January 2011 - What are we reading?

Happy New Year! Here’s the brand new thread for the first month of the new year. Enjoy!

Edited.

I'm starting off the new year with a new-to-me series, Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I enter the New Year reading Love Me to Death by Allison Brennan, which I'm enjoying.

Continuing my Elizabethan Theater Mystery Series by Edward Marston with #6, The Silent Woman.

None of the touchstones are working! Happy New Year!

I'm in the middle of Bleak House, which has a mystery element, and about to take a break form it to re-read The Thirteenth Tale for my meetup group. Waiting to see what will be the next few selections for my public library's mystery group.

Reading the first of Jackson Brodie mysteries, Case Histories. I've read the next two, and wish I had read this one first, so I could have known Jackson when I met him in the other books.

>5 Jim53: Jim53 I hope you're enjoying Bleak House. It's my favourite Dickens.

I began Ash & Bone by John Harvey, but knew after after the first couple of chapters that it wasn't a book I would enjoy. No criticism of the writing here: Just not my cup of tea.

The Falls by Ian Rankin has jostled its way to the top of Mount TBR and I'm looking forward to beginning that today.

I probably won't start a mystery for another week or so. Next up will probably be Elizabeth George's In pursuit of the proper sinner I either love her books or find them overly complicated.

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart

Not a mystery unless one wonders at his motivation and mental state but I am reading Caravaggio; A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon and it will be a while before I get through it. I'll probably branch out into something lighter every so often but it is an easy book to read. The pictures, of course, are beautiful ...

>5 Jim53:,7 Bleak House is my favorite Dickens, too. Kind of dark, really exciting, tremendously moving. Esther is a great heroine.

I'm reading my fourth Kurt Wallender mystery - The Man Who Smiled. I've really enjoyed his previous books, so I am sure this will be no exception.

Reading Dark Hollow by John Connolly. I'm surprised that I'm currently enjoying it, because so far it's been overwhelmingly negative. I usually go for more light-hearted affairs. It feels like quite an effort just to turn the page, like it's weighed down by its own negative energy. Yikes!

Reading No Lesser Plea ostensibly by Robert K. Tanenbaum but I am trying it because I think it was written by Michael Gruber. I read something where he wrote couple of books for Tanenbaum who was his cousin, and this one has thanks to Gruber for all his assistance.

Also mentioned this over in the Cozy Mysteries group ... Tutu Deadly by Natalie Roberts. Just a fun, ornery cozy with a wisecracking, junk-food snarfing dance teacher fending off helicopter parents and mini-ballerinas with bladder control problems.

Am about 60 pages into Palace Council and it's shaping up to be another deeply satisfying thriller. I think Stephen L. Carter has gotten better with each book since The Emperor of Ocean Park.

I am enjoying my first Minette Walters The Ice House which is soooo good!

>14 quartzite: If No Lesser Plea does turn out to be as good as Gruber's books please shout it from the rooftops!

Kissed a Sad Goodbye by Deborah Crombie

I read The Thirteenth Tale about a month and a half ago -- while the writing itself wasn't great, I thought the plot was really engaging.

@17 - I really enjoyed most of Minette Walter's books - you are in for a treat! :)

Nemesis by Jo Nesbo Enjoying it so far.

I'm currently reading God's Spy and loving it! It's fast-paced, intruiging and not so much about who is the killer (we know that, so do the detectives) but where he is and what he's going to do next.

I read Outwitting Trolls by William Tapply and Avalanche by Patrick McManus. I'm going to start A Buried Lie by roberta Isleib.

The Falls by Ian Rankin. Another Inspector Rebus intrigue. Good characterisation as usual in this series, and a great sense of place (the city of Edinburgh).

Will start Blood Runs Cold by Alex Barclay later tonight.

I picked up several "first in the series" by unfamiliar but seemingly interesting authors when I placed my bookcloseouts order. I have a stack of them lined up to try out for the New Year :)

I am reading Forty Words For Sorrow by Giles Blunt, the first in his series of Canadian Crime Fiction. Have only got to Chapter Three, but it's grabbed me already.

Silhouette in Scarlet / Vicky Bliss #3 by Elizabeth Peters

I'm always looking for more female or gay detective/p.i./sleuths.

