I have just started The Twilight Time by Karen Campbell Just started so too early to say if I will like it, but I think I will.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. So far, so good.

I'm re-reading Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett. It is one of my favourite books.

Finishing Vanish by Tess Gerritson--hopefully tonight...then on to something new but I'm not sure yet!

Finished a story by Sir Lytton: The Haunted and the Haunters. And found out that I had it in an anthology elsewhere. Easy to locate thanks to LT, so this one is dropped in the Out box :-)

Finished Undertow by Sydney Bauer, it's good legal thriller. Starting Eclipse by Richard North Patterson.

Just begun The Glass of Time (sequel to The Meaning of Night) by Michael Cox, and am already hooked.

I am reading The Associate by John Grisham. I hope to finish it today.

The Naked City. (Not really, but the typo in the subject was irresistible!)

lilithcat, have you tried Naked in Death? :)

I'm reading The Perfect Liar by Brenda Novak.

Hit a library sale yesterday. Am reading a The Lost Coast a Moses Wine mystery by Roger L. Simon. Not bad--hard-boiled hippie, fabulous California settings. Also picked up (but only read the first couple of pages of) Phantom Virus by David Champion (it doesn't look to be quite so good as the first listed) and The Unnatural Inquirer by Simon R. Green, which I'm really looking forward to.

Finished The Rainy City for my library's mystery group and wrote a review. Not jumping-up-and-down exciting but pretty good. Currently working on Mistletoe Man.

I've finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and started The Girl Who Played With Fire, both by Stieg Larsson.

Visiting my sister again, so back to short stories in Historical Whodunits, last night was a Sister Frevise(sp) story, and one about Leonardo da Vinci.

I am just about to start reading Forbidden Fruit by Kerry Greenwood. It has just been released.

I am reading Bone By Bone by Carol O'Connell. I was planning on reading this when we go away but I couldn't hold off till Sunday. Two brothers go into the woods, and only one ever comes out. Now twenty years later, the surviving brother comes home and at the same time someone starts leaving human bones on the front porch. Could this be the younger brother finally coming home?

L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy.

As posted accidentally in the September thread: I've just begun The Complaints by Ian Rankin; hoping I enjoy it as much as I did his Inspector Rebus series, as I was a bit disappointed in Doors Open.

Hi! Just joined this group.

Right now I'm reading The Hollow Man or The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr. I'm a major mystery buff and have read mostly mysteries this year. You can check out what I've read so far this year in my 50 Book Challenge page,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/72408

I am reading Boneman's Daughter by Ted Dekker Not sure if I will finish it though...having major problems getting into this book. I have been reading it for four days and have only got 50 pages read so far...just not grabbing me at this point...will read a bit more but if it doesn't take off soon I will be putting it down and trying something else.

Self-Incrimination by Randy Singer. Promo page in the front of the book calls it "John Grisham meets C.S. Lewis." Hmm.

By October, I've pretty much stopped reading bare. That's more like June or July.

#22, I wondered when someone would mention that.

gmathis - I got suckered into a Randy Singer a while back. I think they cite CS Lewis because of the Christian angle prevalent in Singer's work. It's a "thriller" for people who don't want to be upset by anything. Ever.

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2009, 6:37pm.

Just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire
Currently reading "Shadow" by Karin Alvtegen
To read The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin

Finished a Christopher Brookmyre that I somehow had missed Not the End of the World and started right on his newest Pandaemonium, which plays on the dynamics of a school class not unlike previous outings One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night and A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil.

24, I don't mind the Christian angle at all--I prefer cozy and gentle. The only thing that bugs me---and this is just a personal pet peeve---is that it's written in first person present tense..."I am reviewing my briefs. I am examining the crime scene." (No you're not...you've had time to write about it!)

#27 Hey I've never thought of this before but a narrative written in a first person present tense bothers me too. Well, not always but sometimes. Like recently I was reading Daphne Du Maurier's Don't Look Now and Other Stories and the second story, Not after Midnight, was written in first person present tense. And that bothered me. The plot of the story was good but the narration style spoiled it for me.

Just started Extremes by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, which is a combination mystery/science fiction. 2nd in the Retrieval Artist series. Retrieval Artists find "outlaws on the run, wanted for crimes against alien cultures."

#29 (I probably should start a separate grammar patrol thread!) Don't ask me why, but to me, 1st person present makes me have to think too hard. I guess I only process in one direction!

Hmm. Now that I've re-read my previous post it has occurred to me that I didn't make myself clear.

