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

Sandy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

P.S. Much earlier this year I read the Penny / Hillary collaboration, State of Terror: A Novel on a whim and liked it even though the genre is not one of my favorites.

Sid wrote: "Jackie wrote: "I loved The Madness of Crowds!"

I really didn't! 😊 Just goes to show how a book can take each of us differently.

My review is quite grumpy so you may not want to look at it, but it..."

I enjoyed your review. And agree. With many. Points. Even if I don't agree with all. For example, I loved the All the Devils Are Here. But what was a Nobel Prize contender doing in Three Pines? And how does the bistro / inn stay in business in an unmapped town? Sometimes belief must be suspended, and I love most of the series.

I read The Madness of Crowds, the latest in the Three Pines series. I started this months ago and put it aside as I found the subject matter too difficult at that time. I still found it intense and had some problems with the plot and the presentation, but I'm glad I read it. Some of the reviewers call the series 'cozy' and I disagree. While there are plenty of scenes with food and drink in the bistro, the books cover serious subjects and are often intense. I am now ready for the next book I expect at the end of the summer.

As a 'palate cleanser' I started my re-read (re-listen) of our next Flavia DeLuce and a humorous historical mystery with a ghost, Nobody's Sweetheart Now. I have also started The Life of Crime: Unravelling the mysteries of fiction’s favourite genre. I have covid so need to isolate for ten days and expect to do a lot of reading. Only cold-like symptoms so far so all is well.

Jackie wrote: "I just started Pomfret Towers and I can tell I'm really going to enjoy this one."

I read the first in that series quite a while ago. Always meant to continue but by now I would have to start over.

Hope the company makes up for the food Susan.

Michaela wrote: "Anyone having any experiences with Jodi Taylor? Her books are often on sale, but that doesn´t necessarily mean anything good. ;)"

I read the first several years ago. My review:

Good enough read but will not continue with the series. Plot got repetitive and many characters were not distinct enough to tell apart. A lot of them died ... I'm just not sure which ones. (This may be my fault as I put the book aside for a week or so while I read requested library books.) A 99 cent kindle purchase and an easy read so I don't regret it.

Tara wrote: "Continuing my monthly reads from the American Mystery Classics series, I've gotten a few chapters into The Eight of Swords: A Dr. Gideon Fell Mystery by [author:John Dickson Carr|56..."

I read that last year and found lots of humor in it. Enjoy.

Judy wrote: "Sandy, I've just done a bit of Googling and it sounds as if the method described is probably possible, as apparently Freeman used to try the forensic science methods in his books out himself.

I fo..."

I'm impressed that Freeman tested all his methods. No wonder he wanted to include all the technical details.

Happy Fourth to our US members. To the Brits, an apology for all the trouble we caused.

I liked this book a lot, even the technical explanations, which surprised me as I didn't like the Thorndyke story in Capital Crimes (notes now lost so no idea why). I think the Sherlock Holmes vibe was so strong that Freeman could have been sued today. Thorndyke is a much more genial version with a sense of humor and human emotions.

I agree the thief was obvious from the start but that really didn't seem to be the point of the story. It was more how could they prove Rueben innocent. Like Judy I wonder if it is actually possible to fake a fingerprint.

I thought the romance was fine and allowed Freeman to show Thorndyke's perceptiveness. The wife was a wonderful character. I liked all her appearances and her time on the witness stand was a treat.

I too need to ponder a bit, but Michael Gilbert has never disappointed. I often think of his book set in a prisoner of war camp.

I will be starting this today. Good to see all the positive comments.

I am reading The Bangalore Detectives Club, one of three new library books due back in a couple of weeks. This is set in Bangalore (obviously) in 1921 and features a new young (19!) wife.

I've just started and have learned the women, who could only swim out of view of men, if at all, swam in saris. The young wife is fascinated to discover swimsuits (form-fitting and exposing the arms) are available in the big city and hopes her mother-in-law will allow her to have one.

Susan wrote: "Ah, OK. Just thought I'd mention it, in case."

Thank you.

Susan wrote: "It isn't the first in the series, though, Sandy, just to let you know. The Windsor Knot is the first."

I have read the first, just didn't remember the name. Three Dog is called something different over here.

My opinion is much the same as Sid's. I loved it at first then thought it dragged on too long. I found the wood lice resolution silly. I googled wood lice to see if they were something entirely different across the pond, like paraffin, but they seem to just be our pill bugs. In addition I dislike those long confessions that go on for pages and pages.

On the plus side, the couple is engaging and the setting excellent. Anyone else picture Myrna Loy and William Powell from the Thin Man movies?

I see both of the last two nominations on kindle in the US, Lorac for $8 and Juggernaut for $3.

Finished To Love and Be Wise and really enjoyed Grant and Tey's other characters though I thought there was a plot hole or two and a bit of improbability in the resolution. I have requested the audio version of The Daughter of Time which was my first Tey years ago. In this book she got to rant how no one ever knew the author of a play and how lucky it was to even get a play into rehearsal.

I was amused by the first in A Three Dog Problem: The Queen Investigates a Murder at Buckingham Palace series and am on the wait list for this book.

Judy wrote: "I think Georges Simenon and E.R. Punshon both wrote more than one book a year early on, but slowed down a bit later."

They must have, or started in infancy.