What are you reading in January 2009

I've just started my year off with Fearless Fourteen the latest Stephanie Plum mystery by Janet Evanovich and it is as entertaining as all the other ones in this series. The madcap shenanigans that Joe Morelli is forced to endure as a result of good intentions by Stephanie is hilarious, and this time, his house and dog has been invaded by relatives, friends and strangers digging in his yard and basement in search of missing treasure. There's of course, the usual person here and there who gets murdered and kidnapped and Stephanie's search for the murderer puts her in some strange situations.

I realize it's highly subjective, but how would you rate Stephanie Plum novels for language and content? I try to stick to PG and below, but I've been told the series is hilarious.

2 > the series is hilarious but the language is pretty ripe. I don't think they would fall into the PG catagory

I am reading The Companion by Ann Granger, the first in the Lizzie Martin series. I'm really enjoying it!

*Couldn't find a touchstone for this

Search the Dark by Charles Todd. It's my first Insp. Rutledge mystery, and it clicks fine.

Reading To Dream of the Dead by Phil Rickman, his latest in the Merrily Watkins series.

Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie. pretty mysterious, I guess it keeps the readers involved in the book.

Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly. Involves two protagonists from Connelly's previous works, the defense attorney Mickey Haller, and the police detective Harry Bosch. Moves fast.

I am reading Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell for a RL mystery book group. It is the first in the Kurt Wallander series

So far so good. It is set in Sweden in Ystad and is about an elderly farm couple who are murdered in the night.

I have been on a Emma Lathen kick lately and I finished East is East on New Year's Day. Then I went to the library book sale (dangerous place, that) and got 4 Agatha Christie books. I just read Three Act Tragedy.

>9 FicusFan:: FicusFan- I read Faceless Killers awhile back and really enjoyed it. Now, to make time to read the others in the series, that's the tricky part.
I've been reading A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss. It's a historical thriller, that takes place in London, in the early 1700's. Very good so far!

# 11 msf59,

Its not just the time, I don't have the rest of the series. I am buying limited books now due to the economy, so it will be a while before I can get the rest. I finished the book and enjoyed it too. I will continue the series at some point.

I do have Depths and Kennedy's Brain both by him. I got them from Bookcloseouts.com awhile ago, they are stand alone mysteries.

Just now I am reading the last of the Rex series about dinos who didn't go extinct, but live among us in latex human suits: Hot and Sweaty Rex

Its main character is Vincent Rubio (Raptor) who is a PI. He was in LA for the last two books, but he is in Miami in this one. He seems to be mixed up with the dionsaur Mafia in this book. Not sure what the mystery is yet.

>2 gmathis:: gmathis, I would agree with readafew ... the scenes are pretty hilarious, but the content isn't very PG.

Have you tried Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow series? they're very PG and also pretty funny. I also like Joanna Fluke but her books make me hungry because she gives our recipes as well.

Well i just started reading the Snack Theif and The Case of The Missing Books. Also the Book of The Dead is really good.

13/cameling: Yes, I've read a couple of Donna Andrews and enjoyed them.

I've also stumbled across an Elizabeth Peters mystery that is on my January to-read pile: Die for Love, one of her Jacqueline Kirby mysteries. I'm a used-bookstore hound, so I rarely read series in sequence (I pick up whatever I can find as available), but Naked Once More, another one in the series, had me snorting and chuckling all the way through.

Just started The Last Goodbye by Reed Arvin and Atlanta based thriller with a lawyer protagonist.

I'm just starting Split Second by David Baldacci. Looking forward to it.

I'm a few chapters into Dead Man's Footsteps by Peter James, who's a new author to me. So far I like it, although I'm reminded of Ian Rankin.

I am reading Amber Beach, by Elizabeth Lowell. I just finished another one by her Always Time to Die.

I am just starting The Mosaic of Shadows by Tom Harper
It is set in Constantinople, Byzantine Empire (Turkey) in 1096. The POV is hunting an assassin who is trying to kill the Emperor Alexios, and the first Crusade is camped outside the walls and no one knows if its there to fight the Turkish army, or to sack the city.

