Lisa's 2010 Category Challenge

I'm nowhere near finishing the 999, but I just can't help myself! I am going to attempt the ten books in ten categories with 5 bonus in each catgory for a total of 150 for the year.

Agatha Christie
1.* Remembered Death **** (1/2/10)
2.*A Murder is Announced **** (2/10/10)
3.*Three Blind Mice **** (2/13/10)
4.*Cards on the Table **** (2/18/10)
5.*Endless Night ***1/2 (5/4/10)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Bonus:

Now Playing (books which became movies, a category from last year that got scrapped)

1.*The Manchurian Candidate ***1/2 (1/16/10)
2.*The Hustler ***1/2 (3/16/10)
3.*Stella Dallas**** (3/31/10)
4.*Mrs. Miniver*** (3/27/10)
5.*Chocolat **** (4/5/10)
6.39 Steps
7.*Notes on a Scandal *** (2/24/10)
8.*Kitty Foyle***1/2 (4/25/10)
9.Marjorie Morningstar
10.Mystic River

Bonus:

Where in the World? books whose setting is in another country

1.*Half a Yellow Sun**** (4/7/10)
2.*Paris Noir ***1/2 (January 5, 2010)
3.*The Reader **** (3/17/10)
4.The Constant Princess
5.People of the Book
6*Snow Flower and the Secret Fan***** (4/14/10)
7.Memoirs of a Geisha
8.In The Woods
9.*The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo**** (4/10/10)
10.*When We Were Orphans **1/2 (3/9/10)

Bonus:
1.Shanghai Girls
2.*The Girl Who Played With Fire ****1/2 (5/7/10)

Noir
1.*In a Lonely Place VictoriaPL**** (1/18/10)
2.*Laura**** (4/8/10)
3.*The Ivory Grin **** (2/3/10)
4.*Build my Gallows High ***** (1/7/10)
5.*Serenade VictoriaPL **** (1/4/2010)
6.*Die a Little**** (3/28/10)
7.*Dark Passage **** (1/20/10)
8*The Killer Inside Me **** (2/23/10)
9*The Black Angel *** (3/8/10)
10.*Queenpin **** (3/20/10)

Bonus:
*1. Bury Me Deep **** (4/24/10)
*2.The Song is You **** (4/29/10)

From the 1001 List

1.*The Bell Jar *** (1/21/10)
2.Unless
3.*On Beauty*** (5/9/10)
4.*Passing **** (1/6/10)
5.The Death of Ivan Ilyich
6.White Teeth
7.Lolita
8.The Talented Mr. Ripley **** (2/22/10)
9.
10.

Bonus:

And the Winner Is: (Books which won some type of award)
1.*Larry's Party*** (5/10/10)
2.Remains of the Day
3.*The Grapes of Wrath ***** (1/12/10)
4.Chatham School Affair
5.Schindler's Ark
6.A Confederacy of Dunces
7.Live Flesh
8.*Olive Kitteridge ***** (4/20/10)
9.*Lost in the City **** (5/13/10)

Unread in a Series

1. *I, Alex Cross **** (1/1/2010)
2. *Risk of Darkness**** (3/21/10)
3.*Kisser ** (1/31/10)
4.*Apple Turnover Murder ***1/2 (3/23/10)
5.*Aftermath**** (2/8/10)
6.*Angels Flight**** (3/2/10)
7.*Close to Home**** (2/25/10)
8.*Death of a Valentine **** (1/19/10)
9.*Monster in the Box *** (1/23/10)
10.*A Beautiful Blue Death **** (1/26/10)

Bonus:

1.*A Share in Death ***1/2 (2/10/10)
2*Well Schooled in Murder ***1/2 (2/28/10)
3.*For the Sake of Elena **** (5/12/10)

From my TBR

1.*Sins of the Fathers **** 1/10/10
2.*The Unfinished Clue **** 1/13/10
3.*Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant **** (2/5/10)
4.*Second Confession **** (2/13/10)
5.*Minotaur **** (2/14/10)
6.*A Guilty Thing Suprised *** (2/11/10)
7.*A Suitable Vengeance **** (3/13/10)
8.*Sins of the Fathers ***1/2 (3/30/10)
9.*Never Let Me Go *** (4/1/10)
10.*Alone**** (4/16/10)

Bonus

Biographies and Other Non Fiction
1.*Suicide Blonde**** (3/6/10)
2.Bogart
3.Get Happy
4.Claude Rains
5.Evelyn Keyes
6.*No Bed of Roses ***(4/3/10)
7.*Talking about Detective Fiction**** (4/22/10)
8.
9.
10.

Bonus:

Miscellaneous (library finds, ARC's etc)
CATEGORY COMPLETE
1.*That Old Cape Magic *** (1/24/10)
2.*The Crime Writer ***** (1/28/10)
3.*The Various Haunts of Men **** (2/1/10)
4.*Darkly Dreaming Dexter **** (2/18/10)
5.*The Pure in Heart **** (2/20/10)
6.* Case Histories **** (3/4/10)
7.*All Shall Be Well **** (3/3/10)
8.*Leave the Grave Green *** (3/5/10)
9.*Mourn Not Your Dead *** (3/14/10)
10.*Dreaming of the Bones **** (3/17/10)

Bonus:
1. The Vows of Silence **** (3/24/10)
2.An Advancement of Learning ***1/2 (3/25/10)
3.*Everywhere that Mary Went *** (4/11/10)
4.*One Good Turn ****(4/6/10)
5.*When Will There Be Good News **** 1/2 (4/13/10)

You're going to read more Denise Mina. Hooray!

I finally found you! I've starred this thread so I can come back when we start this challenge!

I really liked the book Laura. The movie is one of my favorites, so I picked up the book, but of course I was a little doubtful about how much I'd enjoy it, as obviously I already knew how it turned out. I ended up liking the book quite a bit, though.

1. I, Alex Cross

I have always loved the Alex Cross character, and this latest book does not dissapoint.

Detective Cross is celebrating his birthday when he receives a call that will shake him to the core, if that is not bad enough, his formidable and loveable Nana is suffering a serious health crisis. Very suspenseful!

I loved the tease at the end of a former character possibly coming back to "play games" with Alex one more time. I don't think I can wait a whole year for the next installment in the series.

#2. Remembered Death

This Agatha Christie did not feature the detectives Miss Marple or Monsieur Poirot, but was an entertaining read anyway. I would venture to say it's more along the lines of a love story with a murder in the background. It seems as though Iris's sister Rosemary comitted suicide at her birthday party until months later her husband began to receive hints that she was in fact murdered. The culprit(s) were pretty easy to figure out, but I enjoyed it .

#3. I am pretty sure the reading pace will slow down once I go back to work tomorrow, but here is my third book of the new year, Serenade

I became a fan of James M. Cain after reading Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity, and the Postman Always Rings Twice, which were made into absolutely incredible movies. Double Indemnity, in particular is noir at its best.

While reading Serenade, I couldn't help but think of how this book also, would have made a good movie as well, shortly after its 1937 publication. It is the story of what happens when Juana, the Mexican prostitute meets John Sharp, a singer who may or may not be hiding a big secret. In the typical fashion of this genre, you know when these two meet, the outcome will not be a good one, yet the story is riveting.

There is a reason why this author is considered one of the masters of the hardboiled genre.

While reading Serenade, I couldn't help but think of how this book also, would have made a good movie as well, shortly after its 1937 publication

There was one made in 1956 starring Mario Lanza and Joan Fontaine. Not too good though by all accounts.

Serenade is riveting! I'm almost done. Thanks for suggesting it!

4. Paris Noir

I read about this series of noir books in a magazine and found this particular one in the library while I was nosing around in the mystery section. Paris Noir is not what one would consider traditional noir, but all of the stories certainly contained a noir undertone, although set in recent times. For example, 911, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Ipod's are all mentioned.

Each of the twelve stories takes place in a certain section of Paris, some at local cafes, others in train stations or dark and mysterious rues.

