read this one, though I remember the setting (the private school which is based on a school close to where I live) better than the story. He's a good storyteller, and I enjoy the Portland settings. His first book is a fictionalized account of a real murder of a young couple; it happened when both Margolin and I were teenagers.

Hi Ivy:

I think that The Mapping of Love and Deathis is my favorite Maisie because it's such a turning point in her life, they are all wonderfully written though.

Yes, (re: Margolin)before LT days, I bought duplicate books and wasn't sure if I had read something until I was hundred of pages in and then it started to click for me. I forget the name of the first book, but the one that I most associate with him is Heartstone.

100 Heart of Ice
A Thrill a Minute

I thought that this book was a pretty good thriller. The pace was excellent in the beginning and middle, then fizzled out just a bit at the end. However, I did find myself rapidly turning pages to see what happened.

The sheriff in this book, Emily Kenyon, is pretty clueless. At times, I was actually hoping that her deputy would be insubordinate, take over, and solve the case for her.

There are two storylines which take place, which I found interesting. The first, focuses on three bodies in three different towns, each victim a sorority member. This is where I became irritated with Sheriff Emily. Her daughter has a job as a spokesperson for the sorority, and didn't think to try and put all the pieces together until the killer was literally at her front door!

The second storyline is that of a missing pregnant woman with her husband of course being the prime suspect. I would probably read another book by this author.

101The Asphalt Jungle
Have You Seen?

The movie The Asphalt Jungle has to rank right up there in the top 10 films in my opinion.

The book was just as good. A perfectly planned jewel heist goes off pretty much as planned.

Then everyone starts to unravel, feeling pressure and unease with everyone seemingly double crossing each other.

Each member of the crime team's undoing is what makes the story so riveting. Unforgettable characters such as Dix- the hood, but a country boy at heart who just wants to go back home, Alonzo Emmerich-the sleazy lawyer who faces financial ruin, and Doc Reimenschneider-master criminal who knows no other life all had me feeling just a little bit sorry for them despite the fact that they were criminals.

102 The Christie Caper

To honor Agatha Christie's 100th birthday, mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling, hosts a week long celebration, with treasure hunts, costume parties, trivia contests, and plenty of high tea.

The arrival of Neil Bledsoe, one of the most hated book critics, sets off a chain of events that threaten the success of Annie's Agatha celebration.

I always enjoy these books for the many mystery author references, but this one was especially fun for me because it was full of Agatha Christie references.

I am not offended by foul language unless it's excessive and doesn't fit the storyline, but this book seemed to have a few f and other words in it. It didn't seem necessary to the plot, but I just thought I would mention it anyway.

103 The Chicago Way

This was a pretty good Marlowe type story featuring cop turned PI Michael Kelly who is contacted by his former partner to help solve an eight year old cold rape case.

When his former partner is killed, Kelly goes into action enlisting his childhood friend a DNA expert, a friend from the DA's office, and a television reporter who is not all she seems.

104. Vengeance in Death Eve and Peabody try to stop a madman who is intent on avenging an act which took place ten years ago, and of course Eve's husband Roarke is somehow involved. There are so many books in this series, I may not catch up!

105 Death by Darjeeling Admittedly I am not much of a tea drinker, I need the java jolt daily, and I drink tea on a sporadic basis. I was fascinated however, with the various descriptions of teas that I had never heard of before and now want to try.

Theodosia Browning, owner of Indigo Tea Shop, is serving tea and scones for the annual historic homes garden event when one of the guests turns up dead. As she tries to save her reputation, and find the killer, she finds herself possibly in danger from an unlikely source.

I found myself very annoyed with Theo for some reason, and found that the investigating officer, Tidwell, was made to look really dumb. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with the series, but I am now reading book #2, Gunpowder Green.

106. The End of Everything

I found Megan Abbott's departure from her usual noir offering to be an excellent read, she captured the essence of what it's like to be a thirteen year old girl, the clinging to parts of one's childhood, yet also in a hurry to grow up at the same time.

The End of Everything is the story of Lizzie Hood and her best friend Evie Verver. Lizzie believes that Evie's family is the epitome of what a fmaily should be complete with the father that she doesn't have, so she gravitates toward Evie's father, who is charming and captivating. Evie's family also includes her older sister, the sultry seventeen year old who both girls are in awe of, and Evie's mother, who pretty much pales in comparison to the dynamic personality of Mr. Verver.

When Evie disappears one day, Lizzie finds herself in a position of importance. As Evie's best friend, surely she has all the answers about what happened to Evie, presumably becaise the girls did not have any secrets from each other. Or did they?

While Evie is gone, Lizzie spends her time assisting withthe investigation and becoming closer to Mr. Verve, while alienating her sister Dusty. What Lizzie learns is that nothing is perfect, which makes for a fascinating read.

