May: Murder & Mayhem

Any reason to read more crime & mystery books, is A-okay with me! Plus, I have so many to catch up with. Hope you can join me, in my mission.
These are just a few I plan to read:

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo I've heard such good things about this series
Something Missing by Matthew Dicks I heard this author at the Retreat and this book looks like a lot of fun.
He Who Fears The Wolf by Karin Fossum I loved her first book.
Snow Angels by James Thompson Another Scandinavian series, that has received some nice buzz.

Hoping ot work in a few mysteries next month as well. And, of course, looking forward to adding scads of new titles to my TBR.

Great idea! I'm reading The Redbreast right now, and hope to get quite a bit of reading done on it this weekend. I've also read Snow Angels, and it was very good. Are you taking a Scandinavian tour for May? Fossum is Swedish isn't she?

In May, I'd hope to read
Murder in Mesopotamia by Christie
Devil's Whisper by Miyuki Miyabe
Southwesterly Wind by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

I've started The Informationist by Taylor Stevens, a new thriller with hot reviews and a heroine who supposedly rivals Lisbeth Salander.

I'm hoping to read a chunkster or two in May, so will probably want the quick lightness of a few mysteries to intersperse with those. I have a lot left over from March.

Let's see

P is for Peril by Sue Grafton
Wild fire by Nelson DeMille
Contents under Pressure by Edna Buchanan--I've never read anything by her, so we'll see
I got Margaret Maron's Uncommon clay through Bookmooch and I may stray into it as well.

>raidergirl- No, I'm not doing a Scandinavian tour, it's just the way it's working out. LOL. Fossum is Norwegian.
I'm glad you are a fan of Snow Angels. I also have the 2nd book in the series.

Joe- Looking forward to your thoughts on The Informationist. It does sound good.

These are the mysteries on my plate for May. Can't wait to devour them!

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
Treacherous Teddy
Paris Vendetta
Defending Angels
Murder with Peacocks
A Noble Radiance

I am currently slowly reading Devotion of Suspect X a murder mystery from Japan. Mark put me on to this book with his rave review. I should finish it sometime in May. It is on my Nook so I only read it when I am at the gym or during a quiet me time at the coffee shop. This book is very good. The main characters are a mathematician and a physicist. One is also a part time detective who is matching wits with the other. The catalyst is a beautiful woman with whom the mathematician has fallen in love. It is quite the tangled web. At times this translation is clunky and leads to some dull dialogue, but over all this is a good book. I hope it and the author finds an audience in the U. S. , or at least it sells enough to make the publishers invest more money in better translations.

I will be starting Redbreast sometime this weekend as well. I also have the sequel Nemesis and hope to get that read during the month of May.

Strange if this would turn out to be a mostly Scandinavian tour. Maybe somebody should do a Scandinavian September so that we could all tour the dark underbelly of that world together?

I have to admit that I have mystery books by other authors in my collection but have been steadily moving these up to the top of the TBR pile for some time, so I am going with these.

On another note - What's with the covers of these mystery novels. It seems to me that lately there are large numbers of them that look like there is a chunk of the page torn out and behind that is a realistic picture/photograph that features a person or the face of a person. Like the covers of Devotion of Suspect X, and that on Christine Falls. Is this some kind of new trend?

Looking forward to all the Murder and Mayhem! I like to plan my reading in advance, expecially as I am in the 11 in 11 Challenge and have 11 different categories to fill. I tried to put in as much M & M as I could for the month. I am planning on:

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo (seems to be a popular choice!)
I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers
Blind Eye by Stuart MacBride
The 50/50 Killer by Steve Mosby
Murder in Mayberry by Mary Kinney Branson
Already Dead by Charlie Huston

I've got my eye on a few others if I have the time. Of course, this could change alot once the TIOLI challenges are posted!

I don't usually read alot of mysteries so at the moment I'm only planning on Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. But that may change once I see what everyone else is raving about.

My planned/hoped for reads for May:

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens (actually started this last week but it wasn't doing it for me, so I'll give it another shot in May)
The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill
In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
The Likeness by Tana French
The Fig Eater by Jody Shields

Subject to change/deletion/addition at any time!

I forgot about In the Bleak Midwinter. Maybe I'll try and get that one in too.

Ok, here are my May mysteries.
Running Dark by Joseph Heywood
Nemesis by Jo Nesbo
Help the Poor Struggler by Martha Grimes
and a real oldie.
Hate to Kill by hallidaymichael::Michael Halliday aka John Creasey

Following on after March, I've continued to wallow in mysteries and have finished five in April so far, all of which were excellent:

Darkness Take My Hand by Lehane
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Larsson
The Killing Floor by Child
One of our Thursdays is Missing by Fforde
The Reversal by Connelly

Currently I'm halfway through The City and the City, which is a mystery with the element of fantasy, I guess, and about which I am not yet sure. I think I don't like the author's style, but I'm going to try and finish it before passing judgment or deciding whether to ever try Mieville again. After that, I have Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry on the stack to read. Not sure what I'll read after that.

On April 28th the 2011 Edgar Awards (Mysteries) are being awarded. I've added the link to their home page so you can see all the nominees.

Click HERE

Do we have a thread choosing June yet?

OMGoodness...we have another week to go before May starts, you eager beavers!

Look how many of you are going to read The Redbreast. I loved Nemesis so I think you're all going to be in for a treat.

Not sure which order I'll read them, but I've got the following slated for M&M May:

The Indian Bride - Karin Fossum
Nothing To Lose - Lee Child
The Lamplighter - Anthony O'Neill
Foul Matter - Martha Grimes
Death of an Englishman - Magdalen Nabb
Darker than Night - Tom Henderson

This thread's been out here for 36 hours and I'm just now seeing it? Humpf.

Not sure what I'll be reading for Murder & Mayhem May but I've got plenty to choose from.

I'm in. Not sure what I'll be reading yet, but I'll be here.

Murder & Mayhem is my cup of tea. I am sure that I will read several mysteries during the month. I will, however, be attending a conference one week and traveling to a niece's graduation another so my reading time might not be as great as some months. I do expect that I'll actually reach my 75th book of the year in May!

I'm in, too. May will be full of mayhem so I may as well read about some murder and mayhem. I'm not organized enough to know just what but I've got several mysteries I've been meaning to get to sooner rather than later.

I'll go crazy if I can't read at least a few mysteries every month! So, of course I'm in. My copy of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is begging to be re-read.

# 3 raidergirl3,read Murder in Mesopotamia a few years ago. It was a pretty okay mystery.

There are so many I could read but I definitely want to read Dissolution next month.

Wow, looks like everyone has some good reading ideas for M & M. Great variety! I wish I could jam in 10 to 15 titles, but then again they seem to multiply like literary rabbits. The little rascals!
I really wanted to get to a classic or 2. Chandler or Hammet, but it doesn't look like it will work. Drat!

I've got a few mysteries on my list of possibilities for May:

The Queen's Gambit by Diane Stuckart
Blood of the Prodigal by P. L. Gaus
The Hooded Hawke by Karen Harper
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

Since mysteries are my cuppa tea, I know I'll be reading several. In fact, one of my book clubs has chose Acqua Alta by donna Leon for our May meeting the 4th, so that will be a great kickoff. Rather than list what I'm planning after that, I'm going to let the spirit guide me. I have at least 10 loaded on my MP3, and at least another 8-10 on my Nook, so when I make a quick trip to Dallas, mid may, and while I'm exercising away on the elliptical and in the pool, I know I'll be finishing up a few. can't wait to here what everyone here is doing.

Ah, the joy of relaxing mysteries; who could ask for anything more? Possibilities include:

Murder in Mesopotamia I've had this for awhile and it's time to re-read it.
The Murders of Richard III I love Peters' sense of humor.
These two are probable keepers.

The Dying of the Light by Michael Dibdin
Deadly Slipper by Michelle Wan
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
These three are probable one-read-and-gone books.

Something Like a Love Affair by Julian Symons
In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson
Written in Blood by Caroline Graham
I like these authors but am unsure of these titles.

Seems like a lot but I can plow through quite a few mysteries very quickly. My more "serious" reads are on a short list for the month of May. The third Austen is coming up for this year's Austenothon.