The Chauffer- a man tries to save the love of his life, a badly beaten prostitute

Christmas-a not so happy holiday season for two lovers arranging to meet in a neighborhood cafe, and what happens when a private detective happens to run into them.

La Vie En Rose-a sad tale of an 18 year old and her unfufilled dreams.

Didier Daeninckx- a reporter who tracks rumors on the internet and meets with an unfortunate end.

Some of these stories are better than other, a few are very graphic, and a few were "out there" but I enjoyed them all. I will look for more books in this Noir series.

5.Passing the sad tale of what happens in the 1920's when an African American woman, married to a physician and who is ensconced in Harlem's upper level society. She learns that her childhood friend has ben "passing for white' hiding her idenity from everyone, including her racist husband. You know this story is not going to have a good outcome.

The author was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance era, and was the first African American to be awarded a Guggenheim fellowship and also struggled with her own mixed heritage.

A short, but very poignant read.

6. Build My Gallows High

This book is noir at its best. The cover reads "the quintessence of doomladen romantic noir" which is no exaggeration.

Retired private eye, Red Bailey is happily living in Nevada, fishing and falling in love, and wants to leave his past in the past. Unfortunately he is coerced into performing one last job in order to do so. Fast forward to dead bodies left and right, double crossing femme fatales, dirty cops, and gangsters and you have the essentials of an excellent noir novel.

The excellent movie Out of the Past with Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer was based on this novel, and this is one of those rare cases where both the book and the movie are excellent.

I highly recommend both.

Ohh. I would like to get my hands on Build My Gallows High, Out of the Past is also one of my favorite film noirs of all time.

Great review of Build My Gallows High I am really going to have rent a copy of the film this weekend, I really enjoyed the book. Have you read any more of his books? (looking for recommendations)

I'm going to have to look into Build My Gallows High!

Me too! Out of the Past is one of my favorite movies. I really hadn't realized that it was based on a book.

#22 and #25 I had no idea that Out of the Past was based on a book either, I have probably seen the movie about ten times and this was the first time I caught it.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was at the library also!

#23 No, I have not read any other books by this author, I hope to find them in the near future.

7. Sins of the Fathers the first of the Matthew Scudder series. A minister's son is accused of murdering a young prostitute. The case seems cut and dry, but the father of the murder victim wants answers. Pretty good, although I have read that this series improves later on.

8. Grapes of Wrath winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. This is such an important book and I am glad that I finally read it. The sad tale of the Joad family really tugs at the heart strings and makes you thankful for what you have :family, health, job, etc. because it could always be worse".

I was really touched how even though everyone in the story was in the same boat, they still saw fit to share their food and shelter, even if it meant less for their own family.

Obscene in the Extreme is a fascinating book that centers around the controversy caused by the book's release in the very valleys The Grapes of Wrath is set in. It also talks about what life was like during the depression and the politics of the time (the farmers and land owners were allowed to meet to determine wages, but when the farm workers attempted to unionize the police were there with batons). Anyway, I found it to add quite a bit to my understanding of TGOW.

#29, Thanks I will definitely look that book up. I found myself wanting to know more, talked to my mom about it and she said everyone was moved by the book, but it was kind of like "oh that's a shame".

9. The Unfinished Clue

I enjoyed this book very much. The host Sir Arthur Billington Smith is hated by pretty much all of his guests who are staying at his house for the weekend and when he is found murdered, no one seems to have an alibi. Even though this book is typical in the classic country house mystery fashion, I found the snappy dialogue and the underlying love story enough to hold my interest.

I have become a fan of Georgette Heyer's mysteries and plan to hunt the rest of them down at some point.

I have never read anything by Georgette Heyer before but have read several positive reviews of her books in the past week. I think I will have to pick one up.

I've just read one of her mysteries, Behold Here's Poison and it was quite good. I personally love her Regency Stories, she just has a way with dialogue and description.

10. Manchurian Candidate

This book took me a while to get into, but once I really got into it, I enjoyed it very much.

Sgt. Raymond Shaw is an ex-prisoner of war, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, stepson of a high profile senator ,and a brainwashed assassin. I can see why this book was considered to be quite disturbing when it was first published in 1959 at the peak of the Cold War.

His former commanding officer Ben Marco, tries to help Raymond as well as deal with his own problems.

By the way, both versions of this movie were excellent, the original has great performances by Angela Lansbury, Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey the remake stars the wonderful Meryl Streep (she is amazing at everything) and the very good Denzel Washington.

@34 :: Loved the movie (original version) but have never read the book - it might have to go on the TBR list now!

>34 lsh63: I've seen both too, and while the new one is OK, it's not one I'd watch over and over, as I have the original. Never thought of reading the book. Is either movie true to the book?

11 In a Lonely Place

This is one of the few novels in the hardboiled, noir genre that was written by a woman and I loved it. This author certainly holds her own against other authors in this genre, such as James Cain, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, all authors associated with the classic noir style.

In a Lonely Place, however, was to me much more of a psychological thriller than a mystery, because the story unfolded in an extremely well written manner as the reader experienced the thoughts and actions of a brutal serial killer who molested his victims.

The movie that was based on this book stars the wonderful Humphrey Bogart, and perhaps lesser known to some, but one of my favorites, Gloria Grahame. I highly recommend the book and the movie.

#35 and #36, regarding the Manchurian Candidate :

I have only seen the remake of this movie one time, it was good, but the original is one that I watch over and over again, there is something about Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury's acting that gives me chills, and of course Frank was good also.

I would say that the original version of the movie is extremely true to the book.

#37 oo great review, I have shockingly never heard of the book nor the film so I am going to track down both. I am trying to remember if I have read any er.. "feminist" noir (for want of a better title). hmm..

That's funny, I was just posting about the movie version of In a Lonely Place over on the Crime, Thriller and Mystery site. I believe Mstrust just read that book as well. Now is doubly written on my wish list!

#39 Thank you. I think you will love both.

#40 It is a great movie isn't it? Glad to contribute to your TBR! I am going to try and track down the rest of her works!

In a Lonely Place is a new one for me also. Thanks for finding it. I'm not sure if this is a whole genre or not but I've seen the term Japanese feminist noir applied to Natsuo Kirino several times.

12. Death of a Valentine this book is the twenty fifth in the Hamish Macbeth series. I haven't read all of them, but I don't think I will grow tired of them any time soon. They are always fun and fast reads.

This time, the town of Lochdubh has a new constable, Josie McSween, who arranged a transfer to be near Hamish so that she could capture his heart and marry him. While he is trying to avoid Josie's advances, a woman in another village opens a Valentine's Day package which blows up and kills her. While investigating her murder, they find that the young woman had many admirers and perhaps wasn't all that nice to them as well as other. This story also had Priscilla and Elsbeth, which is always good for a little conflict.

13.Dark Passage I have a thing for Bogey as well as noir, so it's kind of hard for me to read these books when I keep picturing the movie in my head, but it's fun. The movie was very true to the book and I greatly enjoyed it.

Vince Parry escapes from San Quentin, determined not to serve his life sentence for killing his wife Gert, because he didn't do it. He sets out to find out who framed him and why. He takes drastic measures and plenty of chances trying to get to the truth. The book gave more background into the Parry marriage, as both Vince and Gert had affairs, but you get the sense that at one point he wanted to be just a regular guy with a happy marriage, but it was not meant to be.

Hey Lisa!
I don't know about you, but after reading about Gert, I despised her. What an awful woman. I was glad that Vincent could move on to Irene, who treated him much better.

Hey Victoria: you are right, Gert treated Vince awfully, when he was trying his best to make her happy!

14. The Bell Jar I expected to be depressed while reading this and I couldn't help but think that this was the author's cry for help that no one paid attention to. At any rate, it is the story of Esther Greenwood's downward spiral which takes place when she returns home after not getting the internship that she wants and her resulting depression and suicide attempt. Her valiant effort to conquer her illness while in the psychiatric ward was at times, comic and also heartbreaking. I liek to think that in the forty five years or so since this book was published, there has been less of a stigma attached to depression, because it can happen to anyone.

