May: Murder & Mayhem

Yes, my friends, it is that time of year. Are you ready for a little M & M? I know I am. This monthly theme is crime & mystery, so this encompasses a wide range of fiction. This is the perfect opportunity to knock out some series books. I know that is going to be one of my main objectives. I don't even want to know how many I have stacked in the wings.

I will come back with a better list of titles, that I plan on getting to but in the meantime, I want to see Dr. Siri, Sheriff Longmire, stop by Dept Q, maybe take a trip to the Rivers of London and on and on...

Grab your fedora and your gat, and start drawing up a list.

Fedora and gat is right, Mark, as the monthly MysteryCat over at the Category Challenge is going to be Classic Crime, I will be reading:

Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham
To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey
The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

and I also want to try a new-to-me author Gordon Ferris with Truth, Dare, Kill

I'm doing the Louise Penny re-read A Fatal Grace and The Cruelest Month are on May's agenda.
I also have the newest Dr. Siri The Woman who wouldn't die,
the newest Katherine Hall Page A Body in the Piazza
and Ruin Falls the latest Jenny Milchum which I'm sneaking a start on now.

Always fun to see what everyone else comes up with too.

I have no shortage of books to pull from my shelves for this month's theme (not to mention all the stuff available from the library)!

OK, I'm cheating a little and already started an audio that will probably be finished in May. The theme for the category challenge's May "MysteryCAT" is classic/golden age mysteries, so I'm listening to Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.

I'm definitely planning to read Taken, the first in Kathleen George's Richard Christie mystery series set in Pittsburgh.

Everything else is up in the air, but I'm sure I'll have a few more for the thread!

(I just finished a book that had murder and mayhem and zombies, but I was a little early with that.)

Oh gosh, I'm not sure what I'll tackle but hope to grab either 1 or 2 Australian crime books off the tbr pile, I saw Gunshot Road in a stack of books last night and I want to read more by Garry Disher.

Crime and mystery - not sure what books I will read for May but I am sure that I have at least a few stacks of books that fit this category. Can't wait to dive right in!

I probably won't finish my current audiobook until May, so it could be my first Murder & Mayhem book - The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen. Other mysteries on May's reading list:

Bengal Fire by Lawrence Blochman
The Devil's Workshop by Alex Grecian
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

My favorite challenge of all!

Trying for
A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first Brother Caedfel story
Thirty-Three Teeth, the second Dr. Siri book
Carnage on the Committee, number 9 in Ruth Dudley Edwards' fast and funny Robert Amiss series

and maybe one more, depending on life and other books

ETA: I'm reading a nonfiction book about mystery and detective stories right now.

SO. MANY.NEGLECTED.MYSTERIES.

I need a week just to sort out which one's what!

Not sure what I'll pick but I've been in a bit of a book funk and so hoping that mysteries will pull me out of it.

Just as a coincidence, I saw today that Amazon has posted a list 100 Mysteries and Thrillers to read in a lifetime: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=8994558011

Wondering what you all think of the list? I think it's a bit better than their general list of 100 books to read in a lifetime, but maybe that's because I've read a fair number of these already, and there are several others that I would like to read someday. However, there are a few selections that I will never, ever read, so I guess I would never actually complete this list.

ETA I find it amusing that they describe The Trial as "truly Kafkaesque." Yes, I guess it would be.

>12 sturlington: I notice that there a number of "series" entries where they've chosen the first-in-series, even though they were of much poorer quality than later installments.

I've read about 15 of the books on the list, though there are many more of them that are on my Ever-Expanding List of books I want to read.

Yay! May Murder & Mayhem's up! (Thank you, Mark!)

Not sure all the books I'll read for this, but the first is definitely World of Trouble, the third and final book of the Last Policeman trilogy, which is my LT Early Reviewer book for March.

>13 tymfos: I guess I'm being a tad cynical about Amazon's 100 Mysteries and Thrillers to read in a lifetime, after all Amazon wants to sell books, so of course they're going to put the 1st in a series (often with a reduced price) to hook people on buying a series worth of books. The shame of it is, that all too often the 1st book in a good series is NOT the best book, nor one I'd recommend as one the top 100.

SIGH.............

>15 tututhefirst: Exactly!!!

I am going to try and finish the final two books in the Matthew Shardlake series Heartstone and I can't remember the other title, but they are by C. J. Sansom. I won't get to them until later in the month. Then may pick up The Janissary Tree if all goes well. I gave in and purchased Masryk Station the next title in the Jack Russell series so perhaps will get to it this month.

I'm going to read a couple of stand alone mysteries that are sitting on my shelves including The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, better known as J. K. Rowling and The Outlander by Gil Adamson and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.

Thanks for setting up the thread, Mark!

I'm reading Anarchy and Old Dogs, the fourth book in the Dr Siri series and then I hope to start Maisie Dobbs, the first in a series I've been meaning to read for a while.

>18 brenzi: The Outlander and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, two good ones, Bonnie!

>18 brenzi: Bonnie, I really loved Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and you reminded me that I have his newest one The Tilted World sitting on my shelf. Perfect for MM&M.

Well, I looked at the list and have read 15 of the books, but really didn't see many more that I wanted to read. Guess my taste and Amazon's taste are different, go figure.

I'll probably read:

Front Page Fatality
✔Girl of His Dreams Completed
✔Murderous Glaze Completed
Third Rule of Ten
Deadly Blessings
✔A Wicked Slice Completed

As usual, I make huge lists just for the fun of it, knowing full well I can't possibly read/listen to everything on it, but it's nice having lots of options. I looked at the Amazon 100 (>12 sturlington: thanks!), and listed what was already on my tbr (or from the same author), including I a couple I saw mentioned on this thread:

♫ The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
✔ A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler
♫ A Dark-Adapted Eye or The Brimstone Wedding by Barbara Vine
♫ All Shot Up by Chester Himes
✔ Cover Her Face by P. D. James
ⓔ The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
♫ A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie
♫ March Violets by Philip Kerr
♫ Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
✔ The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes
♫ The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey or White Butterfly by Walter Mosley
♫ In the Woods by Tana French
♫ The Enemy by Lee Child
♫ Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane
♫ No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
♫ Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
✔ Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
✔ The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
✔ The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene
✔ The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon
♫ The Looking Glass War by John Le Carré
♫ The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
✔ Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
ⓔ = ebook

There are loads and loads more on the tbr, but I dare not look!

>22 Smiler69: I loved Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, and glad to see so many people discussing reading it. I also really liked Darkness, Take My Hand and In The Woods. The Lehane and French series are both excellent (except I didn't like the second one in the French series -- too implausible, IMO).

Oops, I forgot to mention the latest St. Cyr mystery, Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris. Still not sure what else I'll be reading for MM&M.

>18 brenzi:

I had no idea about J.K. Rowling having a pseudonym as Robert Galbraith! I guess you really do learn something new everyday... How is she when it comes to writing mysteries?

Maybe I will join too. I have lots of thrillers on my TBR shelves. I will star this thread!

Mark suggested Doctor Sleep for MM&M, as it has enough M&M in it to qualify! So, on the list it goes.