I have my sights set on these three for May, but I'm such a serendipitous reader that I can offer no guarantee that this will actually happen. I have the three books so that, at least, is a giant step :)

A Fountain Filled With Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

Downloaded Blackstone Audiobook yesterday The Phantom of the Opera. The reader has a great voice for mystery ... muaahhh

Haven't read many mysteries lately, but as it happens I have a handful of them on the short-version TBR at the moment, which I'm taking as a cosmic hint.

I've just finished Margery Allingham's Police At The Funeral, and I have Look To The Lady on interlibrary loan - discovering too late that they're (i) part of a series and (ii) out of order. (Rookie mistake, I know!) I may try to get hold of The Crime At Black Dudley and Mystery Mile, too.

The other mystery on my immediate radar is James Hilton's Murder At School (aka Was It Murder?).

I didn't know Hilton wrote a mystery. Huh.

I love Allingham. Lots of fun in her books.

Just located another possible couple of reads:
The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin
and A Matter of Justice by Charles Todd

May could work out to a month truly full of mysteries. That would be fun; I haven't read a bunch of them in a row for quite a while.

Whew! I had a heck of a time trying to find this thread, so I hope you don't mind Mark if I've taken the liberty of adding it to the wiki.

My planned reads list for May is more or less set at this point and I've made room for the following M&M reads (among other non-M&M selections):

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva - I've had to push this one off countless lists already, not for lack of wanting to read this book... MUST read it this month!
Caught Stealing Charlie Huston - Ditto.
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester - Same story.
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - Perfect follow up for the April Jane Eyre group read.
♫ And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - This is a re-read (on audio). Loved it 30 years ago... and now?
Playback : a graphic novel by Raymond Chandler - found this one by accident and had to borrow it from the library!
L'argent facile (Easy Money) (Stockholm Noir 1) by Jens Lapidus - He's not published in English yet, but will be no doubt.

May M&M Maybes (if I can fit them in)

Double Indemnity James M. Cain
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Les inconnus dans la maison (The Strangers in the House) by Georges Simenon
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
♫ Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
♫ No Dominion by Charlie Huston
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
+ plenty of other options too...

Ilana- Wow, that's a mighty list! And a wonderful range too. Good luck. Thanks for posting it to the wiki, I didn't even think of it.

I finished The Informationist ahead of May (it was good), so I'll give Edmund Crispin's Holy Disorders a go. Given my book-juggling predilections (this will be a once in a while book), I'll probably still be reading it when M & M month starts. If not, I've got his The Moving Toy Shop on deck.

25- I'm with Heather. Don't know what I'll be reading exactly, except that I hope to read Dissolution which should be coming in at the library for me any day now...

#33 Gail, I was thinking that same thing. I read a mystery and then one or two nonmysteries and then a mystery. It might be fun to just read a bunch in a row in May.

No idea what I'll read though I was thinking of that Akunin book, too. I've read all of the Hamish Macbeth books except the current one but recently discovered that I'd missed one along the way, so I might read Death of an Addict.

I'm in. Don't know what, but I have A LOT to choose from. I may end up buckling to The Informationist while it's hot, but I'd like to get some older ones read. I have The Redbreast so I may give that a go too.

I currently reading Devotion of Suspect X and won't finish that one until some time early in May. I will be starting the month with REdbreast and Nemesis and somewhere I have to find time to read Fahrenheit 451 for my book discussion group. That will probably be one month's reading for me.

>#38: Linda, I really liked those Hamish stories. He's really an amusing character. I peeked at my garage Mysteries-In-Waiting bookcase (first I shuddered at the pile, then I was immensely relieved to know I won't be running out of them any time soon), saw lots of books pouting about not having been read yet. Hmmm....Oh, and I just got another Marsh today via Bookmooch. When in Rome is the title.

These mysteries are currently in my pile. I may read one or two yet in April, but May is more likely:

Maigret Stonewalled / Georges Simenon
Winter Study / Nevada Barr
Mixed Blood / Roger Smith
Killer's Payoff / Ed McBain

Also, The Devotion of Suspect X looks just a little too tempting to put off much longer.

I'll be here in May!

I have so many mysteries on my list, I'm not sure yet which ones I'll tackle.

So many books, so little time . . . Do you think we could have June Jurisprudence? I have some Grisham and Turow on my list ;)

Jurisprudence June! What a combination of words. So catchy. My compliments to the wordsmith. We might just have to do this because the alliteration and the meaning is so darn cute. But wouldn't it be great fun.

#29

Written in Blood works with only 2 t's

Oh I'm inn for some Murder and Mayhem! Maybe The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, maybe theThe Water's Edge by Karin Fossum or another in my Henning Mankell Series.... oh I am spoilt for choice!

Thanks Mark, for setting up this TIOLI challenge! :)

I had reserved The Devotion of Suspect X at the library seemingly ages ago and finally got it—in audio format. I'll be starting it probably tonight or tomorrow and my guess is I'll probably finish it before the beginning of may, judging by the rate at which I go through audiobooks.

Speaking of which, I've got just one short story left for the audio of The Fall of the House of Usher: The Pit and the Pendulum and Other Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe, which would also have been perfect for May Murder & Mayhem, but I'll just look at those two as a warmup for M&M! :-)

Starting M&M a little early with Nemesis by Jo Nesbo. This is a pretty hefty mystery so I willl be reading it into May.

We could almost have a Jo Nesbo group read. So many of you have intrigued me with an author I hadn't thought about before.

Trying to fix the touchstone

Just finished The Anatomy of Deception a little ahead of may, it was good. I hope to try and finish Volk's Game and read Jane and the man of the cloth and maybe start Dead Mans Ransom or Devil in the White City.

Is May Murder and Mayhem strictly for mystery fiction, or is true crime included?

Terri- No rules, my friend! True crime is acceptable.

I'm so glad to see such a good response and so many interesting titles. Nesbo seems to be leading the pack though. I plan on starting The Redbreast on Friday.

I would have liked to start with Nesbo's first book. But after starting Nemesis. It seems that it would not make too much difference.

Re-reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the beginning of super sleuth Hercule Poirot.

I hope to join in with The third of the Tana French Novels..
Faithful Place .. then I have another one or two that might work.. we shall see.

I see lots of people reading Jo Nesbo here. There is a great article on him in today's Wall Street Journal. Apparently, he's less than thrilled to be compared to Steig Larsson. Nesbo's agent says, "They're very, very different. They're Scandinavian and both write crime novels, and that's about it."

You are right. Nesbo isn't Larsson. He might be better. I had two days off from work and since I couldn't drive around I stayed home and read. I finished Redbreast by Jo Nesbo. At 500 pages it is not a short book, but this one went fast. I didn't think I would have it read until far into May, but since I had the time and the book kept me interested I finished it. It is a great read and I encourage those of you who have him on your list of May books to get started. You won't be sorry. One thing I noticed was that the translation of this book was wonderful. No clunky dialogue, just a tightly woven story. I started reading Nemesis today and hope that it will be as good as Redbreast.

I hope the ER book I won arrives quickly. I snagged The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley which should fit very nicely with the May Murder & Mayhem reads!

>54 Porua: I recently enjoyed re-reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Porua. It's always been one of my favorites.

I just started The Redbreast and I am immediately impressed. I don't see a comparison to Larsson, yet anyway, but I do see a closer resemblance to Mankell, at least in the early going.
The Nemesis touchstone keeps coming up Asimov.

I started reading Thrones, Dominations this afternoon. I think that, upon her death, Dorothy L Sayers left an unfinished Lord Peter Wimsey manuscript. I know they've hired Jill Paton Walsh to continue to the series.

It's been so long that I've read a new Lord Peter "golden age" traditional mystery that it's somewhat exciting for me to finally start on this new books. I think she tries to stay true to the originals but has the characters lives progress. Lord Peter, Harriet Vane, and Bunter.

I have some mysteries planned for May...every month is mystery month for me as it is a favorite genre.

Out by Natsuo Kirino
The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
Old Fox Deceiv'd by Martha Grimes
Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman

That's the plan anyway.

OK, you've gotten to me with all the talk about Jo Nesbo. I just ordered Redbreast through Inter-Library Loan. It'd better be good! ;-)

I've read a LOT of mysteries this year, and it seems I have even more to tackle!