15. Monster in the Box I love Ruth Rendell. That being said, I hope that this is her last in the Inspector Wexford series. Kind of blah overall, I did however enjoy the background that was given of Wexford's early days as a policeman, and how he met and married his wife Dora.

One of the things that has nagged at him over the years, is that early in his career, he suspected a killer had gotten away with murder because there was no concrete evidence, and that he later committed other crimes.

When Wexford thinks that he has spotted the killer Targo, he is obsessed with clearing this matter up once and for all. Unfortunately, his right hand, Inspector Burden thinks the so called evidence is all in Wexford's mind and a waste of time.

17. A Beautiful Blue Death

I received a segment of the third book in this series, The Fleet Street Murders from a “read it first” book club, and I was intrigued, so naturally I sought out this first book in the series.

Charles Lenox is an intelligent, Victorian gentleman whose hobby is solving murder cases that the Yard can’t seem to figure out. Yes, a bit far fetched, maybe, but it makes an interesting read, and yes, I was reminded of other amateur gentleman detectives also while reading this, but it did not spoil my enjoyment.

Charles enjoys the comfort of his home, sitting by the fireplace, with his tea, and a good book. One night his tea ritual is disturbed when his childhood friend Lady Jane, asks for his help. One of her former servants, Prudence Smith is found dead, apparently of a suicide, but it is later learned that she was in fact murdered by a rare poison, not the typical and boring arsenic. Lenox later learns that Prudence had several admirers that may have found out about each other and wished her dead because of jealousy. When another body turns up during a society ball; Charles thinks that there is more behind Prudence’s murder.

I enjoyed this book; I thought it was very cleverly plotted in that the first murder was committed because of the second murder. I really felt like I was in Victorian England while reading this book, the detailed descriptions were amazing. Additionally, there are interesting secondary characters and subplots introduced in this story that can be expanded later. I also enjoyed Charles’s realization that he and Lady Jane may become more than friends, as well as his relationship with his brother Edmund, his troubled friend, Dr. Thomas McConnell, and his trusted butler Graham.

16. That Old Cape Magic this was a book I picked up on a whim at the library because I think the author is a very good writer.

I suppose you could say that this is a story of the circle of life. You know that point when you realize that somehow you've turned into your parents, your kids don't understand you, and you come to realizations about your parents lives, when you thought you knew everything that there was to know.

Jack Griffin doesn't understand what has happened to his marriage, and things are strained to say the least between he and his wife Joy. Jack hopes that after they attend the wedding of their daughter Laura's friend Kelsey, that they can rekindle things by staying where they honeymooned some thirty or more years ago. Fast forward a year later their daughter Laura is now getting married, Jack and Joy are separated and seeing other people, but not really happy in their new relationships. After the deaths of both his parents within the same year, Jack comes to some painful realizations about what marriage is supposed to be and his parents weren't what he thought they were. Sometimes a parent's love is not the warm and fuzzy variety but it is there. Very good read.

A Beautiful Blue Death sounds great! I started this series out of order and read The September Society last year.... I found it to be a great weekend beside the fireplace kind of British mystery, and the characters background was explained in enough detail that I wasn't lost. A Beautiful Blue Death would fit in my Follow Thy Author category, so I have made a note to remind myself to pick up a copy!

I've had this series on my library wish list for some time, it may be time to move them closer to the top.

What a quandary, I want to complete my challenge which means I must read 100 books this year. I have a pretty good idea what I am going to read but I keep hearing about books on LT that sound so intriguing that I want to read them right now! Or even worse, I hear about books that won't even fit into my categories!! Next year I am going to plan to have a category that has no title and can be used it for just such books.

@48 :: I really like the Charles Lenox books! So far I've only read the first two, because I'm obstinately waiting for the paperback of The Fleet Street Murders before I buy it. I'm definitely a sucker for mysteries set in the Victorian era, and I can't wait to see how the characters develop in further books!

I'm going to have to add Charles Finch to the TBR pile. These sound great.

And I'm adding to my wishlist, too. Thanks for the review!

18. The Crime Writer This was recommended to me by VictoriaPL, and I devoured it in about a day and a half!

This was an amazing book. Drew Danner is a LA crime novelist who awakens one day to find himself living in one his own novels so to speak. He has had brain surgery to remove a tumor and is also arrested for the gruesome murder of his former fiance.

Drew is pretty sure he didn't kill her but did the brain tumor make him forget, or is someone trying to frame him? It's pretty bleak for Drew because he was found having convulsions at the murder scene and his fingerprints are on the murder weapon. Not too long after, another woman is murdered in the same manner and he wonders who is going to all this trouble to set him up or is he actually guilty of murder?

Fortunately, he has a few police detectives, forensic experts, and other friends who try to help him figure out what happened. Excellent read!

Yay! I'm so glad you finally got your hands on this one.

19. Kisser my last read for the month of January and frankly it could have stayed at the library a little longer, I didn't need to rush to read this one.

I usually enjoy Stuart Woods Stone Barrington series very much. This one however, didn't quite measure up to some of his better works. It may be a case of "cranking" out too many books too fast, but the earlier books seemed to combine fast paced action and a decent plot in addition to Stone being able to charm every woman that he meets.

In this latest work, 17th in the series I believe, Stone is having dinner with Dino, as usual, when he picks up an aspiring actress who has recently moved from Georgia to New York, and quickly finds out that she has ex-husband issues. Stone also manages to thwart a Ponzi scheme and protect a young heiress from a drug seller/con artist. Sounds like it might be action packed doesn't it? Well, unfortunately it isn't. There is a tease of a reappearance of his ex wife Dolce, but no mention whatsoever of Arrington.

I am no prude, but reading about Stone's constant, and I do mean constant sexual escapades were making me tired! I hope that this book is a fluke and not an indication of a decline in the author's writing.

The Crime Writer sounds good.

20. The Various Haunts of Men

I picked this book up on a whim while at the library and loved it!

It's the first of a series featuring Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler in a town named Lafferton, which is outside of London. Simon comes from a family of doctors and his father doesn't hold his tongue when telling his son that he looks down on his chosen career.

Freya Graffam joins the Lafferton police force and is healing from a bad marriage breakup. She finds herself immediately smitten with the enigmatic Chief Inspector. She has a knack for missing person cases and when more Lafferton residents begin to disappear, she is determined to find out the truth.

This is much more than a police procedural, it features various chapters devoted to the musings of the serial killer, which I did not understand at first, but at the end it made perfect sense to me why the author did this. Various subplots are also woven into the main story which was excellent.

The reader is left wondering why there wasn't more written about the "main character", Simon Serrailler. Very little was written about him in this book, so I suspect various things that were left hanging for me will be answered later on. I felt like I was reading a combination of PD James meets Ruth Rendell, which is always a good thing. I suppose because Simon is somewhat mysterious, and the main point of the story to me was not that there was a serial killer, but the reasons behind his/her evolvement.

I have already reserved the second book at the library, I am glad that I stumbled onto this series.

The Various Haunts of Men sounds really good. I'm adding it my wish list.

The Various Haunts of Men was good and you described it perfectly as very James meets Rendell. Maybe with touches of Deborah Crombie?

#61
Uh oh, I don't think I've read any Deborah Crombie, I will have to obtain her books as well.

21. The Ivory Grin
An unpleasant woman named Una hires Lew Archer to track down her former maid Lucy Champion, who she claims stole her jewelry. He knows that there's more to the case than meets the eye, is intrigued and accepts the case.

When he finds the former maid, she is found dead in a motel room with her throat slit. While trying to find out what happened to poor Lucy he stumbles across number runners, a society playboy who's mysteriously missing and a whole lot of trouble.

I like Ross MacDonald's writing style, there is just enough action and deliberare narration to draw you slowly and carefully into the story.