What I really should have said was this, only parts of the story Not after Midnight is written in first person present tense, the rest is in past tense.

The narrator uses first person present tense while describing his present condition. That is what bothered me. Because if I understand the story correctly what has already happened to him and what is still happening to him is pretty awful. He doesn't seem all that distressed about it. He just seems mildly annoyed with it. That is the problem with using first person present tense. If you are well enough to write about your affliction then it must not be that terrible. At least that is how I feel.

Message edited by its author, Oct 5, 2009, 6:21am.

Just finished Step on a Crack by James Patterson which I found fast-paced and easy-to-read. However, the NYPD Detective with 10 kids and a dying wife was a little OTT! I have now started The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - only 28 pages in, but enjoying it immensely...

I am about to finish "Deadly Descent" by Charlotte Hinger. I am trying to find promising new authors in the Mystery/Thriller genres. This one started out really slow, but grabbed my interest after about 50 pages. Lottie Albright is an historian in Western Kansas, and it's interesting to see how an historian gets facts from periods long gone. I think Hinger has a future!

Next, I have "Shadow of Betrayal" by Brett Battles waiting on the shelf. If you have not read Battles, you should. I can't stand 2 dimensional characterizations, and Battles' Jonathan Quinn and others stand out as examples of fully fleshed out characters.

The Polish Officer by Alan Furst.

I finally got I Can See You by Karen Rose from the library.

On vacation ~ visiting my sister in NC and it's cool & rainy today ~ so am reading 9 Dragons by Michael Connelly, which is the latest Harry Bosch. My sister is reading Duma Key. They are both so good, we don't even mind the fact the rain has changed our plans for a beach day.

Listening to The Golden Compass. It's a very well done audiobook.

The moving toyshop. It was more action/suspense than I expected, but enjoyed it very much nonetheless.

Starting The Good Children by Kate Wilhelm and also picked up her book Cold Case so that should keep me going for a couple of weeks.

'Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption' by Robert Fate - new one coming out soon.
'Moonlight Downs' and 'Diamond Dove' by Adrian Hyland - great to see a good Australian crime author.

Read Skinwalkers while I was at my sisters--Hillerman is so good I began reading about 10pm and didn't go to bed till I finished. Now back home and still working on Butterfly Lost. The problem is I don't really like the main character, so after reading just a few pages each night at bedtime it is too easy to put the booki down. So I'm taking a break from it (again) and just started The Detective Wore Silk Drawers, a historical mystery by Peter Lovesey.

Just finished death be my theme by Hannah March, a historical mystery set in Georgian England and featuring the child prodigy Wolfgang Mozart.

Just started Death in the Dark Walk by Deryn Lake, also set in Georgian England.

Wow! that is something. Most people try out the first 3 pages. If they don't get hooked the book is filed your know where.
Linda

I just finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. It was fantastic. Too bad there won't be any more Salander books...

I'm jealous, anyanka323! I'm about 1/2 way through The Girl Who Played with Fire and really enjoying it; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest currently isn't due out in the USA until June, 2010.

I'm going to miss Salander, too.

Just got back from our trip up the coast and we did see Grizzlies. While we were sightseeing in the Zodiak boat, two grizzlies came down to the shore and picked around on the beach. It was awesome.

While away I finished The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell, an excellent book.

I just finished The Defector by Daniel Silva, and My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier.
What next? I keep seeing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo so it must be time for Larsson.

Finished a good thriller yesterday. The Amber Room by Steve Berry.

Just finished Kerstin Ekman: Dødsklokken about a hunting party. Nice story about drunk driving and blackmail.

> DeltaQueen- I have The Dogs of Riga sitting in my tbr. I loved the 1st book in the series and I've been meaning to get to it. Maybe with your glowing endorsement??
BTW, I love bears! I've seen black bears in the wild but no grizzlies! :-(

msf59 I would very much encourage you to carry on with the Wallander series. although he is rather a flawed character and the writer sets a pretty dark mood, I find the stories are well developed with plots that make you think. I really liked the fact that he delved into the politcal upheaval created by the crumbling of the Soviet Union in the 90's.

I have to tell you that I ordered The Likeness by Tana French this morning, your good reviews jogged my memory of how much I liked her first book.

I am reading Dan Silva's The Defector and Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol is next.

My Soul To Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. I am enjoying it, as I did her first one Last Rituals, but I found them both to be just average.

>46 Better get on the waiting list at the library if you don't plan to buy it. I just put my name in and I'm #24 on the list. It will be a long list by June.

