What We Are Reading: Mysteries

Colonel Mustard did what to Miss Scarlett? Shocking! Share all the details here!

I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that no one admits to reading mysteries. It's not 2011 yet but I'm reading a Nero Wolfe book now, in which we meet Wolfe's adopted daughter. Over My Dead Body.

I have even more than usual numbers of mysteries planned for 2011 and so will be visiting here often.

Me too. I have a category all lined up and I've just finished Maigret and the Man on the Bench.

I have a lot of catching up with a lot of mysteries from the "50's". So I will be here,too.

If I wasn't a total snob, I'd forget all about award-winning-type literature and read nothing but mysteries. Sigh. So hard being me.

I love a good mystery! Right now I have just started The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie.

#6 will have to check my library for that one. Always like a good Christmas time mystery.

DeltaQueen: I'm a big Christie fan myself; I'm trying, oh so slowly, to make my way through her bibliography, so I'll be popping in here from time to time, likely as not.

No one admits to reading mysteries? I love mysteries! I'm making my way through Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes.

>5 Smiler69: I've felt inferior to the literary readers since I was 15, and I don't bother hiding anymore. Although many places here on LT are scary as a result! No worries, though, I can do math problems in my head. Hard ones! *overcompensating*

>6 DeltaQueen50: Makes me wonder - what kinds of adventures do Christmas puddings have? Are they more or less thrilling than the adventures experienced by, say, mincemeat pies?

#9 - LOL - I wondered about what kind of adventure a Christmas Pudding could have as well! In her introduction, she mentions eating Plum Pudding, Mince Pies, Trifles and all sorts of other desserts - so I wonder why only the Pudding gets an adventure. I guess I better get reading and find out!

We had a singalong here at work today and one of my co-workers doubted the existence of figgy puddings.

I bet the adventures of figgy puddings are just as wonderful as those experienced by, say, mince pies.

I read a lot of mysteries and quite a bit of nonfiction. I never seem to have to apologize for reading the nonfiction but people look at me oddly, for reading so many mysteries.

>9 mlnelson01: I wonder Mary Lynne, what scary places are you referring to?

I read just about everything. I read quite a lot of Agatha Christie novels as a teenager. Read Curtain: Poirot's Last Case last year if I remember correctly and would love to read more, only trouble is I can't be sure which books I've already read or not as there were so many back then. I listed some in my collection, most of which I'm pretty sure I did read... so what's a girl to do? I do have quite a lot of good non-Christie mystery books in my TBR, but still...

#9: Literary, schmliterary! "Literature" is only "literature" because a bunch of ivory tower old white guys said so. Pshaw, I say. I'm a classicist and I can't stand Plato - he's not worth the paper his work is printed on, IMHO. Literature is what you make it - no one should be ashamed of what they like to read, no matter what it is. Can I get an amen?

Amen !

amen

Amen and Hallelujah! Sing it, Sister Amber!

> 12 Ilana, I have an overdeveloped fear of looking like an idiot. :-) Coupled with my complete lack of knowledge about literary works and my seemingly heriditary inability to remember which author wrote what book without looking it up (regardless of genre), I probably suspect scary places here on LT where they don't exist. Odd characteristics for a book lover, I know! Lifelong habits are hard to break!

>17 mlnelson01: I suspect we all have our own versions of those fears. I have a hard time remembering names and nouns and titles and such, and have a strangely extremely selective memory, which sometimes makes spoken conversations quite tortuous for me. At least online I can look stuff up which is actually quite a relief. And while I enjoy reading 'proper' literature (for lack of better words right now!) I do run into plenty of books which end up making me feel stupid when I find I don't understand half of what is being said, but I'm learning not to take it personally and just forge ahead regardless, or just allow myself to move on to other books instead of feeling tortured. And yes, lifelong habits... yes.

I'm a voracious mystery reader and not ashamed of it. I mostly read heavy duty classics, short stories and plays but mysteries are what I turn to time and again.

# 6 Oh I just love The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding! It is definitely my favourite Christmas mystery!

I don't think there's any genre I don't read and enjoy, but mystery/thriller/police procedural--however you want to define it--is my favorite. Fully 1/4 of the books in my library are in that category. These days I've started reading them as a relief from some heavy-duty history I'm grimly plowing my way through--at least, that's the excuse I give--relief, right? LOL

Lately, I've been enjoying African mystery/thriller writers, and that's been fun. Haven't read anywhere near enough Agatha Christie and thanks for the reminder, everyone--time to go back to the Old Master! (In between visits to Cape Town).

You'll find a lot of mystery readers here! I've been hounded to start at least two new-to-me series this year, and there are lots more to come.

I read most of my Agatha Christies years ago, along with a lot of Maigrets and Perry Masons and some spy stuff. Nowadays, I'm more interested in series that show changes over time (not just another puzzle), and different cultures are especially interesting.

Joyce, I'd be interested to know what African authors you like in this genre.

#21: Lately, it's ben Deon Meyer, writing out of Cape Town. I'm a big fan of Daniel Silva who writes the Gabriel Allon series set in Israel--I think he's top-notch, though the series itself is getting a little worn. IMO, I think Meyer is every bit as good, and while his books many times have the same characters appearing--as he puts it, their stories are interwoven, he doesn't have a series yet, although he may be starting one with Bennie Griessel--his latest book, 13 Hours, is sort of a sequel to Devil's Peak. Sometimes he writes from the point of view of an Afrikaaner character, sometimes from an African (Zulu or Xhosa) point of view.

Another excellent "writer" (it's two people) is Michael Stanley. A Carrion Death and The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu feature Detective David Bengu of Botswana whose nickname in Setswana is Kubu which means 'hippopotamus', and is very fitting, since Kubu is a BIG man who loves his food. These are good, solid stories that owe much of their appeal to the description of contemporary Botswana and neighboring countries. 'Michael Stanle" are South Africans, but probably either lived in Botwana or have something to do with Botswana, since the countries border.

I don't know if Caryl Ferey is of African origin but he lives in France at the moment. However, his book Zulu takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, and is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. So far, it's a stand-alone--I don't think he's written other books.

There's too much condescension towards the genre. Fact is, there are writers in it who are every bit as good as "serious" fiction writers and better than quite a few. Give me Laurie King who has done a brilliant job of maintaining her Mary Russell series, Robert Crais, Louise Penny, Magdalen Nabb who was the best of them all, Gianrico Carofiglio and the South Africans over some of the more boring and pretentious "serious" writers every day. I think that it takes incredible creativity to keep a series fresh and interesting, and the characters can be complex enough to illuminate the human condition; not all protagonists have to be hard-boiled, alcoholics, recovering or otherwise, to be engaging.

I'd list Colin Coterill (Laos) but I've only read his first book, The Coroner's Lunch;others are on their way to me, however!

I'm almost sorry I asked - so many new names. I'll have to look up Laurie King next. thanks!

Given what you've said is your interest--in series that change over time--I think you've chosen one of the best. King is about to publish another book in the series, but her last two are attempts on her part to do exactly what you say you wish to avoid--just another English country murder mystery. She has done far more than that in the series--she has written a psychological thriller for it (Locked Rooms), taken Russell and Holmes to India (The Game), and in my utter favorite of the series, O Jerusalem, has the young Mary Russell and Holmes in Palestine right after WWI in an absolutely wonderful cloak-and-dagger undercover story. In her last published book, The God of the Hive, she has written what is unusual for her--a straightforward action-adventure story that keeps you hanging on your seat and turning pages to the end.

Do read them in order, and you'll be rewarded with what you seek, believe me. The first one is The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

She's a great writer. For me, that's evidenced by the fact that I have reread the series I don't know how many times; some of my books are quite literally falling apart! But I never tire of them.

Aha - now I can place her. The one that catches Holmes in his bee-keeping dotage (so-called). I will look that up.

#24 Joyce, your descriptions of Laurie King's books have me wanting to go out and find The Beekeepers Apprentice right NOW. Adding to the wishlist!

There are some good Christmas mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. One good one is The Christmas Thief if you're interested.

#25 & #26: Laurie King's Sherlock books are fantastic! Even my dad eagerly awaits her next entry and he is a very picky reader. Hope you enjoy them!

Okay, Joyce, et al., I've been ignoring the Laurie King mysteries, but you've convinced me. The series sounds like something I'd enjoy a lot (Sherlock Holmes stories were my first mysteries back in the mid-70s), and I'll be trying out The Beekeeper's Apprentice in the new year.

I should dun certain authors for commissions, I swear! But King is too good to pass up.

If you want something REALLY different in the way of a "mystery", read what is my all-time favorite King book and the one I consider her finest, A Darker Place. King got a master's degree, I believe, in theology, and it is no accident that Mary Russell is a Hebrew Testament scholar. A Darker Place takes King's interest in theology in a different direction, in the investigation of cults. It's a superb book.