107 Gunpowder Green
This second in the Teashop Mystery series finds Theodosia at the annual yacht race featuring her latest tea offering, Gunpowder Green. When an antique gun kills a high society member, Theo investigates.

108 The Burning
This was my July ER book, and it was marketed as " a stunning US debut in the tradition of Sophie Hannah and Tana French." I haven't read any Sophie Hannah yet, but I can see why the comparison to Tana French was made.

This thriller is the story of Maeve Kerrigan, a young police officer determined to prove herself and stand out among her colleagues. While working the case of the Burning Man, a murderer who severely beats his female victims before setting their bodies on fire, she notices something about the fifth victim, Rebecca Haworth, which doesn't match the other four.

Her instincts are of course, discounted by her colleagues and superiors, but she remains true to her convictions and follows the leads, no matter how long it takes her.

Enter Rebecca's all too helpful best friend, Louise who is found cleaning Rebecca's apartment before any evidence can be obtained. Was she trying to help a friend, or does she have something to hide?

The book is divided into alternating chapters featuring: Maeve as she investigates the case and ponders the end of her relationship with her boyfriend., and Louise who tells a fascinating story.

The ending is wrapped up in such a way that there aren't too many lingering items. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

I'm eagerly waiting to read your thoughts about The End of Everything!

No pressure.

109.Shades of Earl Grey Third in the Tea Shop mystery series. Theo is invited to an event where she doesn't have to cater, the engagement party of Delaine's niece, where unfortunately the groom to be is killed and some very expensive items are being stolen all around Charleston. i guessed the identity of the burglar early on, but I don't read these books for plot twists, they are just fun!

110 Death in a White Tie
Inspector Alleyn hobnobs with various members of high society in order to discover who killed his friend Lord "Bunchy" Gospell at Lady Carrado's gala. Bunchy was just about to divulge important information to Inspector Alleyn about a blackmailing case. I did not suspect the main guilty party in this one, plus Ms. Troy adds an extra amount of fun to this story.

111 Brown's Requiem Fritz Brown is a former cop with a drinking problem. He is now a private investigaor/repo man with a taste for classical music. When a racist psychopath claiming to be a golf caddie, hires him , he finds that the golf caddie beat a multilple murder rap many years ago. Fritz decides to dig into the old case, which might cause his downfall.

112 First There is a River

I would never have thought of reading this book until it showed up as a free Nook selection a couple of weeks ago.

Classifying it as historical fiction is a little bit of a stretch, but I have been creatively and resourcefully stretching through the whole challenge anyway.

I would say that First There is a River is an excellent combination of mystery, history and romance. The setting is early 1900's and most of the story takes place aboard a riverboat.

Emma Perkins is married to the despicable Jared Perkins, but puts up with his abuse mainly because of her two children and because there weren't many options open to her. When Jared arranges for her children to be sent off to a neighboring farm to work, instead of getting an education, Emma has had enough and makes the painful decision to leave her children and take a job aboard the riverboat, which is co-owned by her uncle.

While Emma becomes successful in her own right and makes plans for her future, she falls for a scarred engineer who has both emotional and physical wounds. Her huband is determined to get her back at all costs, which adds just the right amount of mystery to this story. The setting was wonderfully descriptive, and the time period when the rights of women were pretty much non-existent appeared were very realistic.

There were a few loose ends, but I have since found that there is a sequel, which I plan to read at some point.

113 The Black Tower
In Color

I love P.D. James, but I found that this book didn't interest me too much until the second half, then it was really good.

Recovering from a serious illness, Adam Dagleigsh receives a letter from an elderly priest asking him to visit. Upon his arrival at a home for the physically disabled, he finds that the priest is dead and buried.

Adam decides to stay, because of the feeling he gets that something is not quite right and that maybe others will meet the same fate as the priest.

Stay inside, Lisa! I hope you've laid in a supply of batteries or candles and can just comfortably read until everything blows over.

114 Field of Blood This book is first in the Paddy Meehan series. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like the main character, but by the middle and the end of the book I did.

Paddy is copygirl at the Scottish Daily News who wants very much to be a journalist, while her family wants her to marry her fiance and be happy without a career, which is viewed as "not ladylike and uppity".

When the story of 3 year old Brian Wilcox's death breaks, Paddy realizes that one of the juvenile suspects is related to her fiance. This could be her big break, but how far will she go in her quest for success?

I found this to be a good read, Denise Mina is amazing! The only plot point that had me scratching my head just a bit, were the chapters regarding the other Paddy Meehan. They just didn't seem to fit to me.

I will be reading The Dead Hour shortly.

115 Lolita
Have You Seen?

It says a lot when you are riveted by the story of a perverse pedophile, a grown man who is in love with, and is driven to near madness by 12 year old Delores Haze, also known as his "Lolita".