I finished The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. I started out a little disappointed with the book because the first half or so seemed to be about catching the characters up with what they'd been doing since the end of the first book. But once the sleuthing started, I liked it just as much as the first book - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I can't wait for the third book.

I'm currently reading Blood Memory by Greg Iles.

Message edited by its author, Oct 9, 2009, 2:27pm.

Just started "Every Move You Make" by M William Phelps

I put the link on the Author rather than the book as this guy is EXCELLENT when it comes to the True Crime genre, and recommend everyone read all of his books (which I intend to do...started with his first, "Perfect Poison", and working my way through them...the one listed above is his third).

Message edited by its author, Oct 9, 2009, 3:24pm.

I finished and loved The Likeness by Tana French. Highly recommend it! I started Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg. This was lent to me by a special LT friend and it has started out very strong.
On Nancy Pearl's latest podcast, she interviewed Craig Johnson. He writes a Wyoming mystery series, which I have not read but they sounded really interesting. Any fans of him?

jnwelch: I purchased it from amazon.co.uk. I didn't want to have to wait until June 2010 to get it. I was worth the $25 I paid for it. "Hornet's Nest" takes off from where "Plays with Fire" ends.

The 9 month delay between the British and US publications is just dumb. If people really want it, they're going to buy it from amazon UK before June and not buy it when it comes out then in the US. I know the book industry is doing poorly and decisions like delaying the publication of word of mouth bestsellers like the Salander books isn't doing them any favors.

Thanks for the tip, anyanka323! We used to do that with the Harry Potter books before the U.S. caught up on the publication dates.

You're right about the publishers not doing themselves any favors.

I'm reading a couple of books at opposite ends of the Crime-Thriller-Mystery spectrum. At the safe, cozy, no swearing or sex end, Joanne Fluke's newest, Plum Pudding Murder. And, at the nasty, dirty end, The Wizard of La-La Land (no touchstone, as the only one I'm able to bring up is The Marvelous Land of Oz) by the not-often-enough-read Robert Campbell.

There are about a dozen copies of The Wizard of La-La Land listed here so the touchstones are obviously on holidays again; with Robert Campbell as the author, what is more ...

I just picked up Ann Cleeves' Red Bones, the third book in the Shetland Island quartet. I haven't read more than the first chapter, but I was happy to see a small map of the Islands included.

A few weeks ago I read the classic locked room mystery The Mystery of the Yellow Room.

The bad translation of The Mystery of the Yellow Room got me thinking, how has translation of foreign books in to English changed in all these intervening years? Has it gotten better or is it still the same awkward affair it was? To find out I thought I’ll read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not only is it a contemporary book and a translation it also seems to be one of the most widely talked about books here in LT (along with its sequel The Girl who Played with Fire). I must say I’m venturing in to this with great trepidation as I’ve had bad experiences before with widely discussed books. Let’s see how it goes.

I started Heartsick by Chelsea Cain last night. It's about serial killers and appears to be appropriately gross and thrilling.

The City and the City by China Miéville

Delta I loooove Chelsea Cain. It is totally gross!! My kind of serial killer. Did you know it is the first in a series?

#67 luv2read97: yes, I actually had my hand on the next one yesterday and then put it back cause I hadn't read Heartsick yet. I will have to go back and pick it up. You're right, if you are going to read about serial killers - you want it to be scary and gross!

Decided to go back to the thriller's roots with The Woman in White. So far it's slow, but building as is the way of these old novels. I just know it's going to be good and I'm savoring it.

# 69 You are right, Bookmarque. Being a major classic lit fan AND a mystery buff, I know that these books start slow but once you sink your teeth into it, it can be a very rewarding experience.

BTW, I've read The Woman in White and Wilkie Collins being one of my favorite authors, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy this one maybe you can try The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (if you haven't already read that one that is). It is said to be one of the greatest mysteries ever written.

I read that one about 15 years ago or something and remember it as being excellent. Not sure why I didn't read TWIW for so long, but there it is. The little hints and insinuations along the way are almost too delicious to bear. People just don't write like this anymore. Everyone (including me sometimes) wants instant gratification and shocking thrills. It seems no one wants to put in any time to build up emotion or tension anymore (even me when I'm cranky).

I, too, am reading The Woman in White, and it is amazing the way the tension builds and builds . . . the atmosphere is amazing . . . I know something really BAD is going to happen, sooner or later . . .

I have a combined edition of TWIW and TM (#69-71, above) that I read many, many years ago. I guess it goes on my TBreR pile. I've been rereading Agatha Christie lately.