>12 sturlington:- Thanks for sharing the Amazon list, Shannon. Of course there are some great titles on there but it is far from complete. It's good to see LA Confidential & Clockers on there. 2 of my all-time favorite crime novels. Good to see some spy classics on there. Where is Mystic River? Child 44? Eight Million Ways To Die? Don't get me started...

Bonnie- Crooked Letter is a terrific choice.

Okay here is my To-Read list. And this is just the front-runners, there are dozens just beyond:

The Dark Horse- I NEED to visit the good sheriff.
The Accident- I have had an ARC of this one for a couple months. I really enjoyed The ExPats
Purity of Vengeance- Time to drop by Dept. Q.
Slash and Burn- I have to see the good doctor. This is book 8. I am getting close...
the Farm- This is an ER title and it looks to be a good one. I was crazy about Child 44. Another Amazon over-sight.
The Maltese Falcon- This would be a reread and I really need to start adding a crime classic now and then.
Hammered- I know this is fantasy but I am sure there is some M & M in there as well.
Mad Mouse - Book 2 in the John Ceepak series

Of course, there might be a couple additions but we'll see on that one...

I didn't finish Alias Grace for Atwood April, so I'm rolling it over into this May read.

I'm also planning to read through the Sherlock Holmes canon this year - It's May and I haven't really started yet so here I go. I may or may not get a Study in Scarlet done before May starts. If so, I'll go on to The Sign of the Four.

I see that this year, you've only mentioned fiction books in the intro post. :-( Traditionally, I've always read one True Crime story during MM&M, so I'm going to sneak in the audio of The Monster of Florence from Planet TBR.

I FINALLY found the next 3 books (on audio) in the John Ceepak series. YAH!! So I will be adding Mad Mouse to the mix. If you haven't tried this series yet, give Tilt A Whirl a try. It is a lot of fun and Ceepak is a hoot.

Janet- Reading Sherlock Holmes is a very fine idea.

>30 streamsong:

The Sign of Four is a good choice. I couldn't put it down til I was done and only wanted more when it was.

Coach Ahmad
www.coachahmad.com

No idea what I'll be reading next! But I would like to continue with Inspector Brunetti, I've sadly neglected the marvelous Amelia Peabody for too long, Simon Serallier is calling my name, and maybe I should give Harry Hole a try too.

I'm going to be finishing up the Ann Cleeves Shetland Islands series. I've already read Raven Black, the first. But now that there's a fifth to the quartet, I'm going to try to get 'em all in one go!

I've just started listening to The Winter People. Zombies and ghosts causing mayhem in Vermont. So far, so good.

Hmmmm. That one just popped onto my TBR!

Lynda- I really liked the Winter People. Enjoy!

>35 Carmenere: The Winter People is sitting on my MP3 - I think it's next in the queue but I can''t think of why. I normally wouldn't be picking up something with tags of zombie, paranormal, etc. So.....we'll see.

*ahem*

My crack-merchantly side is showing. If anyone has been waiting for the perfect moment to sample the Inspector Montalbano mysteries by Andrea Camilleri, now is the time: The first five books are $24.98 at Dedalus.

The Shape of Water
The Terracotta Dog
The Snack Thief
The Voice of the Violin
Excursion to Tindari

All excellent reads, and very very unwise to read if you're hungry at that moment. No potato chip is safe when reading one of these. No block of cheese will remain whole. Perish forbid there should be Oreos....

>39 richardderus: not to mention the bottle of wine......and the anisette cookies......

And the fork-mashed potatoes in olive oil with sardines and olives...

>12 sturlington: truly Kafkaesque ... uhmmm, yeah

>29 msf59: Mark, come to San Francisco and we can go eat at the diner which is mentioned in The Maltese Falcon. Good food, but pricey.

Stephanie- It's a date! I've never been. It's on the bucket list.

>39 richardderus:- I NEED to get back to Inspector Montalbano. I read and enjoyed the first 2 but it's been awhile. Thanks for sharing.

I've got a few tee'd up:

Behold, Here's Poison - Georgette Heyer
The Damascened Blade - Barbara Cleverly
The Dante Connection - Estelle Ryan
The Merchant's House - Kate Ellis

^Careful reading those M & M books, you just never know...

LOVE that picture Mark! Any info on it?

Hi Mark, where do you come up with the pictures that you post on your threads? They are so apropos.

*shivers* And that is why I always sit with my back to a wall, preferably in a corner. Because yeah, you never know.

>49 Storeetllr: And your eye on the door?

That one popped up on Pinterest and of course I quickly knew just where it would fit.

>47 Smiler69:- No info on that one.

>50 Familyhistorian: Ha! You'd think so, wouldn't you? Except I usually get so caught up in my reading that a hoard of barbarians could traipse through the room and I might not notice. But at least no one can creep up behind my back.

Adding to my list of things to read this month:

Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas, and however many more of the series I can pack in. (I won Fatal Enquiry, the latest in the series, from the Early Reviewers April picks.)

#39
OK Richard - you finally got me. For years I have resisted your efforts to get me to buy the books you have suggessted. I finally purchased the John Ceepak series for my Nook and today you got me with the Inspector Mantalbano series. For that price they will make a great Christmas gift for the brother-in-law. --- After I get done reading them. I didn't realize that there were so many titles in this series. I have four of the later ones - I think from 11 on. I figured that I should read the first ones and for that price who could resist? Thanks for that great tip.

Last year was my first "May: Murder & Mayhem" and it turned out well with 3-4 crime classics. I loved the The Thin Man and will continue with Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key (and maybe also The Maltese Falcon). Also I'm planning to read Chandler's The Big Sleep and Conan Doyle's The Valley of Fear.

Looking forward to a suspenseful may with crime classics.

May is only a couple of hours away in this neck of the woods, so I'm about to start The Anonymous Venetian by Donna Leon.

I started listening to March Violets by Philip Kerr yesterday and really enjoying it.

Instead of creating a list of mysteries for May and then trying to stick with it, I intend to read mysteries as they strike my fancy.

Lately, I feel like I spend more time planning my reading than actually reading.

I do note that an Ellery Queen seems to be near the top of my Kindle and there's a Carolyn Hart and a Sara Paretsky on top of my about-to-tip over TBR pile but you never know what I'll feel like reading.

Just found this thread via Mark's thread... I have tons of series mysteries on my shelves, so this seems like the perfect time to knock some of those out! :)

>53 benitastrnad: *evil Muttley laugh*

Oh the joy!

I am reading Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight about a single mother whose daughter commits suicide. Or did she? Mom goes about trying to find out what really happened.

And then, gonna try and get some classics done. Perhaps:

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #1)
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple #1)
Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle by Dorothy Gillman

And maybe:
Still Life - Louise Penny (my first)
Walking Shadow - Robert B.Parker (Spenser #21)
Eight Million Ways to Die - Lawrence Block (Scudder #5)

ctpress & ccookie- It's great so see you both reading the crime classics. I always intend to add a couple to the list but they end up, elbowed out of the way. Books can be bullies!

