What are you reading in July 2009?

I think we need a new thread :)

I am reading Watchman by Ian Rankin - it's not exactly a crime story but a spy one and it's obviously a very early work but I still like it - in some places because of the really periodical events and sometimes for the small strange goofy things that are just showing an author that is growing up.

And I am rereading Parker Pyne Investigates - part of my new goal to reread Agatha Christie's stories and novels in English (had read most of them either in Bulgarian or in Russian). Besides it's comfort reading -- I love her style.

I am still reading Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie. It is an historical mystery set in Roman Britain and Gaul.

Thanks, Ficus! I loved her first two books. I see on her website the new one will be published in the US sometime this month. More for the tbr list. *sigh*

Glad to be of help Jennieg. I am reading the 3rd one. It was an ER book from LT. Amazon has the release date as July 7th.

I am enjoying it.

>2 FicusFan:
This sounds interesting... never heard of the author but a first search showed things that I like... Might check her first book - or can I start from the latest one directly?

I just started reading the blood spilt by Asa Larsson -- her second novel. So far, both novels have had a religious theme -- which I don't really find appealing. But there are some interesting characters that I like and want to see how they are developed.

I think the next book I will start will be the much vaunted Child-44 by Tom Rob Smith

#7- Great choice, you should love it!

> 5 AnnieMod,

I think you can start book 3 and not be lost.

I always like to start at the beginning but she does a good job of working information in.

So either way would be fine.

Thanks for the answer, FicusFan. I'll see which one I can find - knowing myself I will end up reading all of them :)

OK - I ordered the first of the books (and cleaned the author page here in LT after some research:) ). Should be here some time next week (hopefully) and I will probably put it near the top of the pile.:)

I am all ready to start The Name of the Rose tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

murder makes an entree by Amy Myers. Light Edwardian mystery with chef / detective Auguste Didiers at the seaside.

I finished Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie. I enjoyed it very much.

I am now reading Precious Dragon by Liz Williams. It is a SF/F mystery with a bit of historical thrown in. It is 3rd in the Detective Inspector Chen series. It is set in a future where cities are franchised, this one is Singapore Three, and the POV, Chen is the liaison between the police in Singapore Three and Hell (Chinese version). Heaven (Chinese version) also often intervenes in events.

I have been waiting about 2 years for this book to be published. It had a date and kept getting pushed back. It was finally released at the end of June.

Murder in the Rose Garden by Elliott Roosevelt. Thought that had a nice 4th-of-July flair to it. I enjoy the period and White House insider detail.

The Kill Call by Stephen Booth - a great series for those who like mysteries set in northern England.

Finished "Justice Denied" by J.A. Jance...it was nice getting re-acquainted with 'Beau' and Seattle.
Today, I started "Careless In Read" by Elizabeth George...good so far.

#12 cmbohn, I loved The name of the rose - hope you do too.
No crime reading here right now but I can tell this group is going to do bad things to my book buying habit...

I have Cheating at Solitaire on my shelf waiting for me to get up the gumption to start. I enjoy Demarkian a lot, but Haddam's 125-page opening descriptions of the characters are a little daunting.

I am reading Deja Death by Kathy Reichs. This is the first is the Temperance Brennan series. Many members of this group gave Reichs good reviews...and I can now agree. I like this as much, if not more, than the Scarpetta books.

Have Mercy On Us All by Fred Vargas. I saw this author mentioned here just recently, and was able to find it at my local library immediately. So far, it's really good for a first in a series. I like it when there are really "colorful" non-recurring characters. I am about 1/3 through it.

I finished The Name of the Rose, but I have to say I thought it was uneven. I think some of the stuff about the religious controversies went on way too long. But it was a gripping read.

I am currently reading The Kult, which I received from the Early Reviewers, I'm about 1/2 way through and the jury is still out.

I started The Yiddish Policeman's Union over the weekend, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I've read good things about it, so I guess I'll stick with it for a while.

