Reading the Detectives discussion
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What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread
Got a collection of J.S. Fletcher mysteries on my Kindle from somewhere free (not Gutenberg, not sure where) and have started them. Early days yet.
I love her stuff. I've read them all. She makes you think and anticipate as she builds suspense. Hers are those books that I can hardly wait to return to. New to the group this month, I've just acquired Five Red Herrings and am following the exploits of Lord Peter Wimsey.
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I am listening to the audiobook of The Wings of the Sphinx, an Inspector Montalbano mystery. So good!
Starting Raymond Chandler's Playback, Revenge of the Chili Queens by Kylie Logan, and I'll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark.
Just started Call Mr. Fortune by H.C. Bailey, a short story collection published in 1920. I thought the first story was great. It looks like he was pretty prolific, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._C._B..., mostly short stories, and mostly on the dark side. In the first one, someone tried to run down an archduke from Bohemia residing in England and when he discovered he ran down the wrong person, he tried again.
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Did H C Bailey also write Maisie Dobbs?
Sydney wrote: "Did H C Bailey also write Maisie Dobbs?"Maisie Dobbs was written by Jacqueline Winspear in 2003.
I'm halfway through The Circular Study (1900) by Anna Katharine Greene. It's an odd old New York mystery with its octogenarian detective, his clever brash young report, and an intuitive Grammercy Park lady.
I had not heard of Anna Katherine Green before and have just got the kindle version of the first Mr Gryce book. Thanks for that Linda, I shall look forward to trying that.
Oooh, that is great. I'll look forward to hearing what you think.
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I am jealous of all these Wentworth books available free only in the U.K.!!I was inspired by the group's selection of the first Alleyn book to reread via audiobook another Ngaio Marsh book -- Overture to Death. I have an old paperback copy (from 1963) but it is easier to find time to listen to it than read it these days.
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Dean Street Press are certainly coming up with a lot of free books for those of us in the UK - sorry it doesn't apply in the US, Leslie!
The Dark Garden... is free in the US as well, just grabbed it myself
I did realise that it was number 15 but the way things are going , in the fullness of time, the missing books may appear.
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I'm going to start the August read, The red house mystery !
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I gave up on the modern mystery set in a vineyard which I mentioned earlier, The Merlot Murders, because after a few pages I realised the writing style was going to annoy me.
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I listened to The House of Silk several years ago. It was okay. I enjoyed it. I've also listened/read his next one, Moriarty.
Im not sure where to post this but about J Tey and the Grant novels? I have been reading some reviews and some people are saying that they are terribly snobbish and racist?
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I'm just the opposite. The more that I read the Dobbs series, the less I liked it so I didn't even bother with the last one or two.
I have read the first three. I liked the first book the best , but do intend to carry on with the series.
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Judy wrote: "Ooh, I'd be interested to hear what you think of that one, Jill. After finishing all the original Holmes stories a few months back, I'm missing him and Watson..."I find myself reading Holmes over and over again- so I never ever 'finish' the books!
I thought the first book in the Maisie Dobbs series was okay - but that the next few were very good (up through A Mapping of Love and Death or so) - and that the series declined after that. The last one I read was Leaving Everything Most Loved, disliked it, and probably won't return to the series.
I just finished Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None - wow. I had not read this since my early teen years, and I did not recall how creepy it is! I read it for another on-line book group - definitely a worthwhile re-read.
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Good idea, I certainly aim to reread them in the future! I only 'finished' my current read. :)
Nadine wrote: "Im not sure where to post this but about J Tey and the Grant novels? I have been reading some reviews and some people are saying that they are terribly snobbish and racist?"I don't remember her books having anything racist in them. This type of complaint has been made about most of the Golden Age writers I think; I disagree with it but they were products of their time so class (and race) consciousness is a part of their books.
Just my 2¢
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I stopped after the first Maisie Dobbs book too - I quite enjoyed it but found her background completely unbelievable. I'll be interested to hear if you feel the series gets better - so often if I do give up after one book, I then discover that the series really comes into its stride later on!
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Have just finished The House of Silk. I really did like it. A lot of books have been written trying to capture the mood of the Conan Doyle, some not too bad and others pretty hopeless, but I thought this was a pretty good attempt. I'm not surprised the estate authorised this book. I would say definitely worth a read.
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I just started Darktown: A Novel and just finished A Death at Fountains Abbey.
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Ooh, I loved the Zen TV series with Rufus Sewell and was sorry they didn't make any more of them - but haven't read any of the books yet. Must do so!
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That sounds great, Jill. Yet another one to add to the TBR...
Susan, I read Horowitz 's Diamond Brothers a few years ago, and really liked them. I thought they appealed to both children and adults,as they contained certain things that a child would take at one level and an adult could read further into. I've also read The Gatekeepers series apart from the last one ,as it was such a long time getting written.
Leslie, I have read the first three of the Zen books, and will continue with them, as I do like them. I have so many series on the go, as I like to space them out. I once read 24 Anne Granger books one after the other (someone had lent me , so I had to get them back) and promised myself I would never do that again, as it did nothing to my enjoyment of what were really good stories .
Judy wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am currently reading the first Zen book, Ratking. Very good so far!"Ooh, I loved the Zen TV series with Rufus Sewell and was sorry they didn't make any more of them..."
Me too! Rufus Sewell is great eye candy ;)
Jill wrote: "Leslie, I have read the first three of the Zen books, and will continue with them, as I do like them.
I have so many series on the go, as I like to space them out. I once read 24 Anne Granger book..."
Luckily for me, I got almost the whole series when my parents purged their bookshelves last summer!
Another free (UK) Patricia Wentworth. This one is Dead or Alivehttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Alive-F...
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Reading the Detectives
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Some of it is kind of a rehash or building on an earlier book. So maybe it wouldn't measure up if you hadn't read the earlier book. I think I went back and re-read the earlier book. It made a little more sense then.