April 2010 What are you reading?

I made the mistake of going to the library.
Am now 105 pages intoThe man From Beijing
by Henning Mankell. This is not a Kurt Wallander. Does Mankell write anything bad? I have not read any of his that I had not enjoyed. he isn't bad looking in a rugged sort of way. :-)

I started on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I want to know what all the buzz is about. I usually wait to read new books until the dust of excitement has fallen down a bit and things are seen more in perspective. I like the first 75 pages although I was warned these were the hardest to get through, so it looks promising!

Good Morning Irene by Carole Nelson Douglas; I believe this was originally published as "The Adventuress." Adventures of Irene Adler from the POV of her easily scandalized companion Penelope. Lots of fun.

#3 - I liked her duology on Jack the Ripper consisting of Chapel Noir and Castle Rouge, if you are enjoying her first, I definitely recommend looking into those two. I am reading Wives and Daughters, Emissaries from the Dead and A Wrinkle in Time, all for LT group reads.

I finished The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill, which was very good. I look forward to the character development in the sequels.

I'm a ways into Walter Mosley's new Leonid McGill mystery, Known to Evil, and liking it a lot. What an easy way he has with his writing (no pun intended on his Easy Rawlins character).

April, I think, is going to be mystery month for me. I'm reading The Dogs of Rome, The Cruelest Month, and The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Plus, I found a new to me series by Chris Grabenstein and I'm picking up books two and three from heaven, er...Barnes and Noble this afternoon. :)

Just started Dead Hot Mama by Victoria Houston. Since I live in northern Wisconsin where her books are set, they are usually a fun read--mystery along with a few laughs.

#5 Ooh, jnwelch ~ that Mosley mystery Known to Evil looks good. I love his Easy Rawlins series and enjoyed the one Fearless Jones novel I read, and with your mark of approval, I know I will enjoy this new series too.

The new Harlen Coben, Caught. Not bad.

The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas: I've only read the first 40 pages and the scene is being intriguingly set by Vargas. Quirky characters and plenty to smile at. No doubt something mildly grisly will surface before long.

Re-read A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie. The link to my review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/58424521

Or my 50 book challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/80925

#4/Anastasia..I've read (out of order) Good Night, Mr. Holmes, Irene at Large, and Irene's Last Waltz (Another Scandal in Bohemia) and liked them all ... will be hunting for the ones you mentioned at my favorite used book haunts.

>storeetllr If you liked his Easy Rawlins series and Fearless Jones, I'm sure you'll like this new series. It starts with The Long Fall.

I will be reading books in the Lincoln Perry series by Michael Koryta later in the month for my RL book group.

#1 CindySprockett I also went to the library, which imo is never a mistake! :) While perusing the audiobook shelves, I came upon Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell and recalled what you said about him. I'm not sure if it's his first Wallander or even whether I should read the Wallander mysteries in order, but I snatched it up and am eager to listen to it.

It's always so exciting to start reading a new author!

#13 JNWelch ~ Thanks for that! I do prefer to start at the beginning of any series whenever possible. I'll be picking up The Long Fall asap.

It's also exciting to start reading a new series by a well-loved author! :)

#15 Storee, Dogs of Riga is number 2. The first is Faceless Killers.

Just finished Murder at the Savoy in a Danish translation. Quick read, but enjoyable. I'll probably pick up the rest of the series later in the year.

I just started The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang. I love the Inspector Chen series by Qiu Xialong, starting with Death of a Red Heroine, and I'm curious to see how the Mei Wang series compares to it.

Fiscus, What is your opinion of reading them in order ? I feel the only thing about not reading them in order is dealing with his (Wallander) personal life.

Any minute now I am about to crack the cover of Duma Key by Stephen King

I am over 300 pages into the book and ihave to say i am thoroughly enjoying it It is one of the best thrillers i have read in a long time Ihave his other two books sitting on my desk Iam told the second is even better

#20 Cindy,

I always read books in order, unless I start one that I don't know is part of a series. But that may just be me.

I have only read the first 2, so I don't know how much growth and change there is with his work colleagues also.

#22, Ifish - What book is it ?

Today I'm starting The Final Judgment by Richard North Patterson. It will be my first Patterson novel, and I'm looking forward to it.

Mortal Prey - a Sanford that slipped through the cracks on me.