Amanda, tell your dad that her latest is in the hands of her publishers. I can't remember the title, but it has "pirate" in it and, I'm certain, has absolutely nothing to do with the sea-going kind!

King's web site is a gold mine of information. I follow her blog on Goodreads.

Thanks for the info!

Another avowed addict of mystery/detective/procedural fiction. Can't imagine why anybody would pretend not to read it. Now don't anyone tell that I'm posting here, since I vowed to avoid the 2011 threads until the year actually turns. (I was afraid I might be missing some really good recommendations on this one, so I'm trying to keep up with it.)

Your link for A Darker Place goes to another book by that title, Joyce. I have that one in my TBR queue, and may push it up the line, since you give it such high marks.

I have sworn great oaths not to post books on the 2011 thread until January 2! But after all, Linda, this is not a 2011 thread now, is it? We're in free! Safe!!

About the link--darn! I see two, one by King and the other by a Jack Higgins. I guess the really truly King link is yours, Linda--thanks!

Another great oath I have sworn is to read more Simenon and Christie--I've read too few of the former and it's been too many years for the latter.

I'm looking forward to the start of 2011 - one of my categories in the 11 in 11 Challenge is Timeless Mysteries so I will be reading Christie, Sayers, Tey, Crispin etc. In fact, I love mysteries so much that three of my categories are based on mystery/thrillers!

#34 Same here. Four of my 11 categories for 11 in 11 are mystery-related. I had a fifth one but dropped it.

Eager to get going on that.

#24. Joyce, I just went and bought Beekeeper. I never buy books three days before Christmas, I always wait to see what people got me as presents. See what this group is doing to me? And I've only been here six days! *melodramatic sigh*

#36 See what this group is doing to me? Get used to it! I've been here for five years, and I can tell you---there's no cure, and you don't build up an immunity.

#24: Believe me, you won't be sorry. And think of it this way--if someone gets you another copy, save it--you'll need it when your original falls apart from rereading!

#37: "..there's no cure, and you don't build up an immunity".

Ain't that the truth! *snort*

Joyce, I haven't piped up much, but don't think I haven't been taking notes! I've already included quite a few titles from the authors you suggest on my BookMooch wishlist!

Here's a topic up for discussion:

Of all the genres I've catalogued in my library, I find Mysteries to be the hardest to pin down and end up using innumerable tags for each book. So far, I've used: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Murder, Detective, Thriller, Legal Thriller, Hardboiled, Noir, and Psychological Thriller. I know some people use Police Procedural (or just one or the other), Suspense, Detective Fiction, Pulp, Crime & Mystery and more. I've looked this up on wikipedia countless times to figure out the distinctions between one tag or another, but it's all rather mind-boggling! How do you tag your mystery books and what is your system?

I too struggle with tagging mysteries. I started using the terms American Crime Fiction, British Crime Fiction, etc. identifying by country, but the words "Crime Fiction" are too broad - some books are definitely more of a suspense read, or a thriller read. I would also like to see my books defined by cozy, noir, police procedural but sometimes it's hard to describe a certain book by one type as the lines can get fuzzy.

These days I am still defining my mysteries by country and using the words Crime Fiction, but I often add the words noir, police procedural as well. Not the most organized system, perhaps someone here can suggest a better way.

I think the very trouble that we've all had--and I, too, have several categories that always seem to overlap--is a measure of the creativity and diversity of the genre as a whole. for example, there's another category--that of medieval mystery/thriller/police procedural, very well exemplified by Arianna Franklin. Or the historical mystery/etc--which really is Laurie King in the Mary Russell series, but there are others. I think it is far and away the most creative literary genre around. A lot of modern "serious" fiction bores me solid--it's dreary and unimaginative. While there is plenty of mediocrity in the mystery genre, there are tons of really good authors, who not only plot well, but just as important to me, write well, and do excellent characterizations, social commentary, and general illumination of the human condition. Dennis Lehane comes to mind for the US as do one or two of King's stand-alone books, such as Folly, its not-quite-sequel-but-related book, Keeping Watch, and of course, A Darker Place. I am particularly fond of Lehane as moralist, because in his Gennaro/ Kenzie series, he often brings up the issues of the impossibility of making the right decisions--he's a thoughtful writer.

I've sort of given up on the whole tagging idea on LT and do the best I can, on Goodreads, with thriller, police procedural, and shelving some books by country, such as the African writers. But I view what I do as hopelessly inadequate!

So what's a procedural? Are there different types?

#42 I don't tag either. I know many people like it and benefit from it but for me, over time, without clear definitions of what the tags mean I lose track of how I tagged things and they cease to provide me with any search advantage.

I think most people use "police procedural" to classify those stories that are kind of traditional investigative, such as, for example, Elizabeth George in her Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers series, Michael Connolly with Harry Bosch, Inspector Rebus. BUT what do you do with private investigators? William Lashner's lawyer, Victor Carl? I think people have given up the "police" and just use "procedural", which I may do, come to think of it. It's more inclusive.

Aha - that's a great idea Joyce. I've had trouble with finding a tag to fit the PI's so dropping the police from the procedural will do nicely! Thanks

Another instance when I would love to claim the credit but can't--unfortunately (from my selfish point of view), laytonwoman3 said it first! *sigh*

I know we've covered this, but I'm another one who doesn't understand why there should be anything shameful about reading mysteries.

Joining this group has made me think more about my reading, and this is what I've noticed:

I'm not reading as many short "fluff" mysteries as I used to. They are great comfort reads, but the more I expand my reading choices, I'm finding that I often crave a little more substance - and there are plenty of mystery series that have some substance (like Louise Penny's Three Pines, or Laurie King's books, for instance).

However, I do think that mystery will always be my favorite genre. Here's why: Even when I read great works of literature, I enjoy most the books that have an element of mystery running through them. Such as The Woman in White, Bleak House, Jane Eyre, etc.

Show me something spooky and don't explain it. Give me a character that won't mention her past. Have something stolen and don't tell me who took it. Drop hints that someone is not who they claim to be. Those are the books that grab me and don't let me go.

I've wondered if this means I'm
1. Nosy?
or
2. Have an easily bored brain that needs something to work on, lol...

But either way, I love a good mystery!

Another excellent series I forgot to mention: Julia Spencer-Fleming's outstanding one with Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne. Someone on LT put me on to the series a few years ago--I forget who. Don't miss this one.

#47 May I take a wild guess that you love DuMaurier? I don't see her on your favorite authors list, but I'll bet she's your kind of mystery writer. I distinguish "mystery" from "crime", or I try to, in my tagging. DuMaurier deals with mystery. P.D. James deals with crime. Obviously the two tags share a lot of territory, and sometimes become utterly indivisible, but it's a fairly simple distinction and I like it. It sets apart books with the element you've described so well, Angela. A mystery starts with a puzzle, not just a dead body or a missing child.

Another fan of this very broad genre here... Interesting discussion about definitions, tagging etc. Until this year on LT I had never really come across the term 'mystery' to define the genre - I think perhaps it is not so commonly used in the UK, or perhaps it is just me. I have tended to refer to 'detective fiction' - detective to me does not imply necessarily a police detective, but anyone engaged in trying to solve a puzzle, so this also covers the private investigators and the various forms of medieval or other historical sleuths which are one of my favourite forms of the genre (eg the Lindsey Davis Falco series set in ancient Rome).

But I think my tagging is not very consistent - I've been starting to use 'historical mystery' rather than 'historical detective fiction' because the former is shorter... Anyway, I'm looking forward to sharing some good reads with you all in 2011.

#50: i LOVE the Lindsay DAvis series!! I have every one of her Falco books.

#51 I've read them all too, Joyce, but most were library books. I'm slowly trying to collect my own set when I find them second hand now, so I can read them all again some day.

One of my criteria for a good author is whether or not the books hold up on rereading--and in the case of the Lindsey Davis series, they most certainly do! About every two years I reread the entire series from beginning to end, and continue to enjoy the humor AND the commentary/view of Vespasian Rome before Domitian got in.

49- I've only read one DuMaurier so far, the famous Rebecca. I really enjoyed it, and I intend to read more. I have My Cousin Rachel on my shelves as we speak. Took a peek at the first line of the book and Wow! I think I'm going to like it. What an opening line.

I think you completely understood my meaning. If you ever have any other recommendations, feel free to let me know!

I just finished a nonfiction book by P.D. James called Talking About Detective Fiction, which was an enjoyable survey of the detective-type mystery. Unabashedly Anglocentric, unsurprisingly, but she does pay brief tribute to Dashiell Hammet and Raymond Chandler.

I ended up writing down several authors from the early 20th century that I'd never heard of, and am resolved to find them at the library if I can!

