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1Andrew-theQM
What of the nominated books would you like to see the group reading as a Group Read in September?
How To Vote
To vote for a book just post that book's name and I will put regular posts up to show the running totals.
1) Each person is allowed two votes but only one vote is allowed for any one book from a member of the group.
2) You do not need to use both votes if you don't want to.
3) You can change your vote up until the time voting ends.
4) If Voting for a book please be willing to read and discuss the book with the group once the Question Master has posted the questions on each section.
Voting : Monday 22nd - Tuesday 23rd August
The winning book will be read in the last week of September.
How To Vote
To vote for a book just post that book's name and I will put regular posts up to show the running totals.
1) Each person is allowed two votes but only one vote is allowed for any one book from a member of the group.
2) You do not need to use both votes if you don't want to.
3) You can change your vote up until the time voting ends.
4) If Voting for a book please be willing to read and discuss the book with the group once the Question Master has posted the questions on each section.
Voting : Monday 22nd - Tuesday 23rd August
The winning book will be read in the last week of September.
2Andrew-theQM
Ice Hunt by James Rollins (Nominated by Andrew-theqm)
Standalone
Description (From : www.jamesrollins.com)
Carved into a moving island of ice twice the size of the United States, Ice Station Grendel has been abandoned for more than seventy years. The twisted brainchild of the finest minds of the former Soviet Union, it was designed to be inaccessible and virtually invisible.
But an American undersea research vessel has inadvertently pulled too close – and something has been sighted moving inside the allegedly deserted facility, something whose survival defies every natural law. And now, as scientists, soldiers, intelligence operatives, and unsuspecting civilians are drawn into Grendel’s lethal vortex, the most extreme measures possible will be undertaken to protect its dark mysteries – because the terrible truths locked behind submerged walls of ice and steel could end human life on Earth.
Standalone
Description (From : www.jamesrollins.com)
Carved into a moving island of ice twice the size of the United States, Ice Station Grendel has been abandoned for more than seventy years. The twisted brainchild of the finest minds of the former Soviet Union, it was designed to be inaccessible and virtually invisible.
But an American undersea research vessel has inadvertently pulled too close – and something has been sighted moving inside the allegedly deserted facility, something whose survival defies every natural law. And now, as scientists, soldiers, intelligence operatives, and unsuspecting civilians are drawn into Grendel’s lethal vortex, the most extreme measures possible will be undertaken to protect its dark mysteries – because the terrible truths locked behind submerged walls of ice and steel could end human life on Earth.
3Andrew-theQM
Temple by Matthew Reilly (nominated by Carol 420)
Standalone
Description
Four centuries ago, a precious idol was hidden in the jungles of Peru. To the Incan people, it is still the ultimate symbol of their spirit. To William Race, an American linguist enlisted by the U.S. Army to decipher the clues to its location, it's the ultimate symbol of the apocalypse...
Carved from a rare stone not found on Earth, the idol possesses elements more destructive than any nuclear bomb--a virtual planet killer. In the wrong hands it could mean the end of mankind. And whoever possesses the idol, possesses the unfathomable--and cataclysmic--power of the gods...
Now, in the foothills of the Andes, Race's team has arrived--but they're not alone. And soon they'll discover that to penetrate the temple of the idol is to break the first rule of survival. Because some treasures are meant to stay buried..and forces are ready to kill to keep it that way.
Standalone
Description
Four centuries ago, a precious idol was hidden in the jungles of Peru. To the Incan people, it is still the ultimate symbol of their spirit. To William Race, an American linguist enlisted by the U.S. Army to decipher the clues to its location, it's the ultimate symbol of the apocalypse...
Carved from a rare stone not found on Earth, the idol possesses elements more destructive than any nuclear bomb--a virtual planet killer. In the wrong hands it could mean the end of mankind. And whoever possesses the idol, possesses the unfathomable--and cataclysmic--power of the gods...
Now, in the foothills of the Andes, Race's team has arrived--but they're not alone. And soon they'll discover that to penetrate the temple of the idol is to break the first rule of survival. Because some treasures are meant to stay buried..and forces are ready to kill to keep it that way.
4Andrew-theQM
Seeking The Dead by Kate Ellis (nominated by Carol 420)
Joe Plantagenet Series Book #1
Description
When Carmel Hennessy begins a new job in North Yorkshire, she finds the historic city of Eborby gripped by fear. A killer is on the prowl - a killer who binds and asphyxiates his victims before leaving their naked bodies in isolated country churchyards. The press are calling him the Resurrection Man.