Based on No Lesser Plea I would not say that the Karp/Ciampi books are a new set of Grubers. I could see Gruber's hand with the interesting characterization of some of the players, but this contrasted baldly with some highly cliched cartoony characters in minor roles. It also seemed to be consciously modelled after M*A*S*H* in others with the prosecutors engaging in outrageous practical jokes and sexual hijinks as a way to stay sane in their losing battle against the tide of crime. One third Gruber, one third cliche and one third MASH?

Allegedly the quality of the series went markedly down hill when Gruber quit writing them though.

Last night I started my most recent LT ER offering, The Anatomy of Ghosts. Surprised myself by reading to page 133 of 469 before going to sleep. Pretty interesting historical mystery so far, and very well written.

I just finished I am not a Serial Killer Dan Wells

Started Beneath the Skin my first time reading Nicci French

Just finished Dead Simple, by Peter James; thinking of A Dark-adapted Eye, Barbara Vine next.

#1

"Happy New Year fellow mystery buffs" -- LOL

It's kinda ironic that this is a "Crime, Thriller, and Mystery" group, and the 2 I read are True Crime and Thriller, not mystery (some thrillers have a mystery tie to it, but I don't read the basic who-dun-it book like Lilian Jackson Braun any more - quit that around 2000)

Hey, just had to throw it out there. We all know what you really meant! :-)

Anyway, I started late last week on The Collectors by David Baldacci. About 120 pages in.

Reading What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman. Enjoying it so far. This is the first Lippman book for me.

agneson9: Have you read Val McDermid?

Read the Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson over the break (I'm a teacher). Thought they were fantastic. I went into them a little skeptical because of all the hype, but ended up loving them. Great characters and interesting story lines. A shame he died. I think we would have seen more good stories out of him.

tjm568: I read those, thought they were great. Enjoyed the movies also.

I am reading Fannie Flagg's most recent book, I Still Dream About You. I just started it but there is supposed to be a mystery in this one.

>29 quartzite: Thanks for the feedback. I guess I'll pass.... I do love Gruber, though.

#32, You'll love A Dark Adapted Eye if you decide to read it. I think that was a five star read for me.

Oh, and I'm reading Don't Look Back which is making me lose track of time!

Finished The Man Who Smiled by Henning Mankell. What wonderful series of mystery/ thrillers set in Sweden -and written by a swedish author. Well plotted, great characters, and the atmosphere is so well developed. I really enjoy Henning Mankell's books.

#41 At first I felt a bit "thrown in at the deep end"- the way characters are dropped into a sentence and you only find out who they are & their relation to the other characters a page (or two) later, but yup, it has got its hooks into me. I looked on Amazon & it has 9 reviews- all 5 star :D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0140086366/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=U...

Happy New Year! I'm reading The Corpse Wore Tartan by Kaitlyn Dunnett.

Finished Worth Dying For the latest Reacher novel. Typical of the Reacher books. Lots of Reacher kicking the crap out of nefarious villains. I know they are brain candy, but they sure are fun.

Started Bad Blood (which I found for sale at the library for a buck...SCORE). This is the latest John Sandford book, and centers on the Virgil Flowers character (That fucking Flowers....). Again, typical of the breed, but loads of fun anyway.

Andieg- I have heard mixed reviews of the movies. I really loved the books, so I am hesitant to sully their memory by seeing sub-par movies. You recommend them though, huh?

wonderlake - oh I love A Dark Adapted Eye and am a bit jealous that you get to read it fresh. I'd love to erase it from my memory and read it fresh, too. Best mystery I ever read.

I'm nearly done with By Blood Possessed by Elena Santangelo. It was recommended to me some time ago and I recently acquired a copy. Mixture of modern and Civil War histories of the same place and families. I'm really enjoying it.

I've finished Poirot Investigates as I continue to read the Christies in order. Not one of the best, but Poirot's ego is enormous (more than usual) here.

I started re-reading Christie's Nemesis last night. I don't remember Miss Marple being quite so forgetful. Maybe this is one of the later ones, where she's supposed to be older.

# 49 Nemesis is actually the last Miss Marple novel ‘written’ by Agatha Christie, although Sleeping Murder was the last ‘published’ one. The plot of the story is good but as with most late Christie books this one has a rambling, incoherent feel to it.