Ooooh, mysteries! A favorite guilty pleasure of mine. I adore Christie, Sherlock Holmes, and have just begun reading P.D. James. One of the last books I read in 2010 was Christie's Sparkling Cyanide, on the plane home. It was a great way to spend 6 otherwise boring hours.

I got the two Sherlock Holmes: Complete Novels and Stories books for just $8 at the used book store a couple of weeks ago (in great shape too!) I plan on reading them little by little, a story here and a story there to extend the pleasure.

I'm reading the Icelandic mystery, Jar City right now. This is a police procedural, first in the series.

I tag my mysteries as "mystery" and that's been good enough for me. (I've read 1,729 of them so far.)

>57 Smiler69:- I've been doing that too, with my complete Holmes. I don't know what I'll do when they're finished!

>59 lahochstetler: You can start reading them all over again! I read more Agatha Christie mysteries than I can rightly recall as a teenager, and I've been thinking lately I'd like to read her books again, but that probably won't happen before next year since there are so many mystery authors I've yet to discover!

This thread may be enough to jump-start my shaky love for mysteries. Lots and lots and lots of good ideas here.

Many mysteries are good literature. Some are not so good. Now, ladies and gentlemen, your task is to name the genre to which the previous two sentences would not apply.

Of course. By the stunning silence, we see that there aren't any categories where the reader can't find good and maybe not-so-hot books. I think there is certainly a sort of snobbery that looks down its long and snooty nose (is that redundant?) at mysteries and their fans. Well, let them. They don't know what they're missing at all.

One of my hopes for 2011 is that my Ngaio Marsh, Edmund Crispin, H.R.F. Keating books will bring back the joy I felt when I first discovered them, and that Peter Robinson, Peter Lovesey, Robert Barnard, and a few others will re-engage my interest in newer mysteries.

And of course a love of mysteries indicates an inquiring mind, a liking for logic, the ability to problem-solve creatively, and a good sense of fun. Not a bad set of characteristics, is it?

I believe we're in good company here. Thanks (what is this, maybe the fiftieth time I've thanked you for something here at LT?), Stasia, for setting this thread up.

Great discussions and may I add my "A-men" to several of the above posts!

I started The Serpent's Tale before Christmas and took it with me to KY for Christmas. Now I can't find the book! Surely I will come across it soon.

I am currently reading The Bones of the Buried and The Lies that Bind.

I'm reading Case Histories by Kate Atkinson and wondering what's taken me so long - I can't put it down!

Update to add: Now reading Artists in Crime and enjoying it.

I'm reading a couple of mysteries at the moment (it's the genre I most love, and I'm proud to declare that ; ).

L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais, an oldish Elvis Cole mystery with a whole lot of Joe Pike's backstory in it. Excellent work; Crais is probably my favorite of the heavy hitting L.A. based thriller writers currently working.

And, Shibumi, by the mysterious Trevanian. Brilliant story of Nicholai Hel, Russian and German by ancestry and genetics, Japanese by upbringing and temperament, speaker of seven languages (but master of only six), Go master, assassin with a conscience. Picked it up because I got and read an ARC of Don Winslow's upcoming prequel, Satori. Loved it, and couldn't believe I'd never read the source material. I highly recommend both!

I think Robert Crais is one of the best in the genre, regardless of location.

Shibumi sounds really good, as does Artists in Crime.

ETA: Just downloaded Shibumi--noticed that Amazon has others by Trevanian. Can't get Artists in Crime on the Kindle, so I'm going to pass on that, although I haven't read Ngaio Marsh in a long, long time.

I gave in and bought A Rule Against Murder - and so early in the year - but I couldn't wait to read the next Louise Penny book.

I give you the following "defense" of mysteries from that master of the legal argument, Erle Stanley Gardner: (this appeared on the back covers of many books in the genre c. 1949, including those by Ellery Queen and Frances & Richard Lockridge):

"MYSTERIES IN OUR MODERN WORLD — The mystery story is the answer of modern times to the problems of modern times. — A few years ago business jogged along at an even pace behind a horse and buggy transportation. Radio was unknown, the telephone was only being perfected, mails were slow and businessmen copied their correspondence by placing a letter between sheets of moist ... more »blotting paper and screwing down the wheel of a letter press.

Then high pressure hit business. Everything is speeded up so much today that the great problem is how to relax.

The busy executive can't simply forget his problems.They are too pressing, too urgent and too intimate. The only answer is to find something else which will fully occupy the mind. The ordinary novel simply doesn't have the power, the punch, the action.

That's why the sale of sleeping tablets and of mystery stories have multiplied to astronomical proportions during the last twenty-five years.

It is, of course, a lot better to refresh the mind by giving it something new and interesting to work on than to dull it into oblivion by the use of drugs.

Several years ago I wrote a book dealing with what was at that time a novel adaptation of scientific principle. My publisher, fearing there might be some inaccuracies, asked one of the most noted scientists in the country to check certain pages, and sent him the entire manuscript.

That scientist was "up to his ears" in war work. The letter which he sent was a classic.

He said he had started to read the first page of the manuscript, had become interested, had dropped everything else, and didn't realize the passing of time until two and a half hours later when he finished the last page of the manuscript. Then he turned out the light and had the first uninterrupted, blissful eight hours of repose he had had in years. He awakened the next morning refreshed and eager to tackle the problems which confronted him. The mystery had been exciting enough to drive the problems right out of his mind.

Quite by accident that scientist had learned the secret of perfect mental repose.

Which is why the modern mystery story is selling like hot cakes to the more intelligent class of reader. It is no accident that mystery stories have been in the White House for the last twenty-five years. The "intelligentsia" may speak disparagingly of the mystery, but the best minds in the world are reading them."

Now...no more guilt, eh?

I love it! :)

I particularly love the correlation between sales of mystery stories and sales of sleeping tablets! :-)

I read a lot of mysteries--love 'em!

The series I'm currently reading is by Julia Spencer-Fleming. The first one was In the Bleak Midwinter; now I'm reading the second one, A Fountain Filled With Blood.

On my main 75 Group thread I tend to discuss what I'm reading as I go along. What I would say about her, generally, is that she's a very good writer. I like her two main characters; I like the small-town upper New York State setting; her dialogue is excellent--very "true." So there's a lot to like here. On the negative side, some of her plot twists are a bit implausible, but not so much so that I want to throw the book across the room. Also, the story line of the second one is a bit thin. I also hear the series gets better as she goes along. There are maybe six of these--something like that.

#72: I've read all that she's published so far and am eagerly waiting the April 28 publication of her latest, One Was A Soldier. I agree with your analysis of the 2nd--and also wish to agree whole-heartedly with whoever told you that the series gets better--it most certainly does! She is definitely improving as she goes along, and I like the way she is thinking of ways--already--to keep the series fresh by turning it in new directions.

IMO, All Mortal Flesh is her best to date.

I just ordered my first Daniel Silva book: The Kill Artist which is the first in the Gabriel Allon series based on several recommendations I've seen from 75ers. Look forward to it, even though I promised myself I wouldn't start another mystery series yet as have so many going already!

ETA: almost forgot! I also got The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri, the first of the Inspector Montalbano Mysteries. I got it in the French translation as I have it from a knowledgeable source that the French is more true to the original (nice to have that option, I do realize!)

I'm also very tempted to get Autobiography by Agatha Christie. But... Must... Resist!!!

I found Silva in 2009, read everything he'd written one after another. Read his new one in 2010. Loved, loved them. His character, Gabriel Allon, is so interesting. Another thing that makes the series strong is the way he uses settings--lots of different cities, mainly European. Silva was at our library last summer for a book signing (not something I normally do, but I was curious about him). What a thoroughly nice guy he is. I hope you love the series too.

Becky: the comments so far about Silva—much like yours—have been so positive that I nearly ordered the first three books all at the same time, but I held back for now. I tend to go a bit crazy when I buy books and the fact is I have nowhere to put them anymore until I get more shelves built!

Ilana, I'm right there with you about no where to put more books. I "hid" all of Silva's books on my Kindle. heh

I'm not reading any mysteries at the moment, but I expect I'll be picking up a few in the coming year. I've found several here that I think I may need to check out!

#77 I'm guessing running out of room for books is a fairly common problem for lots of 75ers... And yes, Kindle would help to keep the piles down, but I'm still too attached to the paper versions to jump onto e-books yet.

I just finished the first book in Louise Penny's "Three Pines" series, Still Life, and immediately put the second one on hold at the library. Very enjoyable, traditional whodunit.

Oh, you're in for a treat. I just finishe the third in the series, A Rule Against Murder, which was quite lovely, so much so that I 'ate' it all in one sitting.

I haven't heard of Silva until now. Have to look him up!

I am starting Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass.

