Sandy’s Comments (group member since Dec 14, 2015)

Sandy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

While I still have ten hours left in Tombland. Will be late for monthly reads!

And for those in the US who are slightly behind in our buddy reads, Friends in High Places is $4.

In US, Close to Death is $2. Good series.

I have started now after clearing out a couple of library books. It is good to be back in Shardlake's world (at least virtually). However, I am sad Sansom didn't get to complete his vision of Shardlake's life and this will be it. I may imagine my own happy ending for him (I'm assuming he will still be lonely at the end of this book.)

I am only about to go to Norfolk and my reading time will be limited the next few days, so I expect to progress slowly.

I'm another that was really annoyed by Ted. And after a lot of attention given to people hearing 'Me, OK', including Olive(!), that plot point was entirely dropped with no resolution.

However, like Shaina, I enjoyed this book and for the same reasons. In addition, I thought the plot was nicely intricate, the feud between the two gangs was interesting and Olive got plenty of face time. And there was the new hire with his umbrella.

I may be the only one continuing on to the (bitter?) end. I started this last night and am enjoying it despite an unnerving supernatural element. No strange women!

Judy wrote: "Sandy wrote: Thank you! Undecided whether to listen now or later. I haven't even started Shardlake yet.

Sorry, I think it may be best to listen to the podcast I mentioned after finishing the book ..."

Thanks.

I really liked the ending regarding Rossi's murder (the man who 'fell' from the scaffold) as the best result possible given the family connections. And I suppose we can assume the moneylenders arranged the shooting of the lawyer. But what about the death of the architecture student? I was sure there would be a connection with the building office especially as it was mentioned they had architectural plans drawn up after the fact. I expected Brunetti to find plans with the two rabbits hidden in them. My kindle book ended at 92% and I thought there must be more, but it was the preview of another in the series.

Susan wrote: "Brunetti has a strange love affair with Venice. He loves it and it is, of course, beautiful. Yet, the oppression of the bureaucracy and the corruption are devasting. And the undercurrent of threat ..."

Throughout this book I thought about how Leon does not have her books translated into Italian. (I assume this is true; after all I read it on the internet.) Neither Venice nor Italy is portrayed sympathetically. I particularly liked Brunetti's sidekick comment regarding the gigantic cruise ship.

Susan wrote: "Sandy wrote: "I loved Death Under a Little Sky, but did not finish the second book. Originally, I respected his lifestyle, then thought it was an affectation that made life harder ..."

I was thinking of his living 'off the grid' which made it harder to connect with others.

Judy wrote: "I've just listened to an episode about Kett's rebellion from the Not Just the Tudors podcast presented by Suzannah Lipscomb, which I thought was very interesting as background to the book.

I wasn..."

Thank you! Undecided whether to listen now or later. I haven't even started Shardlake yet.

I am very impressed with the Roman water delivery system.

Al wrote: "Hello! My name is Al Ashcott. My favourite detective is Inspector Morse. Currently, I'm reading the seventh 'quintuplet' of Agatha Christie's. I have a collection of her books, 23 thick books with ..."

Welcome Al. I have wanted to read Morse since watching the TV series (so quite a while now) but the books have never risen to the top of my list.

Although I don't really remember the next book, my opinion doesn't count as the series is a reread. But I definitely remember the series ending.

I loved Death Under a Little Sky, but did not finish the second book. Originally, I respected his lifestyle, then thought it was an affectation that made life harder for everyone else and got annoyed with him.

Bryant & May not on sales in US. Too bad (though they are readily available at my library). A series I really want to pick up again.

Terry H wrote: "Finished up Black Mountain by Rex Stout recently. Big Nero Wolfe fan."

I really need to get back to that series. I love the relationship between Wolfe and Archie.

I'm reading The Paper Bark Tree Mystery, third in one of the series we read for last year's challenge.

Frances wrote: "It took me a while to figure out whether this was set in the UK or US-they used dollars but talked of places that are in the UK (although I assume there a places with the same name in the US). I'm ..."

Regarding place names: there are not many original names in New England; we took the "new" England designation seriously.

Just read A Death in Diamonds, wherein Queen Elizabeth II very quietly solves mysteries. This is the fourth in the series and, unlike the first three, is historical, taking place in 1957. Nicely intricate plot.