May 2016: What are you reading?

I'm starting Hell's Gate by Bill Schutt. Sounds really interesting!

Just finished Night of the Jaguar and am starting Blindsighted.

Just marking my spot...

Am about 1/2 through The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert. Decent story and pacing, but awkward writing.

Finished A Necessary End (Inspector Banks Book 3,) by Peter Robinson and started the next one, The Hanging Valley.

I am still reading Turning Angel by Greg Iles.

I'm reading A Burial at Sea, by Charles Finch.

I am reading The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor and finding the setting of New York in 1778 to be intriguing.

>6 Jestak: I'm also reading Iles. I just started my first of his, and the first of his Penn Cage series: The Quiet Game. Over the first 20 pages, wow, the writing is good.

>6 Jestak: >9 rocketjk:

Favorite author of mine. Good to see new fans :) Now if Iles gets his act together and finish the Natchez Burning trilogy (books 4-6 in his Penn Cage series), I will be very happy :)

I'm now reading Penance by David Housewright.

>9 rocketjk: >10 AnnieMod: I have enjoyed the first two Penn Cage novels; I read a couple of Iles' other novels some years back but got away from him. I am pretty sure I'll be sticking with the Penn Cage series and probably return to some of his other books as well.

A friend just loaned me my first Bess Crawford mystery, A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd. Peeked at the first chapter--I think I love it already.

I am reading Bad Debts by Peter Temple - the first Jack Irish novel. So far - good.

>10 AnnieMod: Where would you start with Iles?

I am a big fan of Greg Iles and have listened to audio books and read his books. They can transport you. I love Penn Cage and his father, but I love other characters also. As far as where to start, I would go by date and just start with one of his first books that appeal story wise. You really can't go wrong. Take a few home from the library or some paperbacks and audio books and decide how best to delve into them. If you commute a lot get an audio book for sure. Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree were a big undertaking but if you are a fan you will do it. They are both good but LONG. I did audio books with them both and really enjoyed them that way as I was very busy at the time so often played them while I worked at home

>14 Jim53:

The Quiet Game and Mortal Fear (with a warning for somewhat dated technology) are starting somewhat of series - the first one a lot more interconnected than the second (the second is a series based on place and time more than anything).

The first I read by him was True Evil, followed by Blood Memory and Third Degree (all 3 are standalones) and I still find all of them very good.

So depending on which sounds the best in terms of plot would be your answer I guess :) I would not recommend starting with the WWII-related books (they are readable but different - Iles excels at his Mississippi tales)

If I need to pick one - "The Quiet Game" :)

Just starting Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner, an ER win. It looks promising. (At least, the blurb has me interested ;-)

I also started Killing Floor by Lee Child, the day before Missing, Presumed arrived in the mail. A murderous feast!

The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore. Starting off a little slow, I am hoping it picks up soon!

Just started reading The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore. It has started out a bit slow, so here's to hoping it picks up soon!

Just finished The Bottoms by Joe Landsdale. Wow what a well written book. I guessed the bad guy pretty early on, and even some of the sub-plot puzzles, but the writing was enough to keep it interesting. Made me think of a cross between Boy's Life and To Kill A Mockingbird.

I've been busy with gardening, but did get 2 books finished this past week or so: an oldie but goodie that I probably read decades ago but still like Salem's Lot by Stephen King and 2 novellas in 1 book by Minette Walters: Innocent Victims.

>15 mmignano11: >16 AnnieMod: Thanks very much!

I didn't get very far with The Inspector and Silence by Hakan Nesser before putting the book aside when I realised that the plot concerned sexual violence against, and the murder of, children.

I'm now reading The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling).

Now reading All the Colours of the Town, by Liam McIlvanney.

Finished Her Final Breath the second Tracy Crosswhite book in 2 days. Might have enjoyed the first book more, but this was a decent police procedural. Not done with this series yet.

Shaman Pass, set in northwest Alaska, was very good.

>27 jnwelch: I'm 3 chapters in on Shaman Pass so I'm glad to hear it was a good one.

Finished Talking God by Tony Hillerman. Another good Leaphorn and Chee mystery.

>28 luvamystery65: 'Tis, Roberta. There are some long arc developments, too. The next one is Frozen Sun, so I'll be picking that up at some point.

I enjoyed all those Leaphorns and Chees back in the day.