#8--I'm ordering The Black Echo on Amazon (4 for 3 sale!), the first Harry Bosch book because I'm going to reread through the series again! I really like it and started somewhere in the middle when I first started reading Connelly so I'm going to do it right this time.

Right now I'm in the beginning of A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly which is the 7th in Harry Bosch series. Though it looks like Bosch is not a main character there.

>21 thatbooksmell: I just read The Black Echo and enjoyed it very much!

I'm reading The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins, a 19th Ct. classic.

I just finished Shadows at the Fair which was a gift from SantaThing. I really enjoyed it and will be getting the rest in the series.

I've recently discovered Louise Penny and her delightful chief detective, Amand Gamache. The books are set in serene villages in the Montreal area, and so bring a nice, foreign flavor to the surroundings. I'm currently reading to the 2nd book in the series, A Fatal Grace. While the book would be enjoyable on its own, it definitely benefits from my having read the first book in the series first.

Just finished a re-read of In the Bleak Midwinter, the first in my favorite series, in order to lead the discusion at my library group. I think The Thirteenth Tale is up next.

> 27 Jim53...ooh The Thirteenth Tale has been in my TBR pile for awhile and I am planning to read it next too! Let me know what you think of it!

The Thirteenth Tale was one of my favorite books. You will love it. I will start Milk and Honey tomorrow.

I am reading Stephen J. Cannell's On The Grind. It's his latest Shane Scully book. rather than try to explain it, here's the video book trailer http://www.onthegrindbook.com/ for anyone interested.

I'm reading Walking the Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman and I'm pretty impressed so far.

I am reading Ian Rankin's latest Rebus book-Exit Music. Recently went to
Edinburgh and I find it fascinating to read where I have been. I think
Rankin is one of the great writers. Read all of his.

I'm reading The Curse of the Holy Pail by Sue Ann Jaffarian. I really enjoy the "plus sized" personality of the main character Odelia. I almost didn't pick it up because I don't care for her boyfriend she hooks up with in the first book. I would like to see her stay single or hook up with the police detective but I don't think that will happen.

Just finished Dead and Gone by Andrew Vachss (my first book by him, enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm also about halfway through Seventy-seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler.

I finished The Last Goodbye by Reed Arvin and I have to say it was very good--well written, a fresh story, interesting characters, and some good plot twists.

I'm reading a book that is, I suppose, technically an alternate history and therefore science fiction, but the whole gist of the book so far (and I am half way through it) is a murder mystery - Farthing by Jo Walton.

Just finished one of my first Agatha Christe books and I loved it! I can't wait to read some more of her works and I'm looking into reading PD James books.

I just started Dying To Sin by Stephen Booth. My brother told me to hurry up and read this as he is waiting for it. I love this author, so I know I am in for a treat!

I have finally finished The Mosaic of Shadows and get to leave 1095 Constantinople. It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't grab me and was too long and too slow.

I am moving on to a RL book group read, which is not a mystery.

I read The Wooden Overcoat for my 999 challenge. I really enjoyed it. I hadn't ever heard of author Pamela Branch before and just got this one from the library book sale. It was a lot funnier than I thought, in a rather dark way.

I'm reading Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg which is a crime book of sorts, but very much in the literary fiction genre.

I'm reading Veritas by William Lashner. I loved his first book Hostile Witness.

I am now reading A Monstrous Regiment of Women, its is the second Mary Russell mystery, where she teams up with a retired Sherlock Holmes. These are such fun.

>43 AlaMich: AlaMich....I am a Lashner fan. I'm sure you will enjoy it. I am currently reading Lashner's Fall The Shadow. So far I loved Fatal Flaw the best! Let me know what you think.

Just began reading Nine Lords of the Night, it is off to a great start.

#44 - I liked the first two in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series better than the rest. I thought they were really well done.

I an reading The White Lioness by Henning Mankell. It is great, I love the way he draws South African politics into what appears to be random shooting of a woman in Sweden. Having read Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela I understand even more the historical context of this mystery. Highly recommended!.

Just finished Dragon's Teeth by Ellery Queen. Getting ready to read The Eight of Swords by John Dickson Carr

I love Ellery Queen I haven't read Dragon's Teeth. putting it on my wish list.

I just started Withering Heights last night. I really like Dorothy Cannell.

