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

Sandy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Tania wrote: "I have started, and what a lot of characters are thrown at us in the first chapter. Still, if 3 are going to die soon, that will reduce the ammount I have to keep track of."

I put the book down for a couple of days and have forgotten at least one name when I picked it back up. Still haven't gone back to find out who he is. (And it is a re-read.)

Barbara wrote: "I gave up on the Robotham book I was reading and after the news that came out yesterday about a gun incident on a movie set out in New Mexico, I picked up my copy of a mystery called "Plot Twist." ..."

Haven't read that book but I immediately thought of various GA mysteries set in theatres.

I've started my reread and the characters are coming back as they are introduced but the future is still a mystery.

Absolutely loved The Man Who Died Twice. What a great read. Hope the author is working on the next book.

Judy wrote: "Sandy wrote: "I disagree about the humor; I thought there were lots of wry comments. ..."

You are right, Sandy - I noticed a lot of these while looking back through. There are some amusing comment..."

I agree that Bobby and Mitchell had a special relationship. Did we read a much later book where Bobby visits Mitchell in his retirement? I hope they have kept in touch.

One reason there were so many suspects is because there were so many guilty parties. Even a couple of the 'good guys', the brother posing as a chauffeur and the butler with the criminal past, were thieving.

I agree that Bobby gets a variety of cases and that keeps the series fresh.

Judy wrote: "Sandy, I also picked up The Christmas Egg from the library today - spotted it on the shelf and couldn't resist although that means I'm probably going to end up reading it rather early for Christmas!"

I also visited the library today and came home with 2 - 3 books, all new and due in two weeks with no renewals. (2 or 3 because one is for my boyfriend but looks interesting.)

One is Exit, a "darkly comic thriller".

I disagree about the humor; I thought there were lots of wry comments. Of course thinking of specific examples isn't working for me. Bobby's relationship with this boss such as when to speak and when to be quiet is the only thing I can remember.

The Dalton books have nice covers and I own the first in the series, One by One They Disappeared so have hopes of reading that before December.

I also have hopes of reading a couple of other nominees: The Christmas Egg and The King is Dead: a cozy 1930s English murder mystery set in a country house so we'll see how many I actually read.

I am reading The Man Who Died Twice, the second entry in the Thursday Murder Club series, and I love these elderly folks. Enjoying the book so far; murder has occurred.

I'm about a third in and the plot and suspects are becoming quite entangled. Good luck with your memory refresh Judy.

I plan to re-read this and should be starting fairly soon, after Bobby Owen and the new Thursday Murder Club. I love Fen's humor but all the books blend together.

Jan C wrote: "Finished One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton. I enjoyed it. A fairly quick (and engrossing) read for me. Captured my attention."

One of those kindle books I own but never read. I should move it up the TBR list.

Jackie wrote: "I just finished A Question of Betrayal which I accidentally read not understanding it was the second of a series. I don't think that matters, however, since it was very clear what h..."

I've read almost all of the Monk series and Perry sure does use a lot of question marks. I'm starting the Pitt series and tried the book before Question of Betrayal but did not finish it. Decided I would rather work on the Pitts, and finish Monk, spacing them out as you said. I haven't noticed the question marks with the Pitts but I may be used to them by now.

Joanne wrote: "I'm continuing to enjoy the Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd (a mother and son writing duo). The first in the series is called A Test of Wills. These books take place in various UK..."

I have always heard good things about that series and hope to get to it sometime. I tried a couple of their other series with a young woman protagonist, but didn't read very many. I think I dropped it only because I was starting Masie Dobbs at the time and they were too similar.

Did you hear that the mother of the duo died quite recently? I hope the son can keep up the quality.

Judy wrote: "Sandy, I know the love triangle does end, but I wish it ended a lot sooner. I haven't tried Stephanie Plum as yet."

Then, like you, I would continue on to the bitter end. It's that 'completist' mentality.

If Ellie was correct that some of the help were also security people then some one did take precautions. Didn't Poirot say once that a determined murderer couldn't be prevented but could only caught later? That is particularly true when they are married to the victim.

Judy wrote: "All this Carr talk has reminded me to start It Walks by Night: A Paris Mystery, a British Library reprint which I got out of my local library but keep forgetting to read and having ..."

Judy, do you know if the triangle ever ends? I gave up on Stephanie Plum resolving her love life many books ago. I've never read Fluke but now avoid any hint of a long lasting triangle.

Tara wrote: "I enjoyed the shifting narrator--Sir Eustace certainly played the dolt very well. I wonder how Major Belcher felt about the character that was based on him, and if he recognized all of the negative..."

I just finished The Grand Tour: Letters and Photographs from the British Empire Expedition 1922, Christie's letters and journal from her trip with Major Belcher. From the epilogue it seems Belcher was well aware of his faults and had a sense of humor about them. He and the Christies remained friends although they were barely speaking by the end of the trip.

Our different impressions are interesting as I felt the narrator was evil right from the start, thus I never trusted him. I didn't know what his plan was, whether he was really in love with Ellie, or if he would be victim or murderer but I just knew he was a bad one and resented listening to his story.