May: Murder & Mayhem

- J. Kingston Pierce

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 or start something, you've been itching to try.

I have an extremely busy book month ahead of me, but I am going to try to bookhorn in a few...hopefully.

Start working on those lists, folks!

Great artwork, Mark. I am always ready for some murder and mayhem. I have the following lined up for May:

The Price of Darkness by Graham Hurley
Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers
Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker

Murder and Mayhem is my middle name. I'm in!

I am planning some great Murder and Mayhem reads. Since I will be spending two days on planes, I will be taking my travel partner Michael Dibden. I have both Ratking and Vendetta for the first trip and have Stallion's Gate by Martin Cruz Smith up next. I will also be taking Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman as a backup.

I've been waiting for this and I am prepared! I have a couple of vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris lined up with a little mysterious Spanish sword play by Arturo Reverte-Perez for good measure.

I can't wait to dive in. I don't have any specific books in mind but as over half of my non-fiction TBRs fit the theme I will be able to pluck what ever takes my fancy from the shelf.

Ooooh! This is perfect timing! I'll be reading The Name of the Rose for the group read so I'll count that for this challenge.
Also, I might actually finish that Agatha Christie novel I started ages and ages ago.

Yes! It's back!

Hmm. There's an Agatha Christie I've never read ( I thought I'd read all of them), called Dumb Witness. This may be the month to break that one out.

M'n'M books are a monthly ration for me this year. So far, I've read

Career of Evil by J.K. Rowling Robert Galbraith (Jan)
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley (Feb)
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Mar)
The Alienist by Caleb Carr (Apr)

Nearly two dozen M'n'M TBRs await my choice for May reading. See them here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/210740#5396395

Any recommendations?

>10 jnwelch: I've read that one, I quite liked it.

>11 weird_O: Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (Mar)
The Alienist by Caleb Carr (Apr)

Both excellent choices that I enjoyed for different reasons.

Hurray for May Murder & Mayhem!! Always a highlight of the LT year. Count me in.

My list of mysteries for May...

1. Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood--READING
2. Sugar and Iced by Jenn McKinlay
3. Murder by the Hour by Elizabeth J. Duncan
4. A Clue in the Stew by Connie Archer
5. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
6. The Case of the Curious Bride by Erle Stanley Gardner

Also considering...

--What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris, a book that was foisted on me by an old friend over brunch the other day
--The Letter Writer by Dan Fesperman--I loved the NY Times review yesterday and this World War 2 and the mob theme has been touched on in several recent books I've read
--Murder at the Baseball Hall of Fame by David Daniel--this one floated to the top when I cleaned out my desk/work area of all the old books I've collected over the years

I'm in!! Reading one now, in fact. Tell No One by Harlan Coben.

>12 PawsforThought: Oh, good, thanks. That's encouraging.

The only book I'm committing to for this month is Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye, because I promised Roberta I'd read it in May :)

Great, I was already planning on reading the first couple of Garry Disher's Wyatt series for the ANZAC challenge.
Kickback by Garry Disher
Paydirt by Garry Disher

Bruno: Chief of Police by Martin Walker
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carré
The Blackhouse by Peter May
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

I'm not saying I'll get to all of them but they are all in the May stack of possible reads. :-)

>19 EBT1002: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was the first le Carré I ever read and it set the bar high. It's still my favourite of his writings.

I'll join the group as I will be reading The Dragon Man and Monk's Hood for May TIOLI as well as for the ANZAC challenge. Maybe some others.

I'll also be adding the 3rd Max Camera book, The Anarchist Detective to my pile. Just saw that he's investigating the saffron mafia in La Mancha, so looks like it will cover interesting territory.

I'm in, Mark. You remember how I thought March was Murderous March? Not sure what I have in line to read, but I do have Bruno :Chief of Police out from the library, and another in my Maisie Dobbs mystery series is calling my name. I also have March Violets by Philip Kerr, part of the Berlin Noir trilogy.

My May reading list includes Into the Blue by Robert Goddard, Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and Bosnia's Million Bones by Christian Jennings.

>11 weird_O: I loved A Coffin for Demetrios. I also loved the one book I've read by Vincent Bugliosi, so I'll give him a nudge, too.

>17 katiekrug: Yay KAK! I loved this book. So much fun.

I am reading

The Whites by Richard Price/Harry Brandt
Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields by Kathryn Casey
Talking God by Tony Hillerman
The Hanging Girl by Jussi Alder-Olsen
Shaman Pass by Stan Jones

I'm going to add in the second Nathan Active mystery, Shaman Pass, this month. Mamie got me onto this series that is realistically set in Alaska.