Thanks, Porua. "Rambling, incoherent" expresses it exactly. I know I'll still enjoy it, but now my expectations won't be quite the same as they are for most of her work.

tjim568: I really enjoyed the movies. They are very dark and don't hold any of the violence back so if you don't like that type of movie you wouldn't like them. They did sometimes change parts that I didn't think they should have but all in all they did a good job. I didn't find the subtitles to be a distraction either. I think the American version, that won't even come out till sometime around christmas this yea,r will be a very unnecessary movie. Anyway those are my opinions for what they are worth.

I'm currently reading The Elf of Luxembourg which is a mystery, maybe? Not quite far enough in it to say for sure. Also reading The Lost Hero, which might not be a traditional mystery, but it sure is mysterious right now!

I finished The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax recently, loved them both! Yet another series to add to my reading list :)

I am reading August Heat by Andrea Camilleri and have a few more in the series stacked up and ready.

Just finished L A Requiem by Robert Crais. Have enjoyed all the Elvis Cole novels to date - this one, which centers on Joe Pike, is one of the best. Continuing to read a story each day from The Innocence of Father Brown. Flambeau is re-invented in a somewhat different persona for nearly each story, so far.

The Game is Afoot Edited by Marvin Kaye

Not sure what my first 2011 mystery will be. I am now reading my required books for January book groups. No mystery this month. But will read one of my own when I finish the others.

# 51 You’re welcome!

Finished the third book of the Raffles: The Amature Cracksman series A Thief in the Night and will be starting Mr. Justice Raffles. I'm enjoying them so far. I like the fact that more times than not things go wrong for Raffles and Bunny and they even fail in their attempts once in a while.

#59---I saw this series at the library the other day and am giving them very serious consideration. I'm glad to know you enjoy it. It gives me more reason to pick one up next week.

Reading The Shotgun Rules by Charlie Huston.

Cindy- I have not read this Huston title yet, but I have it on the shelf. My next Huston will be My Dead body, the last Joe Pitt book. When I'll be able to get to it, I'm not sure. Charlie Rules!

Reading In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith. I am hoping to read a good chunk of this series this year, as I always enjoy them when I read them. Such gentle, comforting little mysteries.

Peter Robinson's Past Reason Hated.

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs

I just finished 61 Hours and The Bricklayer. Both were good books. Now I am on to an ER book Agent X. I am definitely on a suspense kick lately. :)

I'm reading both Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and A Drink Before the War. I like them but since they are the same genre, I think I better stick with just one.

Just started The Devotion of Subject X by Keigo Higashino. Apparently this guy is HUGE in Japan. Liking it so far.

Read Eric Wright's Death in the Old Country, which is the first Charlie Salter mystery I've come across. Enjoyed it. Also, working on Dorothy Cannell's God Save the Queen and looking at Elizabeth George's In pursuit of the proper sinner. I find I either love or truly dislike George's books, but they're usually so long that I have to work myself up to them.

Just started Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. Nothing like a good historical mystery on rainy winter nights.

I'm just starting Fatal Fixer- Upper

I've been reading the Charlotte traffic reports, and finally got into downtown without crashing.

I was born and lived in NJ for 13 1/2 years, so I know all about driving in the snow - Drive slow, pump breaks and don't try to stop hard, turn the wheel in the direction of the skid, etc.

Well, with Charlotte not being a big snow city, there are very few plows. Therefore, you don't see lane dividers. Therefore, I found 2 lines of black pavement, and went via that, regardless if I was between 2 lanes or not. A bunch of knuckleheads were driving WAY to fast. In one case, he honked at me, made me veer over to the right, luckily with no other cars near me, going about 55 MPH.

About 500 feet later, he spun out.

I don't normally wish evil on people, but for him, HE DESERVED IT!

So many freaking morons that don't know how to drive here when it rains or snows.

For those that read this message in its entirity, thanks for reading my vent. Hopefully you've got better things to read this month than traffic reports on a snowy day in a city where everyone's brain falls out of their head when they get behind the steering wheel in bad weather conditions.

Oh, and I put it here because as far as I'm concerned, driving 55 MPH in snow and ice is a CRIME!

>72 ThrillerFan:: I am so on your side on this one! I am north of Atlanta and there are quite a few fools on the road here. I think people assume it isn't as bad as they say on the news and they think they are invincible. Sometimes they need to learn a hard lesson. The problem is that many times they take out the innocent people along with them. Stay safe and warm!