Reading Twisted by Jeffrey Deaver. A good collection of short stories.

I've finished Blood Memory by Greg Iles.

seitherin - I read that not long ago and was fairly frustrated by it. What did you think?

Bookmarque - I rather liked it. I thought it was well written. Some of the things that happened - revelations about Cat - were rather obvious but I think that was intentional. The reader was meant to figure it out. The books was more about Cat than it was about the murders.

Finished Eclipse by Richard North Patterson , and have started Simple Genius by David Baldacci.

Just started Legacies, the second Repairman Jack by F. Paul Wilson. Anybody read these? I'm a little confused by the chronology. The first book, The Tomb was published in 1984, but in the--I guess updated--edition I read a couple of months ago he mentions iPods and cell phones. Now, this second book was published in 1998, but seems to take place immediately after the first (the little girl is the same age)...it's obviously set in NYC in the late nineties. Anybody know anything about this? Did Wilson just decide to move the setting to the (then) present, so that he could engage modern technology, perhaps? Or maybe he doesn't care, and I shouldn't? Ah well, they're good yarns either way.

Finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo just now. My review here,

http://www.librarything.com/work/1541442...

Or my 50 Book Challenge Thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/72408

I have borrowed the first two parts of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy from a friend. I’ve already started reading the second part, The Girl who Played with Fire. Not because I loved the first book but because I’m trying to return these books as early as possible so that I can start on something else.

BeckyJG - funny I just finished The Tomb and could only give it 2 stars. The "updating" was awkward and not thorough; there was the occasional iPod and DVD, but still everyone ran around trying to find people on landlines. Ugh. And I just thought everyone was dumb as a stump and I couldn't wait for it to be over. That time conflict you mention doesn't bode well for the rest of them.

The Tomb is the odd man out in the series. Jack was introduced in that one, but but years later came back to the character with Legacies and subsequent books. He tried to update Tomb, but it didn't work so well. On the other hand, I've enjoyed the rest so much that I've forgiven him the mess.

Usually, I recommend people start with Legacies.

I finished Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg. It's a well-written hardboiled crime novel, with some nice twists. I have begun A Dangerous Man by the incomparable Charlie Huston. He's easily one of the best American crime writers, working today.

I am reading an old Gladys Mitchell mystery from 1934 called Death at the Opera. I'm not too far into it yet but I've generally enjoyed these re-issues from the Rue Morgue Press.

Just finished Farthing by Jo Walton. Mystery, alt. history, sci fi, whatever, it was pretty good.

I just finished No Time For Goodbye, Linwood Barclay. I'm not sure what I want to read now, decisions decisions.

^86 marcejewels...do what I did in my post below....pick a couple and ask other LTer's for their opinions....or as one mentioned...do an eeiny, meiny, miney, mo...lol

Now to business, I am starting Dead Irish by John Lescroart.

I'm working on two really good books right now, the first is Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure about a trial consultant having difficulty working on a case as it reminds her of her sister's horrific rape case some years before. My second book is the third Inspector Frost book, Night Frost, as is usual he is driving his superiors crazy with his unkept and unruly ways!

In the middle of Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer. Pretty good.

Finished The Girl who Played with Fire Thursday night. My review,

http://www.librarything.com/work/1769540...

Or my 50 Book Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/72408

Now I’m going to read something to give me some respite from all this fast paced, action packed, ultra modern books. My next read is Murder is Easy by one of my favorite authors Agatha Christie. I'm going to savor this one and it should calm down my nerves!

Finished Steve Hamilton's A Cold Day in Paradise and Arnaldur Indridason's Hypothermia earlier this week and now halfway through Arctic Chill (Arnaldur Indridason again) and A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane (two books because one of them is in a convenient size while the other is a bit bigger and stays at the hotel). Adding to this True Murder by Yaba Badoe from last week, I guess I have a crime/thriller month so far.

And seems like I am reading Arnaldur Indridason's book in reverse order :) Need to get some reviews for these.

You can say I am off on a business trip and away from home :)

Message edited by its author, Oct 17, 2009, 3:37am.

This month I have read Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie. It is a mystery set in Ancient Egypt. It was so-so. The setting was incidental, and thats why I picked it in the first place.