I have several planned for May that fit this challenge:

Golden Eggs and Other Deadly Things
The Perfect Murder
Diver Down (Mercy Watts Mysteries)
Nine Tailors
Cards on the Table

>32 CoachAhmad: Welcome to Library Thing! Thanks for your comments re Sherlock. I didn't finish A Study in Scarlet last month so finishing that will be my first read. Are you planning any mystery reading this month?

Every month contains some murder and mayhem for me (in books at least) but I'll try to be a bit more focussed on them this month. I've started up with A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny - I've got a bit behind in this series, and I'm enjoying reconnecting with the characters from Three Pines, a village full of lovable characters which attracts a rather unlikely number of murders!

I plan to read the latest Dr. Siri, and no doubt another in Death. I've also got a Nero Wolfe waiting for me.

>61 msf59: 'books can be bullies'. Love that. So true!!

>65 jnwelch: Sadly I have read all Dr. Siri books. Sad because I want more. Love that series.

And I totally forgot about the in Death series, Maybe I'll pick one of those too.

OK - I'm in but not really until next Tuesday when I get back from a short vacation.

I am currently listening to the 5th book in the Walt Longmire series The Dark Horse and should finish that up when I get home next week

I've got several on my 'read soon' list that quailify . . .

The Purity of Vengeance
The Devil's Workshop by Alex Grecian (I'm giving him a chance to salvage this series after a disappointing second book).
Suspicion by Joseph Finder

>39 richardderus: agreed - the Inspector Montalbano series is fun - we've enjoyed them on audio.

>57 lindapanzo: I intend to read mysteries as they strike my fancy.
Lately, I feel like I spend more time planning my reading than actually reading.

Good for you, Linda! I'm feeling that way, too. I may back off from some of my "goals" this month and be more spontaneous. (or, not, who knows? . . .)

>69 tymfos: Terri, I've actually discovered that Troy Soos, one of my all-time favorite mystery authors, has a new Mickey Rawlings basedball-themed mystery just out, after a lag of 15 years since the last one. I was excited to hear about that one since I thought he wasn't going to write any more of them.

It's called The Tomb That Ruth Built.

I've got a Cubs game on Sat and need a book for the long ride on the bus so I may grab a pb mystery first though.

>67 ccookie: Great series, isn't it, Cathy? Can't wait to get to the latest Dr. Siri.

I've been eating up the Eve Dallas "in Death" series like potato chips since finding out about it.

Just finished my first book of May with March Violets by Philip Kerr. Liked it a lot, although the endless similes drove me a little nuts. I'm not sure why genre writers feel the need to pepper every single sentence with them. All the same, a really great start to the Bernie Gunther series, which I definitely want to pursue.

#59
I was notified that they "shipped" them today. Oh joy. Five more books to add to the towering TBR pile.

I started listening to Shutter Island today. This will be my first Dennis Lehane mystery and I am looking forward to seeing if I like it. I read the first of his historical fiction novels a few years ago and thought it was boring. I hope this one is better.

I am slowly reading Bel Canto and think that qualifies as mayham but maybe not murder. My other book is Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne. There is enough murder and mayham in that non-fiction work to satisfy anybody. It just so sad that it is real life and not a fictional mystery. But interesting reading anyway.

I started Burial Rites by Hannah Kent today. Don't know if it completely falls under this month's theme, but there is a crime/murder component so I'm hoping it counts. :)

>74 benitastrnad: Just be aware, I wouldn't consider Shutter Island "typical" of Lehane's mysteries. So if you don't like it, don't assume you won't like his others. Not that I think you won't like it, but it is a rather strange book.

I absolutely love his Kenzie and Gennaro series.

I started The Dark Horse. Kicking off M & M with style. This is the 5th Sheriff Longmire mystery. If you have not tried this series, shame on you, it's one of the best ongoing series out there. Great Wyoming setting, rich & wonderful characters. Funny and tough.
And these are terrific audiobooks too. All read by the incomparable George Guidall. The perfect voice for Walt.

>72 Smiler69:- Ilana, I re-listened to March Violets last year and was hoping to get back into that series. There is just so many to keep up with, some slip throught the cracks.

I absolutely adore George Guidall reading the Walt Longmire series. He's positively marvelous.

Terri- Funny, that is the voice I hear in my head, even when I am watching the TV series. LOL. He is pitch-perfect.

>79 msf59: Boy, howdy! ;)

>74 benitastrnad: I LOVED Bel Canto. (And definitely mayhem!)

Woke up this morning to find out that the Princes William and Harry are in Memphis this weekend. It is big news down here.

I'll be finishing Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye tonight. It's been such a good ride that I'm almost sorry to see the end of it so soon.

I just finished Dead Wood by Dani Amore. It was a 99 cent Kindle special that I didn't expect much from, but I rather enjoyed it.

This book actually contained the phrase "murder and mayhem." I kind of giggled when I saw it, given our theme. A definite fit.

#83: I loved the first book of that series. Glad to hear Seven for a Secret lives up to book one

I liked the Dark Horse. The Longmire series is pretty consistent. I also started the audio of Mad Mouse, which is the 2nd John Ceepak mystery. J.C. is a hoot. These are a bit on the lighter side but there is a good sense of humor. This is my 3rd M & M book, so I am blazing along.

I finally found an audio copy of Before I Go to Sleep. I know this is an LT favorite, from a couple years ago. I think I will add it to the mix.

I would be reading The Runaway Jury this month, am not sure if it qualifies in this category though.

I've started Uncommon Clay, which is No. 8 in the Judge Deborah Knott series. There will probably be murder, eventually. I might try to revisit some classics this month; mentions above of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie remind me I haven't read any of their stuff in a long time. Maybe I'll find my copy of The Daughter of Time, too.

I just finished Golden Eggs and Other Deadly Things. It's the 4th book in the series. I have not read the others. It was a cute cozy.

I hear lots of things about on-line groups and such that celebrate the TV series "Murder She Wrote" but very little about "Matlock." Does anybody know why?

I've started Oude zaken by Kate Atkinson

Connie- Case Histories is terrific. My first Atkinson. Enjoy!

I finished Behold, Here's Poison today. I do love her dialog.

My first book for M&M is a classic Christie, The Clocks. I never remember who done it even though I have read the book before.

I've just finished White Nights, second in the Jimmy Perez Shetland-Islands-Quartet-With-Five-Books. Once again, good mystery in an unusual location with lots of local feel.

I think De vertrouweling van Kate Morton would qualify too. It starts with murder! I'm reading that one too.

I'm about a quarter of the way through Sara Paretsky's Deadlock. What could be better than a mystery about the death of a retired hockey player (though I wish it had more hockey)?

I finished Burial Rites and although I think it probably is more categorically a historical novel, there is definitely a crime/mystery aspect to it. An excellent debut that I couldn't put down so it was awarded a 4.75 rating. :)

Finished The Anonymous Venetian and it was another fine crime novel with Brunetti. And far too much yummy Italian food.

And am now reading Murder on the Orient Express.

I am 3/4 of the way through Hit Me by Lawrence Block, the 5th book in his Keller series. Not my favourite but it has its moments.

Oude zaken has lots of mayhem but no murder up to now.

De vertrouweling has murder, no mayhem yet.