>26 jnwelch: I ordered that from the library Joe so I will be reading that too! I read the first one for the GeoCAT Polar Regions. Very, very nice.

Will update my list. Thanks for the reminder.

>27 luvamystery65: It'll be great to have company, Roberta. Mamie just read Shaman Pass and seemed to like it just as much as the first.

I packed a bunch of Murder & Mayhem books for my trip. I will be reading Ratking and Vendetta by Michael Dibdin. I started a tradition of traveling with Dibdin books several years ago as they make great plane ride reading. Since I will have a bunch of 2 to 3 hour layovers on Wednesday, I decided traveling with him was just the thing. These two books are Aurelio Zen mysteries so they will fit right in. When I get back and go to Kansas I will take a Tony Hillerman mystery Talking God with me, and the last Deon Meyers book Cobra. As a spare I will be taking Track of the Cat and Anna Pigeon book by Nevada Barr, so I will be well stocked with mysteries for May.

I'm reading Ratking right now. Sardonic and dark.

Just finished The Sussex Downs Murder by John Bude. It's good but slow-moving.

I have the desire, but perhaps not the speed to make this happen. I have A Test of Wills on the list but probably after May. we'll see.

I have about fifty in my physical TBR stack tagged as mystery, thriller or true crime. I think of mysteries as pretty fast reads, so I plan on reading several.

I've started listening to A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard about her kidnapping and 18 year captivity. It's pretty brutal. I may have to abandon it. :-(

Happier murders: :-)
Mrs Pollifax on the China Station - Dorothy Gilman - just started. It's been twenty or 30 years since I've read a Mrs. Pollifax.
Royal Wulff Murders - Keith McCafferty - the first of a series of flyfishing murders set in Montana.
Anarchy and Old Dogs - Colin Cotterill - the next Dr Siri on my list
The Magruder Murders - Julia Conway Welch - local murder/lost gold/true crime

>32 streamsong: I just love the Mrs Pollifax stories. I really should dig one out again soon.

I have cracked open a Flavia de Luce mystery I am Half-Sick of Shadows and will probably read a lot more M&M books this month.

Ok, I finished my first one, Kickback by Garry Disher, it's the first in his Wyatt series. I really enjoyed this, Wyatt is a crim, but one with an honour code. There's about 7 more books and i hope to read at least two more this month.

I do believe I am in the mood for more Vorkosigan Saga. It does usually fit the loose definition of mystery, but it definitely slants to Mayhem. I will be listening to Cryoburn

>35 luvamystery65: Ha! Cryoburn definitely qualifies, in my mind, Roberta. I want to re-read that one soon.

I'm a ways into Shaman Pass, the second Nathan Active mystery set in Northwest Alaska.

I've finished The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco. I really liked it. My thoughts are here.

I'm in the middle of The Devil in Silver, a story of a man who gets held in a psychiatric unit built to hold what appears to be the Devil. Also, City of Blades, a fantasy with a fair bit of murder and mayhem!

>38 drneutron: The Devil in Silver is so good.

This is a great choice! I have so many murder mysteries to choose from: Christie, James, Upfield and Rankin all have more in the series I need to get to.

I finished reading my first Michael Dibdin book Ratking while doing my cross country airport hop from Birmingham, Alabama to Bozeman, Montana. Lots of sitting around in airport lounge chairs made for lots of reading time. Ratking is the first in the Aurelio Zen series. I have been traveling with Aurelio Zen for years and like reading those books on airplanes and in airports. Ratking was a veery good mystery and transported me to Perugia very easily. It was a great way to start May M&M. Now I am well started on book 2 in the series Vendetta.

My first Mystery and Mayhem read for the month was I am Half-Sick of Shadows. This is the fourth book in the Flavia de Luce series. Great fun as usual although there was a bit less action as everyone was snowed in at the de Luce family estate of Buckshaw; everyone as in film crew, most of the village, murder victim and murder.

I just read The Murder of Mary Russell, the new Laurie King book. It tells the story of Mrs. Hudson; she had a Past. I thought it started slow, but the second half picked up. It works for those who like the series, I think.

I've joined in the group read of The Name of the Rose, which looks like it will fit nicely here.

I just finished Belinda Bauer's Rubbernecker, which also deals with murder, and some varieties of mayhem.

Finished my second Wyatt book, a series by Garry Disher. Really enjoying these.