One of the women I work with has been devouring the Silva books. I haven't tried him yet.

Anybody here have an opinion on the Charles Todd mysteries? I picked one up yesterday on my second (and last, boo-hoo) gift card run at the bigbox bookstore. I've heard some good things about them, but just wondered if anyone here had any thoughts.

Joyce, I get lots and lots of mysteries through Bookmooch. And Abebooks (cheap-o!). I rarely buy a new copy of the older series stuff; one exception last year was Have His Carcase, just to complete my Sayers' collection. All I could remember were the chapter epigraphs, which were quite weird. Haven't read it yet...

Must try the Silva series, Ilana, Becky, at al.

I love the Silva series, myself--think they are among the best of the international thriller subgenre.

#84: I'm in the minority on the Charles Todd mysteries--I really didn't care for the first two, and so ditched the series. But again, most people like them.

>82 alcottacre: - Dang it Stasia, I had to go check that one out and add it to my wishlist. LOL I love a good forensic mystery.

#86: Ah, well, if you do not like it, you can always blame it on my strong arm tactics in making you try it, Lisa!

I like the Charles Todd series, but I strongly suggest you start from the beginning, otherwise you might not understand the special nature of the detective.

>86 bunkie68: - not like it takes much arm twisting for me to try a new book. LOL I suspect I'll find a new author I very much enjoy, and I'll then feel compelled to track down all his works.

I keep thinking that when a coupon comes along I should by the two Library of America volumes of Raymond Chandler's works. Does that make sense for someone who isn't very genre oriented, that is who likes good books pretty much regardless of category?

Robert

I read The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie which I really enjoyed, one of my favorities of hers. I am currently reading Forty Words For Sorrow by Giles Blunt, the first in his Canadian Crime Series. Later on in the month I hope to get to All The Colors of the Darkness by Peter Robinson. I love Peter Robinson's series featuring Inspector Alan Banks.

Edited to add: Robert, I think you should definitely get the Raymond Chandler books - excellent reading.

I've started a Christian fiction/Mystery, Southern Storm...which is WAY out of my comfort zone. So far it isn't so bad...we'll see how it develops...

> 82 Although the first and most famous body farm is in Knoxville, I recently found out that the largest body farm is actually located in your state, Stasia!!! It's a fascinating subject; I couldn't study it, but I'm thankful there are people who can!

I'm more than halfway through a historical mystery by Victoria Thompson. Murder on St Mark's. The mystery is only ok but the background information (turn of the 20th century New York City with a midwife as sleuth) is almost more interesting.

>92 Ape: I own that book (as well as the first one in that series), but I've never read them. I'll be interested to see what you think, particularly of the author's skill at writing.

>94 lindapanzo: Linda, I love the Victoria Thompson series. They just get better and better!

#96 I read the first one awhile back and liked it. This one seemed slow to develop but I like the interaction between the midwife and the sergeant.

I've got a lot of historical mysteries planned for 2011. I'd like to start the Anne Perry World War 1 series. Read more Maureen Jennings, Troy Soos and a few others as well. (Unfortunately, I've already read all of Troy's historical baseball mysteries featuring Mickey Rawlings, probably my absolute favorite mystery series).

I used to live in Cincinnati so I picked up a copy of Soos' The Cincinnati Red Stalkings when I ran across it, but it's been sitting TBR ever since. I guess I should try to read it. Should the series be read in order, or will I be okay to read that one as a stand-alone?

I think you'd be okay reading them out of order. He (obviously) changed teams a lot. I just loved those. There was also a Crabbe Evers baseball mystery series.

Troy is a huge baseball fan (I think he's in SABR, the baseball geek organization, too) and I used to enjoy emailing him to talk about baseball.

>84 Matke: bohemima, I'm currently reading the third Ian Rutledge book, Search the Dark. I've read the first two as well. I like them well enough and the concept is interesting. I plan on continuing, but it's not my favorite series (that would be Susan Hill's Simon Serailler series). I second the suggestion that the series should be read in order, or at least A Test of Wills should be read first so you understand what's going on and why with Hamish.

#93: I definitely could study the subject and have thought about going back to school to do so, but I think I am too old at this point. I do so enjoy reading books on forensic anthropology though - Dr. William Maples' Dead Man Do Tell Tales is one of my favorite books.

#101 Stasia, there is no such thing as being 'too old' to go back to school or to study anything. No such thing as being 'too old' for most things come to think of it, except maybe becoming a contortionist, but even that might not be impossible for a person with the right amount of flexibility... ;-)

#102: While I want to know the stuff, I do not want to go back to the days of writing reports, journals, etc.

Yeah, I know what you mean and totally agree. I wouldn't mind studying Fine Arts, but all those lectures and non-fun stuff? Not so keen.

Starting on Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

I've started Poirot Investigates, one of Christie's very early ones.

Will Manley has recently embarked on a mystery-reading venture that he's been chronicling on his blog. I know there are several cozy lovers out there. Will has finally gotten around to the cozy genre in this post: http://willmanley.com/2011/01/01/will-unwound-319-wills-mystery-project-seeing-i...

90- Robert, I don't know if anyone's answered you yet. I recently read the complete Phillip Marlowe series by Raymond Chandler. I really enjoyed them after I got used to his style. (By that I mean I enjoyed them after I'd read book #2 in the series.) I think they are very well done for those who like crime noir. I love mysteries, though, so I can't guarantee whether you'd like them.

In general, the comments I've read about Chandler are very favorable. Most people seem to agree that his books are very well written and plotted.

Maybe you should try one book by him, before you spend your precious gift card on the whole set??

# 106 A lot of the (very) early Poirot stories are rather clearly influenced by Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Poirot Investigates features some of them. The book is still enjoyable but the latter Poirot stories are far superior, in my opinion. The stories, The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor, The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge, The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim and The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman are pretty good though.

> I agree. Not that Chandler is an acquired taste, but if you don't like California noir, better to find out before you spend your money. If you dislike paperbacks, the omnibus may be the best way to go - I prefer paperbacks myself, especially for mysteries.

Chandler's plots can (famously) get confusing, but that's part of noir - the detective himself struggles to figure out an ambiguous and deceitful situation, and sometimes the answers are very provisional.

Robert, I don't know if you've read any of the Robert Parker Spenser series. He got a lot of his inspiration from Chandler, and, imo, Chandler did it much better. You might see if you can find a used single novel to see if you like his style before investing in the 2-volume set. Of the noir genre, he truly set the pace and had a huge impact on later writers.

The matching spines of the Chandler paperbacks at the bookstore certainly are compelling, but I fear that if I don't dive in I won't even get my feet wet. I think I remain leaning in the direction of getting the Library of America volumes, and I thank everybody, even those suggesting otherwise, for their help in my my deliberations.

Robert

I have just read In the Woods and The Likeness by Tana French and thought they were excellent. Very well written, interesting plots and engaging characters. Looking forward to reading the third book when I can get my hands on it.

Has anyone else read these? Any thoughts on the use of a different narrator for each book? I imagine the third book may be quite different given that it's not one of the major characters from the first book narrating.

It's been awhile, so forgive me if I don't get it all right. My impressions: I've read them both although haven't yet read the third one. My thoughts on In the Woods was that French danced pretty close to creating an unlikeable narrator. He was too touchy-feely for my taste as a detective on a murder squad. Nevertheless, I really liked the book.

The Likeness, the second one. French has a wicked sense of humor which comes out particularly in the dialogue. The Frank Mackey character in this one was pretty unlikable, although at least he didn't weep and tear up all the time like the Rob character in the first one.

One comment, and this is generational--I think French nailed the group-think thing of this 30-something crowd. I found that very realistic, although I'm not a member of that generation, so I'd be interested to find out what others thought. I really ought to get Faithful Place. Thanks for the reminder.

#113, 114: I've read all of them and really liked them. FAithful Place is again different. She works far harder to get the rhythms and idioms of Irish speech in her dialogue and it certainly does set up a sense of place. Each of her books is slightly different, which I enjoy. Can't say I have a favorite, although I do lean towards Faithful Place.

I'm intrigued by your (#114) comment bout the group-think of 30-somethings. I'm far removed from that age group, have almost no dealings with it (except among Panamanians). I was intrigued by it, however, but had no idea that it was a common sort of "ideology".

>115 Joycepa:. Well, I could be painting with a very broad brush. But I know from my 30-something son that he and his friends seemed to be much more comfortable in groups. They did everything, including dating, almost in herds--ha. It wasn't that they double-dated in groups; no, it was almost like they "dated the group." I could easily see him and his friends living together like the characters in The Likeness. But I'm sure it's as not true for some in that generation as it was true for him.

113-116. The observations about the group/herd mentality bring a new thinking to my feelings about The Likeness which I really liked.