>101 connie53:
Mayhem is not necessarily murder but murder is definitely mayhem!

>102 ccookie: Thanks, that's very clarifying, Cathy. I can read on with a good feeling now.

>103 connie53:
:-)

I have finished my first book for M&M, To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey was an excellent read. Next up is We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver which I think will also qualify for M&M.

I finished my first mystery of the month - The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen. My public library recently added several of his audiobooks to their Overdrive collection. I'll eventually get to all of them, but not this month.

OMG, Judy! There is enough mayhem in Kevin for several books! Tread carefully, my friend. I haven't been able to shake that one, since I read it.

I also finished my first book for M&M - The Poet by Michael Connelly. I really liked this one, but then I love Connelly's writing. Up next is Blood Work, also by Connelly, and then Mystic River, which I am really looking forward to.

Almost forgot the Spenser I am reading - Taming a Sea-Horse, which is the 13th book in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series. Roberta, Donna, and I are reading a Spenser a month together, and it has been loads of fun.

>105 DeltaQueen50: >107 msf59: I will also be reading Kevin for the Motherhood RandomCAT challenge.

Lois- It's a very unsettling book but also unforgettable.

Mamie- Mystic River is one of my very top crime books! Enjoy!

OK, took me a while to get to an M & M book, but I've started Calculated in Death and already like it.

Finished Bloody Jack, which I very much enjoyed. It entails a British navy ship hunting down pirates in the early 1800s, so there was lots of mayhem, including killings, but no murders per se. Almost finished with Why Kings Confess, another solid installment of the St. Cyr mystery series , which does include murders and some particularly gory mayhem.

>63 streamsong:: Thanks! I hope to do some reading but I'm nearing the end of my school semester so we'll see. I'm actually looking into The DaVinci Code. It's kind of been on one of my mental reading lists. How is A Study in Scarlet?

Coach Ahmad
www.coachahmad.com

My reading so far this month has been all about mysteries, mostly with murder and/or mayhem:
-A trick of the light - Louise Penny - continuing the Inspector Gamache series with a murder and the after effects of previous mayhem
-The right attitude to rain - Alexander McCall Smith - third in the Isabel Dalhousie series of very gentle mysteries with only a hint or two of attempted murder; far too genteel for any mayhem!
-The man who smiled - Henning Mankell - murders and attempted murders in the south of Sweden, with a callous killer to be uncovered, caffeine-fuelled sleep-deprived detection, exploding cars, landmines in back gardens and mayhem galore.

and currently reading
-Revenger - Rory Clements - second in series set in Tudor England, featuring John Shakespeare (brother of the more famous...) as an intelligencer (spy/investigator) caught up in the political intrigues of the late Elizabethan court. Plenty of gruesome murders, torture, intimidation, plague and other features of this Golden Age of England!

Genny- I really want to get back to the Wallander books. I stalled out after book 4. I did the same thing with Jo Nesbo.

Hmm, I thought I'd posted here about my last read. I guess I didn't. I really liked it and posted a short review on the work page, as there were none posted before.

I finished Foolish Undertaking by Mark de Castrique, third in his Buryin' Barry series about an ex Charlotte, NC cop who returned to his mountain hometown to run the family undertaking business when his dad developed Alzheimer's disease. This time around, he is assaulted while a body is stolen from the funeral home. Mayhem ensues. This one centers on issues dating back to the Vietnam War, and the fate of the Montagnards -- indigenous people of the Central Highlands who courageously helped the Americans.

Now I am reading Taken by Kathleen George, part of her Richard Christie series set mostly in Pittsburgh. I am really liking it.

>115 msf59: I started reading the Wallander series - out of sequence - (and watching the Swedish and English TV adaptions) back in 2009, before the craze for 'Scandi-Crime' was quite so well established and also before I became active on LT and discovered so many more books to read. I've been very slowly going back to the Mankell series, inbetween the many others I've discovered since - some of the plots are familiar because I've already seen the TV version, but I do enjoy them nevertheless.

In The man who smiled, Wallander at the start of the book has been off on sick leave for over a year - he has had some kind of breakdown or depression triggered by the fact that he shot and killed a man in the line of duty. I liked the fact that this was taken so seriously - Wallander's sense of who he is and how justice is served may include using force and violence to disarm/disable a suspect but does not include killing - he has a horror of causing death, since that seems to place him on the side of the criminals.

Yay, finally finished my first Murder & Mayhem book, Sara Paretsky's Deadlock, the second book in her V.I. Warshawski series.

I finished and REVIEWED> J. K. Rowling's The Cuckoo's Calling and thought it was excellent. The second one in the series will be published in June, The Silkworm.

Linda- I read about six of the V.I. Warshawski books, back in the day. We even went to a Paretsky author event a time or two. I remember that series and the Sue Grafton series, came out about the same time.

Bonnie- That is good news. Cuckoo is back on the To-Read list!

Just finished Some Danger Involved, a murder mystery set in Victorian London featuring Cyrus Barker, an "enigmatic evangelical private enquiry agent with a past in China" and Thomas Llewelyn, his new apprentice, a gutsy young Welshman who is overcoming a tragic past. Barker and Llewelyn are hired to find the person or persons responsible for the murder by crucifixion in the Jewish quarters of a young Hebrew student who bears a striking resemblance to popular renderings of Jesus Christ. Excellent mystery, dialogue, setting and characterizations, and different from other Victorian mysteries I've read.

I'll be wrapping up Hammered this morning. Yes, this is fantasy but it is loaded with M & M. And then onto the folks at Dept Q- Purity of Vengeance. I miss these guys.

Mark - Purity of Vengeance is a creepy novel - you'll enjoy it I'm sure - my favorite so far is still A Conspiracy of Faith.

Finished The Big Sleep. It must be THE ultimate hardboiled noir crime novel. Chuckled a lot - so many quotable passages. Here's two:

“I don't mind your showing me your legs. They're very swell legs and it's a pleasure to make their acquaintance. I don't mind if you don't like my manners. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them during the long winter nights.”

“Tall, aren't you?" she said.
"I didn't mean to be."
Her eyes rounded. She was puzzled. She was thinking. I could see, even on that short acquaintance, that thinking was always going to be a bother to her.”

Finished My Life Among the Serial Killers by Helen Morrison. A memoir of Dr Morrison's work since the 1970s as a behavioral psychiatrist and neurologist trying to understand why some repeatedly kill.

>124 ctpress: Do you read Robert B. Parker? He owed a lot to Chandler (and acknowledged it).

>124 ctpress: Ha! Thanks for the quotes.

>124 ctpress: AND >126 laytonwoman3rd:
As I read the quotes from The Big Sleep that you posted, I thought to myself, that is something that Spenser would say.

Finished my first May M&M book: De vertrouweling by Kate Morton

I finished A Study in Scarlet. It was good and I really enjoyed rewatching the Cumberbatch/Martin version of "A Study in Pink".

I also read a graphic novel, Exit Wounds by Israeli author Rutu Modan. I thought it might fit into this category since it starts with an unidentified body after a suicide bombing. The mayhem turned out to be mostly in the relationships, however, and the body and the crime played a very minor role.

