January 2013 --- What are we reading?

Finished Calamity Jayne by K. C. Bacus and started Murder Passes the Buck by Deb Baker.

Reading Michael Innes - Death at the President's Lodging.

On my way back from Christmas holidays I started Pars vite et reviens tard, by Fred Vargas.

Just started The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

Working on Linwood Barclay's The accident

Bad Move by Linwood Barclay

Still on The Chessmen byPeter May

Today I read Murder at the Pageant by Victor Whitechurch, which was enjoyable. I'm not sure what I'll tackle next; I may switch off to another genre until I receive Todd Downing's Vultures in the Sky (no touchstones), newly reprinted by Coachwhip Publications, later this week.

Finished a cozy quick one this afternoon. Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett. Reminded a little of the Mystery Woman series that was on the Hallmark Channel with Kelly Martin.

The case of Jennie Brice by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Just finished Mr. Churchill's Secretary, which is part mystery, part thriller. Very good.

Just finished A Red Herring Without Mustard, the third Flavia de Luce mystery. I adore Flavia and I envy her the chemistry lab!

9 cindysprocket - Yes it reminded me of The Mystery Woman too. I like cozies about things I love to do and Lorna Barrett has books that are entertaining and fun to read.

Right now I am reading Dashielle Hammett's Red Harvest.

White Dog by Peter Temple. Really like trying to figure out the Aussie lingo in these, plus I like the humor and setting.

I'm in the late 1970s in Zambia, with Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, who's hunting a hitman.

Dead at Daybreak by Deon Meyer

Gangster Squad by Paul Lieberman

A Finnish thriller Ylösnousemus by Ilkka Remes.

Okay. I just put the thumbscrews to a horribly disappointing mystery, Books Can Be Deceiving, in that thread...post #8.

I can forgive BAD before I can forgive forgettable.

The Rasp by Philip MacDonald. I've found it entertaining thus far (about halfway), and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

18 - I've read a couple of book-themed cozies that were completely bland. So disappointing all around.

Just finished A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch. I liked it enough to want to read book 2.

FInished an old Detective Book Club Trio which included Dead by Now by Margaret Erskine and Beat Back the Tide by Dolores Hitchens. The latter was dated in many ways but still had a nice noir tome that gave it an extra frisson.

Tried John Hart's The Last Child but gave it up as too overwrought, too melodramatic. too, too. It was like being beat over the head.

Just picked up The Black Box by Michael Connelly on audio from the library today. I hope I can hold myself back until I finish my current audio read (The Master and Margarita), but it's going to take discipline, which is always sadly lacking when it comes to books.

Finished Murder Passes the Buck by Deb Baker and started Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett.

Creep by Jennifer Hillier

The Survivor by Greg Hurwitz

Reading A Place of Execution by Val McDermid. Good so far.

I liked Murder Passes the Buck. I tried her other series but didn't like it at all. This one was pretty good.

I'm reading Billy Boyle and enjoying it so far. Unique main character.

Just finished up Winter and Night by SJ Rozan, an author who really deserves a breakout but is just not as well-known as her work merits. It's a wonderful PI series.

Just started Suspect by Michael Robotham as an audio and also started Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux on the Nook.

Reading Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs.

I will be reading Political Suicide by Michael Palmer and The Ladt Man by Vince Flynn

7000 Clams by Lee Irby set in 1925 St Petersburg, Fla.

The Woman who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde. It is the latest Thursday Next book.

Mysterious doings with synthetic Thursdays turning up at odd intervals and the Almighty threatening to smite Swindon at the end of the week.

It is a few years since I last read one of the Thursday Next books and it is taking a while for me to get my brain around it all. Faint but pursuing, that's me ...

The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb. I have loved her Appalachian novels up to this point, but having a little trouble with this one: so far, I haven't met a character that I really like. I always need somebody to root for.

#34, gmathis, I had the same trouble with The hangman's beautiful daughter at first.

I'm trying to tackle the "unread" pile of my own bookshelves so I've started an older John Grisham, Sateentekijä ("The rainmaker").

