Ruth’s Comments (group member since Oct 06, 2015)

Ruth’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

LovesMysteries wrote: "Today's US cozies are more light and fluffy compare to its British counterpart and British cozies or "traditional mysteries" focus more on the puzzle element and "whodunit" ..."

Yes I'd agree there. My favourite kind of mystery combines that puzzle element with great characters and a good story, no matter if it's golden age or modern. I don't enjoy the more forensic series.

One of the things I love about the Golden Age mysteries is their setting. Crime mysteries tend to go into more detail about the settings so you get descriptions of houses, fashion, social etiquette etc which is perfect for a nostalgia nut like me!

I really enjoyed this one. I found it very atmospheric and suspenseful all the way through. I didn't know where it was going so just let go and went with it!

Susan wrote: "There are, though, other sub-genres that I am not so keen on (although I like some of them), such as cozies, and I do think that these kind of coffee shop, quilting, cat books, have put some readers off trying GA crime novels, which they tend to lump together with these kind of reads...."

I think the US cozies are a genre on their own. I enjoy it as light entertainment but it is different from its British counterpart which I would say includes authors like Hazel Holt and Anthea Fraser Ann Granger and Simon Brett. And cosy in the UK isn't as clearly defined as in the US which is where the lumping together tends to come in I think.

Susan wrote: "Ruth, I have no idea why books are 'kindleized' and then seem to vanish. It happened with Brand and with Jane Haddam, to name just two..."

It's so annoying isn't it! Something similar happened with the audio downloads available through the library - I was working my way through Ngaio Marsh when they suddenly all just disappeared!

I'd agree that the characters are 'real' - I think that's why her books make such good TV adaptations.

Perhaps she captures certain types as Miss Marple recognises.

Thank-you Judy and Susan for all your hard work and for making this such an interesting and engaging group.

Happy Christmas to all - hope you enjoy the season in your own favourite way,

Susan wrote: "Christianna Brand is one of my favourite GA authors. Sadly her books were available on kindle in the UK but now seem to have vanished. ..."

Have you got any ideas about how or why that happens? You would have thought that once a book was available on Kindle it would stay there.

Susan wrote: "I am reading that at the moment, Ruth, and really enjoying it. I think the Miss Marple challenge will be fun next year - most of the books are fairly short and you can read them out of order. I thi..."

I was thinking about the way everyone almost dismisses Miss Marple's ideas and comparisons to people she knows. I'd be interested to see if that continues all the way through the series or if she does eventually get more acknowledgment of her skills of detection.

Susan wrote: "My fave Miss Marple is A Murder Is Announced, but that may change after our challenge! "

Yes, I think A Murder is Announced is one of my favourites too, Susan. I also like her Miss Marple short story collection The Thirteen Problems.

Abigail wrote: "Ah, for the days of D. E. Stevenson and Elizabeth Goudge! Happy books all."

I'd love the trend for their sort of books to come round again!

Ruth wrote: "Susan wrote: "I have Yrsa Sigurdardottir's new novel on my TBR and reviewed pile, so I should listen to that, thanks Ruth."

I hadn't heard of her before but it was very interesting. I don't know h..."

I spoke too soon! Just listened to the last 5 mins of the show and he stumbles right at the end but I have a feeling he did it so he could say her name a few times to make it more familiar to the listeners.

Susan wrote: "I have Yrsa Sigurdardottir's new novel on my TBR and reviewed pile, so I should listen to that, thanks Ruth."

I hadn't heard of her before but it was very interesting. I don't know how Mark Billingham remembers all the pronunciations though - he didn't stumble at all!

Susan wrote: "I enjoy Nordic Noir, but they often have some of the most angst ridden detectives, in my opinion."

I've just listened to the episode of the podcast A Stab in the Dark where Mark Billingham talks to Anne Cleeves and Yrsa Sigurdardottir where they discuss Nordic Noir.

Gary wrote: "They can be read out of order, except for the last one, Family Plot, which should be read last. The first book is missing some of the supporting cast, Inspector Cramer and Lily Rowan, among them."

Thanks Gary.

Gary wrote: "I am rereading the Stout books having read this year for the first time Fer-de-Lance and having reread /one of my favorites, Some Buried Caesar."

Do you think they are all the same quality, and is it best to start with the first one?

Judy wrote: "Sorry Ruth, I haven't read any of the Miss Silver books yet so can't really answer. These early ones aren't really mysteries but far-fetched thrillers, the ones I've read so far anyway. But they ar..."

The bit about being great fun as long as you don't read too many at once is true about Miss Silver as well!

I love the Miss Silver books and that's partly because you know where you are with them - it's always an unpleasant character that gets murdered and you know it won't be the romantic leads whodunnit. Also there is always a happy ending where everything is resolved to everyone's satisfaction!

Judy wrote: "I'm reading one of the early Patricia Wentworth books republished by Dean Street Press, Touch and Go: A Golden Age Mystery - really enjoying it so far. I read too man..."

How do Patricia Wentworth's non Miss Silver books compare to her Miss Silver ones. If you enjoy one, would you enjoy the other do you think?

Susan wrote: "I have read a few Parker Pyne stories. There is obvious overlap - do you think it was a fondness for Miss Lemon which made her use her, or just authorial laziness?!"

Interesting point. Does she have any other characters who cross over like that? If not then I think it must be a fondness for the character. The whole issue of characters crossing from one series to another is fascinating - would you want to see a story where the paths of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple crossed for instance? I think I'd find that very unsettling!

I watched an episode of The Agatha Christie Hour this morning. This was a series made in the 1980s - A collection of ten hour-long dramas based on short stories by Agatha Christie.

This episode featured Parker Pyne - a very odd character, has anyone read any of these stories?

The thing that surprised me was that his secretary was Miss Lemon! This is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

'Pyne's secretary, Miss Lemon, is apparently the same woman who was secretary to Hercule Poirot. Whether she came into Pyne's employ during one of Poirot’s numerous retirements or before she entered his employ is unknown, though she is described as "a young woman" in Parker Pyne's story The Discontented Soldier, but as having grizzled hair in the Poirot novel Hickory Dickory Dock, suggesting that she worked for Pyne before working for Poirot. This, along with the appearance of Ariadne Oliver, suggests that Pyne and Poirot occupy the same fictional universe even though they have never actually met.'

Susan wrote: "The Billingham one covers television dramas and books, Ruth."

Perfect! I saw an advert for it on the Drama Channel this morning. Currently listening to the episode about how female sleuths have evolved.