Going to take a break from Minette Walters for a while-not liking her recent books as much as I did her early ones: The Cellar by Minette Walters

Finished Past Reason Hated (Inspector Banks Book 5) by Peter Robinson and about two-thirds of the way through Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton. Never saw the movie of the latter, might have to do that one wet weekend...

Broken, a Will Trent/Georgia mystery by Karin Slaughter.

I see that I didn't post that I was reading The Postman Always Rings Twice -- great quick read & I think it might even be better than the John Garfield/Lana Turner film!

Now I am reading a Golden Age mystery called The Paradise Mystery by J.S. Fletcher. Although I know that the J. stands for Joseph, I always think of TV's Jessica Fletcher when I see this author's name!

This morning I started The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. This novel gets mixed reviews, but I am engaged with it even though some of the writing isn't as fluid as it could be. There is one character that is so repulsive that I think I'm going to skim those segments though. Ugh.

>33 leslie.98: Hee hee, me too! :)

I'm now reading Hiding in the Shadows by Kay Hooper.

I'm reading the Widow by Fiona Barton.

I'm reading a very hard-boiled graphic novel that is also very well done, Torpedo Volume 1.

The Highwayman by Craig Johnson A quick read, and as enjoyable as the other Longmire books.

Finished Hiding in the Shadows, a quick read and pretty good, and now I've started Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais, back in the Los Angles of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

Just started Wilde Lake by the fabulous Laura Lippman. It's a stand alone book, which I'm so glad she does and has had success with. Too many authors are series slaves these days.

>40 Jestak: I thought the whole Shadows trilogy was pretty good.

Finished a book from one of my favourite series: The Ice Child by Camilla Lackberg. An oddly soothing combination of cozy domestic mystery with some basic thriller/crime horror.

I'm now reading The Widow's Strike by Brad Taylor.

Finished Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton. Have just started Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson - the first in the Jackson Brodie series.

I just finished a new to me series first book The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Adler-Olsen is another writer in the Scandinavian and I thought the first book was very good.

I am wrapping up Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields by Kathryn Casey. I live in the suburbs of Houston. Lots of familiar headlines. Very disturbing.

Up next The Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte

I am reading the 10th McGee book, The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper before tackling my latest library book, Ian Rankin's Black and Blue.

The Invisible Guardian (Baztán Trilogy #1) by Dolores Redondo Interesting setting in Basque area of Spain. Strong, complicated woman detective. Too much magic and family problems slowed the action. Not much police detection happened. The ending was rushed and some ends were not tied up. Very imaginative aspects to the serial killer's motive and methods.

I love Peter Robinson and Inspector Banks! The books are complex and believable, and I really get involved in his life. The TV adaptation was good too.

I picked up an omnibus of the first three Cork O'Connor mysteries by William Kent Krueger. The first was Iron Lake and now I'm reading the second, Boundary Waters.

I finished Wait for Me a Romantic Mystery, which I rated 2.5 Stars. Followed that with Michael Prescott's The Shadow Hunter which was very good (4 Stars). Now nearing the halfway point in the very enjoyable Historical Mystery Paragon Walk by Anne Perry, 3rd in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series.

I'm reading The Woman in Blue, the latest Ruth Galloway mystery, and also The Resistance Man, a Bruno mystery. Both are great! I usually try not to read two mysteries at the same time, but my library holds got away from me.

I've started Never Fear by Scott Frost.

I've got the new Longmire, The Highwayman, teed up.

Polished off And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Still a favorite.

I'm now reading Smoker by Greg Rucka.

I'm working my way through Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series in order, and this month's book was the 10th, King's Ransom.

Finished 2 mysteries earlier this month - the second Molly Murphy mystery Death of Riley (which was ok but weaker than the first) and Temple's The Broken Shore which despite its issues was quite good. Started Rio Noir last night and so far I am not impressed.

Just finished and reviewed Missing, Presumed, by Susie Steiner, an Early Reviewers offering. The story, a police procedural, was quite satisfying and the writing was really excellent. Definitely recommended.

I finished Hell's Gate: a thriller by Bill Schutt. Really interesting. Lot of research went into making the history, as well as the zoology and botany realistic and frightening. Great thriller.

Now I started The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone. I have high hopes for this one!

JUNE THREAD - https://www.librarything.com/topic/224125