I'm trying to tackle ongoing series this year and so I'm reading The Poison Ape by Arimasa Osawa which is the follow-up to Shinjuku Shark.

I'm reading my first Jeffrey Deaver book The Bone Collector

Finished Billy Boyle by James R Benn. Great WWII mystery. I really enjoyed this one. Unusual protagonist. I'm looking forward to reading more.

#35, Agreed: The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter was one of her weirder ones, but I had already fallen in love with Nora Bonesteel from previous novels. I will stick with this one simply because I love the setting and the depth of the historical research.

Unseen by Mari Jugstedt another Swedish mystery, this one set on the island of Gotland.

Almost finished with Beneath the Dark Ice by Greig Beck. Really good! Great, now I have another author to add to my already massive TBR pile!

Finished The Glass Wall by Clare Curzon. Have liked her books. But this one seemed like she had a hard time with her characters to many loose ends and than all at once they were tied up all together at the very end. With too many questions from me the reader.

The Black Box on audio.

Vultures in the Sky by Todd Downing.

I have read The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro, The Codex by Douglas Preston, and am just finishing Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell. Next up is The Black Box by Michael Connelly.

@ Bookmarque (#29) - I just discovered Michael Robotham several months ago when I snagged Say You're Sorry in Eary Reviewers. I am definitely a fan now!

>47 wcath: Thanks, that sounds like a great tip! I put the first of the series by Michael Robotham on my wishlist. It sounds like he gets even better as the the series progresses.

I'm reading Orion's Belt which is kind of a thriller, kind of a mystery, and kind of a crime novel. It's not easy to label it, but it definitely belongs in this group.

The Poisoners by Donald Hamilton. I'm really enjoying Matt Helm.

that's good to hear wcath. This is my first one and I like it so far.

The Dark Winter

Just started last night, so no opinion yet

I just started Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie, 3rd in the series. Very good so far.

I am close to finishing Honourable Schoolboy. This one is much different than Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in that it takes place in the Far East and in a war zone. This one is really good. I want to try to finish the trilogy this year and clear them off my shelf and my to-be-read list.

Started Where Eagles Dare, by Alistair MacLean, after watching the movie recently.

Read Furies: an Ancient Alexandrian Thriller by D.L. Johnstone. Pretty darn good. Review is here.

#54 I'm about 100 pages into The Honourable Schoolboy myself -- glad to hear you've liked it. I'm enjoying it so far, but am plodding at a slower pace than I'd take most books. It takes more of my attention to follow the action than usual.

#57
This book is really long for a mystery/spy/thriller and it is very in-depth about some things. I love the way he has created the atmosphere of Phnom Penh and Saigon in 1975. The plot is really complicated and tags onto the previous novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy so much that they really do go together. I can't imagine how anybody could read this one as a stand-alone novel. I didn't finish it last night as I got sleepy. Of course, that might have been because the football game was such a snoozer and a real disappointment.

Devices and Desires by P.D. James.

I'm still working on Broken Harbor, by Tana French. At the rate of about 30 pages per week (as a read-aloud), it's going to take a while, so please don't tell me how it turns out.

I've also just dipped into The Various Haunts of Men, by Susan Hill, which I happened to pick up from the library just before stopping at the car wash. I'd hate to put something else aside, but during my 20 minutes' wait that one caught my interest, and I'd like to continue with it. However, whereas I can usually handle five books at a time, six would throw everything out of balance. Oh, my, what a dilemma.

I have Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs - I should say I own it. My youngest daughter said "Oooh, this looks interesting" last week, and I haven't seen the book since.

#38 marcejewels The Bone Collector is one I have read several times. If you enjoy this, you will very likely enjoy his other books.

I started The Breach by Patrick Lee and I got turned onto Charlie Parker in another thread so I started Every Dead Thing by John Connolly. Very different, but both good so far.

I just finished The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill. I'm finding that I prefer the other, non-police, story lines that are present in this series, over the crime solving aspect, probably because I don't like the main character, Simon Serrailler very much at all!