Then I read 2 books by Charles Todd. A Test of Wills and Wings of Fire. They are books 1 & 2 of the Inspector Rutledge series. Set in England after WWI, follows an Inspector in Scotland Yard who was in the war and suffers from Shell Shock. He hears the voice of a Sergeant he had executed for refusing an order to advance. He has to hide that fact from others. I was reading them for a RL book group. I really enjoyed them and will continue with the series.

loved this book, so sad there will only be three by Stieg Larsson

great book, loved all her Mallory books also.

I'm reading The tourist by Olen Steinhauer. Not really my style, with all the CIA and spying stuff, but okay for a lazy Sunday.

I'm starting on Penguin green crime series books this month. First up is a first edition copy of Death Watch by John Dickson Carr.

Message edited by its author, Oct 18, 2009, 8:54am.

Just picked up The Spice Box by Lou Jane Temple.

I'm reading The Hundreth Man by Jack Kerley a serial killer police procedural and the first of a series. In some ways very good, but a few annoying elements are keeping it from top rating for me.

I just started The Face by Dean Koontz as part of an October group read in a challenge group. While he can be a bit trite in his prose, his plotting is pretty good. So far I'm enjoying it.

#96> martin-kelly, I love John Dickson Carr!!

#92, Would you believe Death Comes as an End is the only Agatha Christie I've ever read? I read that one when we had to read a mystery set in ancient times for a book group. Although I've watched Marple and Poirot episodes on TV, I've have never been drawn to read anything else by her.

I've also read the first two books by Charles Todd, and really liked them.

Well I finally finished Butterfly Lost which I've been slogging thu for at least a month. It kinda picked up the pace in the last third of the book, and the character became a little more likeable--until the end of the book, that is. Totally stupid ending. With the way the book ended, I can't believe its a series.

Message edited by its author, Oct 19, 2009, 5:03pm.

Made a start on Harry's Game by Gerald Seymour. Purely because the title begins with H.

Peter Robinson's The Price of Love, and Other Stories is an excellent collection of short stories. Interesting plot twists and turns, good sense of place and psychological insights. Thoroughly enjoying this one.

>102 AHS-Wolfy....... Do you only read books the titles of which begin with the letter H? Or is the letter H of particular significance to you for some interesting reason?

@103 Thrin, It's because that's the letter I'm up to in my Alphabet challenge. Whether that is an interesting reason or not I will leave up to you to decide.

>104 Thanks AHS-Wolfy. I didn't know about the Alphabet challenge. Quite interesting, but a whole (rather small?) library of books the titles of which begin with the letter H really *would* be interesting, if not a little eccentric.

#103 I am reading The Price of Love right now also. Although I have not finished the entire Alan Banks series, I couldn't resist this one when I saw it at the library.

I'm reading Mercy Street by Mariah Stewart, whic isso far better than I had anticipated.

I'm reading The Lark's Lament by Alan Gordon. I love the Fools' Guild books - they are perfect when you're in the mood for a quick, fun read.

#101 Please don't judge Agatha Christie books by Death Comes as the End. It's definitely not one of her best. I personally prefer her Miss Marple books while almost everyone likes her Poirot mysteries. And the t.v series and the movies DO NOT do her books any justice! Some of the adaptations are utterly appalling! They stray so far from the original plots that they are no longer even recognizable as Agatha Christie books! I absolutely loath them! Please at least try to read some of her other books. You may end up enjoying them.

I TOTALLY agree with you, Porua (#109)!!

# 110 Thank you, aluvalibri! Do you like Agatha Christie mysteries too? Who is your favorite detective?

I love Agatha Christie!! Actually, I like both Miss Marple and Poirot because they are so different that you cannot even compare them. I guess I like her for the 'coziness' and him for being just the opposite, a traveller, a man of the world.
So far, and I have read many, especially in my younger days, I have never found a book she wrote that I did not like.
I will now have to borrow my son's copy of Death Comes s the End, he is a huge Christie's fan.

Oh, I like Agatha Christie too. I read many of them as a teenager, and am just starting to re-read them again, as an occasional treat. (So, now I've read two. ;)

Started Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett last night. Hard-boiled crime, which is a favourite style of mine. Something about hard-as-nails dames.

I really enjoyed The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett, wookie. Have you read that?

I know I've read a number of Dashiell Hammett novels, thanks to a teenage obsession with Humphrey Bogart that moved on to reading some of the original hard-boiled crime novels. But that was so many years ago that I can't remember which ones I've read, or what they were about!

Just like Agatha Christie novels, I'm going to have fun re-reading them. :)

Today I happened to pick up The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie. I read the title story which is already familiar to me since I've seen the movie. I am woefully behind on reading Christie but plan on catching up.

