Judy’s Comments (group member since Oct 01, 2015)

Judy’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

I'm looking forward to this one as the introduction sounds really intriguing! Who is reading it or planning to?

Thanks as always to Susan for setting up the threads.

The spoiler thread is linked below:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Just opening up our latest batch of buddy reads, with thanks as always to Susan for posting the threads and introductions.

Who is joining in on this one? I have picked it up from the library but haven't started yet - looking forward to it, though, after enjoying the first two in the series.

The spoiler thread is linked below:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks for the great comments, Pamela. Must admit I hadn't noticed those alliterative initials at all!

Sandy, I read the first book in the Martin Walker series in 2016 and always meant to read on but haven't done so yet, though I think I've bought one or two more on Kindle deals! Oddly, when I tried to check when I read it, GR says I wrote my review in 2023 - the site seems to be getting ever more erratic.

I saw The Mousetrap when it went on tour round the UK - I wonder if it will ever be filmed, as I think originally the idea was to wait until the stage production finished! ;)

I've just read The Vanishing Corpse by Anthony Gilbert, after it was recommended in the Shedunnit podcast. It is one of the books in her series about solicitor Arthur Crook. I thought it was a really entertaining read and I liked it much better than the books by this author chosen for British Library reissues, Death in Fancy Dress and (published under her other pseudonym, Anne Meredith) Portrait of a Murderer.

I've now started our forthcoming Maigret buddy read, The Judge's House, which has a great start. However, I note that this book features an "old lady" of 64 (my age), while the Anthony Gilbert book features an "elderly lady" in her 50s!

Susan in NC wrote: "Decided to chuck Mrs. Pargeter and start Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers for another group’s upcoming read - I love meeting Miss Climpson in this one! ..."

We've also got a buddy read of Unnatural Death coming up in this group in April, Susan, so you'll be ready to join in with it here too! :)

That sounds brilliant, Susan. I like the Billy Wilder film of Witness for the Prosecution with Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich, but would also love to see it on stage.

Hope you both like the book, Neer and Jan.

There's still time to vote in our March group read poll - please take a look if you haven't voted yet:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/voters...

Susan in NC wrote: "I started our next Mrs, Pargeter, but really not grabbing me…kind of on the back burner while I read more interesting books!"

Sorry to hear that, Susan! I've started Something The Cat Dragged In by Charlotte MacLeod, our next Peter Shandy buddy read, and am enjoying it so far - pleased to see that the college characters feature more in this one than in the previous book.

Ha, that list of things that are a bit far-fetched is very true, Frances! Cristina, I must agree that the murder by branch sounds like something in an unlikely episode of a mystery series - maybe Midsomer Murders? But I enjoyed it despite all the unlikely elements.

I agree the Branagh versions are too melodramatic, Susan. I really like the Suchet episodes, especially the earlier ones with Hastings and Miss Lemon!

The poll is now open - please cast your votes here:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

Thanks, Susan, I've been meaning to get Ultra-Processed People so have grabbed it for 99p.

Sherlock Holmes is a lot of fun, Jackie - the short stories are the best with him. Good to hear you are enjoying this book :)

Nick, the book was adapted for an episode of the Poirot series starring David Suchet - I saw this a few years ago and remember it as being very good. I think that is the only English-language screen adaptation, as far as I can tell from looking at the imdb and the book's Wikipedia page.

Susan in NC wrote: "Exactly , he actually ridicules crawling on the ground after cigarette butts in later books, as I recall! ..."

Oh yes, I think you're right there, that rings a bell!

I also noticed that Poirot has a limp at the start of this book, but then starts running and jumping around (not something he goes in for later), so he seems to recover quite quickly!

Curtis Evans has also written a full obituary of Catherine Aird on his blog:
https://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/...

I've just read that Catherine Aird sadly died just before Christmas - she was 94 years old. Martin Edwards was a friend of hers and has written a nice tribute on his blog.
https://doyouwriteunderyourownname.bl...