I read Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes, his first in the Detective Inspector Appleby series. A great "Golden Age" mystery featuring devious dons at a fictitious university. Innes use of the English language is nothing short of brilliant.

I really enjoyed Death at the President's Lodging too. I have the second one in the TBR pile somewhere.

I thought Death at the President's lodging was a really good beginning to the series, but I really loved the second book Hamlet, revenge

I've finished Vultures in the Sky, which I thought good. I'll be reading more of Downing's Hugh Rennert series, I think, via Coachwhip Publications' reprints.

I've moved on to The Room with the Tassels, by Carolyn Wells. The writing seems rather pedestrian but thus far has held my interest.

Bjace> I loved Hamlet, Revenge too. It reminded me of The Skull Beneath the Skin by P. D. James. They perform The Duchess of Malfi rather than Shakespeare. My library only has a few of the Appleby books, but a really great inter-library system which is nation-wide (Canada) so I 've ordered the next in the series, Lament for a Maker.

I'm half way through Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson and am enjoying it immensely.

I finished reading Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. This is a book that was brought to my attention by Mark. He warned everybody that it was profane - and it is. Aside from the excessive use of the F-word this was a fun book. It is about a former mafia hit-man who enters the witness protection program and becomes a doctor. Unfortunately, one of his patients, a mafia wise guy, recognizes him and rats him out. That's when the really gross fun starts. This book has lots of action and lots of rollicking inside information on the facts of life as a resident emergency room physician. The second book in this series has just come out, so I had to add another to my to-be-read series list.

I am just finishing The Charm School by Nelson DeMille. I forget how much I enjoy his books. Will definitely need to read more of his works in the future.

I'm about half the way through The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. It's really a great read and there's plenty of intrigue and mystery.

#72

I really liked The Forgotten Garden. I loved all of the literary references found in it and the story was just great.

Just started The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg

I recently finished The Twenty-Year Death by Ariel S. Winter. It's one of Hard Case Crime's more recent publications--a huge honkin' tome, three novels in one, each written in the style of a long-gone mystery master. My review is here. There's also a giveaway of a hardback copy of the book if anyone's interested.

I'm currently reading Mrs. Pollifax on Safari Dorothy Gilman (which shouldn't take long) and listening to Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith.

The Room with the Tassels was mediocre, with a rushed ending, and at least one passage where it seemed the author lost track of just which characters were present for the scene. On the other hand, the writing wasn't a chore to read, so I'd be willing to try another by Carolyn Wells.

Next up, The Casebook of Jonas P. Jonas and Other Mysteries, a collection of short stories by E.X. Ferrars.

Just starting Two Graves the latest Agent Pendergast by Lincoln Childs and Douglas Preston.

The Pale Criminal by Phillip Kerr

Just started the Black Box by Michael Connelly.

Finished Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett and started Putting Lipstick on a Pig by Michael Bowen.

having just finished a grim historical, I'm after light and fluffy, so about to start After the Armistice Ball by Catriona McPherson.

Finished reading The Honorable Schoolboy by John LeCarre late last night. It was really good. It is easy to see why LeCarre is considered a master of the espionage novel. The novel had different story lines that merged at the end, but overall the atmosphere was very "Apocaloypse Now". Especially the parts set in Cambodia and Vietnam. I hope to get the third one read this year.

The Various Haunts of Men, by Susan Hill, left me with mixed feelings. The atmosphere and character development were very well done, and the story held my interest even though I ID'd the perpetrator the moment he made his appearance as a character. But the actual detecting and solving seemed thin to me, depending a little too much on circumstances convenient to the plot.

Moreover, it seems odd to call it a Simon Serrailler mystery when Serrailler was absent or in the background for most of the story and contributed nothing to the solving of the case.

I took a break from the rather disappointing E.X. Ferrars short-story collection (so far, only the short-shorts published in the Evening Standard have had much appeal) to zip through The Man From Scotland Yard, a Sexton Blake novella that reminded me a good deal of an Edgar Wallace thriller.