When Humbert takes a room at the home of Charlotte Haze, he becomes obsessed with her 12 year old daughter, Delores. In fact he is so obsessed with Delores, that he marries Charlotte in order to have full access to her.

A tragic act of circumstance allows Humbert to become Delores's guardian, not legally, but no one is really in a position to challenge him.

The rest of the book focuses on Humbert and Delores's travels across America and Humbert's realization that as she ages, he will no longer be able to control her and may lose her forever.

The rhythmic flow of desciptions and the excellent vocabulary used in this book are amazing considering that English was not the author's first language.

It was a hard book to read, yet it was superbly written.

116 The Color of Money
Have You Seen?

This is not one of my favorite movies with Paul Newman, but I think this is the one that he finally received his Oscar for.

The Color of Money continues the story of "Fast" Eddie Felson, from The Hustler. It's twenty years later, Eddie is 50 years old, and running a pool hall and playing exhibition pool games with his long time rival, Minnesota Fats.

Eddie realizes, that not only is he older, but that the game of straight pool which was his forte, has now changed to nine ball, and he wonders if he's still got it.

The main thing that struck me about this book is how very different it is from the movie, as in completely different. It's pretty obvious to me that the movie was used as a launching for Tom Cruise's career, as his character was non-existent in the book.

I have a few of Denise Mina's books on my tbr shelves including Field of Blood. I'm going to have to read one sometime.

#110 When you decide to read Denise Mina, you will be in for a treat!

Just found out that part 1 of a 2 part TV adaptation of Field of Blood was aired on BBC last night. 2nd part is next Monday.

117. The Blue Hammer

Lew Archer is hired to retrieve a stolen artwork believed to be the work of Richard Chantry, who supposedly disappeared from his home more than twenty years ago.

The portrait depicted in the artwork is that of a mysterious woman, and during the course of Archer's investigation, he finds that the woman is not so mysterious after all. Meanwhile, finding out what actually happened to Richard Chantry becomes more and more complex.

A good solid read, and even though I guessed the ending, it was still worthwhile.

118 and 119 At Bertram's Hotel and Mrs. McGinty's Dead I couldn't get enough of Ms. Agatha, so I read a Miss Marple and a Hercule Poirot for her birthday salute.

At Bertram's Hotel Miss Marple wonders what in the world could be happening at the hotel that she is so fond of. Miss Marple sees all, hears all, and realizes that most of the guests are not what they appear to be.

Mrs. McGinty's Dead An elderly woman is found murdered in her home, and her lodger has been convicted and about to be executed for the crime. Supt Spence, who is in charge of the case, suspects that the guilty man is not guilty after all, and seeks Hercule Poirot's assistance. The only thing that bothered me with this one is that the motive seemed a little lightweight, but it was still an enjoyable read.

I have 13 books left for my 11-11 challenge. I think I will be able to finish them all in September, although one of my selections is fairly large, Of Human Bondage, but I am aiming finishing at the end of the month.

Of course this means that my October and November birthday selections will be read early, but I guess I will try to plan better next year.

At any rate, I have been going back and forth about starting my 12-12 early and I have decided to start it in January as I usually do. So in the interim I will be creating a new thread in this group after I get closer to finishing my remaining books.

My categories will consist simply of Random Picks from my TBR (either my bookshelf or Nook) and Holiday themed reads. I found that I have about 3 books which have a Halloween theme and approximately 12 or so Christmas. books (No Thanksgiving though).

So that's my plan and we'll see what happens!

Oh, exciting that you are near the end. I will probably finish in October. I am thinking of starting my 12 12 early, but on the other hand, a couple of months free reading sounds pretty good as well.

I'm glad you'll be sticking around here, keeping us slowpokes company.

#112 Thanks for letting me know about Field of Blood, maybe I can catch it again.

#116 and #117 Thanks Judy and Kay!

#120 The Dead Hour I just can't say enough about Denise Mina, she is an excellent writer! Her gritty style has a way of drawing you into the story with imperfect characters who are realistic in their descriptions. Somehow I think of her as much more than a crime or mystery writer.

The Dead Hour is trhe second installment in the Paddy Meehan series. Three years after her big break, Paddy is still on the dreaded night shift tagging along on polie calls, hoping for her next big break. Worse, most of her family is now unemployed, and her work is more important to her than ever.

On a domestic dispute call at a wealthy suburban home, Paddy sess a well dressed blonde is bleeding, but signals Paddy that she doesn't want to be helped. The battered woman's companion tell's Paddy everything is fine and slips a fifty pound note in her hand and closes the door.

The next morning Paddy sees that the woman from the police call was beaten, tortured and killed. The man who was with her wasn't her husband or boyfriend, so then Paddy starts to wonder why didn't the woman leave when she had the chance?

Paddy begins to figure out things on her own and of course her conscience bothers her about the bribe that she took.