#73

Thanks. Nice to see that there are other human beings in the area and not just mad traffic maniacs.

I saw the pictures in your profile. I'm going to wager you are dressed more like your trip to Alaska today than your trip to the Western Carribean!

How many inches did Atlanta get? I think Charlotte was at about 2 inches maybe 2 hours ago, and it's still snowing.

Sleet come the afternoon, freezing rain come tonight. Tuesday Morning's commute is going to be worse than Today's was.

(With sarcastic tone) Yippie!

Was stationed at Ft. Bragg some years back. If they even got a dusting of snow they shut the post down. You were risking your life even walking on the sidewalks. I grew up and learned to drive in Chicago, so snow was no mystery, but in these places where snow is unusual they should close the roads when it snows.

of course, no matter where you go there are the idiots in the SUVs who think they are impervious. It doesn't matter how many wheel drive you have when it is icy.

#75

And low and behold, this one was driving an SUV.

Like you said, ice is not the same as offroad terrain.

The other one I see people feel has all the power int he world is Pickups.

Well, I'll be leaving work today at 3pm EST, hopefully the knuckleheads are all in their hospital beds by then.

>76 ThrillerFan: Thanks for your postings, ThrillerFan. You brightened a dismal rainy morning here with your "crime and thriller" account of driving on snow touched roads in the south. Glad you're safe and hope your venting has lightened your karma.

>74 ThrillerFan:: Yeah, we are very bundled up today. :) There is between 5 and 7 inches of snow in my front yard (depending on where you stand). And now there is a quarter of an inch of ice on top of the snow. It is definitely nasty outside. My neighbor used his 4-wheeler to go up to our local Kroger (a little over 2 miles) to buy beer. Too funny!! I am staying in where it is warm...now that we have gone out to play. I will post a pic of the snow from today. Hard to believe it is Atlanta.

I liked the Thirteenth tale; it had a good plot and I wish the author would come out with another book along the same plot line.
Right now, I'm reading The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo. Very good plot!

I live in Charlotte also and the snow was drivable yesterday. But this morning was a different story with the ice coating. I've been outside trying to de-ice my car.

Gone back to Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series with The Magdalen Martyrs. Unremittingly harsh but so good to read.

ThrillerFan, I agree with you, if folks don't know how to drive in the white stuff, they should stay off the roads!

As a native Texan, in an area that does not get much snow or ice, I'm smart enough to know when I'm in over my head. Consequently, because we had some snow and ice yesterday, I stayed home.

Too bad there aren't more people like me where you live. :-)

Dave- I'm glad you are enjoying The Magdalen Martyrs. This is such a great series! Bruen rules! I've read the 1st 4 Taylor books, hopefully I can fit the 5th one in, in the next couple of months.

Mark, it's definitely right up there as one of my favourite series. Finished off Magdalen and just put up my review. I have the 4th & 5th on my tbr shelves but not sure when I'm going to get to them. Next up for me will probably be Night Soldiers by Alan Furst which is another that seems to get universal praise.

Finished The Shotgun Rules by Charlie Huston dark and intense. It was really good.

Now reading Arctic chill by Araldur Indridason starting out pretty good. May be up for awhile to night.

Continuing my explorations of the mystery fiction of 1930's writer E.R.Punshon with The Cottage Mystery. He's completely out of print but you can find his books on eBay and Abe books. Well worth it.

no touchstone of course!

>86 abealy:
Do you mean The Cottage Murder?

>87 sqdancer: whoops, thanks sqdancer. That's exactly what I meant!

Easy typo to make with a mystery novel. Just wanted to make sure I was ILL'ing the right book. :)

Finished Arctic Chill must read something light after reading two heavy mysteries in a row.
This was a new author for me. Will be looking forward too more.

What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman - complex plotting and excellent characterisation.

Starting Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

Almost halfway through They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie

Hi all, although a little belated Happy New Year! I just joined this Reading Group. Starting Strip Jack by Ian Rankin, an author I enjoy very much.

Just finished and reviewed Shibumi. Great book!
Almost finished with The Devotion of Suspect X, which is turning out to be quite an elegantly constructed mystery.

Just finished The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny...thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tonight I am starting Tana French's latest book, Faithful Place.

I read French's first two books and really enjoyed them. Can't wait to hear what you think of this one.