I'm about halfway through Red Bones by Ann Cleeves and love it!

I am just starting Until It's Over by Nicci French, which I am sure I will enjoy. I am also about to start a selection of short stores, Ghosts And Grisly Things by Ramsey Campbell in honor of Halloween.

I finished Simple Genius by David Baldacci, and will be starting tonight The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson.

I'm about to start A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley, as soon as I finish One Dollar Death, which has been a very quick read so far.

Gone by Jonathan Kellerman

I have been reading (in order) and re-reading Bill James' Harpur and Isles series. Not many others on Library thing have these books. May be an acquired taste, but I highly recommend them if you like police procedurals, darkly, even mordantly, funny, just short of farcical, quirky villains, morally ambiguous, libidinous detectives, one with overly impertinent children, and clever language.

Just finished The Likeness by Tana French - very good characterisation, although the plot seemed a bit overblown - and for those just discovering the joys of Wilkie Collins and a slower, more tense read, try Mary E Braddon - Lady Audley's Secret is brilliant!

Message 98: quartzite - can you tell us what the annoying bits are? This book is on my audible.com wishlist and I have two credits burning a hole in my pocket. Danke.

I just finished The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm wait-listed at the library for The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Re Harpur and Isles series by Bill James, e.g. The Halo Parade, The Girl with the Long Back, Eton Crop, Panicking Ralph, The Detective is Dead, Roses, Roses, etc.

Just started They Found Him Dead, another cozy mystery by Georgette Heyer.

I'm reading Easy (touchstone doesn't work) by Phillip Depoy -- it just arrived through Interlibrary Loan -- and The Face by Dean Koontz, which I'm reading for the Halloween group read on the 75 challenge board.

I'm enjoying both very much.

#122 jwrudn ~ I never heard of the Harpur and Isles series, but it sounds wonderful. Is it British or American or something other? That is, where is it set?

122 and 128

I didn't know about this Harpur and Isles series either. jwrudn - you've certainly piqued my curiousity about author Bill James.

Storeetllr - I've just looked this series, and author, up on

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/bill...

Now to see if my local library has any of James's books.

128 and 129. Yes, it is British. Set in some unnamed midsize, coastal town
(Common meeting places for bad guys, and for Harpur and his elegant, but somewhat shady, art-dealer informant are seaside bunkers from WWII). A continuing theme is whether too vigorous efforts against local drug dealers will only encourage attempts by more ruthless and powerful dealers from London.

This Harpur and Isles series by Bill James does sound really interesting. I've checked my library and they have quite a few of them, I will definitely be trying some out. Thanks jwrudn.

Message edited by its author, Oct 23, 2009, 3:36pm.

I finished A Dangerous Man by Charlie Huston. Another terrific crime novel by a modern master! It is the 3rd book in his Hank Thompson trilogy. I don't see Huston's name mentioned here enough! C'mon on, the guy smokes!
I will be starting The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I've had my eye on this one for awhile!

Message edited by its author, Oct 25, 2009, 3:34pm.

I'm reading A Hell of a Woman by Jim Thompson.

Re: 123

On several issues--going over the top which detracted from credibility. For example the obligatory hostile boss was way overboard. More subtle would have been more realistic. This was the case with a several elements of the story.

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Just started Past Caring, by Robert Goddard. He isn't well-known in the U.S., but is apparently very popular in the U.K. Stephen King of all people had gushing praise for Goddard's stories on his blog, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

msf59 - enjoy the Hunger Games - it is awesome, you might want to have the second one Catching Fire on hand because you'll want to keep reading about Katniss!!
FYI your touchstone is wrong on A Dangerous Man.

I've just finished Stieg Larsson's The girl who played with fire and I'm now reading The Scarecrow of Michael Connolly.

#138 The Scarecrow was good, but I can't help but prefer the Harry Bosch series. His latest ~ 9 Dragons ~ is one of the best! (I'm giving away an autographed copy of it if anyone's interested at http://tinyurl.com/yjuz479; enter thru 10/31. It's open to everyone worldwide.)

#136 Thanks for the tip on Robert Goddard. I'll have to look for him next time I get to a bookstore.

#132 Agree about Huston. I loved his The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, as well as his vamp detective series. I'll have to look for A Dangerous Man.

I've got to agree about Charlie Huston. The Joe Pitt Casebooks--hard-boiled vampires in New York--are excellent. No sparkly, shimmery Edwards in these books!