There is a certain plot point which was revealaed at the very end of the book, which is now forcing me to read the next installment, I can't wait!

121Love in the Time of Cholera

What exactly does it mean to love forever? For many the so-called first love of our youth doesn't usually last and is often replaced by a more mature, realistic love.

Love in the Time of Cholera portrays a very determined, very patient character by the name of Florentino Ariza who vows to love the very beautiful Fermina Daza for the rest of his life.

One day out of the blue, Fermina decides that her love for Florentino is frivolous, and instead marries the more mature, more secure Dr. Juvenal Urbino whose primary goal in life is the eradication of cholera.

The heartbroken Florentino spends the next fifty years with many many women, none of whom make him forget his beloved Fermina. When Fermina is widowed after fifty years, Florentino, ever patient, and still in love, decides to pursue Fermina once again, this time with a happy outcome.

This book admittedly took me a while to get through, not because it was poorly written, but because it was so good that it needed to be savored and read slowly in order to appreciate it. It is much more than a simple love story.

124. A Test of Wills This is the first book in the Ian Rutledge series and I enjoyed it immensely.

Inspector Ian Rutledge has just returned home from the Great War, suffering from post traumatic stress, and the voice of Hamish constantly in his head, while he struggles to perform his police duties.

He is given the case of the murder of a popular colonel who many think was killed by his ward's fiance, a decorated war hero.

Rutledge was given the case on purpose by Supt Bowles, hoping that Rutledge would botch the case and end his career.

The only problem that I had with this book was that the reveal of the murderer at the end was detached from the rest of the plot up to that point.

I dohowever, look forward to reading more of this series.

I read A Test of Wills a few years ago and remember liking it. In fact I have the second book on my TBR shelves, must pull it out one of these days! My usual problem of so many series to follow, so little reading time.

122. He Who Fears the Wolf

This book is the second in the Inspector Sejer series.

This author reminds me a lot of Ruth Rendell in many ways as the focus in this story is not the whodunit, but the character development.

A young boy who lives in a junvenile facility reports a dead woman with her skull bashed in with a hoe. He was in the area shooting his bow and arrow at the time when he spotted an escaped mental patient also roaming the property.

The next morning, a bank robbery takes place by an inept criminal who is forced to take a hostage.

What these three events have in common and how they all tie together is brilliantly plotted by the author.

123 The Red House Mystery

Who knew that a children's book author could write an entertaining mystery?

I thought that this book was a very fun read. It featured the usual assortment of guests at country house, a murder, locked rooms and secret passageways in addition to the disappearance of the host.

I especially loved the witty repartee (perhaps a bit much) but not over the top at all.

125. The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers

I loved this book! It will definitely be in the top reads for the year.

Jason and Whit Fierson are Depression Era bank robbers who are sought by the police and the press, and looked up to by the many starving out of work citizens who view them as "getting one for the little guy".

When law enforcement authorities proudly announce that the brothers have finally been killed and are in an Indiana morgue, the story takes off from there.

The reader is taken on a ride through the brothers past, their relationships with their significant others, mother and younger brother and the toll that their lives take on everyone that they love.

How they manage to survive through all of their "endeavors" is not important as the underlying story that takes place.

Yay! I'm glad you liked those fabulous Firefly Brothers, too!!

126 The Screaming Mimi

Bill Sweeney is an alcoholic news reporter who stumbles upon a grisly crime while he is on a bender. The victim is the latest target of the serial killer known as the Ripper. For some reason, the latest victim lives, which doesn't fit the profile of the other three cases.

Fascinated by what he has witnessed, and hoping that breaking the story will help smooth things over with his boss, Sweeney sobers up and starts to track the killer. The term "screaming mimi" refers to a hideous statue of a screaming woman which appears to be the trigger for the killer's crime spree.

Just when Sweeney thought that the case was solved, he encounters the shocking truth.

This was a very good read, and I wish that more of the author's mysteries were in print.

Yipes! I've just been hit by a book bullet - The Screaming Mimi sounds good, onto the wishlist it goes!

127 Back When We Were Grownups

How many times have we looked at our lives and wondered : what would have happened if I......?

Fifty three year old Rebecca Davitch finds herself examining her life; wondering what would have happened if she had married her high school sweetheart instead of jilting him for a much older divorce with three daughters.

After being widowed for many years, Rebecca begins to question if she lost herself after so many years of parenting her instant family and being thrust into her husband's party planning business, a career that she wasn't really sure that she was suited for.

The characters in this book are well plotted and hilarious. There are Rebecca's three stepdaughters and her own daughter, each self absorbed in their own way, her 100 year old uncle Poppy, and her high school sweetheart Will, with whom Rebecca tries to relive her youth.

128 Of Human Bondage
129 Perfume
130Northanger Abbey
131Deadly Duo
132Tender is the Night

Congratulations!