Tragic events from the past link Carmel with new-kid-on-the-block DI Joe Plantagenet, who, with his new boss, DCI Emily Thwaite, faces the unenviable task of identifying the killer before he claims another victim. The victims appear to have nothing in common but the manner of their deaths, but as Joe's investigations lead him to a pub with a sinister history, he is forced to consider that the case may have occult connections. Then Carmel becomes aware of a malevolent presence in her new flat and, when she starts to receive mysterious threats, it is Joe she turns to first. And that is when Joe is forced to get into the mind of a cunning - and scarily ruthless - killer.
Joe Plantagenet Series Book #1
Description
When Carmel Hennessy begins a new job in North Yorkshire, she finds the historic city of Eborby gripped by fear. A killer is on the prowl - a killer who binds and asphyxiates his victims before leaving their naked bodies in isolated country churchyards. The press are calling him the Resurrection Man.
Tragic events from the past link Carmel with new-kid-on-the-block DI Joe Plantagenet, who, with his new boss, DCI Emily Thwaite, faces the unenviable task of identifying the killer before he claims another victim. The victims appear to have nothing in common but the manner of their deaths, but as Joe's investigations lead him to a pub with a sinister history, he is forced to consider that the case may have occult connections. Then Carmel becomes aware of a malevolent presence in her new flat and, when she starts to receive mysterious threats, it is Joe she turns to first. And that is when Joe is forced to get into the mind of a cunning - and scarily ruthless - killer.
5Andrew-theQM
The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter (nominated by Andrew-theqm)
#1 in the Robert Hunter Series
Description(From www.chriscarterbooks.com)
In a derelict cottage in Los Angeles National Forest, a young woman is found savagely murdered. Naked, strung from two wooden posts, the skin has been ripped from her face – while she was alive. On the nape of her neck is carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer.
But that’s not possible. Because, two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed.
Could this be the work of a copycat killer? Someone who has somehow accessed intricate details of the earlier murders – details that were never made public? Or is Homicide Detective Robert Hunter forced to face the unthinkable? Is the real Crucifix Killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Hunter with his inability to catch him?
Robert Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining, where there's no such thing as a quick death.
#1 in the Robert Hunter Series
Description(From www.chriscarterbooks.com)
In a derelict cottage in Los Angeles National Forest, a young woman is found savagely murdered. Naked, strung from two wooden posts, the skin has been ripped from her face – while she was alive. On the nape of her neck is carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer.
But that’s not possible. Because, two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed.
Could this be the work of a copycat killer? Someone who has somehow accessed intricate details of the earlier murders – details that were never made public? Or is Homicide Detective Robert Hunter forced to face the unthinkable? Is the real Crucifix Killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Hunter with his inability to catch him?
Robert Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining, where there's no such thing as a quick death.
6Andrew-theQM
Zero Day by David Baldacci (Nominated by Carol 420)
John Puller series book 1
Description
And Zero Day is where it all begins....
John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division. His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison. Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find the truth.
Now, Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country far from any military outpost. Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered. The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation. As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he's seen in this small town, and no one in it, are what they seem. Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.
John Puller series book 1
Description
And Zero Day is where it all begins....
John Puller is a combat veteran and the best military investigator in the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division. His father was an Army fighting legend, and his brother is serving a life sentence for treason in a federal military prison. Puller has an indomitable spirit and an unstoppable drive to find the truth.
Now, Puller is called out on a case in a remote, rural area in West Virginia coal country far from any military outpost. Someone has stumbled onto a brutal crime scene, a family slaughtered. The local homicide detective, a headstrong woman with personal demons of her own, joins forces with Puller in the investigation. As Puller digs through deception after deception, he realizes that absolutely nothing he's seen in this small town, and no one in it, are what they seem. Facing a potential conspiracy that reaches far beyond the hills of West Virginia, he is one man on the hunt for justice against an overwhelming force.
7Andrew-theQM
The Innocent by David Baldacci (Nominated by bhabeck)
#1 in the Will Robie Series
Description
America has enemies - ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target. But Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career...
It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.
Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway -- her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.
Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.
Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life... and perhaps his own.
#1 in the Will Robie Series
Description
America has enemies - ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target. But Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career...
It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable. He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.
Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a fourteen-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway -- her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.
Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power.
Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life... and perhaps his own.
8Andrew-theQM
The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep by Lawrence Block (Nominated by bhabeck)
#1 in the Evan Tanner series
Description
Evan Michael Tanner hasn't slept in more than a decade—not since a small piece of battlefield shrapnel invaded his skull and obliterated his brain's sleep center. Still, he's managed to find numerous inventive ways to occupy his waking hours.