Just started "Prepared For Rage" by Dana Stabenow, her second suspense novel set on a US Coast Guard cutter.

>24 rocketjk:, rocketjk, I like Richard North Patterson. Let us know what you think of the book.

Picked up a secondhand copy of Murder, She Meowed by Rita Mae Brown. Okay, okay, you DO have to suspend reality at the door ... talking animals and all ... but Sneaky Pie mysteries are always fun and full of colorful human characters, too.

#27> etrainer, will do. Also, I laughed at the cartoons on your profile page!

Sorry Cindy The book is The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo By Stieg Larson

Started The Girl Who Played with Fire.

29> rocketjk, I'm a big fan of xkcd.com, where the cartoons came from.

I'm reading Interred with their bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell.

I started rereading The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King in preparation for God of the Hive, my March ER book. I can't wait!

I just started Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson.

I am reading Tonight I said Goodbye by Michael Koryta. It is the 1st book in the Lincoln Perry series. It is for a RL book group.

I finished Known to Evil, which was great reading, and started Changes: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

In the Name of Honor by Richard North Patterson and Next by James Hynes. Wonderful in two very different ways.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter probably followed by the three others in the series.

I finished Tonight I said Goodbye by Michael Koryta. It was good with a few howlers.

I am now starting Sorrow's Anthem by Michael Koryta.

Gallows Lane by Brian McGilloway Irish police procedural.

I started my February ER (just arrived), The New York Stories of Elizabeth Hardwick. It's off to a good start.

Am about halfway through The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and so far it is wonderful.

#43> I liked it very much too!

Hello etrainer I am going to read The Girl Who Played with Fire Next I believe its better than the first one and thats excellent .

IFish I loved, loved, LOVED the first one and can't wait to read the second one.

I've almost finished The girl Who Played with Fire. I found it pretty slow to start, but I believe Dragon Tattoo did too. At this point, I think I like Dragon Tattoo better, but I haven't finished Fire yet.

I'm reading Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair. Halfway through, there's no murder - yet - and I'm not sure there will be, but it's an intriguing mystery, nonetheless: how to disprove an accusation that people are too willing to assume is true.

4/12/2010: Finished Tey and loved it. Moved on to a member giveaway book I need to read and review, Fatal Gamble by JP O'Donnell. It's reasonably interesting, serial murders being investigated by a PI, but the writing is a little pedestian. Or maybe it's just the side by side comparison to Josephine Tey, whom I find immensely readable.

I ended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and plunged into The girl Who Played with Fire right away. I really, really like it, although in retrospect (of the first book) I wouldn't say it's the best book I've ever read. But once I get reading, there's no stopping me. This author probably has added a secret magic potion to his writing which compels people to go on reading.

I read and reviewed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire last year and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest this year. In my opinion, the books are pretty fast paced and kind of entertaining. But the whole experience was sort of ‘meh’ for me. My reviews are here,

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,

http://www.librarything.com/review/51423226

The Girl who Played with Fire,

http://www.librarything.com/review/51715402

and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest,

http://www.librarything.com/review/56514744

#35 - I really liked that book, let me know what you think.

#43 - I keep hearing good things about this one and a friend gave it to me, I really need to read this!

I think I'm the only person the the planet that didn't like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo :(

I'm currently reading Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben. It's his 2nd book, which along with his first are out of print - this one I was able to finally get through an interlibrary loan that came from a neighboring state. So far so good. I've requested the 1st too - wonder where it will arrive from (if it does)?

I finished The Girl Who Played with Fire last night. The ending was terrific though pretty implausible, IMHO. Still, I liked it very much. I will be actively seeking the Hornets Nest one now. I can't imagine what could come next.

In the mean time, I started a reread of Darkness, Take My Hand.

#50 Porua. Thanks for those reviews. I felt the same about the Larsson books, or at least about the first one and the half of the second which I read. They could certainly done with a bit more editing I think, and the brutality and sexual violence seemed a little excessive.

The unusual protagonist in the series was about the only character that seemed at all fleshed out to me; the others were rather one-dimensional. I've never been a great fan of 'thrillers' though.

I must say I would have been interested to see how Larsson's writing developed should he have lived.

# 53 You are welcome! I'm not a great fan of thrillers either. I read the first book out of curiosity and didn't particularly like it. The scene with the extremely graphic sexual violence really disturbed me. But still I ended up reading the whole trilogy. You see, I have this bad habit that I feel compelled to finish what I start. So, once I started the trilogy I had to go through with it. I know I shouldn't waste my time with books I don't particularly enjoy but old habits die hard!