I'm not reading crime at the moment (and no crime high up in my TBR-pile... hmmm, that should change), but it is a book by a crime author: Tea-bag by Henning Mankell.

>21 libshea:: libshea- Isn't Have Mercy On Us All a terrific read? I also thought it was the 1st in the series but I guess it was the first one translated into English. Go back to message #110 in the June post and there is a great list there.
I saw a book at the library that caught my eye today, it was Havana Fever by Leonardo Padura. It's part of a series but I looked them up and they are also being released here out of order. I think Havana Red is the first one. Anyone read these? They look very good.

msf59 Yes --Have Mercy On Us All is fantastic! But I am really bummed that I am reading it out of order. It's so confusing when they do that! I now have the list and will try to read it in the true order -- assuming I can find them!

BTW -- how do you find out the true order? Is there a particular site you refer to? I guess the one I use shows publication dates.

libshea, if you trust your fellow LTers, the Common Knowledge page for the series is here. That shows you the order LT folks think is correct.

I clicked the book title; when that page came up I clicked the Common Knowledge link. Then I clicked the Series (with order) link at the top of the resulting page.

> Linkmeister- Thanks for the link.
> libshea-There is also a website, someone here mentioned called Fantastic Fiction that is very helpful and lists all series in the correct order.

Linkmeister -- THANKS! I am still learning about all the wonderful features LT offers!

msf59 -- Fantastic Fiction is actually the site that I have been using for my reference. But they listed all of Fred's books in the English publication dates. I always want to read them in the order written, if possible.

I started reading Awakening by S.J. Bolton on July 3 and am loving it so far. I really liked her first novel, Sacrifice so when I saw this book I had to snag it right away! If you like atmospheric mysteries with a sort of gothic flavor, these books are for you.

I'm reading Killer Weekend by Ridley Pearson (and then Killer View ). Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child to finish up my fun and fast fest. lol On to more serious reads after that...I try to mix it up, but always return to this genre, my first love. ;o)

libshea, msf59: Stop, You're Killing Me is another good source of info about crime/mystery books.

If I find myself wanting to collect all books in a series, I go to a site like that one or the LT series data page, and I copy the info into a local spreadsheet file. Then I create a column for "owned" and put a check in that column when I've acquired it. It helps me keep track of what books I still have to get in that series. When I've been in heavy bookbuying mode I've gotten fancy and put in more columns to track whether I've got it on order from Amazon, from Bookmooch, or some place else. I've also put in a column to tell me whether I've entered the book into LT.

I have finished Precious Dragon by Liz Williams, and enjoyed it.

I am now starting Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill, it is the 2nd in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series about a 72 year old coroner in communist Laos in the 1970s.

I am stalled on Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie. Ruso's relatives make me tired. His personal problems aren't all that riveting either. I will finish it I suppose as it's an ARC and I need to do a review, but I doubt it will be a positive one. Didn't bog in the first two, just this one.

Just finished The Moving Target which was my first Ross Macdonald. Nicely done, but perhaps not as perfect as Chandler and not as intense as Hammett. Review posted.

Not long finished Soverign by CJ Sansom - historical fiction set in the time of Henry VIII. Really getting into the Shardlake character. Now almost completed something completely different - still crime but set in modern day London - Kill&Cure by Stephen Davison. This one is addictive.

I finished Sovereign recently, too. Shardlake & Barak make a good team. Am waiting a bit to read the last one though; they're long and involving and a bit depressing. Good though.

just discovered and started on the hard case crime series, read grifter's game and thought that was fantastic, and now have number 2 fade to blonde to start.
I keep getting distracted by the big book of pulps though ... I'm starting to see shamus' down every dark alley I walk down now ...

Halfway through Nightlife by Thomas Perry - excellent, and I'm now off to BookMooch to try and snaffle some more of his!

Dead Heat by Dick and Felix Francis

I'm halfway through Why Didn't They Ask Evans? by Agatha Christie.