I've finished To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey. Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant investigates the disappearance of a young American photographer along an English river. Tey's Daughter of Time is still my favorite from her, but this was a good one with a lot of engaging characters. And an ending that is more modern than you'd expect for its 1951 publication.

I'm reading The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie King, and The Quiet Game by Greg Iles right now.

I've finished earlier this week The Devil Will Come by Glenn Cooper (my thoughts can be found here) and last nigth I finished The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (my thoughts are here)

I finished my 1st Living Dead in Dallas and 2nd The Shape of Water M&M's. Who knew Murder and Mayhem could be so much fun.

>49 Carmenere: Inspector Montalbano! I love that series.

>50 jnwelch: This was my first and I'm so looking forward to continuing the series!

>51 Carmenere: Lots of fun reading ahead of you! :-)

I've started an Arthur Upfield, An Author Bites the Dust. It's number 11 of the Inspector Bony series, this one set in Melbourne.

I finished book 2 in the Aurelia Zen series by Michael Dibdin. Vendetta was set in Sardinia and was one of the books that the BBC adapted for TV. I saw it on PBS Masterpiece Mystery when the series was shown here. It was a good series and I often wonder why it wasn't more popular on this side of the pond. There are 11 books in the series and I purchased my first one at Kramer's Books on DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C. to read while flying home from a conference. Since then I try to take one of his books with me whenever I fly. I still have 5 books to read in the series. Maybe I should fly more?

While in Montana this last week my sister introduced me to a new murder mystery series written by Keith McCafferty. He is a local Bozeman, Montana author and he writes a murder mystery series about a fly fisherman expert who is also a detective. I heard McCafferty speak at an ALA conference and, without reading the book myself, gave it to my sister. She liked it and has since read more of this series. She even convinced her real life book discussion group to read one. Needless-to-say, she sent one of the books home with me. Now I have another series to read.

>55 benitastrnad: I'll be reading the first one in that series, The Royal Wulff Murders . I heard McCafferty talk at the Montana Festival of the Book a couple years ago. When he was signing books afterward, I put my foot in my mouth up to my knee. He said something like "Are you a fan of the Oprah bookclub?' and I said "Oh, no, actually I tend to avoid those books". I had no idea that the second one in his series had been chosen by Oprah as a summer reading book, and naturally, he was very proud of that.

So I have my nice, signed copy which to the best of my remembrance doesn't say something like "Hey idiot, you might like this anyway."

I finished my first mystery for the month, Mrs Pollifax on the China Station. I remembered enjoying these a long time ago and so had picked this one up at a sale somewhere for a bit of nostalgia. It was still laugh out loud funny in some places, but also struck me as very naïve spy work.

I've read Murphy's Law by Rhys Bowen. Trying out a new mystery series, but it was a bit too cozy. But I'll probably try another book by the author. I'm sure I'll fit a little more murder and mayhem in this month.

I have completed Have His Carcase and Prayers For the Stolen so far this month and I am currently reading Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell and a very well done non-fiction book about some unsolved murders in Long Island called Lost Girls: An unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker.

Finished the fourth M&M for this month - Four To Score by Janet Evanovich. My thoughts can be found here.

I've got an Agatha Christie I haven't read teed up (I didn't know there was such a thing). It's called Dumb Witness.

#56
The Mrs. Pollifax series was the favorite series of one of the professors with whom I worked closely with for many years. She retired a year ago and when asked what she was going to do, she said that the first thing was she was going to reread the Mrs. Pollifax series. I didn't know what they were, but I looked them up. I have since purchased an omnibus copy of the first three of them in preparation for my impending retirement.

This month's book for the Tony Hillerman thread is Talking God. Yes, there is murder and some mayhem. I'm reading it mostly on audio -- not much regular reading time right now, and I'm busy enough with The Name of the Rose group read.

Oops, I had read Dumb Witness, only it had the title Poirot Loses a Client. (I'm flummoxed by how often they change her titles). I'm enjoying the re-read, though.

I finished Talking God and Cryoburn. Both were really good. I'm reading Shaman Pass and will get started on either The Whites or Deliver Us.

>63 jnwelch: Thanks for explaining about the title change, Joe. I thought I hadn't read Dumb Witness either, but now I know I have. Luckily I read it way back when I was in my twenties so it will probably read like a new story anyway! Sometimes a senior's lack of memory can be a good thing ;)

>65 DeltaQueen50: I don't think it's necessarily a senior's lack of memory with Agatha, Judy, although I do appreciate how fresh forgetfulness can make the world. :-) Our in-her-20s daughter loves Agatha, and still gets caught by red herrings in re-reads, as do I.