I finished Sorrow's Anthem and A Welcome Grave both by Michael Koryta. I really like his books. They are in the Lincoln Perry series. I read them for a RL book group, but will keep up with the series on my own. His last one is in HC, and I will get it when it goes into paper.

I am 40 pages into I am not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells. It is holding my interest for sure.

I've been listening to Fade Away by Harlan Coben. It's the 3rd Myron Boltivar. I haven't visited him in awhile and it's a nice homecoming!

Finished the fantastic Darkness Take my hand. Starting to reread A Drink Before The War, the first Kenzie and Gennaro book. Waiting for a couple of Early Reviewers books to arrive.

I am rereading Last Respects, along with a bunch of other books. But this one is a fun relaxing book.

I just finished Ragtime In Simla by Barbara Cleverly. It's been sitting on my shelf for a number of years and I can't, for the life of me, understand why it took so long for me to get around to it. It was a engaging historical mystery and a great read!

Well, I finished The Final Judgment by Richard North Patterson. This novel is a combination mystery and family drama. The mystery is pretty good, but the family drama component, while well conceived, causes the narrative to drag at crucial moments, I found.

Also, Patterson has, at least in this book, two narrative tics that I found increasingly distracting. First, the adverb "utterly," which should probably never be used, is used here too frequently. Characters stand "utterly still," or the night is "utterly quiet." Once during a novel, OK. Twice, perhaps. More than that is utterly too much. But worse, many, many times during the novel, at least two dozen, the protagonist realizes things, or impressions come to her, "all at once." As in, "All at once, Caroline realized that this girl was looking at life in a new way." "All at once, it came to Caroline that the prosecutor knew no more than she did about . . . " That sort of stuff drives me nuts and drains away my ability to enjoy a book.

The mystery and even the characters were interesting. Overall, for me, an OK murder mystery. For my taste, Patterson needed to tighten up the flashbacks and tidy up those cliches. Others may be more forgiving than I of these flaws, though.

>61 rocketjk: Ha! I have NO ability to recognize those kinds of 'tics' or 'flaws' in a author's writing. I wonder why some people develop those abilities and some do not. But I do like Patterson's books. The stories always intrigue me. I don't remember the details of The Final Judgment although I think I read it recently. I'll look at my copy and find some "utterlys". By the way, why do you say it should probably never be used?

ETA: Whoops! This is one I didn't read. For some reason the Caroline Masters story didn't appeal to me.

So, etrainer, would you say you were utterly disinterested in The Final Judgement? Did you realize it slowly, or all at once?

; )

Well Becky, I think I knew it all at once after I read the synopsis. After all, I'm not utterly clueless about what I like.

I just started The Fifth Floor, the sequel to The Chicago Way.

Finished The Withdrawing Room by Charlotte MacLeod. It is the first one I read of hers. I enjoyed the characters not too much to the mystery. I would read more of hers.

Today I started one of the three unread Brookmyre books that I have. Getting quite late now so it must be One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night.

66 - Her early books are the best for plot. Later you could begin to tell the Alzheimer's setting in - they just got more outlandish in every book. But I love her early ones.

#62> "By the way, why do you say {"utterly"} should probably never be used?"

What is the difference between "silent" and "utterly silent"?

For me, "utterly" is one of those adverbs that are used by lazy writers to add emphasis but to me add nothing but empty narrative calories. You take the word out and you've lost nothing in meaning. A writer wanting to add some emphasis or to color the scene in some way would do better to use a good, preferably unique, metaphor. As I said, once or twice through the course of a novel, OK. Repeated use is an irritant. I make my living writing (commercial stuff and website content, not fiction, granted, although I do have an MA in Creative Writing somewhere at the bottom of my closet) and copy editing, so those sort of word patterns jump out at me. That doesn't make me an expert at anything and it doesn't mean I think that my reaction is better in any way than yours or anyone else's. I'm just explaining why I react to these things the way I do.

Just finished The Best American Mystery Stories 2009. Lots of good stories, including some very effective noir. Also finished last week Ariana Franklin's Grave Goods, which is a good entry in her "Mistress of the Art of Death" series.