Picked up Tom Clancy's Net Force and the sequel Hidden Agendas from the library today. I've read several of Tom Clancy's novels more years ago than I'd care to admit, but I've never read them in any order. So, I've decided to start at the beginning of a series and read my way through it. I just picked one to start with, the library just happened to have the first part of the Net Force series, so that's what I'm going with.

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

Finished Elizabeth George's In pursuit of the proper sinner. I find that she's such an absorbing storyteller that I'm usually drawn in by the book and only after I finish it do I have questions about the plot. This was a good story. Will be reading Alan Williams' The Beria papers next.

Just finished Tinkers by Paul Harding and about to start The Last Child by John Hart.

>101 laruebk: - The Last Child is a great read. I hope you like it, too. I also loved Tinkers but opinion seems to be mixed.

Have just begun A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré. Don't know how this, the second of Le Carré's novels got by me - thought I had read all his books. Looking forward to meeting George Smiley and maybe Ann.

Just began an ARC of One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Good so far.

A Murder of Quality was a great read - so nice to meet George Smiley again. Just the slightest mention of ex-wife Ann, though.
Felt a little snookered by the denouement - the revelation of the "shortcomings' of the victim set-up an entirely new perpective - I suppose that's the point that Le Carré was making.

Just finished Strip Jack and reading Deadlock by Paretsky, another author I love.

Red Wolf by Liza Marklund. It seems that others of hers have been translated, but I've never even seen them on the shelf before. Maybe this is her first to come to the States? At any rate, so far it's good, tho' I'm not yet understanding the apparent international fuss about how wonderful she is. But I'm not too far into it, so we'll see.

#95 Shibumi is one of my favorite books. I think I may read it in February. My January TBR is full.

#100 I enjoy almost all of Elizabeth George's books. I frequently hate when they end, and start finding reasons to put off finishing the book. Dumb, I know, but there you are.

Finished 206 Bones now on to Vanishing Point by Marcia Muller

Just finished The Collectors by David Baldacci.

Now it's off The Judas Strain by James Rollins

A Caribbean Mystery, featuring Miss Marple, was okay, but not one of Dame Agatha's best, as Porua had warned me.

ReadingThe Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly. Had this book for a while finally getting round to reading it.

So far this month I finally got around to reading The Girl Who Played With Fire which I found somewhat disappointing; devoured Elizabeth George's latest, This Body of Death, which was wonderful and as usual, had rich and colorful characters, both major and minor; enjoyed Ruth Rendell's Portobello, but didn't really think it was on par with what I have come to expect from her; and just finished Sue Grafton's U is for Undertow, which I thought was okay.

Currently, I am reading Patrica Highsmith's A Suspension of Mercy and so far, so good.

Susan Hill's The Vows of Silence.

Enjoying Murder at the Chateau by Elliott Roosevelt. I've read a couple others in the series---Eleanor Roosevelt is the sleuth, and since this is written by her son, there are some nice "insider" personality touches---and this is my favorite to date.

I finally started on the Cadfael series a few months ago, and I just picked up another one - The Leper of Saint Giles. Once I got started on them, I keep coming back for more!

Reading Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson, the latest Jackson Brodie mystery.

>118 raidergirl3: I love Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books...even the titles are awesome.

Just finished Vanishing Point now on to Gerritsen's the Apprentice

Have just started The Collectors by David Baldacci. Was disappointed by the first of the Camel Club series but a friend gave me four more of the novels so I guess I owe them a duty to be read.

I'm just about 30 pages into by Jar City: A Reykjavik Thriller by Arnaldur Indriðason.I'm enjoying it very much so far.

I'm finally getting to The White Lioness. It's the 3rd Kurt Wallander book.

#121

If you look at message 110, I literally just finished that book on Saturday morning.

I can tell you that when it comes to the 2 novels, The Camel Club vs The Collectors, about all they have in common is the main cast, and so really you're comparing apples to oranges.

In some ways, I find this a strength as some authors seem to write the same book over and over again.

Hope you enjoy it. I gave it 5 stars. BTW, if it says anything, I gave The Camel Club only 4 stars vs 5 for The Collectors :-)

I haven't started the third yet, Stone Cold, as I'm reading multiple series at a time, kinda toggling between 4 authors, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, David Baldacci, and David Lynn Golemon.