I read Mrs. Pargeter's Plot and now I'm reading Mrs. Pargeter's Point of Honour. I love this series! I wish there were more.

I'm finishing my second Jack Reacher book of the month. I read Bad Luck and Trouble last week and I'll finish Persuader tonight.

I'm reading Cover Her Face by P.D. James. This is my intro to P.D. James...I have never read her and try to read mysteries in order of publication. So far, I love her.

I have finished Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill. It was very enjoyable, lots of details about Laos and their culture and spiritual side. Although the main character is a coroner the books are very life affirming, and have a good bit of humor. Love this series. Now starting book 3 in the Dr. Siri Paibourn series. Still in 1970s communist Laos, with Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill.

I'm going to try to post my message 45 again; when I edited it, one of the touchstones reset to LT's "first choice" for the words in the title, and I could not reset it back to the correct book. (It just said "loading" forever when I clicked for more options.)

I'm well along reading . . . oh, I still can't get the touchstone to work. It just says "loading." Drat! I'll try again tomorrow to make my post. Good night!

I'm back! I'm about 2/3 of the way through The Odds by Kathleen George. (Hooray, the touchstone worked!) It's not a literary gem or an absolute can't-put-it-down page-turner, but it's a nice book with interesting characters, and I look forward to seeing how it ends. (Did I say "nice" book -- well, "nice" might not be the word for a book with dead bodies and drug dealers, but it works for this mystery/suspense fan.)

Next up on my fiction list: I found a copy of Judas Child at the county library . . .

Try Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo. You won't be able to put it down. I had never read anything by this author but picked it up and tried it. Best book I've read in awhile.

Should of mentioned the author David Hosp. He has 3 books out and one coming out the beginning of 2010. Really good books. Mystery.

The Linda Castillo and David Hosp books look interesting. Just started Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin, based on LT recommendations.

I have just started reading (The Mephisto Club) by ((Tess Gerritsen)). It's been quite a while since I read anything by her but I have loved everything I've read by her so far, so hope this lives up to expectations.

I am in the middle of The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey and loving it!

#54 That is too funny, I started The Singing Sands this morning!

That is funny indeed! I am looking forward to hear what you think of it, once you are done.

Hi Lisa! I'm reading The Franchise Affair that you were kind enough to send me through Bookmooch! I've wishlisted The Singing Sands for a future read.

Isn't Josephine Tey great??

I finished Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill, book 3 in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. I enjoyed it very much. Would like to read the next one, but I have other books I have to read for the month. So I will have to defer for now.

#57 Hi Angela: I think The Franchise Affair is my favorite. Yes, I love Josephine Tey, I will be sad when I finish the last book I have Miss Pym Disposes.

Just started Scarecrow by Michael Connelly. I love his Harry Bosch series.

I am reading City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin and really enjoying it!

Midnight Fugue the latest by Reginald Hill always a real treat.

#59 - The Franchise Affair may become my favorite as well - I stayed up too late last night to finish it - couldn't put it down!

I just started reading Child-44 by Tom Rob Smith. Different than most crime novels.

I just finished The Summons by John Grisham and now I am reading The Broker. This is the first time I have read a Grisham.

Ack! I took books back to the library this afternoon and discovered that none (zero! zip! nada!) of the ones I'd requested had arrived, so I resorted to prowling the stacks. I found Bell, Cook, and Candle, apparently a middle book in a series of books starring a pastry cook. We'll see.

I am reading The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas. I never heard of her until LT and enjoy her writing style very much. Should finish it tonight.

I'm on to another Agatha Christie, The Man in the Brown Suit.

In ancticipation of the fall release of the new film,
I read this past week Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. This was my first Lehane read although I have seen the other two movies made of his books. I was pretty much disapointed with the book. The suspense wasn't as grand as I thought it would be and the whole thing comes across as being a bit false as the plot progresses. Not one of my more favourite reads in the last little while.

I am about to start The Tunnels by Michelle Gagnon. I don't know anything about this author as I just picked this book off the shelves in the library. It appears to be about an FBI agent tracking a killer on the campus of a New England College.