A partial list of May reading possibilities:

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens
Crime Machine by Giles Blunt (the 5th/latest in the John Cardinal series)
Stolen Lives by Jassy Mackenzie (second in a series set in S. Africa I started last year.)
Lumen by Ben Pastor
Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton -- an ER book.
To Kill a Tsar by Andrew Williams -- nominated for a historical fiction award
Save Me by Lisa Scottoline
Blood Count by Robert Goddard - Goddard just won an Edgar for his previous book; I've been a fan of this under-recognized author for more than 20 years. This is his newest book.
The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn -- the upcoming book; likely to be entertaining. Private sleuth in Victorian England.
Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill - The Thailand-based English author tackles something outside of his previous series.
The Jackal Man by Kate Ellis -- the latest in a long-running series
Death in a Scarlet Coat by David Dickinson -- ditto, but not quite as long running!
The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg -- book #2 in this series.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund -- new series, library book
Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson (she has Josephine Tey investigating crimes)

ETA: I forgot to mention Shadows and Light by Jonathan Rabb, a TBR book that is going to make it to the top of the list, since I've finally finished its predecessor, and Terra Incognita and Caveat Emptor by Ruth Downie. The latter is an ER book; to read it, I've been reading my way through its predecessors!

Any Dennis Lehane fans here? I had planned on reading Gone, Baby Gone this month but the problem is, I've seen the movie, not once, but three times(!), most recently just this past November. I started it last night but it is all so familiar, I don't know if it's worth continuing or not...

If anyone's read it and watched the movie, will I be missing a lot if I skip this one? Did the movie change the story a lot or not much? For the record I've read the previous books in the series, plus Moonlight Mile, and loved them all.

eta - Oh never mind, I read a few more pages and of course, I'm hooked!

I have finished all my April book commitments and now I am ready to launch my Murder and Mayhem May with The Redbreast and I Am Not A Serial Killer. Looking forward to getting a few mysteries cleared off the shelves.

>66 DeltaQueen50:: Finally finished my April reading commitments (even though I hate to be committed to reading anything in particular, I still do it Every. Month.) as well; now to organize the large stack of mysteries right here next to me...

#65 Joanne, I like Dennis Lehane, but I found that watching the movie version of Shutter Island before reading the book really ruined that reading experience for me. I also purchased the movie version of Mystic River before I realized it was based on a book, but I won't watch it until I've read the original version to avoid that situation again. I think it's fine seeing the movie first when the book offers lots of complexity and layers of meaning that can't be conveyed within a two-hour movie, but my experience with Lehane had me thinking the book really had nothing much more to offer in that case, unfortunately.

I've got Gone, Baby Gone on my shelf and look forward to it. Hope you keep enjoying it too!

We're already well into May in Australia, and I'm already well into May M&M with Ken Bruen's The Killing of the Tinkers. Lots of both murder AND mayhem, it fits the bill very well. :)

Not sure what I'll go with next, I've decided to minimise the "must" reads this month (after a couple of serious bookgroup reads that took far longer to read than I'm used to). So, plenty of time for some page turning crime reads. And plenty of those on my shelves, as well.

#69 Wookiebender, I read the first in the Jack Taylor series The Guards earlier this year and really loved it. I don't know when I will get to his next one, but I am looking forward to it. Jack Taylor is quite the character!

Well I'm starting May M & M with a book which is unfortunately not yet available in English, but seeing as they've made a movie out of the first book of the Stockholm Noir series, it's just a matter of time before they translate this Swedish trilogy into English. It's called L'argent facile in French, or Easy Money by Jens Lapidus. I'll be sure to let you know what I think of it!

I started The Redbreast. It's good, but I'm having a hard time focusing.

Finally, the official start of M&M Month! Whoopeee. I thought this day would never get here! I'm starting with The Indian Bride by Karin Fossum.

Wishing everyone a happy murderous and tension-filled month!

My mother just sent me two mystery novels from Toronto -- The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton, which has been getting some attention, and The Drowning Man by Michael Robotham, an English crime writer. New authors for me (and no touchstone seemingly available for either -- is anyone else finding this is becoming a bigger problem???), so I'll be trying to squeeze them in soonish.

Yah for Ken Bruen! Anyone looking for something to read for this month, try The Guards. It's an excellent introduction.

Caro- I will be reading a Fossum book too! Her 2nd one. Hope you have a "murderous and tension-filled month!" too!

Suzanne- I'm not familiar with either of those titles. I'll be watching for your thoughts.

Well, as usual I'm not really planning what I'm reading more than a book or so in advance, if that, but there are bound to be quite a few mysteries & tales of murder among them as usual. I may try this month to complete my read through of all Allingham's books (just need to re-read the last one, Cargo of Eagles) - nice to see some other Allingham enthusiasts above (#32-33). And Dark Fire, book 2 in the C J Sansom series (I see several of you are planning to read the first book - hope you enjoy it as much as I did).

And maybe the next Stephen Saylor, and some more re-reads of Dorothy L Sayers - Unnatural Death next, or some more first time reads of Christie (I read Murder in Mesopotamia recently, too)... Will have to see what floats to the top of the pile!

>68 Smiler69:, Thanks Ilana. Shutter Island and Mystic River - two more movies I've seen without reading the books! That's what happens when you first decide that you don't like reading mysteries and then discover you do.

I guess I like the Kenzie and Gennaro series enough to continue if only to read about their relationship. The mystery here is obviously spoiled but I really don't want to move on to the next (and final one for me) until I read it so...

I have to finish a biography I'm reading (an Inter-Library Loan) before I can indulge in much Murder & Mayhem. But I have started The Baptism of Billy Bean by Roger Alan Skipper, which I understand involves at least one murder and some mayhem. And I've ordered The Redbreast to read after that.

I'd really like to read another Dennis Lehane book, too . . . oh, there are so many good mysteries waiting for me!

I'm working on the second Tana French, The Likeness and I've just started the first of the Adam Dalgliesh mysteries, Cover Her Face. My goal for this month is to read several in this series.

>79 mstrust:: I'll join you on your P.D. James quest. I'm on book #5 in the Dalgliesh series, and I notice that they improve with each additional book. I'm just saying this because I don't remember Cover Her Face as being particularly compelling, although I read it so long ago, I may not be a reliable witness!

I just got the notice that James' The Black Tower is waiting for me at the library. Good timing.

I have The Black Tower on the shelf, with about seven others of the series. I'm going to read them in order, as far as the ones I have, although I have read The Murder Room before.

I'm trying to remember where I left off with P. D. James. I think I read Original Sin, and possibly A Certain Justice. I think I'll take Justice from the library and see if I remember it after a few pages. I have at least 3 of her books that I know I haven't read yet.

Had to take a break from Nemesis by Jo Nesbo. to get to The Black Diamond Detective Agency by Eddie Campbell, it has to be back to the library. Back to Nemesis really enjoying it.

I love P.D. James! She's a very literate, elegant writer, I think. Her memoir (I forget the name), is marvelous, too.

I really meant to finish my non-fiction ILL before I got into my novel. But I got hooked into The Baptism of Billy Bean. Stayed up until 2:30 a.m. trying to finish it, but as much as I wanted to, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I was back at it at 6:45 a.m., reading while cooking breakfast for my son. The only reason I'm online now, my son asked me to check weather.com for the forecast before he headed to the bus stop, and I figured I'd stop in LT while the computer was up and running.

Now, back to my book!

Was up at 4 a.m. finished Nemesis this morning. What a page turner!

Finished The Baptism of Billy Bean, by Roger Alan Skipper. I really enjoyed this one. He really portrayed the setting well, and populated it with life-like, complex characters. And I like how the author tied up most, but not all, of the loose ends. I posted a review on the work page.

I am half way through Nemesis and will add my name to those who are singing the praises of Jo Nesbo. Great author and great book. I didn't stay up until 4 a.m. but did stay up reading it longer than I should have. I have to wonder why there hasn't been more noise about this author. The two books I have read by him are really good and I know I will be hounding my library for the third one Devil's Star.

I recently got a recommendation from a friend for Michael Gruber She had read Good Son and really liked it. I read Book of Air and Shadow a couple of years ago and really liked it. So I had to put Good Son on my wish list. That darn list just keeps growing.