Lisa, I think you would really like Crombie.

I just finished my first Ross MacDonald, The Chill (will eventually post a review) and I love his style too!

22.Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

This is a great story of a far from perfect family. When the book begins, Pearl Tull is nearing the end of her life and reflecting on her life after raising her three children as a single parent when her husband left her in 1944. He decided that due to Pearl's constant nagging and emotional outbursts that he didn't want to be a husband and father any more. Awful, yes, but Pearl is a piece of work prone to outbursts and constant criticism of her children: the too slick for his own good Cody, the high spirited and nervous Jenny, and the sweet loveable Ezra, were all subject to Pearl's harsh criticism and lack of encouragement.

You know a book is good when you can feel sympathy for characters who probably don't deserve it: I felt sorry for Pearl, who wasn't sure how to mother her children, I felt sorry for Cody who always tortured and mistreated his brother Ezra because he felt as though his mother favored him.

This book really drives the point home that no marriage or parent child relationship is perfect. and that sibling rivalry and remarks made in the heat of a moment can profoundly damage a relationship forever. I found it very thought provoking.

23. Aftermath I think this is number 12 in the Detective Alan Banks series. Once again Alan is battling personal problems while trying to solve a grisly child sexual abuse case. He remains confused by his failed marriage to his soon to be ex wife Sandra, his relationship with Annie Cabbot, and his attraction to Jenny Fuller, a psychologist who has tried to get Alan's attention on more than one occasion.

As for the case, while responding to a domestic disturbance call phoned in by a neighbor who is trying to help, the police stumble upon bodies and graphic material in the basement. It is apparent to everyone who the serial killer is, but Alan soon suspects that there are more layers to this case than meets the eye.

I enjoy this series very much, Alan is flawed but likeable, I enjoy the musical references, and so far all of the books that I have read in this series differ from each other in some respect, which is always good.

24. A Murder is Announced Curiosity may just kill the residents of Chipping Cleghorn when the local newspaper, the Gazette, announces that a murder will take place on Friday, October 29th at 6:30 p.m.

When the residents arrive at the specified location, the lights go out, a gun is fired and a man is dead, who seemingly has no connection to the lady of the house.

This is a good Miss Marple, who while working on her knitting and paying attention to all details, helps the police to solve the crime.

There were plenty of good twists in this story and it kept me guessing right to the end.

I read A Murder Is Announced just last week. I loved it, it had all the best ingredients of a Agatha Christie mystery.

25. [A Share in Death]

Sometimes when I receive a book through Bookmooch it looks so good that I start reading it immediately and before I know it, I've finished it. This book was one of those instances.

This is my first time reading this author and this book is the first in the Gemma and Duncan series. Superintendent Duncan Kincaid is spending a week's vacation in a Yorkshire time share when two people are killed and another is in danger. He tries to help the local police solve the crime before anyone else is hurt, but is met with resistance at just about every turn.

This book has a well written plot with good character development, although at one point it was a little difficult for me to keep track of all of them. I have to admit that for me, the ending came out of nowhere.

I look forward to continuing with this series.

26. A Guilty Thing Suprised

This is one of Ruth Rendell's earlier ones in the Inspector Wexford series, number 5, I believe.

Elizabeth Nightingale likes to take nightly walks on the grounds behind her house, Myfleet Manor. When she is found murdered, Inspector Wexford soon finds that there are many suspects that could have committed the crime. Quentin, her husband, Georgina, her sister in law, her au pair Katje, and her brother Denys Villiers.

What I absolutely love about Ruth Rendell's writing is that the story becomes more about the killer's reasons for committing murderous acts than the actual reveal of the "whodunit". This is one that had intrigued until the end.

27.The Second Confession a millionaire businessman hires Nero Wolfe to investigate his daughter's boyfriend, who is accused of being a communist. Wolfe is strongly urged to drop the matter by a powerful crime boss. When he refuses, his orchid room receives a machine gun assault. When the boyfriend turns up dead, somehow Archie becomes the prime suspect. This was great fun to read!

28. Three Blind Mice a collection of short stories evenly split between Miss Marple and Monsieur Poirot. My faves were Third Floor Flat, Tape Measure Murder and the feature story Three Blind Mice.

29.The Minotaur
First let me say that I love the difference in writing style when Ruth Rendell writes as Barbara Vine. The gothic tone of this book lets you know that something bad took place and it is slowly revealed page by page, but in a deliberate manner.

When I reached the end of this book, I was a little frustrated because there was no clear "whodunit" conclusion. Then I realized what a stroke of genius it is to leave the conclusion open ended and let the reader imagine it instead of tying everything up in a neat little package.

Kerstin Kvist takes a position at the home of Mrs. Julia Cosway to care for her son John who is described as schizophrenic. Also living in the family home are John's sisters Ida, Winifred, Ella, and Zorah all dysfunctional in their own right, but none of them are as bad as their mother who appears to show no maternal feeling whatsoever toward her now middle aged children.

Their mother is intent on keeping her son John heavily medicated so that she doesn't have to be bothered with him. Unfortunately, she keeps him around only because her late husband left the estate and the majority of his income in trust for his son while his mother receives a small annuity.

Kerstin in due time realizes that John is autistic, not schizophrenic and plans to leave the house as soon as she is able and perhaps get John the help that he needs instead of watching him become more and more lifeless before her eyes. Just as she is planning on what her next move will be, a shocking event takes place that will change everyone's lives forever.

30. Darkly Dreaming Dexter

I have not seen the Dexter television series, but after reading this book, I really want to.

Dexter is a serial killer who doesn't care for the sight of blood (ok, how funny is that?) and has a day job as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. His sister Deborah is also a police officer who may suspect her brother of weird behavior but nothing more. Dexter kills with discrimination, in other words, he kills really bad people who deserve it.

When another serial killer appears to be infringing on Dexter's turf, so to speak, he is honored, but also feels as though the killer is trying to reach out to him in some way. I have to say that I was throughly surprised when the killer's identity was revealed.

This book is a fun read and I plan on reading the rest of the series.

31. Cards on the Table

This was an excellent one featuring Monsieur Poirot and Ariadne Oliver. The murder takes place at the home of Mr Shaitana. While a bridge game is going on, someone murders Mr. Shaitana, but why?

I liked that there were 4 murder experts and 4 suspects.

Very entertaining read.

32. The Pure in Heart

I found this book to be very well written, and the character development is excellent.

The Inspector is vacationing in Venice while thinking about the fact that he was oblivious that a fellow officer who was in love with him was brutally murdered. He receives a call to come home because is mentally and physically challenged sister, Martha, is very sick. While struggling with the news about his sister, he tries to solve the case of a young boy who vanished from in front of his home, which affects everyone, his own family included.

Also a young ex con is trying to go straight, but is met with many difficulties along the way.

I love this series, and the fact that I wanted resolution of my questions (i.e. Why didn't Simon and Cat's brother come home for two major events?, Who committed the kidnapping?) did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.

Lisa, the Dexter books are pretty good (the third takes a strange twist) though I prefer the tv show having seen that prior to reading the books. Will be interesting to see which you like more coming from the other direction.

@74 :: Cards on the Table is one of my favorite Agatha Christie books! I think Ariadne Oliver is fantastic. :)

33.The Killer Inside Me Lou Ford is a deputy sheriff of a small Texas town. Because he is a law enforcement official, no one suspects him of the creepy sickness which overcomes him and causes him to kill when he feels like it. This is probably one of the most chilling first person accounts of a criminal mind that I have read. I have heard and read that this author ranks high on lists of suspense writers and I do plan on reading some of his other works.

I also did not realize that this book was made into a movie, so now of course I must see it.

34. The Talented Mr. Ripley
It is not often that one remains in suspense when it is known upfront who committed a murder and why. What had me on the edge of my seat was the sheer creepiness of the main character, Tom Ripley, and wondering if he would ever get caught.