Just finished Ghost Riders by Sharyn McCrumb, another one of her appalachian series. Supernatural plus civil war history. Very fun to read.

I just picked up The Bordeaux Betrayal by Ellen Crosby.

I just started Mrs. Malory and A Time To Die
by Hazel Holt. A little light relief after The White Lioness by Henning Mankell.

Just finished The Medici by Michael White. Now I'm reading Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen.

I went to the library yesterday and picked up a few books, I started Eleven Hours yesterday and finished it last night. It's a pretty good thriller. Today I started Sun Storm and it grabbed me right away. These are the first books I've read by either author, and I will plan to read more of each.

I just finished re-reading The Name of the Rose. First time was in the late 80's, I think. Not quite as difficult to get through this time.

I am so happy to find this group -- mysteries have been my genre since my first Nancy Drew.

So far this month, I have read Crime Beat by Michael Connelly. It was fun to read about how he got his start and the cases that he covered early on and his inspiration for his Harry Bosch series.

Yesterday I finished Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. It was a pretty gruesome tale, and yet I did find myself shedding a few tears at the end! Lots of issues were dealt with.

I am now halfway through Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris. It is a wonderfully written story that takes place in Saudi Arabia with lot's of insight into the Middle Eastern culture.

Bought my first Elizabeth George What came before he shot her yesterday, keeping my finger's crossed she'll suck me in the way Martha Grimes did last year. Met her, instantly fell in love with the Jury-series and for a few months I didn't have to worry about what to read next..

I too have discovered Louise Penny and have now read all four. They have different titles in England, which I discovered while trying to buy them on Amazon. I thought there were more than four volumes but discovered A fatal grace and Dead cold were one and the same. I read the newest one first and hadn't realised that they all involved people from Three Pines. I was very pleased as the villagers are fascinating - as are Inspector Armand Gamache and his team. I'm looking forward to The murder stone to be published in paperback

# 60.

For Elizabeth George, I wouldn't start with What Came Before he Shot Her--I'd advise you start with her first one A Great Deliverance

I am reading an oldie from the Perennial Mystery Library, which I can always count for a good read Through a Glass Darkly by Val Gielgud

I finished Farthing and I've started Ha'penny, both by Jo Walton.

I agree with #62. Start the Elizabeth George at A Great Deliverance. I found Martha Grimes to provide stronger characterization and a better environment for her characters to socialize. Sometimes the main story was a bit of an after thought. Elizabeth George has complex recurring characters but with her books plot is the key point and the series is a bit more exhausting. I love both authors and you are spending you time well!

>61 cimorene: Louise Penny is a Canadian and publishes her books in Canada, however when her books have been published in the U.S. the titles have been changed. Why? I don't know, but it is frustrating.

I started Out by Natsuo Kirino last night and so far I am finding it very good. Very well written, the story has grabbed me and now, I can hardly wait to find out what happens next!

I hate the dual titles thing. I've bought books before, not realizing that I already had a copy. Now I try to remember to search stopyourekillingme.com first, because that lists books under both titles. But I don't always remember.

I am reading Graveyard Eyes by David Chacko.

Just starting The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Murder Plays an Ugly Scene by L.A.G. Strong

I just finished reading Blue Justice by Illona Haus & couldn't put it down. It had me from the first page & didn't let go until the last. The main character, Kay Delaney, is a homicide detective in Baltimore, MD and it's the third book in the series, but you can read this one without reading the first two. Great book!

Just finished Fifty Candles by Earl Derr Biggers, amusing but quite dated.

But the author's name is fantastic.

I like his Charlie Chan series, which I read a long time ago, in my teens.

I just finished Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason and it simply thrilled excited me. It's the second novel by the Icelandic writer that I've read.

I've started researching other Nordic/Scandinavian authors. Now, I'm hungry to discover new (to me) international crime fiction authors. Germany, Russia, France, any African countries/authors, Canada, Korea, New Zealand?

Does anyone have suggestions?

lindasbooks, I couldn't put down The Thirteenth Tale. I hope you enjoy it, too. Please let us know what you think when you're done.

Just finished Sadie by Jane Elliott and am now starting another by the same author Mummy's Little Girl

omphaloskepsis, I certainly will let you know. I haven't gotten too far in yet (too many interuptions, you know, like work! Drat!) :} but right from the start I am hooked!