I read Rotten Apples by Natasha Cooper. It was just okay.

>69 alans: I didn't much like Shutter Island myself, but his other mysteries are top notch, IMO. Didn't care for his The Given Day, either. But don't give up on him. The others are great.

I've enjoyed all of Lehane's work (although I haven't yet read The Given Day.) Shutter Island is not typical of his mysteries, and I wouldn't have classified it as a mystery, actually. But I found it gripping and scary as all get out by the time I finished it.

I thought I was alone in my dislike of Shutter Island but I see that's not the case. I read it after Mystic River, ( one of the best books I've read this decade!) and it felt like it was written by a different, less-talented writer. I think the film has the potential to be much more entertaining!

Managed to start on The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson but only managed the first couple of chapters yesterday. Working 12 hour days didn't give me much chance for anything else unfortunately. A promising beginning though all the same.

I started Curse of the Spellmans last night. What a hoot!

Finished Rankin's Watchman this weekend. A very slow start but it picked up some speed at ~page 100 and turned out not to be so bad. I like the first Rebus novel (written before this one) but it might have something to do with the characters - the language is similar. And this one is mainly set in London which does not work as well as an Edinburgh novel. Nothing really surprising about the whole thing - a spy novel with almost any cliche of the genre you can think of.

And some time last week finished Parker Pyne Investigates as well - better than I remember; some stories sounded as if I had never read them. But I still do not like Parker Pyne - neither the characters, nor the stories with him. Although a few were quite pleasant - mainly from the ones set out of Europe.

Next on the mystery/crime to-read pile is All the Dead Voices by Declan Hughes - the forth in the Ed Loy series.

I loved Shutter Island. It was my 1st Lehane. I have his other books but have not read them.

I thought Shutter Island was very good, and I can't imagine how they're going to handle that ending in the movie. I haven't read any other Lehanes either.

I just started Detective Inspector Huss. So far, pretty good -- it sure started off with a bang!

I too would like to add my comments on Shutter Island as it has been one of my all time favorites. I remember being totally engrossed in the book and then being totally blown over by the ending. If I would read it today, would it be the same? Was it just the right book at the right time? I don't know. But I have read all of Lehane's books (except The Given Day which is on my TBR list for this year) and think he is amazing.

OMG, I just looked at the casting for Shutter Island: DiCaprio, Ruffalo, Kingsley, von Sydow. I agree, I don't see how they'll handle the end, but it's bound to be a film worth seeing.

pmarshall, if you like what you've read so far, I might recommend The Testament and The Last Juror, my personal Grisham favorites.

I have finished The Brass Verdict and really enjoyed it, and starting Divine Justice.

I started City of Fire by Robert Ellis this morning. I am hoping it is better than my last read, The Tunnels, which was kind of a dud. This one is about a woman detective on the LAPD investigating her first major case.

Started Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin htis evening.

Couldn't stay away, even though I am reading (slogging) another book I started Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill. Book 4 of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. He is the national coroner in 1970s communist Laos.

I finished A Spy'sLife and will start Empire State both by Henry Porter later today.

Just finished ((Michael Connelly's)) (The Scarecrow). Didn't enjoy it as much as his other books. Main characters weren't as engaging as Harry. Had a similar experience with the latest Harlan Coben - which I rushed out to buy as soon as it was available.

I just strated Informed Consent by Peter Turnbull

I'm just about to start The Devil's Company by David Liss.

I just finished Judas Child by Carol O'Connell, and I loved it! Such interesting characters, and what a page turner! Once I finally got started reading, I could hardly put it down. And it left me thinking.

Finished Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill. Another great one in the series. Now reading a regular fiction. Will have to ration my last Dr. Siri book (in paper, I have to wait a year for the new one in hardcover to go into paper).

>91 tymfos: tymfos...I felt the same about Judas Child. It was a real page turner for me too! Loved it.