I started listening to The Cuckoo's Calling, largely because of Bonnie's enthusiasm about it.

>117 gennyt: Genny, I started reading Wallander with the first book, and when I read The Dogs of Riga in January, I found there was maybe a bit too much realism there for my liking. Prime example being when Wallander goes searching for secret documents somewhere he really shouldn't be and gets so nervous he gets bad stomach cramps and urgently needs to defecate, and does so in a garbage can. Ewwww. As I said, too much realism for me—I really don't want to know about the protagonist's bowl movements. Then again, I've got the next few audiobooks from the library on my computer, so I may well continue eventually. We'll see.

>124 ctpress: Love the quotes from The Big Sleep! It's been on the tbr for wayyyy too long!

I just finished The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain, which I thoroughly enjoyed. For a very short book it packs a lot of punch!

I finished the audio of Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. I'm not sure why I picked that one -- something about the name. It was OK. I don't think I was in the right mood for it.

My new audio read is A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson from the Walt Longmire series, read by incomparable George Guidall, who seems to have been made to read this series. I'm ALWAYS in the mood for one of those audios.

Finished Hit Me by Lawrence Block which has multiple assassinations. Definitely mayhem!

I finished a couple more mysteries this week: The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte and Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy. I'm headed to the DC area for a few days next week and the Hyzy book added to my anticipation of the trip.

Finished Just One Damned Thing After Another which I really enjoyed, so much so that I immediately bought the second in the series! For $2.99. Without even thinking about it! I never do that, usually agonizing for days sometimes before buying anything and seldom buying anything I can get from the library or on sale from Amazon's Daily Deals. Anyway, there was definitely enough murder and mayhem to qualify for the M&M thread!

I finished Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and really liked this one. I didn't think this was going to be a book that would qualify for this group read, but ... So I will say, that the author does a masterful job of lulling the reader just as the hostages and hostage takers are lulled by the boredom of their daily life and then - WHAM! Murder and Mayhem aplenty.

#136
If you people keep talking about One Damned Thing After Another you will eventually get me to buy them too! And it will be your fault.

Carrie, I've got The Flanders Panel in my hope to read soon stack. Did you like it?

>139 majkia: It was OK, but it's one of those books that the idea is better than the execution.

I just finished We Need to Talk About Kevin, a story of a mother whose son commits a mass murder at his school. Others have described this book as "disturbing" - I agree. I can't even rate this book. In some ways, it was a 4-star book; in others, it's a 2-star. But, in no way does it average to a 3-star. I will just say that I have a love-hate relationship with this book. Some people in this world should not have children!

>138 benitastrnad: *We" people!?! I'm a victim here too, you know, having been cajoled into reading it by the satanic book warblers of this group. (You know whom you are, and the fact that you were right doesn't mitigate things.)

>141 LoisB: Totally agree about some people not being fit to be parents. I started the book but am having a hard time with it. Dislike that woman intensely.

I also just finished We Need to Talk About Kevin and although I didn't like the mother, I did think the book was excellent. Really drew me in and gave me plenty to think about.

Next up for me is The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie which is a fantasy but chock full of murder and mayhem.

>142 Storeetllr: it was tough going for the first two-thirds of the book, then it picked up for me. I, too, hated the mother.

My second M&M was my first Simon Serrailler crime novel. The Vows of Silence was definitely not a cozy mystery. The crimes are messy, brutal and 21st century and the lives of Serrailler, his extended family and others go through their own angst.

Someone asked about the definition of mayhem for M & M. Here you go:

Mayhem:

1. Law The offense of willfully maiming or crippling a person.
2. Infliction of violent injury on a person or thing; wanton destruction.
3. A state of violent disorder or riotous confusion; havoc.

That cover a lot of territory.

>146 msf59: So my current reading about the Battle of Antietam (the "bloodiest day" of the American Civil War) certainly qualifies for the theme...

I started Alias Grace this weekend since I didn't get to this story of murderer Grace Marks during Atwood April.

And in the car, I've started my nonfiction read The Monster of Florence about an Italian mass murderer.

>138 benitastrnad: You should definitely read One Damned Thing After Another, Benita. Blame Richard. He started it all.

Calculated in Death was another good entry in the Eve Dallas series, and now I'm reading the latest Dr. Siri, The Woman Who Wouldn't Die.

Yay! I get to play this month. Just finished The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Plenty of murder and mayhem there.

#150
I loved Shadow of the Wind. My book discussion group loved it too. I have read the second in the series and the Murder and Mayhem continues in that book. I have the third on my tbr tower but just haven't gotten to it - yet. I love the city of Barcelona because of those books. I may never get to that city in real life but have done so through those books. At least the Franco version of Barcelona.

Hmm, I didn't post my last read. I finished Taken by Kathleen George, and posted a review on the book's main page. I enjoyed the Pittsburgh setting. It was pretty decent for a debut novel.

I'm currently listening to a Walt Longmire, A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson. (I love those audios narrated by George Guidall.) I'm also trying a new series, trying to decide whether to request the installment that's up for grabs in the ER program this month. The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams has been on my e-reader for a while. It's first in the series; the third book is on this month's ER offerings list.

Murder? Check. Mayhem? Check. Horrifying story? Oh, yeah. Finished We Need to Talk About Kevin yesterday and have not been able to pick up another novel yet because I keep thinking about it. Hateful characters, especially the narrator, but...but, I'm sorry I waited so long to read it, though part of me wishes I had never heard of the darned book.

Next up? Probably the second book in either the St. Mary's series or the Barker & Llewelyn series. Or I might finish World of Trouble, the final volume of the Last Policeman series, which I'm about 3/4 through. (I misplaced it during the move and just found it the other day; I may have to reread some of it because it's been over a week since I read it.)

>153 Storeetllr: I have to agree about We Need to Talk About Kevin.

I really wanted to slap that woman, a number of times during the story, and kept wondering WTH was wrong with her. She knew what he had done, and she did nothing to protect her daughter. The husband was another piece of work, I thought.

ETA I have to keep reminding myself it is fiction and not to get so upset! LOL That's sure one heck of a novel!

>155 Storeetllr: I know. She whined the whole time!

ETA: I wonder how much research she did on the Eva's real-life counterparts.

I have just read Raymond Chandler's nifty essay The Simple Art of Murder, and I commend it to all of you. It can be found in the Library of America volume of Chandler's Later Novels and Other Writings, and I imagine in other places as well. It contains this marvelous statement of the nature of the detective hero:

“But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid…He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world, and a good enough man for any world."

Just finished The Nine Tailors, one of my favorite Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries.

>158 LoisB: Love The Nine Tailors! It's the one I gave my non-mystery-reading wife when she said she wanted to try one. That got her off and running, and she reads them all the time now.

finished Oude zaken by Kate Atkinson

Finished Hexed by Kevin Hearne, another fun outing with our favorite Druid and his telepathic dog, this time teaming up with a coven of witches to battle . . . a coven of witches.

I'm reading my first Josephine Tey mystery and I can see why she is often called the greatest mystery writer.