> luv2read97- Thanks for the info on the bad touchtstone! I appreciate it. And I'm really enjoying The Hunger Games.
>Storeetllr- You mentioned A Dangerous Man. Start with Caught Stealing. It's the 1st of that trilogy. I also loved The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death. I wonder if that will be a stand alone?
BTW- Huston's 5th and final Joe Pitt casebook was just released and it's called My Dead Body.
Man, it's great to hear from the Charlie Huston fans! Dude rules!

Currently reading She Died a Lady by John Dickson Carr writing as Carter Dickson. I'd read a couple of Carr's Gideon Fell books and enjoyed them, but a few months ago I tried to read Cavalier's Cup, a Sir Henry Merrivale mystery, and couldn't get past the first chapter it was so bad. But this Merrivale mystery is much better, altho Merrivale is a really strange character.

I just finished two titles I received through Early Reviewers, High Chicago by Howard Shrier and Double Cross by James David Jordan. The first is a hardboiled detective mystery that starts in Toronto and ends in Chicago and involves corruption and murder in the construction industry. I recommend it. Double Cross is a Christian mystery with a plot tied together with too many coincidences to make it believable.

I listened briefly to Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich over the weekend and was disappointed. I think the series is dying. I wish Janet would find some new characters.

Death in Midwinter by John Buxton Hilton

I am reading Little Face by Sophie Hannah. It's one of those books I am finding hard to put down, a new mother is convinced the baby in her crib is not the right baby, but no one else believes her.

In the Dark by Mark Billingham, which I have to say I'm not finding that great and at around 2/3rds in wondering how he's going to set up this exceptional twist stated all over the cover ...

Have just begun Eton Crop by Bill James. Not sure I can cope. Somehow the writing style gives me the impression that it is written almost entirely in short sentences, although it actually isn't. I've started 'skimming' which is usually a prelude to my relegating a book to the didn't-finish pile.

Should I persevere?

A bit late, but can I join the Charlie Huston fan club? I've read the first three Joe Pitt novels, and loooooooved them. I've got #4 on Mt TBR.

Not reading crime at the moment, but I'll get back to it rsn.

I just finished Ann Cleeves' third Shetland Island mystery, Red Bones. Excellent mystery in an unusual setting. I didn't notice any mention of "quartet" on this book so I'm hoping there will be more than four in the series.

>Wookie- C'mon, jump aboard the Charlie Huston fan club! I also have Every Last Drop waiting in the wings. Hope to get to it in a few weeks. Please read Caught Stealing, the 1st in a trilogy and then The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death is also terrific! You can't go wrong with this guy!

I started Shutter Island last night. It will probably be the last from my Halloween list.

I think I'm drowning in post-it notes with recommended books/authors jotted down on them. But msf59, I will add another leaf with "anything by Charlie Huston" on it. :) Love the title of The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, that's a corker.

And after thinking about it, I couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't be reading about Joe Pitt, so I started Every Last Drop last night. 50 pages in, we've got murders (I think we were up to 3), torture, attempted murder, and lots of scowling and being tough. Great stuff!

>wookie- That sounds like my Charlie..ha ha ha. Glad to see you started Every Last Drop. Now I need to bump it up a few spots. Keep your head above those post-it notes. As long as you can breath and read!

I started Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey last night and am having a hard time putting it down. Set Ghana, D.I. Darko Dawson has to go to a small rural town to investigate a murder. So far, it's excellent!

I've added all Charlie Huston's books to my wishlist, they sound like the kind of books I love to read.

148: All I can say is I like them and find them darkly humorous (sp?) with "refined" and sensitive villains. Would hate to say "hang in there" and leave you disappointed. In short - you are on your own here (tho they are short).

I started the 4th in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series, called A Rule Against Murder in the USA. Really good so far, like its predecessors.

#157 - I've got about 50 or so pages left to go in the third book, The Cruelest Month. I love this series, they are such rich mysteries!

156 jwrudn Thanks. I'll skim Eton Crop at a more leisurely pace.

Just started Blind Corner by Dornford Yates, a mystery from the '20s.

I am reading Alex Cross's Trial. Last weekend I finished The Lost Symbol. Working at catching up on my series books.

#157, 158 I, too, love Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache mysteries. I had never read her until I got an ARE of the fifth book, The Brutal Telling, through the LT Early Reviewers program, and now I'm working my way through the earlier books in the series.

Message edited by its author, Oct 28, 2009, 8:45pm.

#162 - You were lucky to get the ARC and find a new series to enjoy!