>84 Matke:: Gail, P.D. James wrote Time to be in Earnest in 1999 and Talking About Detective Fiction ten years later (no touchstones?). They are both on my watch list. I have a page in my Dream Book with all the titles so I can check them off as I read them. For some reason, that little check mark gives me great pleasure.

Sorry you had to do the FB thing to see pics.. lol..
I put one or two here in my thread, better late than never, eh?

PD James is on my shelves.. a few of them..

Never read any P.D. James. I'll look forward to some reviews and will certainly seek her out, though that won't likely happen this month as have so many others I've been meaning to get to, including The Kill Artist, the first by Daniel Silva who was often recommended here on LT.

I finished Playback: A Graphic Novel by Raymond Chandler. At first glance, I thought the drawings were good, but I take that back. The story was ok but not brilliant. I can't say I recommend that one, unless you're such a big fan of Chandler that you must see everything that his work has ever influenced.

On the other hand, I look forward to the Stockholm Noir series by Jens Lapidus being translated to English so that more of you can discover him. I'm really enjoy it. It's already been translated in over 20 languages, so it's only a matter of time.

>91 Smiler69: I read Playback: A Graphic Novel a while ago and had the same reaction: for big fans of Chandler only (and I'm one).

Enjoying Holy Disorders so far, and about to start The 39 Steps.

Trying to fix the touchstones

#92 Joe, I'm sure that if it had been illustrated by someone with (I hate to say it) more talent and flair, I would have felt completely differently about Playback.

So good to hear all this Nesbo chatter! I should be done with Redbreast in a couple days. It's been very good, nothing what I expected.

Benita- I've liked the 2 books I've read by Gruber, Tropic of Night & Book of Air and Shadows. I need to add the Good Son to the WL.

Another GN has to go back to the library so I am reading Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry.

I finished my first M & M read, I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells was not exactly what I was expecting. I enjoyed the read nevertheless and will definitely read the complete trilogy eventually. I am not quite half way through The Redbreast and as Mark says - it's good and really holding my interest!

I tried another Nesbo book last year, and couldn't get past the first few chapters. May try again sometime, but not soon.

However, I am about 2/3 of the way through Terra Incognita by Ruth Downie, and plan to move on to Robert Goddard's new book after that.

I'm most of the way through an early Christie novel, The Seven Dials Mystery. Awfully good fun, awfully English. (But I find a lot of Christie's charm is in the Englishness of her stories. Murder interspersed with high tea with the vicar at the local manor house, and all that.)

# 98 "But I find a lot of Christie's charm is in the Englishness of her stories. Murder interspersed with high tea with the vicar at the local manor house, and all that."

So true wookiebender! That is one of the things that make me a die hard Christie fan.

I am sooo close to the end of The Redbreast. I hope to finish it today. It took me a minute or two to warm up to Harry Hole and the plotline, but once I did I was hooked.

Since so many of us are reading him right now, Here is an article about him from The Washington Post.

While waiting for The Redbreast to be provided through Inter-Library Loan, I've started Phillip DePoy's Too Easy. It's the second in the Flap Tucker series. DePoy is one of my favorite authors -- I read all the books in his other series, but only the first in this one. I've got them all lined up now, purchased from Amazon.

ETA fix dumb punctuation mistake!

I am just about finished with Nemesis and read that article form the Washington Post about Nesbo, only to find out that his new book Snowman is about to be out in the U. S. Now I have another book of his to read. While I wait for that one I will read a couple of the Benjamin Black books. Christine Falls looks to be just as good as the Nesbo books.

Can't wait to hear what other have to say about this book. There was so much history in it that I found fascinating. Some of our World War II reading friends might like this book. While it isn't non-fiction or a war novel there is plenty of that in it. I knew about Quisling but I didn't know that they had traitors trials after the war or that large numbers of people actually spent time in prison because they sided with the Nazis. I thought the parallels between that and the Forgiveness Hearings in South Africa were interesting.

My Library already has Snowman of course all copies are checked out. They also have a childrens book by him. I cannot remember the title at the moment. It does have something to do with "Farting"
LOL.

Nancy- Thanks for posting the Nesbo article. I just wish it were longer. Sounds like an interesting guy. In a separate article about the popularity of Scandinavian crime fiction, they mentioned Camilla Läckberg. She's Swedish. Is anyone familiar with her?

I finished The Redbreast. I'll definitely be happy to read more in the Harry Hole series. It was satisfyingly complex while still moving quickly.

I finished The Redbreast today as well and totally agree with Nacyewhite above. I will definitely be following up on this series. Interesting article about Jo Nesbo - actually what really caught my attention was his bookshelves!

My next read of M & M May is going to be a vintage mystery, Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers.

I feel a little like I'm intruding on the Jo Nesbo thread. ;)

Upthread, I dithered a bit about reading Dennis Lehane's Gone, Baby Gone when I'd already seen the movie a few times. I'm so glad I decided to go ahead with it. The book is fantastic with Lehane's fine humor, excellent characterization, wonderful shades of grey and moral ambiguities all intertwined in a very entertaining read.

My only regret is that I've only one more to read and I'm done with the series.

Not sure what's up next for me in the murder and mayhem category.

Finished The Seven Dials Mystery and it was all rather silly. But awfully good fun still.

I've picked up Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene for my next read. I don't think it's going to fit in with the M&M theme here, even though the Aunt is obviously fairly wild. :) I'll pick up another crime book next, I think, maybe Amelia Peabody or Harry Dresden...

Snowman was the one I couldn't get into by Nesbo...

I finished Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie, which was the one I hadn't read yet -- I goofed on the title in my previous post. My next mystery may be Camilla Lackberg's second book (her first blew me away -- another Scandinavian success!) or "Blood Count" by Robert Goddard (no touchstone). But then, Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry needs to go back to the library soon. Decisions, decisions...

I'll be finishing Redbreast today. It's amazing how many people have been reading this at the same time. Cool. And everyone is happy with it, at least so far!

Joanne- You are forgiven, for invading the Nesbo thread!

Reading Phillip DePoy's Too Easy in one day was just too easy! I'm a fan of Southern fiction anyway, but DePoy is special -- a real original. I love his quirky, offbeat characters; his off-the-wall plotting; and his oddball humor and clever use of literary allusions. He always manages to work in some folklore, often in the oddest of ways. And this one was set partly in my favorite city -- Savannah, GA -- and nearby Tybee Island, which is special to me.

This time Atlanta-based PI Flap Tucker's best friend, Dally, sends him searching for a mysterious woman and two good ol' boys who disappeared in the wake of a nasty banker's untimely death. The belief is that they are hiding out near Savannah, on Tybee Island. While searching, another body turns up along the way.

Yes, parts were a bit implausible, but that was OK. It was a rollicking fun read, a nice break from the darker mysteries I've been reading. And I didn't figure out how the banker really died until DePoy was ready for the characters to let me in on the secret.

I'm about two-thirds of the way through Carolyn Hart's Laughed Til He Died. She is among my favorite mystery authors but, somehow, I missed this one last year.

I loved The Cincinnati Red Stalkings by Troy Soos so much that I may have to read more of his baseball mystery series. However, I suspect that I won't like the others quite as much since I had a real connect with the Reds, having lived in Cincinnati for a total of 12 years in the '80s and '90s.

I have Camilla Lackberg's Ice Princess in my collection. I gave it to a colleague a few months ago. She thought it was good, but she is not a mystery lover and so her accolades were somewhat lukewarm. I will try to read that book this month since you mentioned it, but have the Benjamin Black Quirke series up next. In fact I started reading Christine Falls last night and I expect good things from this series.

I know that this did not start out as a Redbreast group read, but knowing that others were going to read it this month prompted me to dig it out of the TBR pile (literally) and read it. I sure am glad that others interest prompted me to do so because it was certainly worth the time. Sometimes you need that kind of little nudge to get going on something.

I finished reading Nemesis last night and gave that one four and 1/2 stars just like I did the first one. This guy can write. I am also fascinated by the cast of supporting characters that he has created to populate the stories. The psychologist is so much fun and adds to the stories as is the Pakistani grocer. He makes the reader feel like he is inside that neighborhood. I noticed that with each book the role played by each of these supporting people is ratcheted up and they become more integrated into the story. I wonder if that is a sign of Harry's movement back into society and family?