I liked the first two, but the third was on a whole different level for me. I feel that it transcended the genre in the way that it captured the neighborhood, class differences and long term effects of familial ill will. I'll admit that these concerns are very compelling to me. At the same time, it remained a good mystery. Loved, loved, loved.

>117 nancyewhite:. Did you find it necessary to have read the other two books to enjoy the third one? It's been awhile now since I read the first two, and I'm thinking of reading the third one soon. I believe I remember thinking that the second one would almost just as easily make a stand alone book as one of a series. Is that true for the third?

I think author Tana French came up with a very clever way of producing a series while still keeping each book very individual and separate. So often a first book comes out, is popular, and the author feels the pressure (probably from the publishers) to keep producing more of the same. I have read the first two, loved them, and am looking forward to the third.

Glad to hear Faithful Place is also a winner. Re the groupthink idea - I don't think the intensity of this group would be common at all. Especially not after 30 - people have often moved on from college friends by then. Are these characters in their 30s though? I don't remember ages being mentioned, but I would have thought they'd be in their 20s if they're still studying. Anyway, even though I'm sure there are lots of groups of close friends, I think this group is portrayed as something far removed from the norm.

No, you're right, they're in their 20s I think. My son just turned 30, so I guess that's where the 30-something came from. My mistake.

> 113 - 121
Nothing too new to say, except I've also read all three and I think she is a wonderful writer. I think the first (in the woods) was the best just because of the narrator. It was such an unexpected viewpoint - dark, but very effective. Faithful Place I think was the next best. In all three, she's just very good at exploring relationships between people (friends in the first two, family in the third) and writing strong, emotionally charged characters, all of whom get caught up in more than they expected.

For those who haven't read them, they each stand completely alone and can be read in any order. Two thumbs up!

>108 BookAngel_a:-112
Oh, and regarding the Raymond Chandler discussion: the great thing about Chandler is that he's a very good writer. Hammett may have been the first to do the genre well, but Chandler did it better. I own the LoA volumes and they are two of my prized possessions - I think I've read them through three times each. Dark, sure. Pithy, definitely. Confusing, sometimes. But such a great voice.

#116: Could there also be a difference in culture? For many cultures--and I think but am not sure that Irish culture is among them--marriage comes later than it used to, anyway, for Americans. People tend to stick closer to home, to the old neighborhoods, where it seems practically a matter of law that Americans move away as soon as possible.

#117: Nancy, if you liked those aspects of The Likeness, then you will really love Faithful Place!

I've begun Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. A mystery set in the deep south. It seems to travel between the current day and the 1970s. Very graphic exploration of racism in that era so far. Good writing and intriguing mystery. This was one that I learned about on Mark's thread I believe.

#113-122 have put in the woods on hold ar the library, as well as the new Colin Coteril.

#125: I'm still waiting on a shipment of 4 of Coterill's books, #2-5. I think that series is terrific!

I finished Darkness at the Stroke of Noon by Dennis Richard Murphy earlier this morning. I really enjoyed the cold Nunavut setting. It's a shame that we won't have future books by this author. I enjoyed his two main characters, and I would have enjoyed revisiting the two of them later -- wherever they landed. As it is, I'll just have to let my imagination take over! I told the Canadian reading challenge group that it made me want to see Nunavut, but that I didn't think I wanted to see it in person -- a DVD would be fine!

#124 I'm No. 7 in the holds queue at my library for Crooked Letter. I'm really eager to read that one.

I'm also reading Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. I received it as an arc months ago and am finally getting to it. So far so good!

I'm also reading A Drink Before the War, the first in the Kenzie /Gennaro series. I loved Moonlight Mile.

I just read Cathi Unsworth, Bad Penny Blues 4.5*

Crime novel set in 1960s London, mostly around Notting Hill. An ambitious young policeman is chasing a serial killer, but things keep happening to key witnesses and evidence. A young woman developing a career in fashion design, whose family were spiritualists, keeps having nightmares which reflect what is really happening to the murdered prostitutes, and gets really frightened.

The plot sounds stupid but what works really well in this novel is the evocation of 60s atmosphere and attitudes of the time and the characterisation is done well. Cathi Unsworth is a music journalist and the novel and its chapters take their titles from songs of the time.

Recommended.

I'm also reading March Violets by Philip Kerr (1930s Berlin) and have just started Involuntary Witness by Gianrico Carofiglio (southern Italy).

>130 elkiedee:: I read that one last year and really enjoyed it.

On the song front...I emailed her (Unsworth) about them and she said that each title is a hit of the charts of that chapter's instant in history. Since the murders in the book are based upon the Jack the Stripper murders of the mid-60s, the titles on the chapters were victims are found are from the #1 hit of that particular day in history.

#129: The Kenzie/Gennaro series is one of my favorites, but it is dark, dark... I have Moonlight Mile but haven't read it yet--saving it for those desperate days when NONE of the 8 books I'm reading satisfies me!

Reading The Shotgun Rule by Charlie Huston.

I loved the 1st 2 Tana French books too! I have a new copy of Faithful Place chomping at the bit. It's interesting how divided readers are on French's work.
No crime novels to report, not until the end of the month, when I hope to get back to Kurt Wallander.

#134: I agree about the really divided opinion on French; readers either love her or hate her--seems like there's very little in-between.

I just finished reviewing Shutter Island. I had a hard time writing a fair review since I saw the movie version not too long before reading the book which pretty well ruined the reading experience for me, but I think I managed to come up with a happy medium somehow. Let me know what you think. (spoiler-free!)

Having neither seen the movie nor read the book, will I be exposing myself to any spoilers by reading your review? And do I gather one should read the book first, or not see the movie at all? (I have the book on my TBR pile.)

#137 I promise there are no spoilers and the short answer to your question is an emphatic YES. But I talk about that in the (spoiler-free) review too!

ETA: added the mention 'spoiler-free' in message #136 after seeing your question. thanks for bringing it up!

Currently reading Over the Edge by Jonathan Kellerman.

#138 Thank you!

#139 How's the Kellerman, Stasia? I gave up on him a while ago. Should I try this one? ETA: Never mind; I see it's early in the series, and I probably read it years ago.

Just finished The Quick and the Thread by Amanda Lee.

Edited to fix touchstone.

Finished and posted a review for Southern Storm by Terri Blackstock. Phew, I'm just glad I survived it. Last year the mysteries I read had an average star rating of 2.8! And now the genre is off to a bad start in 2011.

I'm halfway through Doors Open by Ian Rankin. I'm enjoying it except for that huge groaner moment when a inspector of police and his informer are sitting in a café at different tables and talking on their mobile phones so they won't be spotted together. So far... ok, maybe, although I was wondering why they'd even be in the same establishment if they're worried about detection. But then half their conversation is like:

"so how's your tea?"
"mine's so so, how's your coffee?"
"well I've had better but you know, they put too much foam in it..."
"oh yeah I know, that's so gross, don't you hate that?"
"yeah, like, tell me about it, so annoying"

Ok, it's not verbatim, but it's that sort of thing. these guys aren't buddies. this is supposed to be a tense situation and they're talking about the drinks they're having like a couple of teenage girlfriends??? Oh puhlease!

I still have to read Doors Open though I like the sound of his other post-Rebus book The Complaints better.

Haven't heard of that one. Let me know what you think of it. I've been reading quite a lot of Rankin and have a few more on my shelves, but I think I'll be ready to move on to another writer soon. I'm starting to get a bit bored with his style.

>142 Ape: Ape - I have that one on my TBR shelf. I don't think I'll be getting to it anytime soon based on your review. I might even take it and its sequel to the used bookstore for trade value before I read them!

Finished The Shotgun Rule was intense and dark. Was a real page turner.
Now reading Arctic Circle. This going to be another quick read.

Double posted.

Unless it somehow falls apart in the second half, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is outstanding!

#149: Good to hear--I just downloaded it.

146: If you read christian fiction more often you might find it tolerable. *shrug*

#140: Linda, I was going to say that of the 3 I have read thus far, this one was the best.

I am currently reading Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers.

I have just finished (I never remember to find these threads when I'm in the middle of a book) The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham.

It's a British 1920s murder mystery complete with a house party, an international crime ring, men who are bold and 'gels' who are plucky. It was Allingham's first book and I'm not convinced it all made sense but I enjoyed seeing where her Albert Campion series started. Probably not recommended as a starting point if you haven't read any of her books before.

ETA: #152 Whose Body? is in the TBR pile and I really want to start that series! So many books, so little time...

#152 I'm tempted to start a (re)read of all of Sayers' this year. I've read most of them, and I think Whose Body? was one of the very first I read, but it would be good to revisit them, in order this time.

I've just posted my review of the latest Ian Rankin I read, Doors Open.

#154: I just checked the second book in the series out of the library Tuesday. I hope to be able to read them all in order.