>69 rocketjk: rocketjk - I see what you mean. As I said, my talents (if any) lie elsewhere. I knew you are a writer from checking your profile after seeing some of your other posts. So I was interested in what you had to say. And I didn't think you were doing anything other than expressing an opinion, either. I was just curious. Thanks for responding. It was utterly informative! ;)

#68. Thank you, I will check out Charlotte's earlier books.

I'm about half way through The God of the Hive, the new Mary Russell novel, and thoroughly enjoying it!

Just started my ER book A Cold Room by J.T. Ellison but it grabs you from the beginning. Interested to see where it takes me.

Jennieg, I received The God of the Hive via LTER, but I haven't read The Language of Bees yet. Actually, I've read very few of the Mary Russell series in sequence ... will I have missed too much to enjoy God of the hive?

The God of the Hive is very much a sequel to The Language of Bees. It begins immediately after LB ends. So I think you would have a better grasp of what's going on if you read LB first. But I don't think you need to have the entire series at your fingertips to enjoy GH. Wikipedia has a good synopsis of the series if you want a quick and dirty summary.

Due to time and book-budget constraints, Wiki may be my best bet this time around. Good thought.

I finished Shades of Grey last night. It's a sci-fi, but I think you could really look at it as a mystery too. Very weird, but also good. I'll be looking forward to the next in the trilogy.

Reading Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang and really enjoying it, though I'm quite a ways in and so far haven't gotten to the mystery part.

Finished The Book of Matthew by Thomas White last night - definitely not one for the faint of heart. White did quite a bit of reasearch into various types of torture, poisons, famous torturers, etc.

The interesting thing about this is you get a definite look at what made this guy a killer from all different angles. Your loyalties keep shifting.

I'm about to start my ER from March, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant.

I am udderly exhausted from staying up last night to feed my neighbor's orphaned miniature cow every two hours, so I'm looking forward to a read and a nap.

I know...I'm sorry.

Just finished The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson, which was quite enjoyable. Next up is my first Lee Child book: Killing Floor.

Just finished Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard. It simply self-propels from the first page through the last, with some interesting history as well. Its various sections bounce back and forth between two time periods. By coincidence, I recently read Restless by William Boyd, which was also structured by alternating time periods. That was also tremendous.

Finished The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey. Another very good Chicago noir.

#83 sheildslass...let me know what you think of The Killing Floor...I have the whole series but have yet to start it!

#83 what #86 said. It's on my TBR shelf, just need more reading hours in the day.

#'s 83, 86, 87: one of my best reading experiences was Killing Floor, because I really enjoyed it, and upon finishing had a whole series of Jack Reacher books already written and waiting. You're all in that position.

It's one of my favorite series, and I can hardly wait for the new one, 61 Hours.

Just started on The Guards by Ken Bruen. I think I'm going to like it.

Thank you #88...it might be my book after next! ;>

>AHS-Wolfy- I hope you like The Guards! I've read the 1st 3 Jack Taylor books and they have all been excellent! Bruen is a terrific writer!

@91 msf59, It was a really good read and I can thank yourself and a few other people from LT for talking it up enough to catch my interest.

Just finished The God of the Hive--enjoyed it very much! I have read all of King's books, and this is definitely one of her better ones.

Just started Stuart MacBride's Flesh House this is the fourth in the Logan McRae series. I really enjoyed the first three so hopefully this one will as good.

now enjoying The Spellmans Strike Again

Started this afternoon The Guards by Ken Bruen (a lucky find at the library today). Have almost finished it, it's quite compelling stuff! Thanks for all the recommendations for his books!

I just finished the first short story in Killer in the Rain by Raymond Chandler. I still have to decide if I like the idea of short story noir...

Wookie- So glad you managed to find The Guards! Bruen is a must read! Hopefully you'll be able to find the others in the series!

Just started Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. It seems off-genre here, but it was on the mystery shelves at Hastings!

I love the Precious Ramotswe books.

Just started The Language of Bees, and got The Revenge of the Spellmans from the library.

Just finally finished In The Woods by Tana French and I loved it. Very descriptive writing, characters were nicely developed too.
I was going to start The Likeness but I think I am going to throw in Killing Floor by Lee Child first.

My re-read of The Moonstone (allegedly the first detective novel in English) is finished. The last time I read this book was about six years ago. I thought my opinion about certain aspects of the book may have changed during this time. But no, I still feel the same way. The link to my review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/58532969

Or my 50 book challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/80925

#'s 83, 88 and 101 - Started Killing Floor today!