About 130 pages into The Judas Strain by Rollins. It's the 4th of his Sigma Force series. Also read the first 5 of his 6 standalone novels. Highly recommended author if you like thrillers based on science and history (i.e. 7 Wonders, Marco Polo, etc.)

Not finished with Murder at the Chateau yet, but couldn't resist peeking at The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear ... and before I knew it, I was four chapters in ... love Maisie Dobbs!

Just started Double Prey by Steven Havill

#124

I read The Camel Club and didn't really care for it that much. Are the later ones better?

I loved the first book by Goleman, Event. Are the following stories as good?

#127

As mentioned in 124, I've only read the first 2 thus far. Haven't read the last 3 yet.

However, The Collectors is better than The Camel Club.

The main cast is the same, but the plot is very different. More direct involvement with the main 4 characters (including imprisonment, death threats, etc.)

Do keep in mind, however, this is a Thriller, not a Mystery. You know who did it from the first chapter. The main 4 characters, however, are mislead, and it's what happens to them (along with a 5th guest character) over the course of time that makes the book an enjoyable read. If you are looking for a book where you the reader don't know who the serial killer is, you need to move over from Thrillers to Who-Dunit books.

The best analogy: The Collectors is Forensic Files or Deadly Women or one of those other shows on the ID channel where you know who is guilty, but how they went about finding the evidence includes a ton of twists, turns, and deadly acts. Who-Dunit books (like Lilian Jackson Braun) is more like Law & Order, Special Victims Unit. Who did it might not be known, but you've seen the only death within the first 10 pages of the book.

Hope this helps.

>ThrillerFan

I think sometimes (often?) my regard for a book is how I perceive its verisimilitude. Until lately I was annoyed by the idea of killer-government-agents - CIA, NSA or others. But since reading in the New York Times of Duane R. Clarridge my perceptions are changing. I think I'll enjoy the Camel Club books more now than I anticipated. My reading of The Collectors well underway and so far I am enjoying it.

Thanks for your interesting posts.

RonWelton,

It's funny you say that you judge by how you feel about certain organizations. Actually, in some ways, the CIA I agree with more than the Federal Government. What was "W" doing the night of Septermber 10th, 2001? Probably playing with a ball of string like a cat! If you ever read any of Vince Flynn's books, specifically the "Mitch Rapp" series, I actually agree with the CIA's approach when it comes to terrorists.

However, I don't judge based on my political beliefs. If the book is written about the tea party (cough, clear throat, moron party), so be it. What matters to me is that it has enough scenes where very fast thinking is required or otherwise it's SOL!

James Rollins - Deep Fathom, a guy is swimming under a tunnel for 4+ minutes, water in the lungs and at the brink of suffocation - my heart skipped a beat, and I even found myself holding my breath when reading those couple of pages.

Other items, besides suffocation, could be being completely surrounded, 360 degrees, by deadly creatures (i.e. poisonous snakes), terrorists, or any other type of "oh s**t, I'm completely boxed in" scene, killing of the only person/witness that knows what's going on and so the crime spree continues, serial murderers/rapers/thieves that continue throughout the book where it's not a matter of "who did this", but instead "we know John Doe is doing this, but how the h**l come he is always one leg up on us? How do we take down this rat b**t*rd?, Government takeovers, hostages, war, being the innocent by-stander in a city filled with heavy gun-violence, exploratory missions where you run into creatures or other death-threatening traps, or where you have no clue where you're going, and food and water supply are about drained, or most other scenes that will keep you up at night.

What I don't do is the Jack got killed, we found a footprint, this footprint matches the footprint of a repeat offender from Sacramento, detective flies from Little Rock to Sacremento, finds and catches the guy, brings him back to Little Rock, woman identifies him, he's sent to jail, everyone else in the book lives happily ever after. I'd rather not read a 500 page book where nobody dies from pages 11 to 500.

Finished Promises in Death by J.D. Robb.

I just finished Daniel Palmer's psychological thriller Delirious and am starting on his father's (Michael Palmer) medical mystery A Heartbeat Away next.

I'm about to start Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom.

Finished Evil in Return by Elena Forbes, #3 in the Mark Tartaglia series. I think it's the best one yet.

Just started 1222 by Anne Holt. Interesting so far with the first-person narrator making some observations that have made me laugh.