Tanner is a card-carrying member of hundreds of international organizations, from the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Order to the Flat Earth Society—not because he believes in their myriad lost causes, he's simply a joiner by nature. Besides, it gives him something to do.
The Russians think Tanner is a CIA operative on a covert mission. The CIA is certain he's a Soviet agent. Actually, he's in Turkey pursuing a fortune in hidden Armenian gold. But Tanner's up for anything, including a little spycraft, if it helps him reach his big payday. And if need be, he'll even start a small revolution . . .
#1 in the Evan Tanner series
Description
Evan Michael Tanner hasn't slept in more than a decade—not since a small piece of battlefield shrapnel invaded his skull and obliterated his brain's sleep center. Still, he's managed to find numerous inventive ways to occupy his waking hours.
Tanner is a card-carrying member of hundreds of international organizations, from the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Order to the Flat Earth Society—not because he believes in their myriad lost causes, he's simply a joiner by nature. Besides, it gives him something to do.
The Russians think Tanner is a CIA operative on a covert mission. The CIA is certain he's a Soviet agent. Actually, he's in Turkey pursuing a fortune in hidden Armenian gold. But Tanner's up for anything, including a little spycraft, if it helps him reach his big payday. And if need be, he'll even start a small revolution . . .
9Andrew-theQM
An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson (Nominated by bhabeck)
#1 in Josephine Tey series
Description
A brilliant and original fiction debut set in the exotic world of 1930s British theatre.
March 1934. Revered mystery writer Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to London for the final week of her celebrated play "Richard of Bordeaux," But joy turns to horror when her arrival coincides with the murder of a young woman she had befriended on the train ride, and Tey quickly finds herself plunged into a mystery as puzzling as any of those in her own works.
Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the killing is connected to her play. "Richard of Bordeaux" has been the surprise hit of the season, with pacifist themes that strike a chord in a world still haunted by war. Now, however, it seems that Tey could become the victim of her own success, as her reputation--and even her life--is put at risk.
A second murder confirms Penrose's suspicions that somewhere among this flamboyant theatre set is a ruthless and spiteful killer. Together, Penrose and Tey must confront their own ghosts in search of someone who will stop at nothing.
An Expert in Murder is both a tribute to one of the most enduringly popular writers of crime and a richly atmospheric detective novel in its own right.
#1 in Josephine Tey series
Description
A brilliant and original fiction debut set in the exotic world of 1930s British theatre.
March 1934. Revered mystery writer Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to London for the final week of her celebrated play "Richard of Bordeaux," But joy turns to horror when her arrival coincides with the murder of a young woman she had befriended on the train ride, and Tey quickly finds herself plunged into a mystery as puzzling as any of those in her own works.
Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the killing is connected to her play. "Richard of Bordeaux" has been the surprise hit of the season, with pacifist themes that strike a chord in a world still haunted by war. Now, however, it seems that Tey could become the victim of her own success, as her reputation--and even her life--is put at risk.
A second murder confirms Penrose's suspicions that somewhere among this flamboyant theatre set is a ruthless and spiteful killer. Together, Penrose and Tey must confront their own ghosts in search of someone who will stop at nothing.
An Expert in Murder is both a tribute to one of the most enduringly popular writers of crime and a richly atmospheric detective novel in its own right.
11Andrew-theQM
The Crucifix Killer
Still thinking about my second one - 4 different possibilities!
Still thinking about my second one - 4 different possibilities!
13Olivermagnus
The Crucifix Killer
and
An Expert in Murder
and
An Expert in Murder
14Sergeirocks
Ice Hunt
Expert in Murder
Expert in Murder
15Andrew-theQM
Second vote (after a lot of deliberation) : Ice Hunt
16Andrew-theQM
Running Totals - So far
The Crucifix Killer - 4 votes
Ice Hunt - 3 votes
Expert in Murder - 2 votes
Seeking the Dead - 1 vote
Too close to call at this point!
The Crucifix Killer - 4 votes
Ice Hunt - 3 votes
Expert in Murder - 2 votes
Seeking the Dead - 1 vote
Too close to call at this point!
17Andrew-theQM
Have added a fifth part to the rules above:
5) If there is a tie we will read one book in September and one book in October.
We used to have this is the rules but I forgot(!) given that we've lost access to the last that we did on Leafmarks.
Voting was better with nesting!
5) If there is a tie we will read one book in September and one book in October.
We used to have this is the rules but I forgot(!) given that we've lost access to the last that we did on Leafmarks.
Voting was better with nesting!