Tom travels to Italy after a chance meeting with Herbert Greenleaf, who is desperate enough to ask Tom to try and persuade his son Dickie to come home. Tom finds Dickie, strikes up a friendship, and then becomes just a tad obsessed with living Dickie's life.

He kills his friend Dickie Greenleaf because he admires him, wants to be him, and then decides well heck, I'll just kill him and take over his identiy, travel throughout Europe and spend his trust fund.

Some of the book was a bit drawn out, but overall I found it a fascinating account of the amoral justifications of a killer who believes he is entitled to whatever he wants by any means necessary.

I had gotten tired of Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell, but I may just have to give this one a try.

#79, There were a few of Ruth Rendell's books that I could have skipped, but I thought Minotaur was pretty good.

35. Notes on a Scandal the sad tale of the life of schoolteacher Barbara Covett who leads a terribly lonely existence until she meets Sheba Hart, a new teacher at her school.

Barbara decides that she wants to be friends with Sheba and does not take no for an answer. After insinuating herself in Sheba's life, she becomes jealous of Sheba's affair with a sixteen year old student. When Sheba becomes too wrapped up in her affair, Barbara becomes jealous and decides that she must do something about it.

I found this book to be ok, not great, but it was an interesting psychological suspense story with just a touch of perversion.

36. Close to Home Inspector Alan Banks is enjoying a Greek isle vacation when, trying not to think about the baby his ex-wife Sandra is carrying and his botched relationship with Annie Cabbott. He reads about the discovery of the remains of his childhood friend, Graham Marshall, who disappeared in 1965. While dealing with his own guilt over not revealing a certain event that may have been material to the case, he is called upon to assist in another case involving the disappearance and murder of 15 year old Luke Armitage.

37. Well Schooled in Murder Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers attempt to solve the murder of 13 year old Matthew Whatley, who has gone missing from a prestigious school. Inspector Lynley was a classmate of the housemaster at Eton, and feels compelled to assist, even though the case is not in his jurisdiction. There are many secrets behind the school walls, as well as pure evil. Meanwhile Lynley keeps trying to persuade Lady Helen to agree to marry him and there is trouble in Simon and Deborah's marriage. Good, but not my favorite so far.

38. Angels Flight
This is a great series, which I highly recommend. In this one, sixth in the series, Detective Harry Bosch is called upon to investigate the murder of a high profile black lawyer whose claim to fame is suing the LAPD for civil rights violations made during their arrests. This case in turn leads to another high profile case, the murder of a twelve year old girl.

While working night and day, Harry's one year old marriage is dissolving, he reunites with his old partner, and he has to play the chain of command game while trying to solve both murder cases.

I did not see the end coming, which was great!

39. All Shall Be Well I am really enjoying this series. Well written mysteries along with the realtionship budding between Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his Sergeant Gemma James, a tired single parent. In this one, Duncan investigate the murder of his terminally ill neighbor Jasmine Dent. Who would want to murder someone who doesn't have long to live? It makes for a great story!

40. Case Histories
Two of my LT buds recommended this series to me, and I am pretty sure that I devoured it about a day or so. Jackson Brodie(great name), a former police detective, now private investigator, investigates old cases, while coping as a divorced father. The characters in this book are very well developed and I have to say the Julia and Amelia's antics had me laughing out loud!

41. Leave the Grave Green another in the Gemma and Duncan series, which was good, but not great. The son-in-law of prominent opera stars is found floating in the Thames. Duncan is very drawn to one of the suspects. against his better judgement.

I really want to start the Deborah Crombie series, I just don't know when. I have so many series going now ... but they sound so good.

#84. I know what you mean, as soon as I find out about a new to me series, I try the first one, then I start collecting them like a maniac!

42 Suicide Blonde

When I am not devouring mysteries and police procedurals, I watch a lot of B&W movies from the 40's and 50's. There were some really great noir films in this period and one actress among my favorites, in these movies, is Gloria Grahame.

Perhaps known as more of a supporting type than lead, she was nonetheless nominated twice for an Academy Award: for Crossfire, and for The Bad And the Beautiful (which she won). Some of her other works include: The Big Heat, In a Lonely Place, and Macao, as well as the classic It's a Wonderful Life.

Of course no Hollywood star's biography would be complete without some salacious act or some form of controversy. Ms. Grahame garnered nationwide attention when she had an affair with her second husband's Nicholas Ray's 13 year old son Tony. She and Tony went on to marry and had two sons together. Oddly this marriage lasted the longest of all, about 14 years. She also had numerous surgeries on her mouth, supposedly to achieve the "perfect" look but succeeded in distorting her face, which in turn affected her voice.

She died in 1981 at the age of 58. All controversy aside I never miss a chance to see one of her movies whenever I can.

43. The Black Angel

Cornell Woolrich is often described as the father of noir. Most of his books contain the words death, black, night and dark in the title, which just scream noir. I only recently found out about this author while tracking down books written by James Cain, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler. For some reason Mr. Woolrich’s books are a little more difficult to obtain, which is why I was thrilled to obtain a copy of The Black Angel and Rendezvous in Black last year.

Would you help free your innocent husband who is charged with the murder of his mistress? Hmmm. An interesting question isn’t it? In Black Angel, Alberta Murray suspects that her husband Kirk is having an affair. She decides to confront her husband’s mistress and finds her dead. Alberta then takes the deceased’s phone book in which four names beginning with the letter M appear. It should also be noted that the deceased’s name was Mia Mercer, who was partial to monogramming.

Alberta has it in her mind that one of the people in the phone book committed the murder. In attempting to prove her husband’s innocence, she meets up with unsavory characters and gets into a lot of trouble. I think that this book read more like a series of short stories based on each person in the phone book and that the entire story wasn’t tied together enough for me. I also felt as though the ending was just a tad forced.

After reading this book, my enthusiasm waned just a bit. I suppose I was expecting something more and I thought that the story fell a little flat. At any rate, a mediocre novel written by a first rate author is still worth reading.

@87 I have only ever read Night Has A Thousand Eyes and I have been looking for another one to try, I might avoid The Black Angel though!

btw I would recommend the Night has a Thousand eyes, it has dated (and a bit silly) supernatural plot but the atmosphere is great.

#88 Thanks, I will look for Night Has a Thousand Eyes. I wonder why his books are so difficult to find, even in the library?

#44 When We Were Orphans I suppose that this book may not have been the best fit for me,. I was often confused and at times frustrated while reading it, even though it was very well written.

Christopher Banks is a celebrated London detective haunted by the disappearances almost twenty years ago of first his father then mother, in Shanghai.

The settings and historical aspects of England and Shanghai were excellent, and so vivid that I felt as though I was there. Unfortunately, I was lost in both places frequently during my reading.

45. A Suitable Vengeance
This is the 4th installment in the Inspector Lynley series and gives the reader some background on the complicated relationships of Inspector Lynley, Simon, Deborah and Lady Helen.

Inspector Lynley has arranged to take the woman he is going to marry home to meet his mother, from who he is estranged. While trying to deal with the painful events of his past, and help his drug addicted brother, a local journalist is murdered. When another murder is committed not too long after the first, Lynely becomes heartsick when he realizes that there is mounting evidence against a member of his own family.

46 Mourn Not Your Dead I am becoming a big fan of this series, as I have probably stated before. Here Gemma and Duncan investigate the murder of the Division Commander, Alistair Gilbert, who was disliked by just about everyone in his home village and at the police department. Meanwhile Duncan and Gemma are plagued by relationship misunderstandings, with neither one wanting to be the first to clear the air.

47.The Hustler This book was the basis for one of my favorite Paul Newman movies. " Fast" Eddie Felson is a young pool hustler who travels from town to town hustling average guys and pool hall greats out of their money. When he meets Minnesota Fats, aka the King of the Poolroom, his life turns upside down, as he is forced to come to terms with his own self worth and his future.