I just completed Dissolution by C. J. Sansom last night, which I read in record time. Could barely put it down, and in fact, I ended up putting lots of my usual daily activities aside, like visiting threads here on LT, to gulp down this amazing historical murder mystery. Very encouraging to know the series just keeps getting better, so I've already secured the second book, Dark Fire, which I'm tempted to plunge into right away!

>162 brenzi: I love Josephine Tey Bonnie! Definitely need to make room for her this year! Enjoy!

>161Can't wait for the next Iron Druid installment, which I believe is expected out in June!

>163 Smiler69: Love the Shardlake historical mysteries. Sovereign turned out to be my favorite, though all are reread-worthy.

Stalled on reading after the incredibly intense We Need to Talk About Kevin, which I finished a few days ago but haven't been able to stop thinking about.

Started Graveyard of Memories, a new John Rain thriller by Barry Eisler.

I see for some reason on Amazon they've renamed the old ones, e.g. Rain Fall became A Clean Kill in Tokyo, and Hard Rain became A Lonely Resurrection. I liked the old titles better.

Finished my second mystery of the month, the second Bess Crawford World War 1-era mystery, An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd. Definitely want to carry on with this series.

Another one. Lots of knights and fights, murder all around and chaos too.

Michael J. Sullivan - Wintertij

I'm starting on Dark Fire now. Not on my planned reads this month, but then neither was Dissolution and now I just want to keep going with the series!

>168 Smiler69: LOVE Matthew Shardlake Ilana. I have two left to read in the series. I wonder if he is going to write anymore in the series?

>169 brenzi: That would be great wouldn't it? I guess it depends on how the 5th book finishes... maybe someone who's read it could tell us if this is likely?

Currently reading My Name is Red which starts with a murder.

>171 AuntieClio: I read that book many years ago and enjoyed it so much I promised myself to reread it someday. Hope you enjoy it too.

The Thirty-Nine Steps is a classic murder/thriller. Hitchcock was among the movie makers who translated it onto film. The book was published in 1915 and the introduction in this edition has a quote from a soldier about how it was a good book to read in the trenches.

I've just finished listening to the fairly mediocre Lady of the Shades by Darren Shan.Ghosts mixed with crime noir.

#170
I have the last two in that series and planned to read them for May M&M, but my reading life has been slower than planned this month. I like this series very much. There is lots of historical detail that puts many of the historical and political events into a daily life context for me. The descriptions of the legal system in place at the time are really fascinating. That part gets better and better as the series continues. My most favorite of the series so far, has been Dissolution, but the other two weren't bad either.

I want to read the last two and then take on Hillary Mantel's books about Thomas Cromwell. I think that all of those together would make a great set of reading. I still have your guided reading from several years ago of the first of the Mantell books Bring Up the Bodies starred and waiting here in LT when I tackle that book.

I'm reading Dashiell Hammett. I just finished The Maltese Falcon and am starting The Dain Curse. So far, I like his style.

So far this month I've finished:

Broken Homes - plenty of murder and mayhem both
Red Rising - YA fantasy with loads of murder in it!
and two 'cozy murder mysteries'
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts and The Cat Who Lived High

Not sure how much more M&M I can squeeze in and still get in my AAC and other promised books. :)

My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk (Turkey)

This is a whodunit of the first order. It's also complex with 12 different first-person narrators, each adding their voice to the story unfolding before us. There are many themes to be explored, other than the murder of two miniaturists working on a secret book for the Sultan.

My Name is Red begins with a chapter titled, "I am a Corpse," in which the first murder victim relates how he came to arrive at this sorry state of affairs.

Eventually, we meet Black, nephew to the miniaturist who is organizing this secret book, and who is also in love with the miniaturist's daughter, who has two children by a husband who went off to war in the Ottoman Empire four years previously. See? Complicated.

My Name is Red is set in Istanbul during the turmoil of the late 16th century in the Ottoman Empire, when Sultans and shiekhs and imams battled each other, and the infidels of Western Europe, for control of the Empire and the Muslim soul.

Caught in this turmoil is the idea of art in the Islamic world, where everything is drawn without perspective, because only Allah sees from above and sees how things truly are. For an artist to do otherwise is to invite idolatry and worship of figures into his world, which is against the Koran. But creeping slowly into the art world is the Venetian way, in which paintings have perspective and represent the world in a more realistic way. East vs. West embodies the conflict which leads to murder and cries of heresy.

Black must sort his way through all of this, knowing but not quite understanding that everyone, including his soon-to-be wife, has their own agenda and will obfuscate the truth for their own expediency.

My Name is Red is a book which demands time, and multiple readings.

>178 AuntieClio: Very interesting review of My Name is Red. Although I've heard of the book, I don't think I ever read a review of it before. It intrigues me.

Agreed - that's intriguing, Stephanie. I didn't know that author had written a whodunit.

I'm a ways into my second Walt Longmire, Death Without Company.

I've finished the first volume of The First Rule trilogy, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie was an excellent read. Meant for those with a strong stomach as there are plenty of bloody battles and some torture scenes.

I have now moved on to 1946 London with Truth, Dare, Kill by Gordon Ferris.

I finished listening to Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. This was my first book by this author and I found myself somewhat confused by it. I think I figured it out in the end, but I also think that the author tried too hard to be to smooth and in the end was too cute. For me it ended up being one of those books about a person pretending to be a famous person pretending to not be that famous person. To cute. In this case it ended up sounding like that song "I'm too sexy for my shirt" only this was I'm to smart for this book. It was good but was nothing above average. I read the book so now I don't need to see the movie. Nothing there that would interest me.

I am starting the YA Dystopian book Graceling by Kristin Cashore. There should be mayhem aplenty in this book.

I have been tardy on the M & M thread. Bad Mark. My last 2 reads, the Farm & Before I Go To Sleep, really don't qualify as M & M material. There was more a hint or possibility of murder and mayhem, than actually it occurring. Regardless, The Farm was excellent. Check out my review!

I did start Slash and Burn, the 8th Dr. Siri mystery. It's nice tagging along with the good doctor & Co.

Stephanie- Good review of My Name Is Red. I have not read Pamuk.

Benita- I did not care for Shutter Island either. My only misfire with Lehane. Don't give up on him. Mystic River is amazing.
I did enjoy Graceling. It's a good audio too!

>175 benitastrnad: Benita, I'm close to finishing Dark Fire and though I've really enjoyed it, so far prefer the first book, Dissolution too. But most other fans of the series have claimed that the books keep getting better as the series goes on and I believe Sovereign is the title that comes up most often as a favourite. I don't know at this point whether I'll take a break or jump into that third book right away. Am certainly tempted to! I really like that I'm reading them on the iPad as it encourages me to look up lots of details on google and wikipedia and is expanding my appreciation and understanding of 16th century dress and customs and locations, among other things. Amazing the amount of period detail he packs in there, without making it seem like he's dumping in loads of research willy-nilly.

I certainly benefited a lot from that Wolf Hall tutorial with Suzanne, and together with Bring Up the Bodies, feel like I got good groundwork to help me appreciate any literature about the Tudors. Of course going the other way, from Shardlake to Wolf Hall would work just as well I imagine. I will definitely reread books 1 and 2 in the trilogy before reading The Mirror and the Light when it is finally released. I just hope Mantel doesn't hit major writer's block trying to finish it, considering all the pressure she must be under to deliver another Booker winner!