#156: I just bought a second hand copy of the third book: Unnatural death, so I'm beginning to line them up... I haven't catalogued that section of my library, so I can't quite remember which ones I've got and which I haven't - especially as some I'll have read as library books; I'd like to own a complete set eventually as I know I like them and may want to re-read again in future.

I really ought to re-read some of the Peter Wimsey mysteries: I adore them.

I started Red Bones last night. Having loved the first two in the series, I was hoping this one would successfully pull me out of my current book funk. I'm enjoying it a lot, so it's looking promising...

Just finished a couple of LT ER mysteries that were okay but which had a few problems (for me): The Anatomy of Ghosts (historical set in Cambridge in the late 1700s) and The Killing Circle (a serial killer stalks contemporary Toronto). Now I'm reading The Whisperers, apparently the latest Charlie Parker mystery. Not having read any of the earlier novels, I wasn't sure what to expect and whether it would work for me (I do like to start a series at the beginning), but it seems just fine and I'm enjoying it a lot.

ETA that the Charlie Parker is also an ER novel, which is why I'm reading it before the earlier books in the series.

Reading The Pack of Lies by Gordon Ashe aka John Creasey.

I finished Gianrico Carofiglio, Involuntary Witness, a legal defence novel, on Friday (not so much a mystery, but a crime novel - I prefer the term crime fiction because there are different types).

I just finished White Nights by Ann Cleeves. I gave this Shetland Islands read 4 stars. My review is on the book's page as well as on my thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/105590

I needed something to rest my brain, so I'm reading Out of the Deep I Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming, more crime novel than a mystery--I agree with elkiedee in #161.

This is the third in the series with the same main characters and locale, and I'm still waiting to be gobsmacked by these books. They're fine, but Spencer-Fleming seems like she has the skills to take it up a notch and be really good, and yet she hasn't quite gotten there yet. I guess the reason I'm staying with these is because I like Claire, the female Episcopal priest. I also like the small-town upper New York State locale.

I am just starting All the Colours of Darkness by Peter Robinson. I have loved all the books in his DI Alan Banks series, hard to believe this one is the eighteenth!

I started P.D. James's Devices and Desires last night, and I stayed up late reading it. Today I'm tired, but I can't wait to finish work so that I can go home and read more of it!

No. 2 in the Three Pines series...A Fatal Grace or Dead Cold, depending on ... I don't know what it depends on. My copy is titled A Fatal Grace, but I see that the touchstone says it's Dead Cold. OK so far, but the murder victim is really too awful to be believed---someone would surely have killed her long before this...

Almost finished The Whisperers last night but just couldn't stay awake long enough. Looking forward to getting back to it tonight as soon as I force myself offline and into bed. (Fighting a cold or something is making me more tired than usual. Ugh.)

Finished Faithful Place by Tana French last week and enjoyed it a lot. It had a different feel to the first two books, focusing on a dysfunctional family in an old, poor part of Dublin, and was less of a police procedural type novel. I liked the first book In the Woods best, but they are all definitely worth a read.

I read the first of Julia Spencer-Fleming's series In the Bleak Midwinter this morning and enjoyed it. A quick, easy read. At first I thought it was going to be too cheesy and sentimental, but it developed well and I liked the two main characters. I've gone straight on to the second book, A Fountain Filled with Blood.

Hi! I'm getting a new project started to get together great recommendations for books by themes. I've called it Books By Themes (BBT) and your suggestions are most welcome! Here's the link.

166- Exactly! It would have been difficult for me NOT to kill that woman, lol! ;)

I finally got around to starting Ellis Peters' Cadfael mysteries a few months ago, and I keep coming back for more. I just started on The Leper of Saint Giles.

This is something I posted on my regular 75 group thread last August. I thought it might be appropriate to repost it here.

Here's an article from Jon Meacham writing in Newsweek: "Mysteries, Thrillers, and the Verities of the Heart.

Here's how the article begins:

A friend I thought I knew well startled me the other evening with a sweeping literary judgment that led me, for the first time, to question how much I truly understand him. The subject was mysteries and thrillers. “Oh, I can’t stand books like that,” he said, flatly, leaving no room for argument.

My failure to detect such a colossal character flaw before that moment bothered me, but then—reminding myself that we are always to look outward, toward others, focusing not on the devices and desires of our own hearts—I realized that I should reach out constructively rather than simmer silently.

Meacham goes on to encourage a list of favorite, worthwhile mystery/thriller writers on his friend, acknowledging lists as "dangerous and arbitrary." Among those on his list:

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series

Anything by P.D. James (especially poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh)

Denise Mina's "tough" novels about Glasgow

Benjamin Blacks compelling novels about 1950s Dublin pathologist with--surprise!--a problem with the drink

Tana French, whos first two novels in his opinion are superior to the newest one, Faithful Place

Henning Mankell and Arnaldur Indrioason, from "the colder European climes"

Daniel Silva's first novel, The Unlikely Spy plus his Gabriel Allon series

Lee Child's Jack Reacher collection

Charles McCarry, especially Shelley's Heart

Alex Berenson's CIA series about the post 9/11 world

I just started reading Barbara Burnett Smith's final Jolie Wyatt mystery, Skeletons in Purple Sage.

I am just starting The Guards by Ken Bruen. So far I am loving it!

> 178 Interesting article, thanks for the link.

I've been on a mystery binge this week and read the first two Julia Spencer-Fleming books, which I loved, and two Louise Penny books which were also good. Unusually for me, I guessed the murderer very early in Louise Penny's Dead Cold - do the rest of you often guess the killer in mystery books?

ETA - fixed touchstone

Looks like the touchstone for Dead Cold in #175 is a little off. Here's the right one, I hope.

I just finished Midnight Clear by Kathy Hogan Trocheck, which was just barely okay. Doesn't measure up to Louise Penny or some of the other authors called out in this thread.

>175 fabtk: - I do occasionally guess the murderer, including those in a couple of the Penny books. But not the killers in Bury Your Dead - book 6. Will you read the rest of the series?

>172 labwriter: - what a great list! Lots of new ones there and some old favorites as well - I need to look up some Lee Childs' Jack Reacher series - loved those!

>175 fabtk: - I probably figure out who the killer is well ahead of the revelation in most mysteries I read. Of course, the red herrings are there to keep you second-guessing yourself if the author employs them successfully. It is extremely rare that I read one where I don't have it narrowed it down to the killer or one other suspect. I recently read one where the person who committed the dastardly deed caught me completely by surprise. I was really surprised when the revelation came because this person had never even entered my thoughts as being the one.

I'm just starting Jar City by Arnaldur Indriason - and Icelandic mystery series. I love Kurt Mankell who writes a Swedish mystery series - so I think this should be a great read!

I'l read a couple of Louise Penny's books, and I'm sure I'll read the rest -and I love P.D.James as well!

#172 thanks for the article. I'll be sure to read it soon.

#179 I look forward to reading more Mankell books and to discovering Indridason. I've been reading Black and Blue by Ian Rankin and have to say though I've read quite a few inspector Rebus books, this is my favourite so far.

I expect to finish tomorrow Declan Hughes, The Wrong Kind of Blood, the 1st in the Ed Loy series featuring an Irish man who has worked as a PI in the US for years. In this book, he has returned to Ireland to see his dying mother, but while he's there, a whole heap of trouble has ensued. I've wanted to read this since I saw him speak at an event - I think it might have been Bristol nearly 5 years ago. I quite like it and I found the 2nd book in the series in a charity shop recently, there are 3 more to look forward to after that.

I'm just beginning Beneath the Blonde, the third in Stella Duffy's Saz Martin series, about a lesbian PI in south London.

Judy- I hope you enjoy The Guards, as much as I did. This is a great book and a great series!

I'm starting The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag tomorrow or the day after. I recently finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and enjoyed it greatly.

175- I find that the more mysteries I read in a short period of time, the better I get at figuring out whodunnit. And then if I stay away from mysteries for a while, I get rusty again. I guess reading lots of mysteries gets my brain to start thinking like a detective, lol...

Started Mistress of the Art of Death yesterday and wanted to run out and get the rest of the series immediately! This could also be considered historical fiction since there is so much about the time and place (Cambridge, 1141). I like the description: medieval mystery.

#172 - Thanks for the link - I'm adding Denise Mina to my list.

I'm currently listening to Tana French's first novel on audio.

#186: How do you like it, on audio?

Hi everyone, new here and trying to find a crime/thriller writer that I love as much as Jeffery Deaver- after the suspense of his books, I find others fall short for me. Any recommendations for mysteries with lots of good twists and turns? Have taken note of some mentioned on this thread already!

I love Denise Mina's work, and am looking forward to her next book due in May.