Reading Harlan Coban's new Myron Bolitar mystery, "Long Lost"
Myron is called to Paris to help a friend and old lover. Her former husband called and said he wanted to speak to her about something important. Then he was killed.

I just finished Divine Justice by David Baldacci, I thought it was a good book, but Didn't enjoy it as much as the first 3 Camel club.
I will be starting The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.

I finished Careless in Read by Elizabeth George, started & finished Winter Study by Nevada Barr, now I'm halfway through "Water Like a Stone" by Deborah Crombie

#39 (Sophie236), I'll be looking for "Night Life" by Thomas Perry...it's been awhile since I've read on of his suspense thrillers. I also like his 5 'Jane Whitefield' mysteries...need to find #6 "Runner" (2009).

I've not read the book "Shutter Island", but I have seen the trailer for the film "Shutter Island", and it looks like it might be a good psychological thriller, when it comes out in Fall '09.

I just started The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey. So far, I really like it. It's written kind of in the style of the old '40's "hard boiled" detective books, but set in modern Chicago. The backstory involves the city's history -- the great Chicago Fire. I really like this guy's style.

I just finished With no One As Witness by Elizabeth George and What Came Before He Shot Her

I loved the first one, but I'm not convinced by the second one; it's not really a ' Who don it' I missed Lynley and Havers. It's well written do.

I just finished A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George. I loved her characters and writing style. I'm on my way to the library for her next one.

I'm reading Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell and enjoying it very much. Thank you to LT readers for introducing me to him. I keep hearing about more and more excellent crime/mystery writers who are "must reads".

#99 Jane, I **must** find Faceless Killers. I read the second, Dogs of Riga, last month and loved it so much that I've bought seven other HM books, but can't find that one so far.

I'm halfway through Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre and loving it. I have the Honourable Schoolboy waiting when I finish.

95: "The Girl Who Played With Fire" will soon be in the cinemas in Europe. http://www.sf.se/nyheter/nyhet/128844/Se-trailern-foer-Flickan-som-lekte-med-eld...

Fugitive by Philip Margolin Starts nicely with good action.
Charlie Marsh disappeared from the United States when he was due to go on trial for killing a U.S. congressman. Now he's living with a fanatical dictator in the African nation of Batanga (I think it's south of New Jersey).
Keeping my attention.

Thanks to FicusFan and others here I finally started The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill and based on the 1st 80 pages, this is a dandy. Good sense of place, a good sense of humor and terrific characters!

Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connell

I'm partway through In the Woods by Tana French. So far, so really good.

>103 msf59: msf59 -

You're welcome. It just gets better and better. :)

I just finished Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston, and now I'm going to start the second in the trilogy, Six Bad Things. All three are still free for the Kindle, in case anyone hasn't downloaded them.

I'm reading The Samurai's Wife.

>auntmarge64- Charlie Huston is my favorite crime writer, right now! The books are infectious! His vampire P.I. series, starting with Already Dead, is even better!

>msf59

I'd never heard of him before the books became available free. I'll have to watch for his other works when I finish the Hank Thompson series. Thanks for the recommendation!

I am back with Henning Mankell, The Fifth Woman. I do so like his writing.

After years of avoiding him because I thought he was a "cosy" writer, I've suddenly got hooked on the "Frost" books by R D Wingfield - they are brilliant! Not cosy at all (in fact, I'd lost count of the bodies by page 70) and Frost himself is a shabby curmudgeon in the manner of Dalziel - excellent stuff! Also finished Cross by Ken Bruen - a very lyrical and strange book set in Galway - rather unsettling ...

Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs. Just started.

Reading In the Forest of Harm by Sallie Bissell. Very unsettling, but good.

I just started Execution Dock, the latest in the William Monk series, by Anne Perry.

Finished All the Dead Voices by Declan Hughes - weaker than the first three in the series but not bad.

Starting My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir next.