#98> There were a *lot* of Ken Bruen novels on the shelves, so I shouldn't have a problem reading this series - and maybe the White series too - through the library. One of the librarians must be a fan of his books. :)

Although I was slightly peeved they didn't have Killing Floor. (But I'm sure I can get it from another branch.)

Also managed to pick up The Act of Roger Murgatroyd, which may not be as good as its title, but we'll see.

Oh, and got Silent in the Grave at the bookshop on Friday.

LibraryThing is not kind to Mt TBR...

Edited to remove a rogue apostrophe...

**LibraryThing is not kind to Mt TBR...**

So true, so true!

#103....Yay! :>

Another yay! for #103 -

I had the wrong Spellman title up above in #100; I've got the new one, The Spellmans Strike Again. So far it's another funny read about this dedicatedly dysfunctional family of detectives.

I'm reading Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs. I am not impressed. Maybe I'm just tired of plucky, single women entrepreneurs who find bodies and true love.

Must checkout the Spellman's. Just checked the reviews they sound like a lot of fun.

Jennieg, sorry to hear Death by Darjeeling isn't your cuppa ... (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). I've kept up with the series, but not because of the plots ... because I'm a tea junkie.

I will finish it, gmathis, and see if it's just that I'm on an unacknowledge grump or something.

Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski, an Early Reviewers book. Interesting, still forming an opinion.

Edited to make sense.

Ed- I received this book too! I've read a couple others by him and found them fun and a bit quirky! Looking forward to it!

Currently reading Death Masks, with wizard Harry Dresden. (Not sure if they're truly "crime" novels, but they feel like crime novels to me. With wizards, vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc.)

#114 Well I consider the Dresden novels to be mysteries, wookie, for whatever it's worth. I mean, if the Tuesday Next novels can be called mysteries...

Speaking of which I'm listening to First Among Sequels now and loving it, though someone other than Elizabeth Sastre is reading it. She's doing a good job, too.

Just finished Caught by Harlan Coben - excellent!

msf59 - I like your home page picture - very appropriate for this site.

I finished Expiration Date. I liked it, but it moved along so quickly, without a lot (some, but not a lot) of detail, that I was not quite satisfied. I have write a review, but I need to think about it a little more before I commit myself! Nice story, though.

she-climber - Caught is on my wish list. I always enjoy Coben's stories.

#116...she_climber...did you finish Killing Floor?
I started it but I'm only a couple of chapters in (been busy)...which BTW have already grabbed me!

Linda - not yet, I always have at least and audio and a paper book going - right now I have 2 paper ones and just finished Caught on audio. I too am just a little ways into Killing Floor and really intrigued. Who is this Jack Reacher guy???

I'm torn between trying to read that one now and Age is Just a Number by Dara Torres the 40-something Olympic swimmer which is from the library so I feel that's on a deadline to get back.

Who is Jack Reacher ?!!! He's just the best thriller character on earth. Just finished 61 Hours--Lee Child has got to be the best Thriller writer on the planet. I've read them all. Too bad he only writes one a year. The only other comparable thriller character I've met are some of Nelson DeMille's heroes.

lol - dyarington. I'm a Reacher-virgin so I'm still working this out. Not far enough along yet to figure out where he fits in the genre. Used to seeing law enforcement, lawyers, etc as main characters but right now he's some ex-MP under arrest telling law enforcement how to do their job. Very odd, although he already seems a like a bad-ass.

I've only read the first Reacher so far, but what I found fascinating about it was that Child creates the character before your very eyes.

I have a crush on Reacher.

Starting to feel like I'm late to the party - need to get reading!

#123...Bookmarque...LMAO!
I'm starting to see why. He sure is a cool cat! ;>

Linda are you getting further in Killing Floor? I'm hoping to get my daughter to bed soon and then I can keep going.

I just finished Silver Pigs (the first in Lindsey Davis' mysteries set in Ancient Rome). It's been sitting on my shelves since 2006, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it! I'll definitely be looking for the next one.

she_climber...I'm only on page 86...ha...but I'm getting ready to lay down and read. Try to stay awake awhile...lol

I just started Charles Williams's 1963 thriller, Dead Calm. Never read any of his books before. However, I enjoyed the movie adaption of Dead Calm a few years ago. I hear the book is much better - which is usually the case.