I've just finished The Wrong Kind of Blood by Declan Hughes, and am reading Beneath the Blonde by Stella Duffy.

Jeffery Deaver--he's the author I've been trying for days to think of. Thank You! I put The Bone Collector on my Kindle, read it, really liked it, and promptly forgot about the series.

I need to say thank you to this thread for introducing me to Laurie King! I just finished The Beekeeper's Apprentice and I LOVED it!

Kate :)

191> So glad to hear that you like it. The entire Mary Russell series is one of my favorites; I reread at least one (and usually more) of the books every year.

192> As soon as I finish the three other books that I picked up at the library then I will request the next in the series!

Kate :)

I've had Mistress of the Art of Death on my shelf for a while and finally started reading it on Sunday. I knew almost immediately I needed to go out and get the rest of the series! Got the third, have to hunt for the second.

193> I understand completely. I've got three books out from the library right now, plus four books borrowed from a friend, and yet I keep requesting books from the library. It's like an addiction.

#188 - MissMarch - Have you read the John Sandford series featuring Lucas Davenport? His work reminds me of Jeffrey Deavers. Rules of Prey is the first one in the series.

Also, I read Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt earlier this year, another first in a series. You may enjoy his work as well.

Also Red Dragon by Thomas Harris - that's one of the scariest serial killer books I ever read!

I just bought two new mass-market paperbacks and I was wondering if anyone else here has read them--Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen series? I haven't started them yet; I have a lot of work to do this week and once I start a mystery I usually can't put it down until I'm finished.

Sandy K

I read Her Royal Spyness last fall and liked it pretty well. I think I rated it at 3 1/2 stars. It's an interesting concept - a penniless minor royal who is expected to meet her social obligations. The characters reminded me of P.G. Wodehouse.

#198 I love P.G. Wodehouse; he is one of my very favorite authors. I'd heard the books had a Wodehousian feel--thanks for replying! Now I just have to keep myself from cracking the book open until the weekend when I have more reading time! Grr!

Sandy K

195> I believe we may be related! I have 4 books out from the library; the pile on my floor keeps growing since everyone knows how much I like to read; then I loaded my Kindle with a few for my upcoming trip this Thursday. It is a never ending addiction.

I know only watch, maybe, 2 hours of television a week.

K :)

>200 Kwidhalm: I don't watch that much TV either, except for a few crime dramas (I tell myself they're like mystery novels with pictures.)

Unfortunately, my library books are going to have to wait. I've got over 300 pages of reading each week for my classes. I can read a 300-page novel in an average week, but 300 pages of management theory and corporate economics is just not my cup of tea. So I'll probably frantically read my library books the night before they're due back. At least one grad school perk is 4-month university library loan periods. I can keep these things until April.

I thought Her Royal Spyness was enjoyable but I think Bowen's best books are the Molly Murphy series. I would highly recommend them.

I'm sick and flip-flopping between books finding one too complex, the next too lightweight. Started Moonlight Mile. Ahhh, just right.

#203: Oh really? I've had that on my Kindle for quite some time now, and have not yet started it--sometimes I "save" books, just to know that there will be something good I can read in case I "run out" (how I can run out with nearly 100 books sitting on my virtual or reality shelves is an interesting concept but I manage).

How do you like it, Nancy? Should that be my next book???

#202 Thanks, Oregonreader for the Molly Murphy series recommendation. I've checked the first one out from the library! I may need to have a mystery reading mini-marathon this weekend.

Sandy K

I'm about 20 percent of the way through the historical mystery, The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch.

I loved this series from the start but it keeps getting better and better. This is the third in the series.

#204. I'm really liking it. I'm assuming you've read the others in the series. Honestly, I like Lehane doing this better than the new fancy pants literary stuff :-)

Fnished Before the Frost by Henning mankell. It is the first Linda Wallander mystery.

#207: Yes, I have read the others in the series, Nancy, and thought they were terrific, not least because of the moral issues he raises.

OK, it's the next book! :-)

Just finished Purple Cane Road by James Lee Burke . Very violent book, with too many x rated scenes for me. I don't mind the violence but I don't like to feel smutty when I'm reading. The story line was interesting, revolving around a lot of dirty cops in New Orleans and a psychopathic killer for hire that attaches himself to the protagonist, Dave Robichieux. There was also a storyline of a woman on death row that I don't think added anything to the story. I enjoyed reading it, but I would say it was average in that everything didn't seemed to be pieced well together in the end.

Have you read the earlier books in the Robicheaux series, Regina? Burke is one of my favorites, and although he can get awfully grim and gritty, I find his overarching themes of moral integrity and personal growth very compelling. You probably do need to follow Robicheaux from the beginning to get the best feel for that, though.

Just started The Corpse Wore Tartan. It's a timely read, since the murder occurs at a Burns Night Supper.

Linda, I listened to the Elysian fields book, but I'm not sure I've read any others. I do like his character and his prose is lovely, but I can only take so much of that seamy side of society. I think of them as my Little Red Riding Hood books. They remind me that there are very bad wolves in the woods. I definitely agree with you on the overarching themes, but I still had a lot of questions at the end of the book. In a side note, did you read about the baseball pitcher that walked away from his 12 million dollar contract and just wants to go back home to Louisiana. He talked about the culture there and that there was no where else in the world like it. Supported Burke's writings on the area, which I find to be his best writing, when he is describing the landscape of LA.

I did not hear about that...very interesting. Having lived in Louisiana for 3 years, long ago, I know that it is unique and in many ways wonderful, although I fear that the elements Burke shows us of the seamy side are much more prevalent now than they were in the '70's. The area has a long history of corruption, which we knew about when we were there, but this new stuff is more pervasive and more frightening in a broader sense. I want to believe there are Dave Robicheaux's out there fighting evil for the rest of us.

I couldn't agree with you more.

I'm finishing up Ian Rankin's Black and Blue tonight and starting on Donna Leon's Through a Glass, Darkly tomorrow during the read-a-thon.

ETA: fixed touchstone.

>214 laytonwoman3rd: - I grew up in Louisiana. I don't live there now, but I'd probably agree that the seamier side of things is more prevalent now than it was when I was a kid. Still, my home state is like nowhere else, and James Lee Burke's books, seaminess and all, make me just a little homesick.

I finished Espresso Shot by Cleo Coyle this weekend. This was the first of her books that I'd read, and I loved it. I didn't figure out the mystery too early on, I loved Claire as the protagonist, and it had recipes, too. Win! I'd give it a solid four stars, and I plan to look for more of Coyle's coffeehouse mysteries.

>217 bunkie68: I plan to read some more in that series this year as well.

I am currrently reading The Case of the Missing Servant. Thus far, it is not blowing the socks off me. I will stick with it though because it is my last TIOLI book for January.

I am just starting Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey. I read Brat Farrar last year and really enjoyed it so am looking forward to reading this one.

Sam Eastland, The Eye of the Red Tsar because it's the first book in a series and I've been sent the next one, The Red Coffin aka Shadow Pass as an ER book. It's set in Stalin's Russia and I'm not really very impressed so far, fortunately it's quick reading.

#218: Thanks for the Coffeehouse Mystery series tip! I've read the first two, loved them and am on the 3rd. Lightweight but wonderful!

Last night I started the second of the series by Arianna Franklin, The Serpent's Tale. This series is works equally well as a mystery and historical fiction. In this book Adelia investigates the poisoning of Henry II's mistress, Rosamund.

I finished I'd Know You Anywhere last week and really loved it. I'm now off to a good start with Faithful Place, which is very, very interesting so far.

Are touchstones not working? I haven't managed to get any to work since last night.

Touchstones have been on an intermittent work-stoppage for many days. If only they'd tell us their demands, perhaps we could negotiate.

Finished a re-read of The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie, one of my ultimate comfort reads. This is probably her best non-Marple/Poirot novel, IMO.

Went to Half Price Books yesterday and guess what leapt into my basket?

That's right, the first Coffeehouse book. Thanks for the tip.

#227: Nancy, they're really fun! And the recipes at the end of each book are priceless. Also, tips on how to store coffee correctly, how to grind, proper way to get espresso, tips on espresso drinks, dessert recipes--and a mystery, too! How can u beat it?

Well, I just ordered the next Laurie King novel The Monstrous Regiment of Women from the Book Depository. I thought that I would give them another shot and timeliness of deliver means nothing since I have about a years supply of reading at the house anyway. I really need to join a support group for this addiction!!!!

I also just picked up an Alexander McCall Smith novel from the library which will be a first for me.

Love this site!

Kate :)

I've just bought the 9th Mary Russell novel even though I have at least 4 previous books in the series to catch up on. I also bought no 5 in another series by her.

#229: I really need to join a support group for this addiction!!!!

You did, Kate. You have us :)

But it probably won't help you overcome it. None of the online support groups I've joined did (my first was called 4_Mystery_Addicts, I now own more than 2,400 books in that genre).

