Wilhelmina's comments (member since Apr 21, 2008)

Wilhelmina's comments from the mystery lovers group.

I apologize - we were supposed to begin our discussion on September 1, but in the aftermath of last week's rainstorms, a large tree fell on my house and car, crushing them. My book is somewhere in the rubble, and I won't be ab;e to live in my house for 3 months. This book is certainly timely, with New Orleans evacuating with a hurricane coming. Could someone else volunteer to lead the discussion? To participate, just go ro the bottom of the mystery lovers home pagr, click on the book, and go down to discissions.

Just a reminder that our discussion of The Tin Roof Blowdown starts on September 1>

Happy reading!

I'm with you on Laurie King, Pamela.

Can we start an official discussion of The Tin Roof Blowdown on September 1? That will give everyone who wants to participate a chance to read the book.

J.R., that makes you, Libby, and I who have read The Tin Roof Blowdown, and I'm sure that there are others in the group. Does anyone else want to talk about the book?

This summer, the mysteries I have enjoyed most have been:

In the Woods by Tana French,

Messenger of Truth: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear,

and The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke.

This weekend, I'm really looking forward to reading The Turnaround by George Pelecanos.

I just finished reading "In The Woods" by Tana French, which I found to be an excellent mystery of high literary quality. When I read other people's reviews, however, many people did not enjoy the book because all the mysteries were not neatly solved in the end. Do most people read mysteries more as "whodunits" or for the literary quality?

ABSOLUTELY start with the first book in Julia-Spencer-Fleming's series, Debra. It's called In the Bleak Midwinter, and is followed by A Fountain Filled With Blood , Out of the Deep I Cry,To Darkness and to Death,and All Mortal Flesh. The newest book, I Shall Not Want, comes out in June.

This is definitely a series that should be read in order, because of the developing relationships between the characters.

I am soooo looking forward to I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming; that's the one series that I'm always on the edge of my seat, waiting for.I've got The Spellman Files and I will read that one soon.

I am happily leaping into The Tin Roof Blowdown, a Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke. I'm a long-time fan of the Robicheaux series, and the setting of Hurricane Katrina promises to make this book one of the best.

Like most posters, I love James Lee Burke, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, and many others, but I was particularly happy to see a few mentions of the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This series is my current favorite.

I never got into the Stephanie Plum books either - I was beginning to think that it was just me! I still have hope for Sarah Paretsky ans Tony Hillerman, although I don't await the next book as eagerly as I once did. I gave up on the Spenser books long ago, and I'm not even sure where Sue Grafton lost me - maybe "L" or "M".

Dennis Lehane hasn't been the same since "Mystic River" - his best book, in my opinion, and I loved them all up to that point. Unlike some writers (Laura Lippman, for example), he seems unable to bounce back from a truly great stand-alone.

I still love Walter Mosley's Easy and Fearless books, and I can't imagine tiring of James Lee Burke. Both are excellent writers and they both are great at evoking their distinct locales and developing their characters.

I agree - I will also tolerate a less-than-stellar entry in a favorite series, just to visit with the characters again. A good example for me is the Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker series by Faye Kellerman. Some books in the series are better than others, but I'm there for each one. I agree with the praise for Laura Lippman, whether series or stand- alone. Linda Barnes, Margaret Maron, and Julie Smith are all solid series authors. I enjoy Walter Mosely's Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones series books much more than his stand-alone books. I fell in love with Carol O'Connell's Mallory books from the first - Mallory's Oracle - and I would strongly recommend reading those in order. My newest favorite is the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Julia Spencer-Fleming. That series has me holding my breath between books,

Definitely Trixie Belden for me, closely followed by Nancy Drew. I stopped reading mysteries for a while as a teenager, but when my father died when I was 24, I picked up a couple of his old Ross McDonald books, and I've been a mystery reader ever since.