Benita- I'm going to try finding a copy of the Ice Princess too but you'll probably beat me to it.
I finished The Redbreast and loved it. He quickly has become a "must read" crime writer! I'm so glad you enjoyed the 2nd one, just as much.

I've just finished the second in the Margaret Maron series about Judge Deborah Knott - Southern Discomfort, and am halfway through the third, Shooting at Loons (which will also qualify for a TIOLI challenge to read a book with a bird name in the title). I'm enjoying these as a window into a culture and part of the world (North Carolina) with which I am totally unfamiliar. First heard about the series on another mystery discussion thread on here last year.

Got a call from the library to say that my interlibrary loans, Margery Allingham's The Crime At Black Dudley and Look To The Lady, are ready to be picked up!

Edited to add: And now I have them in my hot little hands!

I finished Britten and Brulightly a combined mystery and graphic novel,really enjoyed it.

Next up for M & M, is Something Missing by Matthew Dicks. He was one of the Retreat authors. It looks fun and quirky. Anyone else read this?

I finished listening to my first M & M book: The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. It's a juvenile mystery that can be enjoyed by readers of any age. Since I lived in London for a few years, I found the setting as exciting as the mystery. This one could end up on my list of top reads for the year.

Started Catering to nobody, the first Goldy Bear mystery. So far, o.k., although I hate the character's name. Too cute for words.

I plan to read Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, and have it on hand -but I picked up a library book called Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet. It's a mystery and a lot of satire!I'm enjoying it!

Boy, step away from this thread for a day or so and get way behind!

Finished Deadly Slipper, which was just okay except for the really interesting background information on the Dordogne region of France and even more info. on orchids.

Then finished Something Like a Love Affair, which was much better and awfully weird. Loved it.

Now reading The Lake of Dead Languages, a fascinating suspense/mystery that takes place at a girls's school in upstate New York. It's by far the best of the lot so far this month.

>121 Bjace:: I enjoyed the first few Catering books, but then got tired of the backstory. Still, they're quite funny, and the recipes are good, too!

The 39 Steps was a fun ride. I've seen the play but (not yet) the movie. The non-stop action in the play turned out to quite in keeping with the book.

In addition to Holy Disorders, I've started Christopher Brookmyre's Quite Ugly One Morning.

Joe, I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Quite Ugly One Morning. I read it last year and was totally blown away, and Brookmyre has become one of my favorite authors.

Still waiting for a library that's willing to send Redbreast to our library for an ILL.

In the meantime, I've moved on to the third book of Phillip DePoy's Flap Tucker series, Easy as One, Two, Three. He's suiting my mood right now.

I'm also just starting an e-book of G.K. Chesterton's The Innocence of Father Brown, a free download courtesy of epubBooks.com. That's the first in the Father Brown series.

I really want to read Dissolution but my library request seems to be held up. I thought I was the next one in line for it. Who knows when it will arrive?

I will read one or two other mystery books this month, at least. One will be my LT ER book if it arrives on time. Will post again here later after I've read them.

#126 I read the Father Brown stories in my teens - haven't thought about them for ages! I hope you enjoy them.

#122 I picked up 2 of G.M. Malliet's books at the library book sale. Had never heard of her books before. I have Death at the Alma Mater and Death of a Cozy Writer. It is a good sign that you are enjoying the book.

Father Brown -- that's a blast from the past!

I loved Ice Princess; oddly, I haven't jumped on to the next books yet. I have all three of them waiting for me...

I just finished Treason at Lisson Grove by Anne Perry, the latest in the Thomas Pitt series, as it's due back at the library. It was OK; better than recent books in the series, which I read out of long-established habit rather than purely for pleasure! I've already started Death in a Scarlet Coat, but might also read Shadow and Light soon; it's been on my TBR mountain for ages.

My local library had a copy of Devil's Star on the shelf so I nabbed it. Started reading by candlelight last night. Got 70 pages into the story. This guy can write. I am totally sucked in. It will be interesting to read and see if Nesbo can maintain the momentum of the previous books. So far it looks like he has done so. After reading these books I don't understand why this author hasn't been on the best seller lists for the last couple of years and why he isn't better known. These are rip snorters and deserve some better buzz than they are getting. I can't wait to read Mark's review of this book. I am sure it will be a good one. ;-)

Suzanne- Glad to hear you liked Ice Princess. I just snagged a copy from Bookmooch. Yah!

Benita- I've been thinking of my review for Redbreast and only one thing is for certain, I am keeping it very simple. It's plot heavy and I don't want to divulge a thing.

I finished my first mystery for May - The Treacherous Teddy - I love this series!

My May has turned topsy turvy. Husband has proposed a Big (driving) Trip to take the kids to see Granma. Maine in early summer should be nice, but the proposal includes being gone long enough that I think I have to return ALL our library books. I look forward to lurking and participating as I can though

>125 DeltaQueen50: Good to hear how much you liked Quite Ugly One Morning, Judy! That sure was quite the gross beginning (fitting the title). I'm impressed so far.

I've finished two Reacher books so far this month - Nothing to Lose and Gone Tomorrow. If Jack had a middle name it would be Mayhem...

Reading an oldie Hate to Kill by Michael Halliday. Wasn't till page 84 that a murder happened. It was quick reading until then, though.

I hope everyone is enjoying M & M. My review of The Redbreast is up but be forewarned, it's intentionally vague, which, if you haven't read it yet, you will thank me for later.
I'm enjoying Something Missing, which is quite light on the M & M, but very entertaining anyway. I'll also be starting, on audio, another light but fun one, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. I enjoyed the 1st one.
My graphic contribution, is Britten and Brulightly. It has a perfect, nearly classical, noir style.

Joe- I read my first Brookmyre a couple months ago. It was A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away and it was very enjoyable. Looking forward to your thoughts on this one.

Sounds good, Mark. I'll look forward to yours on Britten and Brulightly.

Right now I'm reading the paper, but the Brookmyre is is on the table nearby.

Joe, you are certainly right about the opening of Quite Ugly One Morning! It was the first book that had me both gagging at the ickiness and gagging with laughter at the same time!

I've completed Whose Body? my first, but not last, Dorothy Sayers.

I have now picked up When The Dead Cry Out by Hilary Bonner, a police procedural (I think) set in Cornwall. As far as I know this isn't part of a series, but an actual stand alone mystery.

>141 DeltaQueen50: Yes, exactly, Judy. I was just telling my daughter that. What a weird combination to experience. Very funny, and totally gross!

FinishedHate to Kill. I would consider this a quick cozy mystery. Nice between book.

I forgot to add that I've finished The Indian Bride by Karin Fossum and continue to enjoy the Inspector Sejer series. But I was surprised by this one because I thought there was a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of the book.

My second M&M book which I finished early this morning was Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Nabb, the first in the series and I think it shows good promise. I'll have to check out others in the series to see if they're as good or better than this one.

Not a lot of mayhem in my book reading for this month yet. Murder yes, mayhem, not so much.

Since I really enjoy this genre, I'm adding quite a few books to my obese wish list just reading what the rest of you are reading. Soooo tempting! so little time. arrrgggh ... but it's a dilemma I have to say I enjoy. I always wonder how it is that there are people who constantly moan that they're bored. Never understood that. Why don't they just read?!

Okay, I did some quick research on the Harry Hole series. The Redbreast is book 3 but the 1st 2 are not available in the US. I think Redbreast is a good place to start. For a list of the series and an excellent video interview with Nesbo, go: Right Here

I thoroughly enjoyed Water's Edge by Karin Fossum. She's a talented Norwegian psychogical suspense writer. I'll be seeking out all of her other books! It's so fabulous to find a new author! I did not write a review -but I did write a bit about the story on my thread here - http://www.librarything.com/topic/105614
if you want to know a little more about the book.

Started Edna Buchanan's Contents under pressure yesterday.

I've started my first Ruth Rendell mystery - Tigerlily's Orchids. Just getting the story and characters set up so far.

Christopher Brookmyre's Quite Ugly One Morning was pretty good. I thought it lost pace in a couple of places, e.g. Sarah's long exposition on her relationship with the victim. But it was good enough that I'll try this author again.

Now I'm going to diverge for a bit from M & M and read Divergent.