48. Dreaming of the Bones I couldn't help myself, I had to read yet one more in this series before I take a little break from it. This one might be my favorite to date.

Duncan isn't sure what to think when he receives a phone call from his ex-wife Victoria after twelve years. While working on some biographical research,Victoria seems to think that a closed case of suicide was in fact, homicide, and asks Duncan to investigate. For obvious reasons, Gemma has reservations about Duncan helping his ex-wife, but helps out anyway.

When a second death occurs, old secrets and hidden relationships come to light and there is a big secret which will affect Duncan and Gemma's future immensely.

49. The Reader

I found myself captivated by this story of young Michael Berg's love for the thirty something Hanna.

One day out of the blue, Hanna disappears from Michael's life. He doesn't see her until many years later when as a law student, he is observing her murder trial.

After vanishing from his life, Hanna went to the SS and committed horrific crimes in concentration camps. As Michael observes Hanna's refusal to defend herself, it slowly dawns on him why she always asked him to read to her and why she maintained her distance from him.

I'm glad you're enjoying Deborah Crombie!

#94 Hi Kay!

Yes I am enjoying Deborah Crombie just a little too much. This was another one of your recommendations that was on the money. I literally have to force myself to take a break and not devour the rest of the series all at once.

50. Queenpin

How refreshing to read a hardboiled novel that tells a story from the female perspective. This book was almost impossible for me to put down. It's jam packed with deception, a dead body here and there, and enough snappy dialogue to rival a Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe tale any day.

Our nameless protagonist is going to school, looking after her widowed father and working part time as a bookkeeper "cooking the books". One day she meets the infamous Gloria Denton (the Queenpin) and her life is changed forever. All goes well until she meets Mr. Wrong, and crosses Gloria in the process of trying to save him. Gloria doesn't like her people "going against the family".

It was such a great read, filled with action packed as the various characters try to outsmart each other and wonder who knows what and how long they can stay safe.

I will definitely read more of this author's books.

51.
Risk of Darkness I love this series, mainly because the author does such a good job with plot and character development, that the "mystery" is usually secondary and it works well.

Simon is still lamenting about why he is such a loner, his relationship with his family and what to do about furthering his career. His sister Cat is trying to hold it together; trying to be there for her patients and juggle her family responsibilities.

Meanwhile a widowed husband's grief spins out of control, a prior unsolved case is resolved, and the Serrailler family experiences more loss.

Yay! I'm glad you liked it.

We definitely need to read more of Megan Abbott!

You guys are really adding to my wish list - between Megan Abbott, Susan Hill and Deborah Crombie, I'm going to be a busy lady!

52.The Vows of Silence

This is the fourth in the Simon Serrailler series, and I think this one may be my favorite. There is so much happening in this book, most of it sad, and there are times when various characters were introduced and, impatiently, I wasn’t sure how these various characters would tie into others in the story. The author’s excellent writing style seamlessly tied all characters together in such a way that eventually made sense for me. There are always unanswered questions or unresolved issues in this series which leaves the reader wanting more.

As usual, Simon is plagued with personal issue while solving a case. This time Simon’s sister Cat is back from her sabbatical in Australia and is about to be dealt a crushing blow when a member of family becomes seriously ill. Cat’s friend Karin's cancer has returned and the prognosis is not good. While in the hospice she asks to see Jane, who may or may not be ready to enter into a relationship with the moody loner Simon. Simon is upset to learn that his father has a new lady friend in his life who seemingly has insinuated herself in his mother’s role.

The crime portion of the story is that there is a gunman shooting young women in Lafferton who seemingly have to relationship to each other. I could not believe who the killer turned out to be. I suppose that there is a higher than usual death count in this book, but the plot and character development are excellent, as is in the previous installments of this series.

53Apple Turnover Murder

After reading all of the previous books in this series there’s a part of me that wishes that something would happen to spice up the Norman versus Mike uncertainty which seems to confuse Hannah. Well, I got my wish because there is an interesting twist at the end involving Norman that just may change things a little bit. That being said, I don’t think I will ever tire of this series, the “murder mystery” sometimes may be just a little obvious, but that doesn’t matter. This series is so much fun to read and the included recipes are a great added bonus. I always want to bake something after reading one of them.

In Apple Turnover Murder Norman's mother gets married, and Hannah and her sisters are worried that their mother may follow suit.

Hannah is also keeping a watchful eye on her former professor Bradford Ramsey who is now involved with her youngest sister Michelle. He is found murdered with a turnover in his hand shortly after Hannah threatens him to stay away from her sister. The murderer is a little obvious, but it did not detract from the fun in reading this book.

I sort of felt the same. I still like this series but this wasn't one of the best. Too much emphasis on the cookie chit-chat and the cookie recipes and not so much on the mystery.

That final scene should prove interesting in future books.

#103. Hey Linda: I'm with you, I still enjoy this series and I really hope the teaser at the end is explored in the next book.

54. An Advancement of Learning

This is my first in this series , but it is actually the second book, with A Clubbable Woman being the first.

I found the witty repartee between Dalziel and Pascoe to be quite entertaining. A dead body is found on the grounds of Holm Coltram College. After finding two more bodies within the academic confines, solving the case becomes more and more complex. Are all the murders connected to each other in some way?

Filled with secrets, debauchery, and Dalziel's bad attitude, this book was a delight to read and I look forward to continuing with the series.

55. Mrs. Miniver This is the book which inspired the 1942 movie starring Greer Garson.

I was surprised to learn that Mrs. Miniver actually began as newspaper series. The book is structured as a compilation of the newspaper series which was completed just as England prepared for imminent Nazi invasion.

These "day in the life" of Mrs. Miniver series are not concentrated on the war as the movie was, instead we have Mrs. Miniver preparing for Christmas, for Easte, for a luncheon, etc. Not a bad read, but not quite what I was expecting.

56. Die a Little Ok, it's official I don't think I can stop until I read all of this author's work. I enjoyed Queenpin and hope that the library can find its copies of The Song is You and Bury Me Deep.

This was the author's debut novel, which takes place in 1950's Los Angeles. It is the story of a school teacher, Lora and her brother, Bill, a junior investigator for the DA's office. Out of nowhere their peaceful existence is gone when Bill falls in love with Alice Steele, a wardrobe assistant with a shady past.

While Alice seemingly turns herself into a Betty Crocker extraordinaire, Lorabegins to notice gaps and inconsistencies in Alice's background. While investigating, in an attempt to rescue her brother, Lora encounters murder, prostitution, and a relationship with Mike Standish, a press agent who Alice introduces to Lora.

Good Stuff!

I'm glad you're enjoying Abbott, too.

>107 lsh63: This sounds interesting! I'm adding it to my wishlist... thanks (I think)...

I've got to find room to squish more Abbott into my Challenge!

57. Sins of the Fathers

This is an early Inspector Wexford, third in the series I believe. I also just noticed that this is my second book with this title, go figure!

It's the story of Inspector Wexford and Burden's bad attitude when Reverend Avery pays them a visit asking them about a 16 year old murder case which, according to the Inspector, "the right man was hung for it."

The Reverend's son wants to marry the murderer's beautiful daughter, but as a clergyman, he is a bit skeptical about her marrying into their family. The girl's mother vehemently denies that her father committed this crime even though all the evidence indicates otherwise.

As is often the case in Ms. Rendell's books, who actually committed the crime is not the primary focus, rather, it is the psychological profiles of the parties involved and the wonderful character devlopment which really tells the true story.

I've long wanted to read Reginald Hill, going as far as picking up A Clubbable Woman but have never gotten around to it. I need to keep this in mind and actually get to it.

58. Stella Dallas

This is one of those books that can make you tear up even if you think you won't. It's the story of a mother's ultimate sacrifice for her daughter, so that she may have the life that her mother believes that she deserves.

