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

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I recently started The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson after very much enjoying the Longmire series on Netflix. The book is very different from the TV series, as one would expect, but both are good in their own way. I think I will continue along with the series, which is my first foray into Western Mysteries!

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful recommendations ladies! I went with Advertise, Tailors and Bellona. I will have to try to squeeze them in between Marsh and Christie readings, which won't be easy!!

I am looking for some advice please, from the resident experts :) I have not read any of Sayers books before, but there are a whole bunch of them on sale today in the US for $2.99. Would you be able to recommend if any of these are stand alone works, or if not, which would be the best to start of with? The options include: Strong Poison, Unnatural Death, Gaudy Night, Clouds of Witness, The Nine Tailors, Murder Must Advertise, Lord Peter Views the Body, and The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club.

Suki wrote: "I am beginning to get more comfortable with, and enjoy, the Alleyn character more. I think Marsh is, too.

I had put off reading this book because of the title. I have recently had to place my moth..."

I think Marsh is finding her rhythm more and more as the series progresses, with the latest offering, A Death in Ecstasy, being the best one so far, IMO.

I also assumed that the nursing home was a geriatric facility, I wonder how that switching of terms occurred?

Hope your mom is doing well in her new surroundings :)

I was skeptical Jessica, since it is not quite like Poirot to lose his composure in such a fashion, but then again, he does get himself quite flustered when he's amongst nature, so it was a possibility. It is quite fun when they play around with the supernatural, similar to the seance in The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor.

Susan wrote: "Just a reminder that The Murder at Sissingham Hall is still free on kindle in the UK. As it's next months read, I thought it was worth posting for those who haven't read it yet."

Thanks Susan, it is also free in the US (which isn't always the case). I wasn't planning on reading as I have an overstuffed plate already, but who can say no to free?!?

I am about 3/4 done, and I have enjoyed these. As others have said, sometimes it is nice to have a quick mystery that you can get through in one sitting, despite the lack of development on all fronts.
My favorite so far is The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, mostly because I find all things Egyptian to be fascinating, and curses make great fodder for thrillers. Does anyone know if she ever wrote a full-length story on that subject?
My least favorite is The Adventure of the Cheap Flat, mostly because I disliked the TV version so much (I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen, but the American FBI agent has a much bigger role, and couldn't be any more of a blustering, blundering stereotype if he tried). Also, its nearly impossible to fathom the confluence of a woman of the right age, physical description, and name showing up to let the flat.

I had to wait to read until the ebook/audiobook was available at my library, so I am getting to these rather late. I've never read these before, but I have seen the David Suchet adaptions, so unfortunately I know the ending in most cases (although there have been some changes to the plot for the TV adaptations). While the runway is rather short for these, so you don't get the suspenseful build-up of character arcs and deep plot lines, it is a great way for Poirot to showcase his "little gray cells", which would amuse him to no end I am sure.
The audiobook version is particularly delightful in that is narrated by David Suchet, and he does various voices and accents, including the Poirot voice we have grown to love from the TV series. Much better than the voice inside my head!

This entry seemed different from the earlier ones in the series in that I felt like you really don't get to know (or particularly like or dislike) any of the suspects. I think in a way, it makes it a bit easier to ferret out the culprit (not that I managed that personally) as you aren't emotionally invested in any characters one way or another. Did anyone figure out whodunit?

I liked this one, although I don't think its my favorite of the series (perhaps my lack of interest in the medical aspect of the plot). I thought the inclusion of Nigel and Angela into the plot added some lightness and humor, which was a nice distraction from the dryness of anesthetics and patent medicines. I also quite enjoy the banter between Allen and Fox, even those others find this a bit obnoxious.
I did not guess the killer, although Thoms was a bit of a contender during the reconstruction (particularly around him forgetting when to come in and go out, and his over the top freak out over Marigold's spill with the apparatus). We'll have to see in future reads if someone calling out the killer (as Nigel does), should be zeroed in on rather than dismissed out of hand.

The scene when Vera returns to the house after shooting Lombard, when she is walking up those stairs, so haunting, and the part of the narrative that has stuck with me the most.

There isn't really a lot of sleuthing in this book, but definitely a lot of suspense and atmosphere. I could see how it would appeal to people who don't necessarily like detective stories. It shows Christie's range as a writer, and why she is considered one of the best.

Having seen the movie a while ago, but vaguely remembering that there was a romance and a few people who survived, I thought right up until the end that Vera and Lombard might go that way. Quite a different ending though! I think there is a part of us that wants to see people escape the jaws of a killer, whether or not they themselves are less than good. However, I think the book has so much more impact, and really sticks with you, by virtue of not going that route. Its dark, its dreary, but its also darn good!

Marwan wrote: "Tara wrote: "I'm making my way back through this series myself, just finishing G is for Gumshoe. How do you like them?"

I love the series. I've read A,B,D,F,H and O so far."

This is one of the few contemporary detective series I have read, as I mostly read GA authors, particularly Christie. I am so sad we will never get to Z :(

Marwan wrote: "Started reading C Is for Corpse by Sue Grafton"

I'm making my way back through this series myself, just finishing G is for Gumshoe . How do you like them?

I just started The Inklings: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Their Friends on Audible. I am not a huge fan of the narrator, but as I love all things Tolkien I am willing to bear it!

Jessica wrote: "I'm about 50% in now, and quite surprised at how enjoyable the book is to read! I am happy that some of you are also "cheating" the system by listing the books as separate entities whilst reading f..."

I always list my books separately Jessica. I need my credit! Besides, even if compiled into a collection, technically they are separate works (and were published in other versions as such), so I don't really consider it cheating ;)

Sue wrote: "I just finished this today and it seems a real step up in quality from A Man Lay Dead. It's much more believable. Her knowledge of the theatre comes across clearly and the early scene when Alleyn e..."

I actually enjoyed the reenactment, and thought that it must have made it easier to visualize where everyone was. It was probably even better as done by actors who would be more realistic in their walk-through.

I did think that Felix Gardener as the culprit was an excellent choice. I almost immediately discarded him in my mind as a suspect because the ploy seemed too obvious and more likely a frame-up.

One of the elements that I found to be the most distasteful was the drug culture/parties subplot. I tend to think of heroin as a modern-day problem, but I suppose there were opium dens way back in Sherlock Holmes. Its hard for me to imagine such addicts being high functioning and being able to still act well. Perhaps we are meant to think of them as just being dabblers, but that seems like a hard drug to just dabble with. I wonder if its potency and side effects were different from what we see nowadays.