I just finished this one, and once again, she gave plausibility to so many suspects, I wasn't sure whether I'd remembered the real murderer (I hadn't!)

I did remember Bob the dog, but not how enjoyable he was, or how he bonded with Hastings .

I listened to most of Ellery Queen's The Siamese Twin Mystery on a road trip with friends. It is one of the most convoluted of his mysteries that I've read so far. Some of the plot points are so far-fetched that they're laughable.

I finished The Devil's Cave a few days ago and it was another Bruno book with a lot of mayhem and a bit of murder.

I picked up Elly Griffiths' latest Ruth Galloway book, The Woman in Blue, from the library this week and hope to start it soon.

I finished another one: The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall. My thoughts can be read here.

I finished the next Flavia book for me, The Dead in their Vaulted Arches. I almost threw it at the wall when Flavia was going to attempt to revive Harriett but didn't because it was a library book. It definitely moves the story along but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as earlier books.

The next Dr. Siri is waiting for me at the library.

Finished the first Lord Peter Wimsey novel Whose Body a few days ago. I'm already close to the killer in the next one Clouds of Witness. Having a great time with this rich, eccentric Dante-loving amateur detective.

Hi Everybody, I just happened across this thread and was intrigued by the Murder and Mayhem title. If I am right, everybody is reading mysteries and detective stories through the month of May? I have become very passionate about reading mysteries, thrillers and police procedurals, cozy mysteries, you name it, if it has murder, mystery and mayhem, I want to read it, Sounds like the thread for me. Is there any thing else I should know? Right now I have a number of books on the TBR list and several I have just read or listened to recently. I greatly enjoyed
Once Shadows Fall by Robert Daniels right up until the disappointing end! It always surprises me that the people that the authors thank in the foreword for all the help in writing the book don't tell him the ending is not up to par. This month I have read several mysteries but I have to look and see what the titles were and come back. I am sure I will get some ideas from what all of you are reading. As if I need help finding stuff to read.

I also read Talking God and found it to be very good, as are all the Tony Hillerman books. I am continually surprised at how well these mysteries have worn considering that most of the ones I have read were published in the 1970's and 1980's. They are still relevant.

I recently finished a book called The Death of Bees which would certainly fit the theme of Murder and Mayhem. I have started reading Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte which is about a female drug-runner, this is the first book I have read by this author and so far I'm impressed. I have also started a British Crime thriller called Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes.

I finished The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King and The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths. King's book went in a new direction in terms of the characters involved, and Griffiths' book was good at confounding me as to who was the killer. My comfort reads.

I am late to report on my reads, but so far all of my May reads qualify for murder and mayhem:

The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (4 stars), library hardback, literary fiction, GR

Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon (3 stars), crime fiction/police procedural - series recommended by Charlotte - this is the first book in the series

The Crowded Grave by Martin Walker (4 stars), crime fiction/police procedural - fourth book in the series

The Other Side of Silence by Phillip Kerr (4.5 stars), crime fiction/mystery - recommended by Suz and Charlotte - eleventh book in the series

Frozen Sun by Stan Jones (thinking), library hardback, crime fiction/police procedural - third book in the series - NOT recommended, although the first two books are good

I'm reading a graphic novel, Torpedo Volume 1, that fits this. It's about a killer-for-hire in 1930s NYC. Very good but very hard-boiled.

>74 DeltaQueen50: Judy there is 2011 Telenovela produced by Telemundo based on Queen of the South. It's called La Reina del Sur. It is available on Netflix. It stars Kate del Castillo, the one of the Sean Penn/Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman fame. The novela is how she caught El Chapo's attention.

So far this month, the books I've read that best fit the theme are Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (wonderful!) and The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths (very good!). If the theme were "Murder OR Mayhem," I could also fit The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (lots of mayhem) and Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan.

I've just finished Wayward, second in the Wayward Pines series. Definitely murder and mayhem.

Finished Never Preach Past Noon by Edie Claire. It's not my favorite in the cozy Leigh Koslow series. It did have a surprising, serious twist right at the end.

I'm currently listening to The Leopard by Jo Nesbo. That is one serious murder-and-mayhem kind of book. I'm also continuing, slowly, my read of The Name of the Rose.