#163 Absolutely! :-)

I have a new nifty toy, Victor Reader Stream (Stream to friends) which is a sort of IPod for the visually impaired. Thanks to it I've been listening to a lot of downloaded books from Audible.

Pertinently, in the past couple weeks I've read The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (excellent read overall but very weak, disappointing ending), They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christy, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (a reread though, strangely, I remembered very little about it. An excellent read) and am currently reading The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christy. I also read a good number of Christies as a teenager and am having fun rereading some and discovering others, like They Came to Baghdad, that I missed the first time around.

between my difficulty typing, difficulty spelling and uncooperative touchstones, I'm a trifle frazzled! ARG!

Message edited by its author, Oct 28, 2009, 11:18pm.

Everyone keeps talking about Charlie Huston. Another mystery author to add to my list. ***sighs*** happily :-)

Just finished Every Move You Make by M. William Phelps.

Very chilling how Gary Evans went about the issue at the end of the book.

Here's a link about the crazy nutcase that this book covers. If you want to read the book, and not know what happens at the end, don't view this page until after you are done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Evans_...)

I have a busy couple of days here, and so taking a brief break. Then, as we roll into November, I'll be starting my 1010 challenge (from 11/09 to 10/10) with Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

#152 mstrust...ooh, I am envious of you reading this book...it is absolutely one of my favorites!

Cindy- Jump aboard the Charlie Huston bandwagon, (actually I'm considering starting a real one!!). Start with either Already Dead or Caught Stealing. Each of these kick off a different trilogy. If you like your crime fiction, hard-boiled, brutally tough and oh so entertaining, he's the ticket!

Wow, people are really enthusiastic about Shutter Island! I am enjoying it.

>163 coppers, >164 tymphos - glad to hear you're both enjoying Louise Penny's series, too. I share the envy of tymphos getting the ARC of the newest one. My daughter just got it from the library and promises to pass it on when she's done.

That same daughter, by the way, pushed me to read Shutter Island, and I enjoyed that one, too. Quite an ending - I have no idea how they're going to pull it off in the movie version.

Oh, NOOOOES! I'm doing NaNo in November and won't be able to read the new Joe Pitt vampire mystery until after Dec. 1. *whines*

Yes, msf59 ~ it'd be so fun if you'd start a Charlie Huston Bandwagon thread. We could stop hijacking this thread. lol

Picked up a nice $5.99 remaindered copy of Thursday Next: First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde. Hilarious and antic, as all the others are. Makes you feel kind of smart when you get all the references.

Up next, the latest Harper Connelly, Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris. More fun!

Mark- Thanks, I always like to start with the first book when necessary. Heading for the library tomorrow.

Hi, just recently joined this group. I'm keeping track of my reading for the first time this year because of a challenge I joined on another site. In October, I read:
True Detectives, Jonathan Kellerman
Treasure of the Golden Cheetah, Suzanne Arruda
A Duty to the Dead, Charles Todd
Awakening, S J Bolton
Hungry Ghosts, Susan Dunlop
And I listened to:
206 Bones, Kathy Reichs
Dexter by Design, Jeff Lindsay
The Strain, Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
And several books in other genres. In November, I'm doing NaNoWriMo and coaching 3 kids through the junior version, so my reading list may be empty!

Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 10:13pm.

Welcome ctpete, you've got some pretty good books listed there. If you start to hang around here at LT be prepared for your wish list of books to grow!

I am planning on reading The Strain and the Dexter books soon.

I used Dailylit to read The Murders in Rue Morgue in work, and am now subscribing to A Study in Scarlet :>

I'm taking a break from Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder books (I have seven or eight from the library here, and have finished about the same number) and re-reading all the Joanna Brady books by J. A. Jance.

Freakin' touchstones so rarely work for me!

I just started The Pyramid by Henning Mankell. This is comprised of five short stories Mankell wrote when he completed the last book in the Wallander series and the stories pre-date the series. It is interesting to see the formation of Wallender.

That sounds interesting, pmarshall, I must have a look at The Pyramid.

Well, Charlie Huston fans, I did it! I started an official thread, so the faithful can have a sacred place to come and share their hard-boiled thoughts. Climb aboard, (the faint-hearted & sickly should think twice!): http://www.librarything.com/topic/76122

I am exactly halfway through The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and am enjoying it very much.

#175 - How did you like Awakening by S. J. Bolton? I loved both of her books. Sacrifice was also great.

Message edited by its author, Oct 31, 2009, 4:34pm.

I'm reading Death Notes, an Inspector Wexford mystery by Rith Rendell.