Finished The Winter Queen today. Quite a charming book, I thought. Not a lot of surprises for me - much of the big mystery was telegraphed by the middle of the book, but it was still a lovely read. The ending, of course, sets up the series according to Raymond Chandler's rules in The Simple Art of Murder - do I have that right? I'll be looking for the next in the series soon.

I just started Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell. I'd be interested to hear what people think of these Kurt Wallander mysteries.

I just finished Murder at the National Gallery and Anatomy of Ghosts. The first was a disappointment in my opinion - Margaret Truman did a lot better with some of her other Capital Crimes titles. A lot of art forgery and inrigue and double cross, but no murder being solved until very late in the book. Not my favorite.

Anatomy of Ghosts was an ARC I got through the ER program - I have yet to write the review, but I enjoyed it! Has anybody else read this one, or other books by Andrew Taylor?

#235: I read Taylor's Bleeding Heart Square last year and enjoyed it, Mary Lynne.

I'm only on the first chapter of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher but enjoying it. I've wanted to read this one for a while.

>220 DeltaQueen50: - Have you read The Daughter of Time? That's the only book I've read by Josephine Tey, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.

>227 nancyewhite: - Yay! I was able to find the first one on BookMooch, and I can't wait for it to get here.

I finished Carved in Bone today - it was a heck of a book! I didn't see the ending until I got right up on it, and I loved the forensic science bits. If you're a fan of forensic-type novels, I'd highly recommend this one.

# 229 -- you are in for a treat. I almost with I had not read them yet, so I could enjoy them for the first time. Hers are among hte books I keep on a pile to re-read from time to time.

And on September 6, King's next Mary Russell novel, Pirate King, will be out! Great joy for all of us Laurie King fans!

235: I read The Anatomy of Ghosts last year and reviewed it for a website, www.thebookbag.co.uk. I think Suzanne who posts under the name Chatterbox read it too, and I've read someone else complaining that it was much too slow. I really enjoy Andrew Taylor's work - he has written a series of 7 books set in a village on the borders of England and Wales in the 1950s, called the Lydmouth series, which starts with An Air That Kills, and I also like the Roth trilogy books, especially The Office of the Dead.

I'm planning to start reading Mistress of the Art of Death in honour of the late Ariana Franklin aka Diana Norman later today.

Late Ariana Franklin?? When did she die? That's really too bad--I loved the series.

>241 elkiedee: - Thanks for the additional books! Not one, but two new series to add to my TBR pile! Nice review, too, by the way. I agree with you that Taylor does a very good job evoking the atmosphere of the city and defining his characters, both male and female. If one has any doubts about the squalid conditions of London in the 18th century, Anatomy of Ghosts makes them pretty darn real.

Going away to find the two Taylor series you mentioned...

#242 She just died on January 27th, Joyce. Here's a link to a thread you may not follow. I'm sure you were short on threads to read and will be thrilled to know about this one!

Thanks, Linda, but I already looked it up. Too, too bad.

New Flavia book just out - A Red Herring without Mustard. Will visit book store tonight!

Yee Gads, I love mysteries but I don't think I've ever read what's referred to as a cozy mystery. Unless The #1 Ladies Detective Agency counts or Al Roker's The Morning Show Murders which didn't seem to cozy and I didn't care much for.

I have yet to read a Sherlock or Agatha Christie mystery. (please throw marshmellows only at me). Suppose I can try that on.

I have 2 books going now and Odd Thomas is one of them. Maybe that's more of a suspense mystery.

Yee Gads doubled, all these titles I do not know.

Welcome to this world that is called "The 75 Book Challenge", where posting one book leads to adding 4 more to your wish list!

#238 - Bunkie68 - Thanks for the recommendation, Daughter of Time is definitely on the wishlist. That seems to be the book everyone talks about when Josephine Tey's name comes up!

What the heck, I finished Lehane's Darkness, Take My Hand and started the next in the series, Sacred. Life's too short to wait.

I have Daughter of Time ... somewhere.... Is there any problem with reading it without being familiar with the earlier Alan Grant mysteries?

#251: No, Linda--it reads beautifully on its own. It's a wonderful book.

Thanks, Joyce. I think it's time I acquainted myself with Josephine Tey.

I'm reading Three Seconds by Anders Roslund, an ER book. It took me a while to get into it (all those long Swedish and Polish names!), but the action is pretty exciting!

#253: My guess is that it will lead you on to other Tey books. I know it did for me.

Hope you're right, Joyce. Those are the kind I love to discover.

Linda, I do have to say that while I enjoyed the others, Daughter of Time was, for me, the best. However, that might have been the subject matter. Decades previously I had read thomas Costain's history of the Plantagenets and was already familiar with--and intrigued by--the theory that Richard III was not the nasty of Shakespeare's play.

Late to the wake, but sad to hear about Ariana Franklin. I was really enjoying that series.

#255 I recently read Brat Farrar - last year - and Daughter of Time many years ago. Am definitely wanting to read the rest of Tey's soon.

I've just finished Flowers for the Judge, one of the earlier Margery Allingham Campion mysteries, but almost the last in my read/re-read through all which I started last year. Not her best one, on the whole I prefer the later ones. Can't work out the significance of the title still!

I'm reading the second Iain Pears art history mystery, The Titian Committee. So far, only okay.

#260: Linda, that's how I felt about the whole series--or at least the 3 or 4 that I read.

Oh someone (anyone), please tell me that this Alexander McCall Smith book The Sunday Philosophy Club gets better at some point. I'm 85 pages into it and it's like watching paint dry. I will finish it but unless it gets much better I'm going to have to skip his other works.

I have started reading A Share In Death by Deborah Crombie. It drew me in right away, and best of all it's just the first one in the series, so I have lots more to look forward to.

263: So you do - I've recently read nos 10 and 11 in the series, and have the next two out of the library - I think there's one more but they're published here a bit later than in the US.

#262: I made it through that one and tried the 2nd one and gave up. Know exactly how you feel.

#262: I too hoped it would get better and it never did. I didn't even try the 2nd book.

Well, I can honestly say that I won't be picking up another of his books. Geesh! I'm 130 pages into it and had to start another book just so I wouldn't go cuckoo! Hopefully, I will finish it today and return it IMMEDIATELY to the library.

Sigh.............

#267: His #1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in Botswana is excellent. Just this philosopher or whatever it is series is forgettable.

#262: Sorry to disappoint you, but NO...

Read something with more substance instead, like Reginald Hill (One of my favourites)

#267, 268

I agree - the Botswana series is fun, although the later ones are not as fresh as the early ones. - I got through the first couple of books of the Philosophy one- but have no interest in continuing the experience.

#268, 260, 270> I couldn't bring myself to finish that horrid book. I decided that life is too short to read bad literature. :) I'm going to look up Reginald Hill.

K

271: I hope I like the series more than you do - I still have to catch up with Mma Ramotswe. Whose books have you liked?

My current reading pile's lacking a mystery but is too big to add to and I'm expecting two more Bookbag review books in Wednesday's post, so don't want to start anything else too interesting. Will have to make up for it soon!

I really liked Laurie King! I'm waiting for the second one to arrive that I ordered from the Book Depository. I LOVED Steig Larssons's books...

I just felt like I was going around in circles while reading TSPC. One page 130, I finally said: "What is this stupid book about....."

There has only been 2 books that I haven't been able to make myself finish and this is one of them.

I like the Philosophy series and dislike the Botswana series. ::hangs head::

I have no idea why. However, unlike most mystery series, I think the Philosophy series worsens as you go along so if you aren't enjoying the first don't even bother to finish it or continue the series.

I finished A Murderous Procession yesterday. What a series! It ended on quite a cliffhanger and I can only hope that the sequel was written before Ms Franklin passed.

I finished reading The Mistress of the Art of Death this morning. I have the next two from the library to read. Apparently she did have another completed manuscript in the series.

I will keep an eye out for it. Thanks.

I've just put up a Mystery March Thread

Hope you join in! :-)

Reading The track in the Sand by Andrea Camilleri. I really enjoy this author.

#279 I'll be reading Andrea Camilleri's The Shape of Water in March. I have another book in the series, not the second, do you think it needs to be read in order or not?

I haven't read the Camilleri's in order because my library doesn't have them all. Except keeping up with his personal life, I don't see the need to read them in order. Enjoy.

I just started The Black Cat by Martha Grimes, the latest (I think) and definitely the next for me in the Jury series. Mungo is back!

I've started the February read for my Agatha Christie group, The Secret of Chimneys.

I've just finished the second in the Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom, Dark Fire, and loved it. If you liked Wolf Hall or you like historical crime, you'll probably love these books.

New thread for continuation of this discussion here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/110106