82 - I liked that one. I don't know if there are others featuring Dandy or not, but I'd be happy to read them if there are.

85 - I've never read any of her short stories. Sounds like I'm not missing much.

Still on a classical Roman kick so now I'm almost done with Shadows in Bronze. Falco reads like a Roman Archie Goodwin. But the Nero in question here is a oversexed ox!

Have Shadows in Bronze about somewhere. I read a Jacques Futrelle (The thinking machine) and a Mary Roberts Rinehart and am now taking something of a break from the genre.

Finished Coyote Revenge set in 1930's Oklahoma by Fred Harris and started on Fruitcake by Jane Rubino

Reading Death of an Addict by M.C. Beaton.

I am reading Threat Vector by Tom Clancy

Just started Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker - "...a stunning thriller about power, corruption, and the law in America." (Jacket description)

86 - Ferrars' stories might appeal to others, but there were too many unpleasant characters - and in particular unpleasant narrators - for me. I certainly don't mind some of the cast being unsavory, but I dislike having everyone be that way.

I've just begun Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer, one of a pair of her mysteries I picked up over the weekend together with a collection of Mary Roberts Rinehart's mystery short stories and the complete BOMC Sherlock Holmes set.

Just finsihed After the Armistice Ball which was an enjoyable cozy - if a bit serious at times.

About to start Case Histories which I've heard raves about.

93: I really enjoyed Case Histories and the three other Jackson Brodie books (so far) that have come after it. This is a series that I do think is best read in order.

The Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan

Gave up on Truth, Dare, Kill by Gordon Ferris after nearly drowning in cliched language in chapter one and moved on to Kill Me Again by Terence Faherty.

Started Death and the Maiden by Frank Tallis -- the 6th in his Lieberman Papers series, one of the finest historical series being written today IMO (I'd put the series up there in my favorites along with the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear and the Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom.

I need to read some Frank Tallis there are so many raves about these titles.

Ready to begin Murder in Montmartre by Cara Black

I just finished Safe House by Chris Ewan set on the Isle of Man, which I really enjoyed. My enjoyment was likely heightened because I've been to the Isle of Man many times.

Just finished Case Histories which I greatly enjoyed. Will definitely read more of that series.

Finished Putting Lipstick on a Pig by Michael Bowen and started Murder by Magic by Lesley Cookman.

About to start A Question of Identity by Susan Hill the 7th in the Simon Serrailler series.

Reading Proof Positive by Philip Margolin for my library mystery group. It took a while to sort out who's who, but it's humming along nicely. We know who did the dirtiest deed, but there are some side details that need to be worked out, and it will be interesting to see how the main bad guy is caught.

#102 Putting Lipstick on a Pig sounds like software development. Have you read the preceding books in that series?

I'm on Susan Hill's second Simon Serrailler book, The Pure in Heart.

103: Pollux, I guess you've found the series worth following?

I just finished a historical mystery, which I quite enjoyed, although I did figure out the big secret very early on in the story. A Dark Anatomy by Robin Blake. My family were all from the area in England where this is set (Preston, Lancashire) so that was an added bonus.

At long last, catching up on my Maisie Dobbs series. A Lesson In Secrets.

#104 Jim53: Putting Lipstick on a Pig is the the first book in the series I've read. I took advantage of an Amazon offer to snag it for my Kindle. I also snagged several other mysteries by various authors I probably would not have picked out otherwise. The book I'm reading currently is one of those.

105: Meredy
I read most of the series in a marathon last year. It is a very readable series although sometimes I think the family, especially Simon, need a shot upside the head.
Also there is a lot of focus on family and friends dynamics and not so much on detective work. Sometimes it seems all of a sudden, the crime is solved with no discernable investigation.

I recently finished Safe House by Chris Ewan set on the Isle of Man. When he wakes up in hospital after a motor cycle crash, Rob Hale is told the woman he was riding with doesn't exist. In this thriller mystery no one is what they seem, or what they claim to be. Is there anyone to be trusted? I gave it 4.5 stars.