It should keep me busy while I'm out of town this week.

Linda - hope you made some progress, I didn't last night but I'm getting there this morning. Wait until you get to page 140!!

I've just started The Night Killer by Beverly Connor. The latest in her forensic anthropologist hero Dianne Fallon series. Sort of a less gruesome Kathy Reichs. Well, at least the bodies are dry.

CyndyBytes - I loved the movie Dead Calm. Interesting to know that it was a book. Definitely something I will be searching out now.

Got distracted last night by The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters - I'm fond of her Amelia Peabody series, and this one is the first Jacqueline Kirby mystery. So far, I prefer Peabody, but time will tell.

Finished two this week. In the Woods by Tara French and The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Both great reads. The Lutz book to me was actually fun and made me smile which would seem strange for a mystery. What else can I say about the French book that has not already been said.

Lisa Lutz's Spellman books after The Spellman Files are similarly fun. I just finished The Spellmans Strike Again and she keeps improving - this was the best one yet.

Started the latest Ariana Franklin historical mystery, A Murderous Procession and so far (beginning of Chapter 4) so very good. In this one, Adelia Aguilar and Mansur are ordered by Henry II to accompany his 10-year old daughter Joanna, who is traveling to Sicily to marry its King, and attend to her health and well-being on the voyage. Bishop Rowley's going along too, but not their daughter Allie who's being held hostage in England to ensure Adelia's return. All this while Adelia's being stalked by a madman bent on revenge.

Also still reading Knock Out: An FBI Thriller, with Savich and Sherlock assisting the sheriff of a small Virginia town cope with a cult of psychics that will do anything to get its hands on a young girl with her own very special psychic gifts.

I've got to say, the difference between the two (other than the obvious: one's historical and one's contemporary) is striking. Franklin's writing is smooth, the anomolies present in the story (Adelia's independence and the king's reliance on her, Excalibur) are explained and, with very little effort, believable, and the dialogue is realistic. Coulter's writing, while technically correct, is sometimes choppy, the dialogue often doesn't ring true (in the middle of investigating a really horrible crime, the Feds will often throw in a nonsequitur), and the story, while exciting, requires a huge suspension of belief that's easier to accomplish with, for example, the Noah Bishop psychic mysteries. Also there's the head-hopping.

So why, you ask, do I bother to continue to read the Coulter? Because I'm addicted, duh. :)

I have re-read and reviewed two more Miss Marple mysteries by Agatha Christie.

First up is, They Do It With Mirrors, known as Murder with Mirrors in the US. A unique little Miss Marple mystery with an unusual setting. The link to my review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/59223165

The second one is, A Pocketful of Rye. A very entertaining and very engaging Miss Marple novel. The link to my review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/59223658

Started Missing Witness by Gordon Campbell --looked like a run of the mill legal thriller, but after just the first chapter Im going with exceptionally well-written.

Finished Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse, which had a clever twist, and The Spellmans Strike Again, the best yet in that funny series.

Have the Dame's Sleeping Murder up next, and am about 3/4 of the way through The Language of Bees with Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.

# 139 The Pale Horse is my favorite non-Marple/non-Poirot Agatha Chrsitie book. The supernatural element in the book is pretty clever.

Yes, it is. And she (Agatha) had me fooled once again. :-)

My Dad is reading all kinds of Steven King books which i think is pretty creepy. Not that i should be the one ton judge.

I sure hope you're not a one ton judge! Nice typo. oh and it's Stephen, btw. You should give him a try, you might be surprised.

Reading Murder in the Family by John Creasey writing as Jeremy York. This is short and cozy.

Will be starting on Dark Echo by F G Cottam this evening.

I finally gave up on Death by Darjeeling. I hung on for a long time because so many people told me how much they like this series. And I disliked A is for Alibi but enjoyed the rest of the series, so you never know.

But this went way over my 'for the love of God' meter. Saying it even once about a book is bad, but I kept saying it. I gave up when the heroine received a death threat against her dog and all the characters burst into dialog that would have been embarrassing in a nineteenth-century melodrama.

I've moved on to The Cradle Robbers by Ayelet Waldman and having a much better time.

I'm enjoying Ann Cleeves' The Sleeping and the Dead. This stand alone mystery was written before her Shetland Island series.

