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

Sandy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

US: The Tragedy at Freyne: A Golden Age English Country House Murder Mystery is $1.

Skipping over the prior posts so as to avoid spoilers ...

I am over a third in and not sure if I will complete the book. The second murder has occurred but the investigation has not progressed. The amateur detective expounds repeatedly on how not to approach the solution. And closed room mysteries are not my favorite as it is usually the means not the motive that drives the story. I'm being inconsistent as the detective is ignoring the 'how' for the 'why' which I should approve. I've posted this in the spoiler thread so I would not influence others.

I may just be in the wrong mood (still have a non-working arm and I had to euthanize one of my cats yesterday). but I will be checking the reviews in the non-spoiler thread before deciding whether to continue. Its not as though I have nothing to read!

I have started The Nine Tailors for our May challenge read. This is at least my third read and this time I'm listening to the audio version, read by Ian Carmichael. He does an excellent job, as one would expect.

I have several library books that have suddenly become available so will need to start on these soon.

The gift was made to match the earrings (husband 'stole' one to be copied) and I assumed a brooch, but it was called a clip ....

Agree that Crosby was not to blame. Had the police even found the jewelry bill before Crosby's interview?

I'm reading Death in the Grand Manor: A Tessa Crichton Mystery, a book I've had on my kindle for 'years'. I was looking for something short and light to intersperse with my non-fiction read, Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus. Grand Manor fits the bill nicely. The narrator has a dry wit I appreciate. I don't know about the mystery as I am halfway through, and everyone is alive and well. Even the vile character that I assume will not be much longer.

It was mildly significant as the jewelry that appeared on the victim's bill, and caused his daughter distress, was a birthday gift for the woman from her husband that the victim had copied from one of her earrings by a London jeweler. It tied into a phone conversation that daughter had with husband at the beginning: she was to tell her father that the wife had found her earring that was 'misplaced'.

Susan in NC wrote: "Nicole wrote: "I’m reading “Who speaks for the Damned” by CS Harris"

Ooo, on the wait list at my library for the latest one, one of my favorite series!"

My request is 'in transit'. So excited.

P.S. I was a bit annoyed with Bobby telling us he knew who the killer was for quite a while but didn't share it.

Punshon is excellent at atmosphere. The car chase at the end was an interesting change from the chase on foot through a dark forest and not often seen in GA books.

Carolien wrote: "I've just finished The Dark Garden, I'm piles behind on our buddy reads. I'm also reading The Kill Fee set in 1920's London."

The Kill Fee is lurking on my kindle, so yet another series I need to try.

Icewineanne wrote: "Welcome Nicole! Where are you from in Ontario? I’m in Toronto. Highly recommend that you add this book to your reading list. It’s a spy historical mystery [book:..."

I will be starting White Lady today and am looking forward to it.

Not sure I understand the explanation of this one. I do understand Foulcat's pendulum as, like Sloan, I know one from a science museum where the pegs fall as the world turns (small US soap opera joke). Not sure how the moving pendulum established his alibi as the time of death was known and I doubt he could assume the victim remained immobile waiting for the statue to fall. I listened to this and need to reread the ending.

And I started yesterday.

Sloan seemed unnecessarily disparaging to Crosby in this book.

Welcome Nicole. I love the St Cyr series and am on my library's wait list for the latest.

I've started now and, as I expected, I remember I've read it but nothing more. Good to not have ending spoiled.

Anne wrote: "Keith wrote: "Welcome!
I have read all Christie and a few Miss Silver which I am enjoying. My absolute favourite author however is Dorothy Sayers,, I have read and re-read her frequently,. I must a..."

Welcome to the group. I hope you enjoy any books you discover.

The buddy reads are series that some in the group are reading sequentially. They are inspired in various ways: we read the first in the series as a challenge read and some of us want to continue with the series or author; there was a great deal on the kindle books that some of took advantage of (looking at you Bobby Owen); the book lost the monthly vote but some still want to read it; etc. One distinction is that the books often aren't widely available so participation can be limited. For the other reads we try to assure the book is available in the UK and US. Another difference is that the buddy reads are often not Golden Age.

I read this about three weeks ago and, as usual, enjoyed visiting Cadfael's world.

I agree with all the comments made earlier. While I enjoyed the book, I found the ending rather 'blah'. I thought the Irish Robert with his quick temper much too obvious to be guilty. The actual murderer did not stand out from the crowd for me. I only recognized him as Robert's nemesis / skiing partner though I feel I should have picked up on his checked luggage.

Abigail brought up an excellent point of the various loose ends from the first robbery. I felt Gray was left undefined. We don't even know his name.

I've finished now and am off to the spoiler thread. Alway good to read a Lorac under any name.