I like art mysteries, so tried to read Brush with Death by Joan Smith. Although it's a mystery, it reads like a romance--yuck! Plus, the writing was poor. Put it down after four chapters.

#112 - Sophie236 - I am a great admirer of the Frost books as well. I have read the first two and have the rest sitting on my TBR shelves. I tend to save books I really like, doling them out like candy.

Today I started Off Minor by John Harvey. Another great British Police Procedural Series.

>118 DeltaQueen50: - it's a great series indeed. It was so nice that last year he decided to revisit the series - and with a quite good book actually.

I just read four Jack Reacher novels myself this month. I read The Hard Way, Running Blind, The Enemy, and Nothing to Lose...What a fun way to spend a lazy summer!!

I'm late finding this thread but I just had to comment on what tymfos said about Judas Child in #91. It is probably one of my very favorite contemporary mystery/thrillers ever, right after Find Me, the last mystery in the Kathy Mallory series by the same author.

Glad you enjoyed it, tym! Have you read any of the Mallory mysteries yet?

>121 Storeetllr: I've read most of the Mallory mysteries. I came in on the series late, with Winter House (which was,at that time, the only O'Connell book in our local public library), and then got hold of most of the others (and donated them to the library after I'd read them).

I recently read Find Me, and absolutely adored it.

#122 - Tymfos - I love that you passed the books on to the library. It's so disheartening when you want to read a series of books and the library is missing some. Your great idea is about to be copied!

And another excellent find - What's So Funny? by Donald Westlake - I can't believe I've never come across this author before. Apparently this isn't his best one, but I'm really enjoying it - a nice cross between Lawrence Block and Damon Runyon!

>116 AnnieMod: I'm reading My Soul to Take now, about 3/4 of the way through, and enjoying it very much. I hope you like it.

I've also started reading South of Broad by Pat Conroy and loving it so far - it's my first book by him.

My third book is The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner. Quite good.

I've finished "Water Like a Stone", started & finished "Where Memories Lie", so am caught up with Deborah Crombie's series.

Started "Find Me" by Carol O'Connell, the 9th 'Mallory' (#10 "Bone By Bone" is next up on my TBR stack)

Have decided to re-read some of the early Pendergast novels. Am on Still Life With Crows right now.

Sophie236, if you've just found Westlake you've got about 100 books to look forward to. His Dortmunder ones are hilarious, but don't stop with those. The Parker books (under the pseudonym Richard Stark) are the flip side: hard-boiled and noir-ish.

#128 - yes, I was (a) delighted to see how many he'd written and then (b) depressed to see that everyone else got there first and and there are consequently no copies of any of his books available on BookMooch ...

My BM wishlist has now put on quite a lot of weight (but that's an occupational hazard of this thread which I'm rapidly becoming accustomed to!)

>125 caroline123: - I loved it :) Finished it last night - it had its flaws but I like Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's style and the story :)

what a very good news!I have just finished the first book of the Millennium trilogy after whatching the movie:I know it's good to read the book first, but I really want to read the other ones and whatch this movie too :I don't want when it will be in Italy.

what a very good news!I have just finished the first book of the Millennium trilogy after whatching the movie:I know it's good to read the book first, but I really want to read the other ones and whatch this movie too :I don't want when it will be in Italy.

I'm having a great time reading The Girl Who Played with Fire, I have nearly finished it and looking forward to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. (I might read it french because october seems so far away).
#101 Anna-Marie, I want to watch the movie but can't until the 3 books are finished..
#132 you will love the second one.

I just finished The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill. It's the first in a series featuring an aging coroner in Laos, during the mid-70s. A sharp ,funny debut and highly recommended. If you looking for something fresh and different, this is the ticket!

Fred Vargas, I am so glad somone here on LT has recommended your books. Just about to finish my second one Seeking Whom He May Devour. Totally different from the first. Great read

I'm definitely in the minority, but I found it not only uninteresting but irritating.

I started Chocolate chip cookie murder by Joanne Fluke this morning and I really enjjoy it. Another cozy mystery serie I want to read completely...