149>>Beth,

I've read some of the Britt Montero series and now I realize I have a few that I haven't gotten to. Thanks for the reminder and I hope you enjoy it!

I finished Cover Her Face, thought it was excellent, and I'll keep going with the Dalgliesh series. I need to keep up with my Agatha Christie group though, so I'm starting The Mystery of the Blue Train next.

I should stop gushing about the brilliance of the Jo Nesbo books but can't. In my opinion they are really good. They have so many rabbit trails and dead ends and the action never stops. I wondered if the author could keep up the pace for three novels and he has done so. I have only about twenty pages to go in Devil's Star and resent the time I have to spend at work because I want to be reading!

I thought that Devil's Star was the last book in the series to be translated and then found out that The Redeemer is out in English. This is the fourth book in English and then comes The Snowman. I will have to Inter-library Loan the Redeemer as I can't find a local library that has it. That may take some time so will move on to another mystery series for May.

I am leaving on vacation later today and will be continuing the May - Murder & Mayhem with two of the Benjamin Black books - Christine Falls and Silver Swan. They are going to have to go some to beat Nesbo in terms of intensity but I have heard good things about them and have had this series on my list for a long time as well. I do have to wonder if they will pack the same punch as the Nesbo books since I will be reading them without candlelight. :-) Or at least I hope I won't need candlelight for reading purposes in Kansas.

Thanks Mark for doing this May read. I wanted to clear a bunch of mysteries off my shelf and instead I found a whole series of books I really really like and have read two from libraries. This has done very little for my TBR pile but done great things for my entertainment and reading life.

I forgot to mention that I agree with Mark and others here in that the translation of these books is excellent work. That makes them a pleasure to read. The translator and Nesbo are a very good team. And. ... I am glad that Nesbo is finally getting some good publicity. In my opinion his work deserves it.

Reading my ER book The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley.. Looks to be a cozy mystery. While at the library there sitting on the new book shelf was The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell a new Kurt Wallander. So now it is sitting beside me.

Well, my copy of The Redbreast is finally on its way -- from a library all the way over in Mifflin County.

154 I have Christine Falls on my TBR shelf. I look forward to your comments!

I finished Something Missing. A very charming book. Some well-tuned suspense, later in the book, keeps it in line for M & M, but just barely. Next up: Back to Scandinavia (and dark & edgy) for Snow Angels. This one based in Finland, written by a dude from Kentucky. Looks very promising.

Joe- I've been hearing some good things about Divergent. I'll be watching for your thoughts.

Benita- You are welcome. These are always a lot of fun. The only downside is, I barely skim the surface of getting to the crime fiction I have in the stacks. We might have to do a Mystery Year!

For my second M&M, I finished Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb. I easily guessed the culprit, and I'm not one who thinks hard about whodunit while reading a mystery. Nonetheless this is a light, enjoyably easy read that suited perfectly for our drive from Pittsburgh to St. Louis and back for Mothers Day weekend.

This morning I began The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson which promises to be the very opposite of light. I'm a couple of chapters in and finding it very creepy.

We might have to do a Mystery Year!

LOL, Mark! I certainly have enough books lined up to do a Mystery Year! (I think I'd want a little more variety, though.)

I finished my first M&M book today. It was Dissolution by C.J. Samson. Who knew there could be so much murder and mayhem in a 16th century monastery? I'll be reading some more books in this series for sure.

Next up is The Black Tower by P.D. James. If I keep adding authors, I may have to join others in their Mystery Year!

Has June been decided yet? I can't find anything.

I'm all for a mystery year. Where do I sign up?

Re-read The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. Quite an enjoyable re-read. Christie mysteries never grow old for me!

My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/63926447

Or my 75 Books Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/106099

# 159 nancyewhite, read and reviewed The Killer Inside Me last year. I really loved it and considered it one of my best reads of the year but it was decidedly very creepy and unsettling.

I finished Water's Edge by Karin Fossum!! I can very much recommend her as a wonderful psychological suspense writer.

For those reading P.D. James -she has been one of my favourite mystery writers for many many years! Try some of her older mysteries - they are wonderful too! Ruth Rendell is another fabulous long time fav psychogical mystery author of mine too! Some of her books are very dark! Ruth Tendell really gets into the heads of all of her characters....

I guess I should post.. I started Under Fire by Margaret McLean..
it is a Vine read.. A firefighter shot and killed during a rescue during a fire...
The trial of the accused bring up previous mayhem in the area
( Boston Ma area)

Cheli- "Has June been decided yet? I can't find anything." What are you referring to here? I was not planning anything mystery related, although I am hosting a Group Read of Thousand Autumns, that begins mid-June.

Glad to see so many up for Mystery Year. LOL.

I've just finished Sacrifice by S. J. Bolton. A female doctor finds a body on her land and gets involved with the investigation. I think it was not bad for her debut novel. Maybe some slight problems with pacing but overall a good fast read.

Darn it calm! I am trying not to go there... lol

Kath - I wouldn't even have picked it up if not for you and Awakenings! What's wrong with standalone mysteries ... at least it wasn't the first book in a series:)

I asked about June, because there has been

Fantasy February
Mystery March
Autism April
May: Murder & Mayhem

so I'm just wondering what's up for June?

Juicy June? Jolly June? Jerky June? Judicial June?

I did like Awakenings... a lot! I gave it to a friend of mine who is a vet tech..
love her... lots.. and thought she would be happy to read that one.
( one more on the catch and release program )
Stand alone mysteries are great!! Love them! But it seem these day so many books are trilogies or series.. cruel, cruel cruel..

>159 nancyewhite: nancywhite The Killer Inside Me made me a huge fan of Thompson and noir in general. I think it's his best, but The Grifters,After Dark, My Sweet, Pop. 1280 and A Swell Looking Babe are also great.

Autism April? Now, how did I miss that one? Hey, I'm always up for a Jerky June! What type of books do we read for that one again?

I'm also a big fan of Jim Thompson. I have read several, but it's been many years. I loved The Grifters.

How about June Journeys? or Juvenile June (for YA/children's lit)?

Cheli, maybe Just Read Mysteries June?

Lately, though, it's been Just Read Mysteries, Baseball, and Civil War books.

>165 vancouverdeb:: I'll second the P.D. James rec, Deb. I started at the beginning several years ago and have been slowly working my way through her impressive history of detective fiction books. I started #5, The Black Tower in the Dalgliesh series last night. They just keep getting better and better.

>175 cbl_tn:: Both good suggestions for June. I've had Walking to Gatlinburg on my library hold list since Mark read it last year(!) so June Journeys would be the perfect time to unfreeze it. Don't forget, there is another "J" month coming in July.

Mark, you'll have to define 'jerky' books for us. ;-)

Oooh, I like Juvenile June.

I had suggested something similar to Judicial June -- June Jurisprudence, I believe -- to knock all those Grisham and Turow novels off my shelf . . . (er, actually they're currently heaped on the floor . . . whatever.)

I like Juvenile June! I have a couple of Youth books on tap.

Finished Travels with my Aunt. Plenty of mayhem, but not enough murder to count towards this theme. Would have been perfect for a June/July Journeys though! :)

Back to M&M, this time with Heat Wave by Richard Castle. Hoping this will be a guilty pleasure.

I've started on a Swedish author, Helene Tursten and am reading Torso and so far so good. I may be on a Scandi roll here?

Ilana and Zoe have talked about a Juvenile and YA July. I like the idea of Journeys in June. It's been awhile since I have read any travel writing and it would be a great excuse.

Finishing Robert B. Parker's last Spenser novel, Sixkill tonight. Spenser seemed to be breaking in a new sidekick/protege , a Cree Indian named Zebulon "Z" Sixkill; I wonder if Parker had planned to keep this guy around as an occasional alternative to Hawk or even a successor to Spenser. I hate to turn the last page of this one.

#184 I think that they've chosen Ace Atkins to continue the series. I've never read the Spenser books but I enjoyed the Atkins mysteries.

>>RIP to Parker. I like everything of his that I've read although for some reason I never read any of them in any kind of order. Perhaps I'll start at the beginning of the Spenser series one day.

I finished the disturbing and fantastic The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. Truly stomach churning. It seems so ahead of its time.

I began When Will There by Good News by Kate Atkinson. I really enjoyed the last one in the Jackson Brodie series and hope to like this just as much.