Thrillerfan

Enjoyed your description of your reading experiences. Agree very much with your last paragraph. I'm not at all well read in the "thriller genre" but am enjoying The Collector much more the the Camel Club not so much for thrilling moments but for the way the plot is intertwining and the characters are becoming more "real" to me.

This month I read three of the four Håkan Nesser mysteries I had picked up: The Return, Mind's Eye, and Woman with Birthmark. I thought The Return pretty good, but became less satisfied as I read the other. Woman with Birthmark is a pretty straightforward psychological thriller, not a police procedural. I'm pretty picky about my police procedurals these days:-) The books are spare, thus characterization is spare (I have little sense of the characters, including Chief Inspector Van Veeteren after 3 books), and the mystery is more puzzle than procedural, thus more Agatha Christie than P.D. James, imo (if you know what I mean).

After a foray into some world literature, I've drifted back to begin the first Gary Disher book, The Dragon Man, recommended to me by pamelad.

I've finished and reviewed Turkish Gambit in my thread...post #197. I read this book before the first in the series, that's how much I couldn't wait to read it! And, for a wonder, I'm only mildly sorry I did. Normally I'd be unable to do this. Enjoyable book!

RonWelton,

Glad you're enjoying the book. I won't spoil what happens. Only warning I will give is that however long it takes you to read roughly 120 pages or so, leave yourself that amount of time for the last 120 pages. I found The Collectors to be one of those books where I could put it down for the night, or to go to work, for the first 380 to 400 pages (not that it was bad, but wasn't dying for the "what's next, what's next????"). However, I did have to put it down once in those last 120 pages because I had to go to work the next day. All I did at work was wonder what happened next after that (that was last Friday).

I'm currently 187 pages into The Judas Strain. The whole part 1 (157 pages) seemed like 2 completely different stories, and now the pieces are finally starting to fit together here in the 7th chapter.

You'll probably beat me to reading Stone Cold as the next book I read will be whatever I'm most in the mood for at the time amongst:

- Legend (David Lynn Golemon)
- The Last Oracle (James Rollins)
- Pursuit of Honor (Vince Flynn)
- Stone Cold (David Baldacci)

I'm reading Touch-Me-Not by Cynthia Riggs. I enjoy the series even though teh main character has been 92 for about 8 books.

Reading The Girl Who played with Fire Then, onto The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest waiting on my shelf.

Also, just finished Lady Audley's Secret a Victorian era mystery, surprisingly good.

Great forum..glad I found it! I just moved to Wien, Aut, and was pretty desperate to find some English language books and I did but there was not much of a selection. I picked up and started reading "Wash this Blood Clean from my Hand" by Fred Vargas...a French writer..who is a woman.

It's a Jean-Baptist Adamsberg novel, and of course, I don't get to start at the beginning, but this book starts out great and her stlye of writing is really - different - in a very good way.

Looking forward to reading many of the books mentioned here as well.

>142 KristiEnigl: KristiEnigl Glad you're enjoying Vargas's writing. Quirky stories aren't they?

I'm reading Bad Boy by Peter Robinson. The story's fairly zipping along.

I recently finished Stork Raving Mad and the Girl with Braided Hair. Currently reading Burn by Nevada Barr. All light, fast reads from the library. Playing hooky from some ARCs I should be finishing and reviewing.

Travis, I just finished Lady Audley's Secret too. I really loved it. Just the kind of meaty read I needed.

Finished Before the Frost by Henning Mankell. The first Linda Wallander mystery. She has just graduated from the police academy and gets involved helping her father before she actually has started on the police force.

Just started The Sherlockian by Graham Moore.

#142 - Kristi, if you need a source of English-language books, why not try BookMooch.com? It's a site where you offer books to other people, gain points for listing/sending books out, and can then use those points to get books from others, worldwide. It feels very good to actually look forward to the arrival of the postman!

I finished Jar City and gave it 3.8 stars. Very bleak and in places, I could not had to put it aside while I ate!;) However, I enjoyed it well enough to begin the second in the Icelandic Series - Silence of the Grave.
@146 I really enjoy Henning Mankell! I've read about 5 books in the series -but not Before the Frost - but I have it at the ready!:)

132 - I look forward to reading that one also.

I am reading Blood over Badge by Wayne Farquhar

I just started Quilt As You Go by Arlene Sachitano

>142 KristiEnigl: I second Sophie's suggestion in #146! Many Moochers will ship internationally because they earn lots of extra points for doing it.