>179 laytonwoman3rd: My Name is Red is a very intriguing book and, if you can't tell, I highly recommend it. FWIW.

>180 jnwelch: Joe, I think most reviews/articles focus on the artistry both of the writing and the subject matter. It seems like some people shy away from the fact that at its core, it's a murder mystery.

It's really well done. I'm looking forward to reading it again, now that I know "who," and see if I can pick up the clues as I go along.

>183 msf59: Mark, thank you. As you are fond of saying, you won't regret reading it. You can thank me later. ;-)

I ended up getting distracted with other books an have had an unusually low proportion of Murder and Mayhem in my reading this month. I did finish listening to The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson and enjoyed it a lot. It had been a while since I spent some time in Wyoming with Walt Longimre and it was good to be back.

Yesterday I started The Purity of Vengeance which I've heard is not as good as some of the Department Q books but I'll read it no matter what. So far this series seems to have alternated between "excellent" and "not as good as it could have been" for me so I'm due for one in the latter category I guess.

Finished Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom and now moving on to Sovereign. This series was not at all on my original planning for this month, but it's taken over everything!

I finished and REVIEWED Josephine Tey's brilliant mystery, The Franchise Affair. No murder but lots and lots of mayhem:-)

I finished A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson and managed to dash right into the next and latest in the Longmire series (released last week) Any Other Name, both via OneClick Audio.

Finished The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle. Not that great. I prefer the other Sherlock Holmes novels over this.

I finished and have mixed feelings about Truth, Dare, Kill by Gordon Ferris, there was one element that I found difficult to accept but for a first book there was enough that I will definitely read the second book that he wrote in this series before he moved on to another series entirely.

Next up will be Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham.

Finished Pines by Blake Crouch - the first one in a series of three. Very good thriller and you try to guess what is going on - what explanation is there to all the strange events. Very violent, but also very imaginative and suspenseful.

Only a week or so, left in M & M. Sad face. I think I did very well though. I started the new Furst, Midnight in Europe. No, M & M yet but I have a feeling it's coming. His writing is so fast-paced & smart. Still listening to slash & Burn too!

I started listening to the YA fantasy novel Graceling while making the drive back to Kansas. So far only 1 murder but plenty of mayhem. This is a very good book to listen to while driving. It is a full cast recording so there are plenty of different voices to go with the different characters. It seems more like listening to a radio play than a recorded book which make it perfect for driving. I have listened to three of the CD's in the first three hours of driving so should finish this one before I get home. I also picked up the sequel Fire before I left so hope to get both of these listened to before the end of the May M&M.

I finished two very good mysteries. Mister Jinnah: Securities is a fast moving story written about a reporter with a huge ego and questionable character following up on the story of a murder or suicide of a shady stock promoter. Best of all it is based in my own backyard, Vancouver, so I can picture where the action is happening. The other story was the second book in the Charles Lenox series by Charles Finch, The September Society. This English mystery takes place in the Oxford of the 1860s but hinges on secrets from events that happened in the past in India.

I have had a rather good M, M & M reading month. I started my M, M & M reading with The Keeper of Lost Causes, which was a rather good police procedural suspense story. I then decided to shift gears and listened to the dry, sarcastic wit of Johannes Cabal as he, for self-serving purposes only, finds himself detecting the mysterious 'locked room' mystery aboard an aeroship in audiobook Johannes Cabal the Detective. Great stuff! Continuing my audiobook mysteries, I went for a palette cleanser - G is for Gumshoe and an eventful trip back in time to 1980's southern California and Kinsey Millhone. Wrapping up my M, M & M reading, I struggled but finally made it through The Club at Eddy's Bar, and LTER book that was just a 'meh' read for me.

I just finished The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers. A favorite of the 3 I've read. Interesting information about bell ringing and an original ending.

I started The Pale Criminal by Pillip Kerr this evening; book 2 in the Bernie Gunther series.

Finished a classic, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep and in the finishing realized I had already read it! Worth the re-read, though!

I enjoyed the second Walt Longmire, Death Without Company, and now I'm reading Thankless in Death.

I finished listening to the YA Fantasy novel Graceling and enjoyed it. There was plenty of murder and mayhem in it and in fact a big murder right at the end of the book. I have started listening to the sequel, Fire which I found out this morning, is actually a prequel. The prequel is starting out with lots of mayhem and I think will get to the murder part soon.

I loved those two, Benita (Graceling and Fire), and also Bitterblue, her third.

I have been neglectful about posting to this thread, so here are my MTD M&M reads:

Golden Eggs and Other Deadly Things **.5
a so-so cozy mystery.

We Need to Talk About Kevin ****
Others have described this book as "disturbing" - I agree. I don't know how to rate this book. In some ways, it was a 4-star book; in others, it's a 2-star. But, in no way does it average to a 3-star. After due consideration, I'm rating it 4 stars.I will just say that I have a love-hate relationship with this book. Some people in this world should not have children!

Nine Tailors ****
One of my favorite Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries -so much local color, and a lot of info about the art of bell-ringing.

Diver Down (Mercy Watts Mysteries) ***
a quirky, fun little mystery which takes place in Roatan with a cast of crazy characters while attempted murder takes place in a vacation resort. It's a great quick read when you need a break from the serious stuff.

Cards on the Table ***
An Agatha Christie re-read for me, dealing with Bridge, my 2nd favorite pastime.

Forgot to post that I finished Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight which I enjoyed very much.

I finished Alias Grace which was a good, solid read. I thought the first bit was slow, but it did pick up as the book continued and the last hundred pages sped by. Margaret Atwood always seems to give her genre books a twist. In this bit of historical fiction she weaves a tale around Grace Marks, convicted of murder in Canada in 1843. Was she the mastermind or the innocent dupe, a woman of little intelligence or a skilled actress, insane or perhaps something even darker?

I also finished listening to my audiobook, about a serial killer in Italy who was known as The Monster of Florence. It is also the story of the Italian police's botched investigation, which put several innocent people in jail for the murders, including, the co-author of the book, Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist who had pursued the riddle of the monster for over twenty years.

Behind Dark Doors ****

Behind Dark Doors is collection of intriguing short stories about ordinary situations ending with a dark twist. The situations include a cooking contest, an accident during recess, anew girl in class, a 70th wedding anniversary, a teenage boy's messy room and a D-Day veteran suffering from PTSD.

All but one of the stories are brief. The dark twist jumps out at you! I could not put this book down. Definitely, a great read!

I received an electronic copy of this book as part of the LibraryThing Members Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.

>197 Kristelh:
>203 LoisB:
Good to see the appreciation for The Nine Tailors, one of my two favourite Wimseys (the other being Gaudy Night). Since first reading it I've lived in the Fens and worked in one of those great Fenland churches, so I now doubly appreciate the setting and Sayers' evocation of that landscape and the brooding threat of flood which is still a real danger.

I'm reading the Amber series now, by Roger Zelazny.

The first two qualify for murder and mayhem!