A belated but sincere thanks to Cheli, for pointing out that using two t's in Written magically makes the touchstone work (d'oh!) and to Linda for reminding me of the nonfiction P.D. James books.

I finished up The Lake of Dead Languages, which was more of a suspense story than a true mystery. The ending is pretty well telegraphed but there's plenty of atmosphere and creepiness to make things interesting.

Taking a brief break from mysteries, but still have plenty in the wings, shuffling and making "Read Me Now!" noises.

but there's plenty of atmosphere and creepiness to make things interesting.

Good! I have The lake of Dead Languages sitting on my shelf . . . shuffling and making "read me now!" noises . . . maybe I won't wait too long.

June Journeys - is that books set in an exotic locale or actual travel literature?

>189 cyderry: I'd suggest it could be both, as well as fiction in which the characters travel.

I love the idea of "June Journeys." There are a lot of different directions one could go... no pun intended :)

I, too, vote for "June Journeys", as something sort of different from what we've done so far.

Remember, too, that we have July coming up. So Journeys, Juvenile, Jurisprudence could all be used for either.

# 186 So glad you liked The Killer Inside Me, nancyewhite!

I also vote for "June Journeys". I have plenty of travel essays to read.
I finished my ER book The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley. I would consider it a cozy mystery. A now female Vicar of the Church of England, who was once a police detective gets involved helping to solve a murder. I gave it 3 stars. Looks like it was written to be a series.

Lots of both murder and mayhem in The Walking Dead Volume One. My first graphic novel but certainly not my last. I have ordered the next couple of Walking Dead from the library so hopefully will get to them by next week.

Ahh, my whole family loves The Walking Dead series, Judy. It's an amazing job of storytelling.

The cable tv series is good, too, although it doesn't really track the books.

I'm reading a debut mystery, The Dangerous Edge of Things. Not all that good (though it has its moments) but I've got to read it for net galley.

#185 Yes, that is the official announcement. I don't know Atkins at all, and I'm very squeamish about the idea of anyone else taking over Parker's characters. I'm not sure I'll read them. Finished Sixkill, which ends with Spenser driving west, not into the sunset, but into a lightening sky, toward the love of his life. I'm content to leave him there.

I read Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay for my contribution to May's Murder and Mayhem read. This book was darkly humorous in a creepy way.

June journeys sounds good. I have A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird in my TBR pile for May; maybe I'll put it off.

#190> I like the idea of keeping the theme more broad as you suggest.

Taking a small break from Murder and Mayhem to catch up on other commitments but I hope to be reading Blind Eye by Stuart MacBride by the weekend. His police procedural series set in Aberdeen, Scotland is another favorite of mine.

Well, my ILL of Redbreast arrived today. I'm trusting all the testimonials that this will eventually be a good book. In the early going, it's really not grabbing me much.

After a couple of non-mysteries, I'm jumping back in with Katherine Hall Page's The Body in the Gazebo. This is one of my favorite cozy series, so I was happy when I found out I was getting an Early Reviewers copy.

205 I like that series, too!

>>204 tymfos: In the early pages, I also was concerned that it wouldn't live up to the hype. By the end, I was a hyper too...

I'm nearing the end of Divergent, which has had more M & M than I expected. It's been a really good read.

I've nearly finished Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, which I thought was urban fantasy, and there is enough Murder and Mayhem to count towards this thread. So far so good and thanks to Heather (souloftherose) for recommending this one.

I've been enjoying M&M May. Thus far I've read:

Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh- didn't like it as much as I expected. Too much minute tracing of movement in a space I found boring, I guess. I'm going to try some of her other stuff.

The Clocks by Agatha Christie- Christie is always fun- it's not one of her best, but still eminently readable.

Currently I'm reading Christie's After the Funeral. My other plans for this month include James's The Black Tower, and perhaps The Girl Who Played with Fire.

I agree with everyone on James- I've read three of the Dalgliesh books, and enjoyed every one. I'm not reading in order- thus far I've read Cover Her Face, Devices and Desires, and Shroud for a Nightingale. Each one had elements I really enjoyed. I think in each case I've enjoyed the building of the mystery more than the ending. I'm definitely planning to work my way through all of them. Death in Holy Orders is also sitting on my shelf, so that might make an appearance this month.

# 210 lahochstetler, I think you enjoyed The Clocks better than I did. I really don't like the latter Christies. The Clocks is among my least favourite Christies. I liked After the Funeral. It was pretty enjoyable.

I like the books that come just a little later in Marsh's Inspector Alleyn series. You might try Artists in Crime as your next one. My favorite is one of the later ones - A Clutch of Constables.

I got into the P.D. James books late in the series. I think Death in Holy Orders was the first one I read, and it's a good one. My second, The Murder Room, is really good, too. Now I want to go back and read earlier books in the series.

Finished Contents under pressure, which was pretty good. I haven't read any P. D. James in years. My favorite of hers was always Unsuitable job for a women

Finished Tigerlily's Orchids by Ruth Rendell. Great read, very suspenseful, but not in an edge of your seat way. The story is quite low-key, with no murder until well over half way, and no detectives involved in solving the crime. More of a slice of life look at the residents of an apartment building, and how they are intertwined. I'd definitely read another Rendell book.

I had 4 books listed that I wanted to read in May. I got excited, and read one before April ended - Murder in Mesopotamia. Tigerlily's Orchids wasn't even on my list. But now I've started The Devil's Whisper by Miyuki Miyabe, right on schedule. This one looks to be full of murder and mayham - several people have died already, and I'm only on the introduction. They look like suicides, but I'm guessing it'll be much more sinister.

#204 tymfos

Don't worry Redbreast will pick up. There is lots of history in it and in places it reads more like a war novel than a mystery, but these parts are necessary to understand what is going on in Norway after World War II and in the present. It is not only the French who have an issue with collaboration.

I an currently at my sister's house in Scandia, Kansas and thought it appropriate that I was telling her about the Nesbo books. There is a small town of Norway, Kansas about ten miles from Scandia and guess what ... the folks who live around here are mostly of Scandianavian ethnic backgrounds. Names like Svenson, Nelson, Petersen, Stensaas, Aspergren, Lindgren, not to be confused with Lindhgren, and all those Larson's and Larsen's.

I started reading Christine Falls and am a little more than halfway through that book. It is very good. In some ways it reminds me of a movie that I saw some years back. It was about the laundry's that the Catholic Church ran in Ireland, and these laundry's figure in the mystery in Christine Falls.

The hero of this book, Quirke, reminds me of Harry Hole in some ways. While both heroes are driven men, Quirke is not as full of self loathing, or as lacking in self esteem, as is Hole. Also noticed that the Benjamin Black book is much more character and place oriented than I expected. The author is very good at quietly describing a scene. Nesbo can set an atmosphere, but it seems to be much more punchy and hard hitting than is the writing of Black.

Anyway, it is a very interesting, but subtle, difference in style displayed by the two authors.

Click here for another Nesbo article.

We are definitely on the book culture zeitgeist with all the reading of the Harry Hole series going on for M&M.

Divergent by Veronica Roth was terrific, and if you'd liked The Hunger Games, you'll want to read it.

I picked up Zoo City by Lauren Beukes for my next M & M. Described by one reviewer as Jeff Noon crossed with Raymond Chandler. That should be interesting.

Still poking along in Holy Disorders, too. He's not in a hurry; I'm not either.

Tried to fix the touchstone

I just finished my April ER book, The Body in the Gazebo by Katherine Hall Page. This is one of my favorite cozy series, and I don't think I've read a bad one yet. This one is a little different since it deals with a long-ago murder rather than a recent one. However, Faith does get to use her sleuthing skills to exonerate her minister husband from embezzlement from one of the church accounts.

I'm getting ready to start a historical mystery that's been in my TBR stash for a while - The Queen's Gambit by Diane Stuckart.

Oh I'm so glad that so many have enjoyed P.D.James! I discovered her as an author in my early twenties - and sufficeit say that she has been providing me with many years of enjoyable reading. I think one of my early favourites was A Mind to Murder . She's a prolific writer, and very well educated. I think she may have started writing before I was born ;) I imagine she used P.D James rather than her own first name so that her gender was not obvious in the early days. I think P.D. James is now in her 90's.

