Craftyhj’s Comments (group member since Dec 08, 2022)

Craftyhj’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I love The Wind in the Willows - it brings such happy memories of sitting at the kitchen table reading as a little girl.

I have been reading Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris and Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York - the original books which prompted the film.

I've just finished The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin. I quite enjoy the Gevaise Fen books once I have allowed for the casual patriarchy of the era.

I've just finished the first Maigret, Pietr the Latvian. I find the style very choppy although I appreciate this may also be increased by translation. I am a bit unresolved as to whether to continue with Maigret. I see that the general opinion is that they do not need to be read in order. Which are peoples favourite Maigrets?

I've just read the first one in this series. I shall probably carry on with the series as I liked the character of Freddy although I found the writing a little difficult at times - too many 70+ word sentences.

I'm definitely going to "audio" this one. I can't decide which version - I do love to listen to Hugh Fraser but I wonder if he is too firmly entrenched as Hastings for it to work in this one. Decisions, decisions ....

Sarah wrote: "I was having a bad day and went for a walk around the neighborhood, which features several Little Free Libraries, and snagged a paperback copy of Patricia Wentworth's "The Chinese Shawl."
https://w..."

I've started working my way through the available Miss Silver books. I read The Chinese Shawl earlier this month. I am enjoying the series. I like Miss Silver and I thought this one was well done other than the reveal which was just a teensy bit awkward (as indeed the final reveals often are in any mystery book). Nonetheless I really enjoy these books and am gradually working my way through them.

Sadly not in the uk. I have a list of authors who I look for whenever I am near a charity shop/secondhand book stall. I have added Wynne to the list.

I thought this was excellent. I am disappointed none of his other books are available.

Right now I have regressed to my childhood and am reading The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown. I read this and all of the sequels avidly when I was about 10 years old. It's quite fun, a little dated but beautifully nostalgic.

Susan in NC wrote: "Jackie wrote: "I plan to start Murder on the Caronia probably today. well, technically I have already started since I read the first paragraph when I downloaded the library book on my..."

Im interested to hear a positive review of the series- I read the first in the Railway series and was very disappointed. Perhaps I will have to give one of these a go.

Yew trees are traditionally planted in church graveyards in the UK so at the time Cyril Hare was writing this would have clearly marked the book out as a murder mystery even if the potential buyer was not aware of the literary quote. It might be the publishers felt that in other countries this wouldn't be known and this might make a difference to potential sales.

Sandy wrote: "I am a good way in and like the alternating plot lines. The names of the two detectives are playful; I can remember who is boss vs underling by knowing Rivers are bigger than Brooks."

well spotted!

Abigail wrote: "Finished Surfeit of Suspects (thank the good lord it’s over) and am rewarding myself with the book I’m most looking forward to among my April group reads, Love in a Cold Clima..."</i>

I had already decided to substitute [book:Surfeit of Suspects with a different Golden Age of Crime - it seems like that was a good decision on my part.

I am rereading the Mitford books during the course of the year. I haven't read them for about 30 years so I decided it was time. Enjoy.

I also smiled at the conversation about duvets. I remember getting my first as a child in the 70s. If I remember rightly it had a truly alarmingly floral cover, very flower power!

I've just finished this and really enjoyed it. It initially seems like an unwieldy cast of suspects but they are quickly whittled down to a manageable number. I liked the character of the detectives which is always important.

Ive read the first two so far - I am going to read When the Wind Blows this month so I will be a little behind this read but will get there.

I think audio may be the way for me when it comes to Dickens. I listened to Gulliver's Travels last year and I don't think I would have waded through it all on paper.

Well done Fred! I have never been able to get on with Dickens - far too wordy.

This was my first encounter with CI MacDonald and I liked him. He was intelligent and not morose as so many senior police officers seem to be in crime novels.

I mostly kept up with who was who but I was a little perplexed when the journalist popped up again. I quite liked him (he was a teeny bit Campionesque which endeared him to me) but he was just a bit of a surprise. I think MacDonald mentioned to one of the other characters that he had worked with the journalist before and so I expect for people who read the book when it was first published he mayn't have been such a surprise.

I was quite amused by the surprisingly murderously inclined pacifists!

I will definitely give another MacDonad story a go.

Abigail wrote: "I’m excited to start reading my first Daphne du Maurier book, Jamaica Inn."

Goodness - I haven't read that since I was a teenager many years ago! I look forward to hearing what you think