Stella Dallas marries Steven Dallas shortly after they meet when he was going through a personal crisis and he is being just a bit self destructive. When their daughter Laurel is born, Stella loves her daughter desperately, but isn't quite the mother figure that he had pictured for his child. She in turn finds Steven a lot less fun than he used to be and looks for excitement in all the wrong places. When Steven has had enough of Stella's indiscreet flirtations, he leaves her, although they do not divorce right away.

Stella's heart has always had good intentions, unfortunatly she doesn't mix well with the upper crust Boston society and is shunned for her style of dress and her manners. Realizing that she is standing in the way of Laurel's future in society, she pushes her daughter away to be with her father and his new wife and just to make sure that Laurel will never return, Stella marries a man that Laurel hates, an alcoholic/drug addict.

Brought to the screen in 1937, and played to perfection by Barbara Stanwyck, this is another instance where the book and movie are both excellent.

59. Never Let Me Go I wasn't sure I would like this book, but I did. There are countless reviews posted, so I will just say that I thought it was extremely well written and thought provoking.

The sad story of three friends at an elite school, with unconventional origins and the same destiny was suspenseul and haunting at the same time.

60 No Bed of Roses

I am a big fan of classic movies, and one of the things that had me curious is how Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland, sisters, with about 15 months age difference between them, have managed to be estranged from each other for many years. It's kind of sad to think that at 92 and 93 years old that they wouldn't try to reach out to each other.

This book of course is told from Joan Fontaine's point of view, and paints a picture of her sister Olivia as jealous, conniving and out to thwart her sister's career. I have no opinion as to who may be the better actress, as they both have starred in Oscar Winning movies and have won Academy Awards for their individual performances. One would think that there would be enough movie roles and fame to go around for two siblings, and that they would be happy for each other's success, but such is the cutthroat movie business.

All I could think of when reading this book was how very sad Joan Fontaine's life seemed to be and that of course, there are two sides to every story.

61. Chocolat

I surprised myself by enjoying this chocolate filled treat of magical realism during the Easter holiday. How appopriate!

All heck breaks loose in the tiny village where Viane and her daughter Anouk blow in to the little French town of Lansquenet at the beginning of Lent. In no time at all, everyone in the village is affected by Viane's chocolate treats, and her ability to steer people in the right direction. Great read.

Lisa, I have finished Half A Yellow Sun and I am posting some of my thoughts on my thread.

This was quite a book, and I think it may well be one of those books that linger in the mind. I can't say I loved it, but I certainly found it readable, educational, thought-provoking, and slightly flawed.

My computer problems seem to be with the router that we added recently. It seems to work sometimes and then just shuts down. Since this one was second-hand I think we will be on the lookout for a replacement. Nothing drives me around the bend faster than computer problems!

62. One Good Turn

Jackson Brodie is back, this time he's a millionaire and has followed Julia to a festival.
There is a lot going on in this book, a roar rage incident, mysterious corpses, Russians, and an intriguing relationship that may be developing between Jackson and a police detective Louise.

I loved this book as much as I did Case Histories. I am currently devouring When Will There Be Good News because I just had to know if loose ends were going to be tied up , and I find this author's characterization and weaving plotlines to be outstanding.

Now that I think about it, I may be just a little sad when I finish When Will There Be Good News

63.Half a Yellow Sun I think that the author of this book and the excellent Purple Hibiscus is an extremely gifted writer.

Sadly, I know next to nothing about African history, and I found this book provided great insight into the tribal conflicts and events which led to the Biafran conflict in the late 1960's. The author seamlessly weaves the individual stories of the main five characters Uguw, a teenage houseboy who comes to work for a univeristy professor Odenigbo, who thinks he is better than Uguw because he is educated.

The sisters Olanna, mistress of Odenigbo and Kainene, her sister who opts to work in the family's business, and lastly Kainene's lover Richard, who at one time causes a conflict between the sisters.

The only problem I had with this book is that at various points in the story, the period of time changed without warning and I found it a little difficult to remember what I had just read. This was a good book, but not a great one in my opinion, although it greatly affected me afterward.

64. Laura Vera Caspary
One of the classic noir films of 1944, it’s the story of the murder of Laura Hunt, who is loved by many men: Waldo, Shelby and though he didn’t expect it, NYPD Mark McPherson who is assigned to the case and finds himself intrigued as he interviews Laura’s friends and family and ifinds himself mesmerized by her portrait.

My knowledge of the outcome did not spoil my reading enjoyment at all. The fact that this book was written by a woman, Vera Caspary is remarkable for the time, considering that the “pulp” genre is overwhelmingly associated with males authors. This book offers an amazing history of the pulp genre and background of the author.

65. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I thought that I may have been one of the last people here on LT to read this book! The first 100 pages were a little slow for me, then it became difficult for me to put it down.

Mikael Blumkvist is hired to solve the mystery of what happened to Harriet Vnager who is the niece of Henrik Vanger and feared murdered forty years earlier. Mikael is aided in his efforts by the very troubled, very complex Lisbeth Salander, who is pierced, tattooed and an amazing computer hacker with a photograhic memory. This book is a wonderful psychological suspense thriller. I will be moving on to The Girl Who Played With Fire in the near future.

66. Everywhere that Mary Went

How odd that as a Philly native, I have never read any Lisa Scottoline. This is the first in the Rosato law firm series.

Mary DiNunzio's quest to become partner in her Philadelphia law firm is thwarted by crank phone calls, threatening notes, and recent grief over her husband's death. All indications are that a colleague, who Mary has begun to like a lot, is responsible for her troubles.

This was an enjoyable read, not a complex plot, but there was enough action in it that I did not become bored. I did also enjoy reading about some of the local landmarks and references to things that I see just about every day.

I plan to read the rest of the series at some point.

@120 :: I'm excited to see that you liked Laura! I really like the film, so the book has been on my TBR list for a while. I'll have to bump it up now!

>120 lsh63: Laura is one of my favorite movies, but I've never read the book. I've added to my wishlist, although for some reason I usually like noir mysteries better on film than in print.

>121 lsh63: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has been on my TBR pile for a while and I still haven't read it, so you're definitely not the last one to read it! Other things keep getting in the way. I'm hoping to get to it later this year, but at this point probably not until summer.

#124 I know exactly what you mean about noir mysteries being better on film, and I agree, but I have found Laura to be one of the exceptions, as well as Build My Gallows High, which I read earlier this year and I thought it was excellent. The movie adaptation of this book, is one of the all time noir classics, Out of the Past.

67. When Will There Be Good News This may be my favorite of the Jackson Brodie series so far. I hope that there are more in the future. All three were so good, yet so different, which I loved.

This book features Reggie, who is working as a nanny for Dr. Joanna Hunter, who just happens to be the sole survivor of the grisly murder of her mother, brother and sister, thirty years earlier.

When Dr. Hunter mysteriously disappears with her infant son, all signs point to the recently released convicted killer of her family.

Detective Louise Monroe is back, and doesn't believe Reggie's claims. Meanwhile, everyone's path crosses with Jackson Brodie, who can't seem to catch a break. Loved it!

68. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

I loved this story, which is set in 19th Century China. The main focus of the story is the "laotong" or old same relationship between Lily, the narrator and her friend Snow Flower. They communicate with each other by using nu shu-secret messages coded on silk fans and handkerchiefs.

The foot binding descriptions were difficult to read, but then I started to focus on the real story, which is the value of friendship and how a simple misunderstanding can alter that friendship forever.

69. Alone

I picked this book up because I am supposed to receive Live to Tell for my March ER book, and I thought I should read some of the author's other works. I have a few sitting on my shelf and now I think I will happily begin collecting the rest.

Bobby Dodge handles a tense hostage situation and kills a man, because it appears that a woman and her child were in danger. But were they really?

Soon Bobby finds himself in a lot of trouble for supposedly just doing his job, and becoming way too captivated with the dead man's widow who may or may not be hurting her son.

This was a great action packed read!

I can hardly wait to start on the Kate Atkinson series. They sound really good.