And I'm almost finished listening to the audio of Louise Penny's The Brutal Telling.

Decided to reread Prisoner's Base.

About a quarter of the way through Priest by Ken Bruen. His Ireland is a much bleaker place than the one I know, but then again he knows his much better than I know mine.

About half way through Jim Butcher's latest, Changes. It's excellent, and even though I managed to skip the last two titles, is perfectly followable (followable?) even so. I do love Harry Dresden.

>146 jennieg: I just finished A is for Alibi (I know, a bookseller for a gazillion years, a mystery reader for even more, and I'd never read any Grafton) and was underwhelmed. I thought it picked up in the last quarter or so, though, and so will be going forward with the series. That Kinsey Milhone's a prickly broad, isn't she?

(deleted the below after posting twice somehow...)

#150 I think you should give B is for Burgler a shot, BeckyJG. I think the first book is the weakest of the series. It's fun to see how Kinsey's life evolves as the series goes on.

I'm definitely going to. I could see how she (Sue Grafton, that is) actually seemed to get into her stride and gain in originality as the first book progressed. I just never understand why a good editor doesn't make the author go back and inject some of that oomph into the first part of a book...ah well. Ours is not to question why...ours is but to read or...

152- I agree...

^^ I love the whole series - of course it's been so long since I read A, I don't have any specific memories of it at all, but I definitely look forward to new ones.

I recently finished reading Sue Grafton's latest novel U is for Undertow. I liked it a lot, so I got the last four books before this one, that is, Q-R-S-T. I didn't want to go too far back since Kinsey Milhone's character develops over each installment. I'm hoping to slowly go back in tine rather than jumping back 15 years at once. I like the way Kinsey plods on and turns over the slightest clues to solve her cases. She does carry quite a bit of baggage, but I guess that's what makes her believable.

I've read Curses, a Gideon Oliver archaeology mystery by Aaron Elkins. This one is set in Mexico. I really enjoy the series.

Just began reading The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr. It's a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. So far Carr is doing pretty well narrating in the voice of Watson, altho he may be taking a few liberties with character behaviors that don't quite match the canon.

Hello all, first time posting here.

I have spent the first part of the year finishing all of the Michael Connelly books and catching up on David Baldacci, have finished the Camel Club series as well as the King and Maxwell series.

The last couple of weeks I have read some new authors who I find that I really enjoy.

1. Greg Iles- Read 24 Hrs. Was hooked and plan to read more of this author over the next couple of months

2. Jeff Abbot- I've only read Trust Me and Collision and I think I may have a "new" favorite author.

3. Lee Child- I am looking forward to delving into the Reacher series. I listen to a lot of audio books and one of my favorite readers, Dick Hill, reads the entire series. I will probably just listen to this series.

This should keep me busy for the next few months at least. I sat down this morning and made a list of other authors/books I will probably try as well. And now having read this thread, I think I have found even more!

I intend to reread Presumed Innocent in anticipation of the new novel Innocent.

Welcome Dagambiter.

You mentioned reading David Baldacci. LT is hosting a chat with him in the Author Interviews Group.

Here is the thread:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/86576

Reading Likeness by Tana French. It looks like another nonstop reading on this one.

Just picked up Deception by Jonathan Kellerman today!

I've just pulled Blue Heaven by C.J. Box off the shelves. He's a new-to-me author, but the book looks interesting.

DeltaQueen - I really enjoyed Blue Heaven, hope you do too. C.J. Box is now on my list to read more of.

#164 - Thanks she_climber, it sure starts off with a bang! :)

143> I don't I will like him since i can't even get his name right. And what does btw mean? I do not spend my time texting.

I just finished Moonlight Falls today. I really enjoyed it.

>166 Poptropica: btw=by the way I'm not a texter either though.

well pre-judging anything is not the best way to approach something new, poptropica, regardless of spelling, typos, texting or whatever. the only way to know is to read one. maybe ask dad for a rec.

Funny. Bookmarque. Well i autmatically assumed you be a texter with the whole btw thing. Sorry, rxtheresa.

nope, but I am a BBer.
and you could do a lot worse than King. :)

Of course i could.

I am just starting Scaredy Cat the second book in Mark Billingham's police procedural series. I enjoyed the first book and so, (fingers crossed) should find this one a good read as well.

Oops, posted here but meant to post in the May thread.