I'm reading Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben.

I started The Corpse Wore Tartan last night, in which a Burns Night Supper is the occasion for murder.

I've just finished Peter Robinson's Bad Boy which, for me, was spoilt by a scene of the result of the particularly cruel torture of a woman (it often seems to be a woman, doesn't it?).

I just finished Susan Hill's The Vows of Silence. It's the 4th book in the wonderful Simon Serrailler series.

@156 - I enjoyed Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series very much too.

>156 Copperskye: & 157 It's a great series. I can't wait for the next one. There is going to be a next one isn't there?

After recently finishing Die for Me by Karen Rose, I am currently reading Scream for me which is the 2nd of the 3 book series. I have to say I am really enjoying her good, 'can't put down', books.

I started The White Lioness by Henning Mankell. It's the 3rd Wallander and it begins very well. I love this series.

ThrillerFan re:138 was certainly right about The Collectors being a book one could not put down. Finished it while traversing between islands here. Have begun Stone Cold now. Seems as if I've met the Harry Finn character somewhere else (maybe under a different name) can't pin it down - a decent family man, trained by the government to assassinate then turning on his former comrades to seek vengeance for some horrible wrong.

Reading The Woman in White. All I can say is, I think someone is not telling the truth and I think she may be dead.

k4k

I picked up Dame Agatha's Third Girl.

I am looking forward to starting Miss Pym Disposes this week. I read Brat Farrar last year and really liked it.

I read Miss Pym Disposes 3 or 4 years ago and loved it! I hope you enjoy it just as much.

I'm getting ready to start an electronic ARC of the latest Maisie Dobbs novel: A Lesson in Secrets.

The Eiger Sanction, baby! Awesome spoof of over-the-top action/espionage.

The Forgery of Venus by Michael Gruber

There's nothing like a vintage Ruth Rendell, I'm just about finished No More Dying Then.

I'm also looking forward to starting Miss Pym Disposes and Indemnity Only this week.

Haven't read a mystery in a while, but this weekend I finished Alan Williams' The Beria Papers, which is a thriller about a publishing hoax. Next up for me will probably be Elizabeth Peters' Tomb of the golden bird

I'm reading a collection: "A New Omnibus of Crime" edited by Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert, published 75 years after Dorothy L Sayers' anthology: The Omnibus of Crime.

1222 by Anne Holt

Jo Nesbo is great. I've been reading all his books as soon as they're translated, starting with The Redbreast

re: 162 Hey, k4k, Are you reading the Wilkie Collins Woman in White? I started it, but put it aside, but I keep thinking of going back to it. I think there are several novels with the same title. If you're reading the Wilkie Collins one please let me know your final thoughts.
Thanks, Mike

I am reading a Snowball in Hell

Starting A Playdate with Death Ayelet Waldman

Just finished The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin. Very good, but I'm glad I read Turkish Gambit first.

165: I won't ask for spoilers, but is James Compton still around in A Lesson in Secrets?

Halfway through Red Delicious deathby Sheila Connolly

>179 gmathis: There's a gap of several months between the end of the last book and the beginning of this one. When A Lesson in Secrets opens, James has had to go to Canada on business for a few weeks.

Thanks, cbl ... just enough to tantalize me! Can't wait to read it!

I finished the diverting entertainment that is Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin. Anyone not familiar with the series could pick this book up and start cold right here, since Akunin excels at the enriching aside...a grace note that old hands get, but isn't necessary for others to get full enjoyment from the story.

Been on a Dr. Thorndyke kick lately - primitive CSI here. He does like to pontificate, doesn't he? I guess for the readers of his day it was necessary, but modern readers are a bit more sophisticated when it comes to forensics and it's not necessary now. If you ever thought Poirot liked the sound of his own voice, this guy is 10 times worse. The short stories are MUCH better, but the novels give him way too much scope. I got it already! Move on with how you're going to catch the bad guy!

Here is the new thread for the month of February,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/108979

# 184 Oh yes I know what you’re talking about. I read The Pathologist to the Rescue in a mystery omnibus. I found the plot pretty interesting but the explanations just kind of go on and one. I just lost my interest with the story. But as you’ve said, maybe it was necessary for the readers of his day.

My preference is female detectives who are a little offbeat. Here is a list of some of my favorites:

www.quirkyfemaledetectives.com