I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan last year and thought it was a beautiful book, I could hardly wait to pass it on the both my mother and my sister. It's just one of those books that you can't wait to tell other people to read!

70. Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge is an awesome book. Interestingly, the book is made up of thirteen short stories, some of which feature Olive prominently, in others she is casually mentioned. This is one of those books that makes you think about life, love, loss and all the things that happen to us in between.

What I love about this character is that she makes no apologies for her attitude, her bluntness and her opinions. She is brutally honest about her life and the lives of others around her.

I felt a myriad of emotions while reading this book, sadness, laughter, and sometimes I really wanted to throttle Olive. My favorite story was the last one, River ,where Olive rediscovered herself.

I will be thinking about this book for a while, and I can even imagine re-reading it at some point.

So, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan goes on my wishlist. I'm glad you liked both the Atkinson and the Strout.

71.

Talking About Detective Fiction Who better than P.D. James to explore my favorite mystery and detective stories.

At just under 200 pages, there is a lot of information, which doesn't become bogged down with a great deal of detail. All of the usual suspects appear here: Josephine Tey, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh as well as authors that I have not yet read: such as Colin Dexter, Sara Paretsky and Ellis Peters.

Briefly mentioned are Ruth Rendell, Kate Atkinson and Susan Hill for being able to write detective fiction, non fiction and mainstreal novels.

Particular attention is given to the Golden Age which is represented by both British and American authors with interesting comparison and contrast of their styles and lives.

All in all, a good read for any mystery fan.

#132, Lisa, I think that Talking About Detective Fiction will be my next book, probably after I finish tonight my current book on the election of 1828.

I suspect that reading it will mean a whole lot more books to add to the TBR pile.

You've read a lot of books that I'd like to read, jonesli. I've been thinking for a while that I'd like to read The Killer Inside Me but I don't know if I'd be able to get to it. The Manchurian Candidate, In a Lonely Place and Darkly Dreaming Dexter are also in my 'would like to read' list.

Both of us seem to be reading a lot of Christie mysteries too! Well, mine are mostly re-reads. A Murder Is Announced is the first Miss Marple book I ever read. I'm glad you liked it. I've recently re-read and reviewed the book (as I'm re-reading and reviewing all of the Miss Marple mysteries chronologically). A Murder Is Announced is probably my second most favorite Miss Marple novel. And Cards on the Table is my all time favorite Poirot book. I think it is so clever and entertaining! It is another one I re-read and reviewed this year.

But I liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo less than you did. I’ve already finished Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy and the whole experience was kind of ‘meh’ for me.

I’ve enjoyed reading your thread. Will be looking forward to more of what you read this year!

#134 Hi Porua:

Thanks for visiting my thread. One of my goals was to get to all of Ms. Christie's works this year, we'll see how far I get. I have to agree with you that Cards on the Table was very cleverly plotted. The Killer Inside Me was very dark, definitely not for everyone, and I am enjoying the Dexter books and working my way through the DVD's as well.

72 Bury Me Deep I can't seem to stop myself from devouring this author's books! Megan Abbott has been referrred to as " the reigning crown princess" of noir, and I agree.

Bury Me Deep is based on the true story of Winnie Judd aka "The Trunk Murderess" of 1931, which I previously knew nothing about.

In the book, Marion Seeley, a young doctor's wife, goes to work at a clinic, and becomes friends with bad news Louise, a nurse and her roommate, Ginny, who is suffering from TB. To make their rent, Louise and Ginny entertain by throwing wild parties complete with rich and influential men. One man, Joe Lanigan alters the lives of these three women forever. Another great read by this author, what else can I say? I will be reading The Song is You very shortly, I can't wait!

I can't wait to hear what you think of The Song is You as it's the one book of hers I haven't been able to track down.

# 135 Good luck with your goal of reading all of Christie's works this year. I've read every Miss Marple out there and most of the Poirot books. But I keep re-reading them all the time!

I'm kind of scared to read The Killer Inside Me. But at the same time I feel kind of drawn to it. I’m really in two minds about reading it.

I love Agatha Christie and need to sit down and figure out which, if any, of her books I have missed. I like Hercule Poirot but love Miss Marple.

# 139 Same here I like Poirot but love Miss Marple!

>139 lindapanzo: & 140 And same with me.

I'm pretty sure that I've missed a few, but whenever I've thought I haven't read one and then start to read it, I realize that I have.

73.Kitty Foyle

Famed dancer Ginger Rogers gave a wonderful dramatic performance based on this book. I think the movie is better, but it's basically the story of working class girl Kitty Foyle falling in love with Main Line golden boy Wyn Stafford. As a Philly girl, I loved reading about the city as it was in 1939.

In both the movie and the book, Kitty becomes pregnant, but the outcome of the pregnancy differs.

Not a bad read, but the movie is a true tearjerker.

74. The Song is You

I couldn't control myself and plowed right into this one. Picking my favorite of this author's works would be like picking a favorite child, her books are each unique in their own right.

The story is based on the true disappearance of Jean Spangler in October 1949. The real Jean Spangler kissed her five year old daughter good night and was never seen again.

Ms. Abbott gives the fact a fictionalized twist and the result is outstanding. Gil Hopkins, a studio reporter decides to find out exactly what happened to Ms. Spangler.

Complete with Hollywood gossip, backstabbing movie studio moguls, gangsters, and blackmailing dames, not to mention various Hollywood actors and actresses, this was a great read. I really felt like I was in late 1940's Hollywood while reading this book.

Based on your reviews and some others I have ordered both Queenpin and The Song Is You by this author and can't wait till I fit them into my reading schedule!

I love the old black and white movies so I am betting that I would love Kitty Foyle as well! I believe Ginger Rogers won the Best Actress Award for playing Kitty Foyle.

I do love Megan Abbott. Someday she'll be this big bestselling author and we'll be able to say that we read her before she was hugely famous.

75. Endless Night, Christie

This was a very good offering from Ms. Christie. No Hercule Poirot and no Miss Marple. I loved the gothic tone and the psychological suspense of this story.

A series of unexplained deaths take place on a property named Gipsy's Acre that is supposedly cursed. A romantic couple who wed almost after meeting each other and decide to build their dream home there.

Who dunnit is tnot he important factor here, which is a change of pace from Ms. Christie's usual.

I liked Endless Night. I heard there was a cheesy movie version, but I haven't seen it.

76. The Girl Who Played With Fire

This book has been reviewed many many times, I don't think that I could add anything else.

I am a little glad that I am 110th in the library queue for the last book in the trilogy; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest as I will be sad when I reach the end of Lisabeth's adventures!

This is a trilogy I hope to start soon. It is always sad when you know you're going to reach the end of a much-loved series.

Sometimes, when I get word that a favorite author has passed away, for example, I hate to read that final book, knowing there won't be any more of them.

77. On Beauty

I struggled with this book a bit, putting it down and picking it back up constantly, determined to finish it at some point. Overall it was a good, but not great read.

I suppose I had to get used to the author's style in order to finish the book. I guess I just found it kind of ho-hum. It's basically a story of race, class and privilege and the rocky marriage of Howard and Kiki Belsey and the relationship that they have with their three children, Jerome, Zora and Levi. It's poignant, realistic, and humorous, but I found I just couldn't care about the characters and wasn't vested in what happened to them.

Maybe I will like White Teeth better.

78. Larry's Party

This was an interesting read about the life of Larry Weller, from age 26 to 46. Each chapter is like a short story covering all of Larry's life events: his two marriages, two divorces, his relationship with his parents and son, and his facing the prospect of growing older.

79. For the Sake of Elena so far I haven't been disappointed by one of Elizabeth George's books, although I couldn't help thinking that this one was about 50-75 pages longer than it should have been. It's the fifth in the Lynley/Havers series, and focuses on the murder of a college student who just happens to be the daughter of a faculty member.

Meanwhile Lynley is chasing after Helen and Havers has to face a sad realization concerning her mother's health.

Not enough Deborah and Simon but still very good.