I am currently listening to Black Water Rising by Attica Locke. This mystery novel was nominated for an Edgar award for first novels, but so far it is not reaching me. I am more aggregated by the continual angst and stubborn paranoia of the hero than I am by the usual farfetched shenanigans of the plot line. In-other-words, the hero has not managed to capture my sympathy. However, I will finish listening to this book, but I may not pick up another Jay Porter book in the future no matter how much I believe that the publishing industry has to have diverse authors and characters. This book just isn't that interesting.

>78 luvamystery65: Thanks Ro. The whole time I was reading the book, I kept thinking what a great movie or TV mini series The Queen of the South would make. I will have to check it out!

I have gone on to read The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie.

>83 DeltaQueen50: Now I really need to read it! He is coming to MBTB in August. My new goal is to read it before he comes to Houston and go meet him! You really are number one with a bullet Judy. LOL!

ETA: He's coming June 15th! Oh the pressure!

I haven't been able to squeeze in many mysteries for this M&M. I read my first Bryant & May mystery as I became interested in this series from LT posts. Ten Second Staircase was entertaining and I am sure that I will warm up to the characters once I read more.

Grr . . . lost my post when I tried to fix the touchstone.

As I was saying, I finished Swan for the Money from the Meg Langslow series. A murder and the usual madcap mayhem.

I read the new Longmire story, The Highwayman: A Longmire Story, which kind of lacked murder but had enough mayhem.

Still working on The Name of the Rose, and The Leopard on audio. Definitely murder and mayhem in both of these.

I went for the TIOLI sweep and finished it this morning. Most of my books were mysteries, not surprisingly, including:

Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood
Murder on the Hour by Elizabeth J. Duncan
Fugitive Filling by Jessica Beck
The Secret Dead by S.J. Parris
Theft on Thursday by Ann Purser
The Case of the Curious Bride by Erle Stanley Gardner
Do or Diner by Christine Wenger
A Clue in the Stew by Connie Archer
Not a Girl Detective by Susan Kandel
Threads of Evidence by Lea Wait

I finished a couple more books since my last report. Into the Blue is a thriller set partly in Greece and partly in England. It initially involves a missing person, but the investigation uncovers all sorts of murder and mayhem. Overture to Death is one of Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn mysteries. Several of her mysteries feature a theater, and this is one of them. The suspects are limited to the cast and crew of an amateur production in a Dorset village.

>86 tymfos: I'm just about to start The Highwayman. I'm glad to hear it at least has plenty of mayhem.

>89 jnwelch: It's not loaded with mayhem, but near the end it gets very exciting!

Into the Blue sounds good. I'm reading Extreme Prey - hard to put down.

Just finished Talking God by Hillerman. Lots of mayhem near the end.

>90 tymfos: So far, so good. A ghost story?

I finished four mysteries this month and since it is unlikely that I will finish another tomorrow I will make my end of the month report.

Ratking and Vendetta by Michael Dibdin. These are the first two in the Aurelio Zen mystery series by Dibdin. This series has been my traveling companion when on long distance trips for several years, and they have proved to be good plane reading. Since I am taking another long trip next week I got Dead Lagoon from the library, but it won't count for May.

I also listened to Black Water Rising by Attica Locke and even though this was an Edgar winner and written by a minority author (woman and black) with a black hero I found it slow going. I probably won't read another Jay Porter mystery.

I also read Talking God by Tony Hillerman for the group read and liked this mystery. Even though it was published in 1989 it was still a good read.

I am about 3/4's done with Smiley's People and like the previous Smiley books this one is a goodie. I won't finish it by tomorrow so I can't count it here.

My May reads that fit the May Murder and Mayhem theme were:

Talking God, Tony Hillerman - 3.5 stars
The Vows of Silence, Susan Hill - 4 stars
The Secret Place, Tana French - 3.5 stars
Hell to Pay, Garry Disher - 4 stars
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel - 4 stars
The Revenant, Michael Punke - 4 stars

I'm finishing M&M month the way I started, with Charlaine Harris. Just finished Club Dead. Just crazy about this series.

I advanced my two mystery series by one book each.

The Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley: Book 6 of 8 so far

Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill: Book 10 of 11

Finished The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie King and
The Quiet Game by Greg Iles.

Finished The Whites by Richard Price. Really good. I'm still plugging away on The Queen of the South. Loving it so far.

I picked up The Royal Wulff Murders from my tbr, a Montana mystery given to me by my BIL.

I did finish another Murder and Mayhem in May, Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo. I suppose that The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka that I also read in May was a historical M &M , so that makes 3 for me in May.