I just finished Joe Abercrombie's latest, a YA fantasy filled with murder and all sorts of mayhem. Gotta love him!

I'm reading YA scifi Echo Boy by Matt Haig which is turning out to be a great thriller. It begins with a girl's parents being killed by their inhouse ECHO (Enhanced Computerized Humanoid Organism).
I've also started the YA thriller 'Run' by Greg Olsen (no touchstone) and that begins with the murder of a father, a missing mother and the word 'Run' written in blood. Don't think I'll finish this one by the end of the month.

I finished Thankless in Death (love Roarke's Irish family) and now am reading the third Walt Longmire, Kindness Goes Unpunished.

Reading Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye, one of his I have not read before. No murder or mayhem yet, but it must be in there, I'm sure of it.

>212 laytonwoman3rd:
:-) "... must be in there, I'm sure of it."

^And it didn't take another 10 pages before I came upon it....a small bronze sculpture was involved. "Our old friend the bronze statuette. Not original but it works."

I finished Mystery Mile and really enjoyed it. There always seems to be a hint of satire in Margery Allingham's writing and that really appeals to me.

I finished The Pale Criminal this evening, which didn't work nearly as well for me as March Violets did, though I admit for the rather personal reason that I've come to dislike watching or reading anything to do with the serial rape and murder of women. All the same, will continue with the series to see what Bernie Gunther is up to next.

My review on the book page or here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/174625#4703943

The Yard was an interesting story about the police at Scotland Yard in the early days. As there were two sets of serial killers in the plot it really fit the murder and mayhem category.

So many interesting M & M books being mentioned and discussed. No wonder this is one of my favorite LT months.

I started my final M & M, Burial Rites and it grabbed me immediately. This will be a fine finale!

>217 Familyhistorian: I really enjoyed The Yard, and the next one, The Black Country, as well.

>212 laytonwoman3rd: Man, I'd forgotten how very good Chandler was. Probably hadn't read him since high school.

I scrambled through Julie Hyzy's Eggsecutive Orders from her White House Chef cozy mystery series.

>219 laytonwoman3rd: I was debating about getting The Black Country as I read an LT review that it wasn't good like the first book in the series. I am glad to hear that you liked it.

I think some of the novelty of The Yard has worn off in the second book, but it certainly kept me turning pages, and I found its atmospheric setting was a real plus. I didn't do a full-blown review, but here's what I had to say on my thread when I read it.

I read Pale Kings and Princes by Robert B. Parker and Clandestine by James Ellroy. The Spenser was good but the Ellroy was excellent.

>219 laytonwoman3rd:, >221 Familyhistorian: Your review of The Black Country helped me, too, Linda. I really enjoyed The Yard, but wasn't certain about this second one.

I've been on a Longmire kick. After being grabbed by Kindness Goes Unpunished, I started Another Man's Moccasins.

I finished listening to Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore and for YA fantasy they are certainly full of murder and mayhem. I liked Graceling but thought that Fire was even better. I was expecting Fire to be a sequel but instead it was a prequel. It was also written first, but not published first. Strange.

I do wonder why this series is YA and not adult. The content, especially of the second novel, reminded me of Anne MacCaffrey and her Dragon Riders of Pern series. Both Graceling and Fire are explicit regarding sexuality and I find it surprising that publishers would put that out as YA since they try to avoid controversy. But then it shouldn't surprise me because Hunger Games was marketed and sold as YA and I still feel strongly that it should have been adult.

At any rate, if you like Fantasy put the Graceling trilogy on your reading list. Or your listening list. Both recordings were very well done. It was an excellent way to pass the miles on this road trip. Now I have to find a recorded version of Bitterblue and finish out the trilogy.

>222 laytonwoman3rd: >224 jnwelch: Thanks for the review of The Black Country, Linda. It is good to read something favourable about it as I was drawn to the setting because my grandfather was born in the area in Birmingham. It would be good to read something set in the area to get some kind of understanding of what it might have been like there around that time.

Today I expect to finish my first Agatha Christie, Murder at the Vicarage, about 30 pages to go. Why have I not read these classics before?

Finished The Long Goodbye. If you haven't read this classic, do yourself a favor soon. Just great.

Waiting for the Barbarians is definitely filled with murder & mayhem.

I finished the e-book The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams. Not bad for the author's first novel. I didn't like the parts from the killer's POV -- too graphic -- but those parts were brief. The rest was good, got better as it went along.

I finished the audio of the new Walt Longmire mystery, Any Other Name by Craig Johnson. I really liked it, listened every chance I got.

I finished one last M&M book today. For the month, I've read:
The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy
The Map Thief by Michael Blanding (no murder but plenty of mayhem)
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
Past Tense by Catherine Aird
Bengal Fire by Lawrence Blochman
The Devil's Workshop by Alex Grecian
Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon

Lots of folks have done a lot of good "Murder & Mayhem" reading here.

I may as well post a summary for the month, too.

Dead Wood by Dani Amore e-book
Foolish Undertaking by Mark de Castrique
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler - AUDIO
Taken by Kathleen George e-book
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson AUDIO
The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy
The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams e-book
Any Other Name by Craig Johnson AUDIO

The month of Murder and Mayhem has been a good excuse to read some good mysteries. I thought I would be able to finish more in the month but did read the following:

The Clocks by Agatha Christie
The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Bucan
Mister Jinnah: Securities by Donald J. Hauka
The September Society by Charles Finch
The Yard by Alex Grecian

So, May was a very good month for murder & mayhem. I read 11 books, 10 of them filled with M&M.

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris
Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas
The Bughouse Affair by Muller & Pronzini
The Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

A couple of standouts were Just One Damned Thing After Another and The Natural History of Dragons, but I think the one that effected me most was We Need To Talk About Kevin, which I'm still thinking about shivering over.

Thanks for getting this going, Mark!

I read, or listened to, lots of murder and mayhem, but didn't get to a single one of the books I had planned to read for this month. I think that mayhem is all around us and makes for good reading. Murder and especially assassination appears in many books and also makes a story interesting.

Here is my summary of my May reading.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - no murder but plenty of mayhem
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - murder and mayhem in an insane asylum aplenty.
Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore - fantasy novels filled with murder/assassinations and mayhem. This shouldn't be surprising for novels about a woman whose talent is for killing.
Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne - nonfiction about the bloody Indian Wars in Texas. The numbers of murders in this book qualify it for the bloodiest of the month. And it was in real life.
I started listening to The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin and so far so good. This is a traditional mystery and I look forward to listening to it.

Mark - Thanks for getting this set up and going. You are a fearless leader.

My May Murder and Mayhem Mysteries:

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (classic murder and mayhem) (4)
Bountiful Creek by Steven B. Weissman (murder in Civil War Ohio) (2.7)
A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara Henry (mayhem, but was it murder?) (3.8)
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (London luminary murdered) (4)
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian (revenge murders after WWII) (4.4)
Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (murder in post-WWI England) (3.8)
Vengeance Follows by Scott Lax (brutality and its aftermath) (3.1)

I started The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill in May, so I'm sticking it in here, even though I didn't finish it until yesterday. Another good entry in her Simon Serrailler series.