19Carol420
>17 Andrew-theQM: You're right. It was easier with nesting. I don't know exactly what you are looking for... but I still keep the past books we've discussed for the Mystery & Suspense group and the ones that we have discussed on the Mystery & Suspense Plus. Not adding to that one anymore since we are only discussing on the M&S...but it's there. Also the book discussion stats. Wish I had been smart enough to gather them up from LM before they went under.
20Andrew-theQM
>19 Carol420: Wish I'd been smart enough to save the blurb for recommending books and voting! Think I've now got it all in there. A small thing but sometimes takes a while to get it reproduced.
Running Total So Far
The Crucifix Killer - 4 Votes
Ice Hunt - 4 Votes
Expert in Murder - 3 Votes
Seeking the Dead - 1 Vote
Running Total So Far
The Crucifix Killer - 4 Votes
Ice Hunt - 4 Votes
Expert in Murder - 3 Votes
Seeking the Dead - 1 Vote
21Andrew-theQM
We have another tie so we will read Ice Hunt in September and The Crucifix Killer in October if that is okay with everyone.
22Carol420
That's fine with me. It was hard to choose. I think you should just throw them all in a hat and pick one:)
24Sergeirocks
Democratically voted for. I'm in.
25bhabeck
>21 Andrew-theQM: wanted to give you all a heads up....I've been looking for The Crucifix Killer for a few weeks. None of my libraries had it in either digital or book form and none of my used books stores had it. I finally ordered it from Amazon...who only had it available from a third party seller in the UK. So, you might want to check availability on that book sooner rather than later. :)
26Carol420
>25 bhabeck: I gave my library a month's notice and they found it. I was surprised since Chris Carter books are nearly impossible to find in the U.S. and he's an American writer. You can find his X-Files but almost nothing he writes. Good luck.
27EadieB
I have a copy of Crucifix Killer.
28Andrew-theQM
Thanks for the heads up Brenda, and the perseverance in getting hold of the book. I am amazed that give the success of the X Files that this author is not more readily available I his own country. At the moment I am having a difficult job of getting hold of some of the early books in the Lucas Davenport Series by John Sandford. It is amazing how difficult it is to find some authors.
29Carol420
>25 bhabeck: >27 EadieB: >28 Andrew-theQM: You would think they would be over joyed that people want to read their books and would work with publishers to see that they are available. What are their agents doing? And yes... you should be readily available in your own country.
30Andrew-theQM
Chris Kuzneski is one person who made it big in the UK first, and I still think he is more popular in the UK.
31bhabeck
>28 Andrew-theQM: So, wanted to let you know that I got the book in and ... surprise!...not the X-Files Chris Carter. This Chris Carter is based in the UK and has an "interesting" bio.
Biographies can be an absolute drag, so I won’t bore anyone with a long life story.
I was born in Brasilia, Brazil where I spent my childhood and teenage years. After graduating from high school, I moved to the USA where I studied psychology with specialization in criminal behaviour. During my University years I held a variety of odd jobs, ranging from flipping burgers to being part of an all male exotic dancing group.
I worked as a criminal psychologist for several years before moving to Los Angeles, where I swapped the suits and briefcases for ripped jeans, bandanas and an electric guitar. After a spell playing for several well known glam rock bands, I decided to try my luck in London, where I was fortunate enough to have played for a number of famous artists. I toured the world several times as a professional musician.
A few years ago I gave it all up to become a full time writer
Here's the link:
http://www.chriscarterbooks.com
Biographies can be an absolute drag, so I won’t bore anyone with a long life story.
I was born in Brasilia, Brazil where I spent my childhood and teenage years. After graduating from high school, I moved to the USA where I studied psychology with specialization in criminal behaviour. During my University years I held a variety of odd jobs, ranging from flipping burgers to being part of an all male exotic dancing group.
I worked as a criminal psychologist for several years before moving to Los Angeles, where I swapped the suits and briefcases for ripped jeans, bandanas and an electric guitar. After a spell playing for several well known glam rock bands, I decided to try my luck in London, where I was fortunate enough to have played for a number of famous artists. I toured the world several times as a professional musician.
A few years ago I gave it all up to become a full time writer
Here's the link:
http://www.chriscarterbooks.com
32EadieB
>31 bhabeck:
Very interesting bio!
Very interesting bio!
33Andrew-theQM
Thanks for this Brenda, that is a surprise!
Amazing the amount of authors with very interesting bios.
Amazing the amount of authors with very interesting bios.
34Andrew-theQM
We will start the Group Read of The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter on Thursday 27th October reading it over five days.
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