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

Sandy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

For those who listen to podcasts, Shedunnit is discussing Gervase Fen poking fun at GA detectives. I haven't listened yet but am looking forward to it. Always a good podcast.

In the US (and for those reading Innes): A Private View is $1.

Has anyone tried either of the last two books? They are on my TBR.

Judy wrote: "I really liked Impact of Evidence but am not really enjoying The Secret Place by Tana French. I'm about halfway but think I will just skim through to the end. I feel it's too slow and repetitive wi..."

Maybe my list of 'authors to try' has gotten shorter or at least rearranged.

An addition to my list: The Mistletoe Mystery, a novella and next in the series. Requests always seem to become available at the same time.

My next two reads will be new books as a couple of my library requests are available. What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust, a new Flavia De Luce after several years, and The Grey Wolf, the latest Inspector Gamache.

Looking forward to both!

I suppose there doesn't have to be an explanation. He is Simenon's creation and he controls his fate. I wonder if there was a discussion amoung the fans at the time.

I realize the Maigret sequence is a bit fluid and I see our next read, supposedly #21, was published, per Goodreads, two years earlier than this one. So maybe we will find out what happened in January.

I definitely agree about the little boy. He lost his mother and governess, then his father gives him to a poor foreign stranger who doesn't speak his language. It seems he will be loved however.

Maigret is, sometimes, judge and jury: at times letting the person off, other times punching him. Not sure I approve.

Very glad he is back with the police but it is strange his short retirement is never mentioned.

Judy wrote: "I've started reading The Secret Place by Tana French, which is a book club choice for the Shedunnit podcast and sounded interesting - I think a boarding school setti..."

Tana French is another author I mean to try sometime. Unfortunately it is a long list.

I enjoyed this more as the stories progressed, probably helped as I then knew each was an intentional spoof of a then popular detective. The relationship between T & T is the best part.

Louise wrote: "At the moment I am working my way through the Peter Diamond series by Peter Lovesey, set in Bath. Currently on No.11, Stagestruck. It’s an enjoyable fairly light series featuring a gruff middle age..."

A series that I have wanted to read for a while. Didn't know it was set in Bath. I visited 2 - 3 times as a friend once lived there, and I recommend it highly. She had an apartment high over the city and we saw a balloons once.

Bellies yesterday and bumbums today?! I fear tomorrow.

Susan wrote: "Had either of you read anything by Elly Griffiths before? I did like it but I felt very much this was a first in a series - introducing the characters, etc."

I avidly read the Ruth Galloway series which is now concluded. It is a series in which the characters private lives and interrelationships are important. Not particularly dark (in my opinion) but I remember one involved the murders of children.

P.S. Poor Mrs. Maigret who was looking forward to retirement in the country.

I haven't started yet, though I have the book from the library. Glad to see Maigret is back on the job; his working on the side asking favors from his friends on the force would not work for too long.

A good start to a series with interesting characters in a different setting: vaudeville in 1950's Brighton. The premise involves a WWII group that attempted to trick the Nazis with various visual illusions - and there really were such attempts, many quite successful. Now two of the former group, one a police investigator and the other a successful magician, need to solve murders within the group. Probably a bit melodramatic (the early Ruth Galloways were as well) but good chemistry amoung the characters and an involved plot.

I am not as invested in these characters as I was with Ruth Galloway and her friends. I did not really warm to Max but Edgar and Diablo are great. I'm interested to see how the series develops.

Judy wrote: "I've just found this article which explains who all the detectives and authors mentioned are - I don't think there are major spoilers, but I'm going to read each paragraph after the relevant story ..."

Thank you very much for the article. I am (almost) tempted to reread the stories I have finished now that I know what they are spoofing. However, I'm afraid I don't know enough about most of the originals to really appreciate the spoof. The stories must have been a treat for avid mystery readers at the time.

Ditto of Judy's post.

Judy wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Something I will be reading at a future moment: Mr Campion's Christmas. ..."

I'll be interested to hear what you think of that one, Sandy - I have often wondered abo..."

The library is always my first choice.