Well, I'm going full throttle. On audio, I finished The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. It's light & fun. I like Flavia. On the flip-side, I finished Snow Angels, a dark brutal police procedural set in Finland. This is the first of a series and it was very good.
I also started on audio, Every Dead Thing, which is also very dark and holds much promise. Lastly, I will be reading an ER book, called "Red on Red", about a pair of New York cops. Whew, I'm done now.

Sorely disappointed with L'argent facile aka Easy Money by Jens Lapidus. Over 500 pages, and I truly regret having stuck to it through what seemed like forever and a day. Meanwhile taking time away from other books which would have no doubt provided more enjoyment. O well. At least I tried something new.

I've finished and reviewed Killed at the Whim of a Hat, first in a new series by the inventive Colin Cotterill, in my thread...post #209.

I finished up Murder in Mesopotamia by la Christie for the umpty-umph time. The book still holds a lot of charm as the narrator, a nurse, is observant and realistic, while completely missing some byplay by other characters. Poirot is at his best here: kind, witty, and very sharp.

Going to start Henning Mankell's new book The Troubled Man.

I finished up The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri this morning. I do so enjoy this series and Inspector Montalbano.

How could I forget? I finished And Then There Were None this week, which I had last read in the mid-80s and was very pleased to find I enjoyed it just as much this time around too. It helped that I couldn't remember anything about it other than: it takes place on an island; the murders are based on an old nursery rhyme; there are 10 little indian porcelain figurines which disappear progressively as people are killed.

Finished and adored When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson. This series is so smart and funny with such a big heart. I love it.

The Nesbo novel I started and just couldn't get into was The Snowman, which I ordered from the UK. Maybe I'll look for another of his titles at the library, but it's rare for me to not find something at all appealing like that.

The second Camilla Lackberg novel didn't measure up to The Ice Princess, but it was still a decent read. I'm now immersed in The Crow Trap a tremendously detailed and involving novel by Ann Cleeves. A lot of people read her Shetland mysteries last year (Raven Black and so on), and this is one that features another detective, Vera Stanhope. They are told from the perspective of those caught up in the case, rather than the investigators, which I rather like -- it lends an extra element of intrigue and uncertainty and it allows the author to take an outsider's view of Vera, who is portrayed as rather unprepossessing and abrupt, making her effectiveness all the more intriguing and surprising. I'm about 2/3 of the way through and it's a very good mystery indeed.

I like the idea of Judicial June -- we could yank down all those crime novels with courtroom scenes!

I needed a new audiobook to get me through my household cleaning/chores (my in-laws are visiting next weekend!). Having read some of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels years ago in no particular order, I decided to download the first one in the series, The Neon Rain, which was available through NetLibrary. There is more than enough murder and mayhem in this gritty volume! I like the narrator, too -- very believable as Dave.

I finally reviewed L'argent facile aka Easy Money, 1st of the Stockholm Noir series, which should be hitting NA bookstores with English translations soon enough. I hated it, which doesn't mean anything—I'll bet it'll be a big smash hit when it hits our shores, i.e. the next Millenium trilogy. My rant is here.

I'm really enjoying Every Dead Thing on audio. You gotta love a main character called Charlie Parker. Any other fans of Connolly?
I finished Britten and Brulightly. It's a graphic and it has a classic noir feel. Highly recommended.

Terri- Thanks for giving me an idea. I think I will return to the Dave Robicheaux series, via audio. I have only read a couple of these books.

I have to admit I don't read much crime-fiction. But this month I thought I would try two for this "challenge".

My first Agatha Christie ever: The murder of Roger Ackroyd. (Kindle) Just begun, but already a lot of fun with dry british humour. Waiting for Hercule Poirot to step unto the scene. (It's in the 501 Must-Read Books. That's why I picked that Christie).

And then Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James (Audiobook) Dalgliesh is trying to solve a mystery at a theological college.

I read Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson. The story was well written enough but I didn't like the characters. Goldy was dysfunctional and rather bitchy and the secondary characters were one dimensional. Pity, I was looking for another amateur sleuth series.

I finished #5 in the Adam Dalgliesh series...The Black Tower by P. D. James. Very enjoyable...now to get to the other nine books I haven't read by this much-admired author.

>234 Morphidae: I am not fond of the Diane Mott Davidson mysteries either, although in general I love reading cozy mysteries. I do not care for Goldy either. There are lots of other fun amateur sleuth series though.

#234 & #236, I read Catering to nobody recently and didn't much like it, but what put me off first was something silly so maybe I'm not a good judge. I hate cutesy names and Goldy Bear was just a little too adorable for me.

I'm reading Hamlet, revenge by Michael Innes, which I'm really enjoying. Murder at an amateur production of Hamlet--not much mayhem since it's set amongst the very upper classes in Britain.

Heat Wave was a bit overly slick for my tastes, but I did enjoy it for seeing how it worked its way into the TV series "Castle".

Moved on to something more substantial, Cover her Face, the first Dalgleish novel by P.D. James. And I'm sure it won't be the last, either.

Cover Her Face was very good classic English whodunnit. Adam Dalgleish is also a character worth getting to know better, I shall be returning to this series.

I shall also definitely be returning to the Simon Serrailler series. I'm 1/3 of the way through The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill, and loving it. And am peeved that work's getting in the way of my reading time!

Oh, I loved The Various Haunts of Men when I read it earlier this year! I have #2 checked out from the library right now but haven't had a chance to start it yet.

Read I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming over the weekend. I love this well-written series. The characters are interesting and the ideas are mature. After a great discussion on JoycePA's thread I especially appreciate that religion is an integral part of the book but there is no preaching or dogma. If this series interests you, I HIGHLY recommend starting at the beginning.

Today I started and finished And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It was a classic 'locked room mystery. I guessed whodunit fairly early, but enjoyed reading how it all played out. I was reminded of The Haunting of Hill House the entire time I read it. There is a certain similarity of tone and then there is the 'bunch of strangers in an eerie and dangerous situation' common theme. I think I mostly found this one a fun puzzle.

Boy, I'm having so much fun with this themed read! I have the Kindle loaded to continue when we go on vacation next week. Thanks, Mark.

I am currently reading Blind Eye by Stuart MacBride. He writes a police procedural series set in Aberdeen, Scotland and they are (to quote the cover blurb) hard-hitting, fierce and shot through with the blackest of humor. I absolutely love them.

I am also just starting a non-fiction crime read called Murder in Mayberry: Greed, Death and Mayhem in a Small Town.

Belating joining in M&M with The Crime At Black Dudley, Margery Allingham's first novel.

Nancy- You are welcome, but keep in mind, I'm having a great time too! I just wish we had a few more weeks left in May. I have sooooooo many more to get to. We might have to do this again in the fall.
Anyone interested?

I am well into Shadow Pass, the sequel to Eye of the Red Tsar and it's been highly enjoyable. Perfect for M & M.

Judy- I love the title of Murder in Mayberry, plus it contains both Murder & Mayhem. Yah!

Anyone interested?

YES. Especially since I haven't been able to take advantage of this month as I had hoped to. Still, I'm reading a lot, so it's not all bad. I'll finally be starting on Daniel Silva's The Kill Artist tonight. Have heard so many good things about this series and had to keep putting this book off every month... I really look forward to it.

Ilana, I have The Kill Artist waiting patiently on the TBR shelves. I, too, have heard great things about the series, so I look forward to hearing what you think. Maybe it'll nudge the book higher on the list for me...

Anyone interested?

YES for me too. No matter how many I read, I am always ready for more mysteries. I have acquired quite a list just from this thread this month!

I just finished The Queen's Gambit, a historical mystery with Leonardo da Vinci as detective, and I'm just starting Lethal Lineage. The plot is supposed to have some sort of genealogical twist. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it also has a church theme. The opening scenes take place in an Episcopal church in western Kansas.

Anyone interested?

YES, for me also. I'll never run out of mysteries I want to read. Just keep October free for Mac's Halloween list!

I'm another person who'd love to do another month of "Murder and Mayhem"! I've been getting through Mt TBR fairly well (no new books towards this challenge!) and have enjoyed the books I've chosen too.

Finished The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen. Murder and Mayhem are the right words for describing this engrossing psychological thriller.

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