Tara ’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2017)

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Rosina wrote: "I love Ariadne too - although I don't expect her to weave her hair into a thread to help Hercule Thésée Poirot find his way through the labyrinth to rescue Norma from the monster.

Does she ever ap..."

She was also in some of the Parker Pyne stories, but in a much less prominent role.

Does anyone have thoughts around the doctor/patient romance Poirot facilitates? While I'm happy that Norma can find someone that truly loves her, emotions in that type of dynamic can be quite complicated and I am not sure it is entirely above board.

I'm reading The Great Hotel Murder by Vincent Starrett, another Golden Age author that is new to me. I'm curious to read more from him, as he also wrote books on books and book collecting (some of my non-mystery literary interests).

Mr. Goby seems like such an interesting little man. I've known people who never make direct eye contact, and its completely disconcerting. I wonder if its a tactic, or some degree of shyness.

I really enjoyed this, probably largely due to the prominent role Ariadne Oliver took in the story. I figured out quite early that Norma's "father" was an imposter. Too much attention was drawn to the fact that he looked exactly like his portrait, and it was odd that it had been moved to London (likely meant to be a reinforcement of his identity). However, I did not get the Mary/Frances angle, so that was a complete surprise.

I'm most excited to continue Cadfael and Elizabeth Peters. I've never read Heyer, but I will probably give her a try.

Has the group read The Railway Detective by Edward Marston before? If not, I'm happy to nominate.

London 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways, but not everyone feels like celebrating... In an audacious attack, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, causing many casualties. Planned with military precision, this crime proves a challenge to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck who fights to untangle a web of murder, blackmail and destruction. As Colbeck closes in on the criminal masterminds, events take an unexpected turn when the beautiful Madeleine, daughter of the injured train driver, becomes a pawn in the criminals' game. With time running out, good and evil, new and old, battle against each other. But will the long arm of the law have speed on its side? The Railway Detective is an action-packed dip into murky 1850s London. Full of historical detail, unexpected twists and memorable characters, this is a mystery that will surprise you at every turn.

Judy wrote: "I've had a message from a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth asking for UK book group members to take part in a survey about reading during the coronavirus crisis. I've just filled out the su..."

Looks like its only intended for people living in the UK, otherwise I would totally participate. Hopefully there should be some interesting studies to come out of these lockdowns.

Jessica wrote: "This will be my very first encounter with this story. The synopsis indicates that Ariadne Oliver will be here again too, that's nice!"

Both her and Poirot are introduced quite early, which is a good sign!

Sandy wrote: "Laurence wrote: "Sandy wrote: "I've read a few non-mysteries lately. I finished A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You, a quick and interes..."

This sounds really interesting Sandy.

Judy wrote: "I think my first Christie may have been a Miss Marple one with poison pen letters - not sure which one that is now! I still tend to love that plot element though."

The Moving Finger?

I started Third Girl, I could not wait to start until November. So thrilled that Poirot is introduced in the first sentence (I find myself just waiting for his entrance when he pops in later on), as well as my all-time fav, Ariadne Oliver!
Also, in my effort to get in my vintage Halloween-y reads, I'm about to start The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart. What says Halloween better than swarms of bats and rats?!

Judy wrote: "Tara, Marsh only wrote 3 1/2 chapters and some notes, but Duffy also added some material into the completed chapters - I have linked to an interview about it in the spoiler thread."

Thanks, I will check that out :)

Judy wrote: "I just noticed this post on the Goodreads blog, asking for recommendations for readers new to audiobooks.

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...

..."

I love anything that Hugh Fraser narrates, but his rendition of Endless Night by Agatha Christie was particularly excellent. He gets the mood just right.

Does it say anywhere how much of the book was written by Marsh? I'm not that far along, but it somehow feels like a modern person writing a vintage book, but I don't know if that's just my own preconceptions getting in the way.
Without looking back at my ratings, I would say the books I think about the most often, in no particular order are: Clutch of Constables, False Scent, Killer Dolphin and Black As He's Painted.

Thanks everyone. I guess I was in a rush to see who he was chasing, and missed exactly what the passage contained. It is worded a bit funny, which makes it more difficult to determine exactly what occurred.

I was confused how Rockingham died. Did he shoot himself when he was about to be caught? I enjoyed the book thoroughly, although I agree with others that the level of coincidences were a bit too much.

Susan in NC wrote: "Ruth wrote: "I started this one on audio but then had a 'look inside' on the kindle edition because I wanted to get the characters who appear in the first chapter fixed in my head and decided I muc..."

Absolutely agree. I mentioned in another thread that I'm really turned off by the narrator to all of the PD James books I've read, and I suspect that is part of the reason I have disliked them so much. There is a different narrator for the latest one I'm reading, and perhaps uncoincidentally, its been my favorite. I generally prefer to read books, but audiobooks allow me to read a lot more than I would normally be able to get through.
I really enjoyed this book. My favorite aspect was Inspector Macdonald, who seemed to keep a level head and a sense of humor, despite the most horrific circumstances. He was also keenly aware that his personal dislike for suspects could interfere with his impartiality, which the less well-trained of us are not so perceptive about.

Betsy wrote: "My husband reads aloud to me while I cook and wash dishes. Our latest book that we read this way was The Case of the One-Eyed Witness by Erle Stanley Gardner. My husband does a great imitation Raym..."

I wish my husband would read to me! Unfortunately our book interests don't overlap enough for this to be feasible. We have gotten into listening to audiobooks during car trips though, which has been fun.

Jessica wrote: "Just in case we all still don't have enough Agatha Christie books ;-)

https://www.bookbub.com/books/midwint...

"There’s a chill in the air and the days are growing short..."

I probably have at least some of the short stories in other collections, but I do so love seasonal reads.