I just read another in a series by one of my favourite authors: Bad Intentions by Karin Fossum.

>111 ted74ca: How did you enjoy that one Terry? Fossum is on my list of authors to try.

I've reviewed a barely-hanging-on series mystery, Three for a Letter. Set in 539CE Constantinople, this book almost didn't convince me to move on to book four. See why in my thread...post #15.

Richard

How can the Bzyantine Empire produce boring cardboard characters? such a shame that a writer can't do more with that time period.

Wrapped up Heyer's Footsteps in the Dark, which I liked, but which took a bit to get going. Next up is the Mary Roberts Rinehart short story collection; I'll likely alternate those with Foreign Legion adventures in The Heads of Sergeant Baptiste.

I've started The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen. Pretty good so far with a brisk pace.

I finished Proof Positive, which was kind of middling, and have started High Country, which features a park ranger going undercover as a waitress at Yosemite National Park. She's a pretty appealing character; I'm curious to see how much she will change.

High Country is one of the Anna Pigeon books by Nevada Barr. There are something like ten books in the series, maybe more. I have enjoyed every one of them that I have read, and they have inspired me to visit some of those parks. A book that gets a reader off the couch and onto a trail of one kind or another is a mighty fine book.

109: Pollux, that's fair warning. Having finished (and reviewed) the second book, I'm not sure whether I'll go on. I generally expect more of a certain kind of satisfaction out of a mystery than these are delivering.

I just started an ARC of BLACK IRISH, due to be published in February or March. I'm not far enough into it to give an opinion.

Started and abandoned A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis -- found the writing overwrought or at least the characters emotions overwrought. Now on Chatterton by Peter Akroyd which is difficult to categorize.

I was mildly disappointed with Alibi for Isabel, the Mary Roberts Rinehart short-story collection I just read. The stories were entertaining and well-written, but too few were mysteries or crime-related. A taste of what one would have gotten back when many weekly and monthly magazines featured fiction, I expect.

Next up, Hide in the Dark by Frances Noyes Hart, which I have in a Crime Club edition.

Started one of the few Agatha Christies I own and have never read: Taken at the Flood.

Almost through Crime of Privilege

I'm half way throughRemote Control by Andy McNab. I want to read more of his books.

Finished Murder by Magic by Lesley Cookman and started Dying to Get Published by Judy Fitzwater.

Working on Syystanssiaiset by P.D.James ("Death comes to Pemberley"). Darcy & Elizabeth revisited...

Just starting And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander.

Just finished Rutland Place by Anne Perry.

Just picked up The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart for my grandsons. Maybe I can get them to post reviews when they are done (with a little help).

Am reading Flesh and Bone, Jefferson Bass. Pretty good.

I'm reading The King of Lies by John Hart. I'm finding the protagonist a bit whiney, but am interested in finding out what happened.

Just finished listening to The Girl series by Steig Larsson. I read and loved the books, and found listening to the series a joy. I'm so sad that there will never be any more books by him..... I had heard that he had planned the series to be 10 books.

I finished The Professionals, which was reasonably entertaining but had some believability problems towards the end, and have started Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler, which I read once many years ago, but so long that I don't remember much beyond a general impression that it was good.

I've just begun my first Brother Cadfael mystery, A Morbid Taste for Bones.

Started listening to The Enemy, a Jack Reacher mystery that comes before The Killing Floor, when Reacher was still a major in the army's military police.

ETA: Actually, The Enemy is #8 in the series, at least as far as when it was published, but the action takes place before he left the military police. BTW, it's really good; at least I think so. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night just to finish "one more CD."

Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs

Oh, I really like Brother Cadfael! I just finished The Golden Spiders with Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe and The Hellfire Conspiracy in Victorian England. Both good. Now I'm reading two non-mysteries, Here Is Your War by Ernie Pyle and Aladdin's Lamp.

I finished Hide in the Dark last night. Dated in some respects, it got off to a slow start that quickened nicely once the murder occurred.