# 75: omphaloskepsis

There is a whole thread about mysteries in non-English speaking countries.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/4949

There are lots of books and authors mentioned.

Thanks, FicusFan. I'll definitely check it out.

#75 omphaloskepsis

One of my favorite Canadian mystery writers is LR Wright (unfortunately, now deceased). I believe there were 7 books in her series which featured Sgt Alberg and was set in British Columbia. The first in the series is The Suspect, LR Wright. I really loved them all.

I just started A Case of Two Cities by Qiu, Xiaolong or is it Xiaolong Qiu. we have books with both entries. LC uses the first form. I have read the earlier ones and enjoyed them, their view into China is interesting.

I've been ravenously reading Good People by Marcus Sakey.....it's so good I've been taking short naps in between reading (all night long)!!!! Super fast reading and a top notch thriller ~ I love this author! I don't usually get through a book this fast but it's un-put-downable. I've read one other by Sakey, The Blade Itself, which was also very good. But this one is better yet. Highly recommend!

I just finished rereading Patricia Wentworth's The Listening Eye. Nice old-fashioned cozy type. Plus hers always have a little romance.

I am reading Zugzwang by new author (to me anyways!) Ronan Bennett. It is proving to be quite a fascinating read!

I just finished The 19th Wife it is a great book, I would highly recommend it. I will start The 37th Hour tomorrow. That will be a new author for me, it looks very promising.

I finished my mystery Graveyard Eyes by David Chacko. I enjoyed it very much. I now have to move on to a non-fiction book for a RL book group.

I've started getting old is Murder

I finished Ha'penny and I've started Half a Crown, both by Jo Walton.

bookbroke, enjoy The 37th Hour - I loved it.

I am reading The Darker Side by Cody McFadyen. It's a gripping tale, for sure; makes me want to go back and read the first couple books in the series.

I finished my RL book group book, House to House by David Bellavia, about his unit in Iraq and their participation in the battle of Fallujah. It was incrredible, I read it in one sitting.

I am now starting Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
It is part of the Stephanie Plum series that mixes, humor, romance, and mystery. I need something light and fluffy after the other book.

I've just read through the Cork O'Connor series written by William Kent Krueger. Small town sheriff/PI located in the Upper Peninsula of Minnesota.

It's an excellent series with good solid writing, and obviously well done research.

Still Life by Louise Penny, set in Quebec with a great central character in Inspector in Inspector Gamache, and Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie

Still Life by Louise Penny, set in Quebec with a great central character in Inspector in Inspector Gamache, and Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie

Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Carrell, set in London, Cambridge(MA), Washington, Utah, etc., in a search for a Shakespeare manuscript.

I just read Counterpoint: A murder in Massachusetts Bay by Margaret Press and was disappointed. I thought it had potential for a good read but after I started getting into it, I thought it could have been edited better, and also I would have liked getting more into the profile of Tom Maimoni and what really happened to Martha. The brief interjections of peripheral characters that had nothing to do with the crime, such as Julie, bartender and girlfriend of the detective, was a little annoying.

December was great, as I read Faceless Killers and then The Man on the Balcony.

January, I followed up with The Man Who Went Up in Smoke.

For some reason I love these Swedish procedurals... February will probably bring another one. Probably The Dogs of Riga.

In January, I've been plowing through some Robert Barnard suspense novels that I'd collected -- A Cry from the Dark, The Mistress of Alderley, and The Graveyard Position. Just started Dying Flames to continue my juggernaut. All good reads, none great.

I am reading Cutting Edge by John Harvey, another great Charlie Resnick story.

#95, Interred was one of my favorite reads last year. I hope you'll enjoy it!

I got an Alfred Alcorn as an Early Review book, so I'm reading the prequel, Murder in the Museum of Man. There are some hilarious parts ("Comparative Ethnocoprology"), but it's progressing somewhat slowly.

>100 Jim53:: Jim53, Murder in the Museum of Man sounds interesting. I hope you will post a review to let us know how this book pans out.

Just reading Blood on the Strand and loving it.

