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

Tara ’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

The great thing about Goodreads groups is that they introduce you to authors you might never have otherwise encountered, but the flip side is that there will sometimes be authors that you just do not enjoy. That's how I felt when we did the PD James challenge, but I forced myself to finish all of the books. But I'll never read her stuff again. Twelve chances are more than enough!

I'm enjoying the minutiae of chasing down every lead--be it fingerprint, currency, or a handwriting sample. Feels like how a real investigation would go.

Judy wrote: "I've given up on For the Love of Mike by Rhys Bowen- I got to about halfway through but just wasn't enjoying it and very little had happened. Aso the specific copy I..."

I read this collection last year and really enjoyed it. Some stories were better than others (as is the case with all short story collections), but a wider variety of content than you would think given the constraint of the subject matter. It reminds me that I should pick back up Foreign Bodies, which I started a long time ago, and haven't read in ages.

Susan in NC wrote: "I started listening to The House Without a Key, which has been nominated a few times, and has since been on my TBR list. It’s quite cold an..."

I've been wanting to read this book myself. Sounds like just the thing to lift you out of the winter doldrums.

Karen M wrote: "My name is Karen and I'm from NJ. I grew up reading mysteries, Margery Allingham (I love Albert Campion), Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, John Creasey, Dorothy L. Sayers, and the more current Carolin..."

Welcome Karen! Some of my favorite books as an adult are the ones I fondly remember taking out from my local library as a kid. Those early reading memories really stick with you.

Sid wrote: "Hi, Jan, and thanks for the welcome. Yes - Chandler is truly great, I think. I re-read The Lady In The Lake every so often, just for the pleasure of meeting Constable Jim Patton again!"

Welcome Sid! I've never read Lady in the Lake, but recently watched the movie, whose male lead and director was Robert Montgomery. It was an interesting stylistic choice to shoot the film from the POV of the audience, which didn't really work for me. I'm curious if you've seen it, and if you have, what your thoughts were about it.

Colin wrote: "The early books from the 30s were definitely more hard-boiled with Mason coming across as something of a tough guy. They are a lot of fun but can feel radically different for anyone expecting a cha..."

Its amazing how prolific the man was, averaging between 1-2 million words a year. I suspect the fact that he dictated his novels and had a staff of 6 secretaries to transcribe them, was a huge factor in having the time to produce so much. His work creating an organization to help free wrongly incarcerated people is also highly noteworthy.

Betsy wrote: "I love the old Perry Mason TV series with Raymond Burr! You’ll find the books have much more intricate plots but otherwise provide all the same fun."

According to the introduction by Otto Penzler, the earlier books were more hard boiled (back when Gardner was producing stories for the pulps, most notably Black Mask), perhaps similar to how Ellery Queen resembled Philo Vance in the early works, but was altered in later books.

About to read my first Perry Mason The Case of the Baited Hook: A Perry Mason Mystery. I've only read one short story with this character and enjoyed it. They all seem so familiar to me from having seen a bunch of the TV series.

The one plus about setting this series during the civil war is that it adds intrigue and unrest to a life that might otherwise prove too boring to bother to read about, and certainly sets up believable scenarios for treachery and murder.

Peters certainly did what she could to show that Eluid was a very decent person, putting his own life at risk 3 times throughout the novel to save his cousin, Elis. Our victim, Gilbert Prestcote, doesn't seem to be liked by many, although he is a fair, if harsh, arbiter of justice.
Normally I am not one to root for the killer, but in a circumstance that in today's terms would have been considered manslaughter, or 2nd or 3rd degree murder, the death penalty seems to be unduly harsh, and as Melicent said, would not bring her father back.

Colin wrote: "There have been a number of Carr titles republished in recent years, mainly (though not exclusively) thanks to the British Library and Otto Penzler's American Mystery Classics.
In fact, the Britis..."

I have 3 of the AMC titles of Carr:

The Plague Court Murders
The Mad Hatter Mystery
The Eight of Swords

Abigail wrote: "Have missed you on Goodreads, Susan in NC—hope you aren’t suffering a power outage!

Finished Island Beneath the Sea, which grew on me as I went along; now for some fun reading, [bo..."

I've recently discovered the charms of Wodehouse, although I've only read from the Blandings Castle series thus far.

Lady Clementina wrote: "I finally finished; I quite enjoyed reading this--the creepy atmosphere he created with the graves and Transylvanian elements (which especially works in the snowy surrounds), the illusions and the ..."

I was especially creeped out by all of the references to coffins, and people coming out of and going back in them.

Abigail wrote: "Tara, as someone who slaved away for a couple of decades editing cookbooks, it warms my heart to hear that someone actually reads the text! ❤️

I am starting to read Island beneath the Sea by Isabe..."

It makes for fun, if hungry reading! But I find that it can be a way to vicariously enjoy the food without the calories. Great for someone trying to eat healthy.

Susan, the cookbook is a nice blend of recipes mentioned on the show, as well as invented ones based on the character's personality. Dorothy for example didn't do much cooking, so hers are influenced more by her organizational mind than anything else. I'll let you know if the results are any good.

Susan in NC wrote: "Sid wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Oh, my, you are lucky, to be living surrounded by so much history!"

We are. I've spent quite some time in the US in various points in my life and have seen some fan..."

I was born and raised in NYC, but it is my dream one day, perhaps once my husband and I retire, to visit all of the National Parks. I do love the country, although not so much all of the bugs!

Being such a foodie, I read cookbooks like I do ordinary books, so I tend to love the ones with more of a narrative format and/or a backstory that makes them interesting. In honor of Betty White, I'm reading Golden Girls Cookbook: More than 90 Delectable Recipes from Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia, which has a bunch of stuff I want to try.

Unfortunately, I often find that newer historical mysteries have too much of the modern world and its perspective creep into the story and characters, and it's too jarring for me to get immersed into their world. I'll be skipping this one, but I hope those who read it, enjoy it!

Having finished (and loved) Laura, I have now started Dead Man's Ransom. More star-crossed lovers it seems, but I do adore Brother Cadfael.

Judy wrote: "I thought the film of Laura was brilliant - will be interested to hear what you think of the book, Tara."

Normally I'm of the school of the book being better, but I think in this case each version makes the most of the medium it's in. The film is noir at its finest, while the book takes advantage of multiple narrative voices during the course of the investigation.