Next on the list will be one of several I picked up during a foray to library book sales and a nearby bookstore yesterday. The most likely candidate is While the Patient Slept by Mignon G. Eberhart, as a DVD of the 1935 movie starring Aline MacMahon is waiting to be watched, too.

I stayed up till nearly 4 am to finish Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin. Loved it.

Just finished The Breach by Patrick Lee. Not bad. A little bit of believability problems here and there, but not too bad. Worth reading more in the series.

#135 Storeetllr - I love the Jack Reacher series. The woman who told me I should read Jack Reacher told me it didn't matter in which order I read the books and after having read them all, I agree with her. My first one was Bad Luck and Trouble. Now, of course, I'll read new ones in publication order since I'll get them a soon as they're published.

Have fun.

The King of Lies ended up being a very satisfying read.

141 > Why wouldn't it matter in which order the Jack Reacher series is read? Does the main character not change at all throughout the books?

I am reading Double Tap by Steve Martini.

#142 Samantha_kathy: It's just my opinion, but since Lee Child doesn't publish in chronological order I've discovered that although it might be NICE to read them in chronological order, most likely he'll toss in one sometime down the road that will be in the middle of the chronology and will mess up the best intentions a chronological reader.

Prime example is that The Affair, 2nd most recent book published, actually takes place 6 months before the events in the first book published, Killing Floor.

So since publication order doesn't match chronological order and the fact that although the books reference events and people in other books it doesn't affect the outcome of any one individual book, reading them in any order is okay. For me.

Series that I insist on reading in order are the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny, the Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd, the Simon Serrailler series by Susan Hill, the Eve Dallas series by J.D. Robb. I would like to have read the Jackson Brodie series by Kate Atkinson in order and may go back and re-start.

Just watched the movie, "Place of Excution," based on Vald McDermid's book, which was very good.

~142 & 144 I think they should be read in order . In the first book, Child starts from a completely bare slate. I know I would have been quite disappointed if I had started with a later book. Michael Connelly does the samething with Harry Bosch, every 2nd or third book he goes back and fills in the gaps. If you don't read it in order you wouldn't necessarily understand the references.

I'm reading Picture of Lies by C.C. Harrison.

I have just finished Dead Souls by Ian Rankin , a book that reveals a lot about the past of Rebus and in which his complexity is really well explored. I thought it was one of the best in the series.

Finished Dying to Get Published by Judy Fitzwater and started The Dark Monk by Oliver Pötzsch.

Working on Rum Affair by Dorothy Dunnett. I didn't realize she had written any mysteries till Janny mentioned them. Pretty good so far.

I am reading White Nights by Ann Cleeves. Set in the Shetlands it's my first by this woman. Not bad so far.

I finally wrote my review of the charming first mystery Bruno, Chief of Police, over in my Crime, Thriller, and Mystery thread...post #20.

Last night I finished my first Brother Cadfael mystery and greatly enjoyed it. I'll be continuing with the second in the series as soon as Amazon can get it here.

I want to start reading Proof of Guilt, the newest Ian Rutledge by Charles Todd, but am reading a book for bookclub instead..... bookclub is Sunday and I really need to finish it and actually go to the meeting.

grumble, grumble

As soon as I finish The Dry Grass of August I'll be all over Proof of Guilt.

I'm in the midst of Death Comes to Pemberly which is a labor of love and ode to Pride and Prejudice by P.D. James. So far it's nostalgically fun and light. Is it just me, or does anyone else wish it was Lydia who got it in the neck?

New thread up here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/149280

Yesterday I finished up While the Patient Slept by Mignon G. Eberhart, which was quite enjoyable. I didn't try too hard to puzzle out the villain, and I was surprised, though the summing up brought back at least one clue I had noticed at the time and then forgot about.

Since most of what I read fits into this catergory, I' thought I'd join and see what others are reading. Specifically interested in foreign lit., think Donna Leon, Stig Larsson, Arturo Perez-Riverte...