Just started Roseanna first of the Martin Beck series of Swedish police procedurals - supposedly the defining novels of the genre.

So far it's been stilted and slow, like watching early BW films. I'm not sure if that's the original prose or this translation. I'll see how it progresses.

So far this month I've read Crewel World, Framed in Lace , A Stitch in Time all by Monica Ferris, On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle, Twelve Sharp, Lean Mean Thirteen. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich,
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein, Shoots to Kill by Kate Collins, and Getting Old is Murder by Rita Lakin. So I've had a mix of cozies and regular mysteries.
I'm getting ready to start Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. I've heard about this series for a few years, and I finally decided now was the time.

I'm reading--and loving--Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

A 1975 Dorothy Gilman A Nun in the Closet.She also writes the Mrs. Pollifax Novels. This would be considered a cozy mystery.

I am reading The Last Pope by Luis Miguel Rocha. It is an interesting suspense with hidden identities and double crossing (just who do you trust when people you don't know are trying to kill you?).

#101 I finished Murder in the Museum of Man last night and posted a review. I'm gonna read something from a different genre before I tackle my Early reviewer copy of the sequel.

I liked A Nun in the Closet. I think it's a fun book, nothing substantial, but light fun.

I read The Spellman Files last night. I'm not really sure it's a mystery, but it had elements of it. It's about this family of private investigators who keep in practice by spying on each other.

I've started Forty Words For Sorrow by Giles Blunt. It has a great remote Canadian setting. Nice winter reading. I was thinking of crime novels, featuring different locales and was wondering if there were books featuring an Australian setting? I'm sure there are, but I couldn't think of any. Suggestions??

110> there are Arthur Upfield's Napoleon Bonaparte (Bony) mysteries - they're old (30s-50s, I think) but set in Australia, and Bony is a half-caste aboriginal detective. I like them very much, but allowances have to be made a bit because they have somewhat the racial and ethnic stereotypes of the time.

#110 Two authors I'd recommend are Kerry Greenwood and Peter Temple. Kerry Greenwood has a series set in the 1920s and featuring sophisticated sleuth Phryne Fisher... Light, witty and with a good feeling of 'place' and the mores of the times. Peter Temple's mysteries are very different. I recently read The Broken Shore by Peter Temple and thought it quite excellent... police corruption, politics, family and, again, a good feeling of place. I'm sure others will recommend more Australian crime writers. There are many.

I finished The Last Pope and found it an enjoyable quick read. I have now started The Glass of Time by Michael Cox. With 530 pages this will probably occupy me for the week.

I finished Faceless Killer by Henning Mankell. I have read others of his and enjoyed them but they certainly give you the dark side of live in Sweden not the 'blonde hair and rosey cheeks' view.

#103

Roseanna was indeed kinda slow at first. I liked where it went, I liked Beck, and I stuck with it. It worked for me by the end. The next two I read were much faster reads, although in a similar style.

The thing with procedurals -- and they are NOT for everyone -- is that sometimes nothing happens because a clue does not pan out or there are no clues. With the Martin Beck and Kurt Wallander series, I have never been bothered by any of that. YMMV.

#114

You're right. It's decidedly the darker side, just like the Martin Beck series. Interestingly enough, the Martin Beck books were written about 40 years ago and they still paint an ugly picture.

I LOVE Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries - have been waiting to see someone else mention them on this list. They don't seem to be very well known in the US, and my library only has a few. I have one audiobook waiting for me in my car - I'm going to have to plan a very long drive because once I start one of these, Phyrne keeps me hooked!

I am now reading a mystery for my RL book group. Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett. It was chosen because she used a nearby town, Milford, NH, as the basis for her fictional town of Stoneham, NH.

I think this is her first book, and the first of the Booktown Mystery series.

I finished The Glass of Time by Michael Cox, which I found to be a fantastic book.

Last night I started and finished the thin volume The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez (touchstone not working). Also an excellent book with an intriguing plot although the ending struck me as a little flat.

To continue this trend of reading mysteries I have started The Messenger Boy Murders by Perihan Magden. Not sure what I think of this one so far.

#119, based on your comment, I just ordered The Glass of Time. If you have not read it already, I recommend The Meaning of Night, also by Michael Cox, wich is excellent.