That is too funny, my mom just gave me Blueberry Muffin Murderto read now I want to read the whole series also!

I am reading Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders by Alicia Gaspar de Alba. I find this both a fascinating and disturbing novel. It is based on the real disappearance and murder of over 100 young women in the El Paso-Juarez area. One of most disturbing aspects of these cases is the political, cultural, and economic aspects of life along the US/Mexican border which allowed these abductions and murders to continue over a period of some years under a banner of silence. The writing is good, and the story has definitely drawn me in.

am also re-reading some Prey novels - am on Certain Prey right now. It was better when Davenport was a right bastard and not a diaper-changing domestic.

I finished reading The Girl Who Played With Fire and enjoyed it very much.
Starting The Blue Nowhere by jeffery Deaver.

Starting Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot mystery Mrs. McGinty's Dead.

Last week I read Lisa Scottaline's book Look Again. This was a real page turner and a great summer read. The heroine is the usual female attorney, but this one is a single mother who finds a resemblance of her adopted son listed with "missing children." The story has a lot of good twists and turns.

Just finished Loren D. Estleman's Never Street, the 12th Amos Walker mystery. For anyone who likes the classic hard-boiled writers, Estleman is the clear heir to Raymond Chandler. My one criticism of Never Street is the twist at the end--I thought Walker's earlier theory of the crime made more sense.

Reading Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie a Miss Marple mystery. What fun ;-)

I finished Cold Blue Blood today and really liked it. Yesterday I tried reading The Vanished - Pronzini with his Nameless Detective and Fly on the Wall by Hillerman, which wasn't about Leaphorn/Chee, but some reporter, and wasn't very good.

CSI: New York, Four Walls :)

Finished reading these books in July: Sacrifice by S. J. Bolton, Emma's Baby By Abbie Taylor, Kensington Court by Carol Smith, Only Darkness by Danuta Reah.

Each author I've read these past weeks have been British female crime writers whose books (that I mention above) have a female protagonist (lesser so with Kensington Court whose main female character gets lost among so many others).
These types of books are rather hard to find - I'm discovering.

Reading now: Listen to the Shadows: A Novel by Danuta Reah

I am going to start looking Good Dead by Peter James today. This is the second in the series, I really enjoyed the first one so am expecting a good read with this one,

Looks like everyone is reading some great books. I am still reading the Sookie Stackhouse books. On book #3 - Club Dead. I am officially addicted to this series. Before this, I re-read the Harry Potter books.

For the heck of it, yesterday I started Truman Capote's BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, feeling guilty that I've never read it, while curious, and stumped, over a writing project of my own. Finished it last night after doing the dishes. (It's only 75 pages or so) A thoughtful read - a large story trimmed into a novella. Also a love story on several levels - all the great ones are. Glad I did it!

Just finished Bangkok 8. Still thinking about it . . .

>153 etrainer:: etrainer- I loved Bangkok 8! The next 2 books were pretty darn good too! Waiting patiently for the 4th!

The Murder of My Aunt by Richard Hull.

Scarecrow was an excellent read!!

Scarecrow was an excellent read!!

I just finished The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.....really liked it.

Just wrapping up Asa Larsson's The Black Path the third in her series. Really enjoying it. Next in line is Columbine which I need to finish PDQ as it is due back to the library in three days and can't be renewed!

I just finished Sworn to Silence and if you haven't read it I highly recommend it!

I am reading The Companion by Ann Granger. It's a Victorian England setting and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm also STILL reading Don Quixote. It's taking forever!

Undone BY Karen Slaughter

Michael Koryta's Tonight I Said Goodbye. The Girl Who Played With Fire is next.

Bones: Buried Deep by Max Allan Collins - for now. Long Lost by Harlan Coben is next on my list.

I've just started Allison Brennan's 1st book in her FBI trilogy Sudden Death.

Posting in the July thread even though it's August won't make summer last any longer.....

It was worth a try. :)