What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread Showing 1,651-1,700 of 4,475

[Judy]

I'm about 40 per cent of the way through and finding it a compelling read, Carolien - some bits are quite disturbing but very readable.

[Judy]

I've been catching up with the Sunday papers and belatedly noticed that there was a review of the new book byMartin Edwards, The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books, which made it sound very good. Only in hardback at the moment though.

[Susan]

I have a copy via NetGalley, but I haven't read it yet.

[Sandy]

Martin Edwards is quite prolific. I just heard a review on Classic Mysteries of his collection of impossible locked room murders.

[Sandy]

Reading the GR synopsis reminded me that the podcast The Readers has a group read of Strangers on a Train later this summer. I plan to read it as it is another classic I missed.

[Abbey]

Susan wrote: "I have a copy via NetGalley, but I haven't read it yet." [re STORY OF CLASSIC CRIME IN 100 BOOKS, Martin Edwards]

ohh, *lucky* woman! Lesa's Book Critiques has a wonderful review:
https://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/

[Brina]

I finished The Da Vinci Code. More of a quest than mystery but still fun. Next mystery I will read is Mirror Crack'd for this group.

[Annabel]

I'm reading Martin Edwards' review of Golden Age novelists at the moment. The locked room murders one sounds potentially even more interesting but my problem with the one I'm reading is that he is determined to avoid spoilers, so there's very little discussion of the actual murderers or their methods, which makes the exercise somewhat meaningless. It would be even worse with locked rooms, surely, because all the interest lies in answering HOW and if you can't discuss how that's done, what could you say at all?

I think it's better with this sort of book to make each chapter about just two or three books and give a warning at the start, so people can skip that chapter if they are desperate to avoid spoilers. I've read quite a few books about Agatha Christie's writing and they usually take that approach.

[Judy]

The locked rooms book edited by Martin Edwards, Miraculous Mysteries, is a short stories collection so the spoiler issue shouldn't be a problem, Annabel . I've read two or three of the other short story collections he edited for British Library Crime Classics and they feature a good mix of writers.

I have come across the problem you mention though, in some author biographies - can't think of any examples at the moment!

[Abbey]

Annabel wrote: "I'm reading Martin Edwards' review of Golden Age novelists..."

Edwards has repeatedly stated in interviews that he wanted to make this book an overview of the history of mystery writing, stylistic concerns, etc. (and I suspect, NOT a "this is how they did it!" sort of book). So his scope is vey long-range, not on particular solutions or plot twists.

I love that sort of thing, but am admittedly biased -grin- since one of my most MAJOR Pet Peeves is of book reviews or synopses that give you a lot of The Good Bits of the plots, or TV/movie trailers that give you most of the plot devices, twists etc, right then and there! *Entice* me, yes, don't *tell* me then! Let *me* decide when, or if, *I* want to read the book, see the movie, etc.

I am, though, sorry you're disappointed Annabel, a disapointing book is always sad!

[Judy]

I've now finished The Keeper of Lost Causes and was disappointed - I liked the police procedural element and the characters (though the main cop is a bit cliched) but the mystery plot is very weak imo. I found it a quick and quite enjoyable read but ended up feeling I had wasted my time. Not sure if I will read more in the series.

[Tania]

I've been meaning to read ore of the short story collections, but have only read Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries so far.
At the moment I'm reading The Phantom of the Temple, a Judge Dee Mystery. These books are great comfort reads for me, heading back into familiar territory. Love them.

[Jan C]

I have gone back to Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. Another book I've been reading for years. Started it some time ago and set it aside for one reason or another.

[Judy]

I've started Ice Blue, which so far seems to be a slightly strange cross between a Sayers novel and a modern police procedural.

It's about Tony, a 60-year-old cop who is also an aristocrat - and who falls for a much younger East End sergeant, Kate. I didn't particularly mean to read this one today but was hanging around for a while and it was on my Kindle - one of the books I picked up from Prime reading.

[Abbey]

Jan C wrote: "I have gone back to Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. Another book I've been reading for years. Started it some time ago and set it aside for one reason or another."

That's aka GYRTH CHALICE, right? One of my faves of hers, a fun romp, very very classic 1930s stuff. Lots of it quite silly, but elegantly done.

Have you seen the tv film of it? Superb! Peter Davison as CAMPION in the eponymously named show from 1990, wonderful stuff and the film is even better than the book imo. Shows up on streaming occasionally, currently is on BritBox along with the rest of that glorious series.

[Jan C]

Abbey wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I have gone back to Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. Another book I've been reading for years. Started it some time ago and set it aside for one rea..."

I didn't know it had a different British title but it makes sense. That is the family's name and there is a chalice at the center of the story. So far it is kind of silly.

Yes, they took it off Netflix a while back and Roku doesn't appear to contain BritBox in its menu. I haven't noticed it as an Amazon channel either.

[Judy]

I love Look to the Lady! Must say I never felt the TV series quite got the atmosphere of the books though I did enjoy it.

[Judy]

I've stalled on Ice Blue which is very silly though I will probably finish it just for the romantic story - now also reading Hamlet, Revenge! ready for our buddy read.

[Abbey]

Jan C wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I have gone back to Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. ...Roku doesn't appear to contain BritBox "

mine does, check the new streaming channels menu thing, altho I originally found it via a big, one-third-size page ad on the Roku Home screen!

Amazon has Acorn and may feel they don't *need* BritBox; I've got both via Roku and no, the contents don't much overlap.

[Abbey]

Just finished:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jan C]

Abbey wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I have gone back to Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. ...Roku doesn't appear to contain BritBox "

mine does, check the new streaming c..."

I have been stalling on signing up for Acorn and MHZ - which used to be carried on one of Chicago's PBS stations - but apparently not on North Carolina's.

[Jill]

Have started Hamlet, Revenge!, but finding it a bit hard going. Don't know if that is just down to me though.

[Abbey]

Jill wrote: "Have started Hamlet, Revenge!, but finding it a bit hard going. Don't know if that is just down to me though."

well, don't beat yourself up about it dear. His writing is densely layered, initially slow-moving while he sets-the-scene, and extremely old-fashioned in style. He LOVES "asides", eliptical plot moves, very very subtle shadings, a word or two here, "maybe" a touch of something there, several things happening all over the place, while you're just trying to wend through that forest of prose...

MY kind of cream -grin- but YMMV.

[Jill]

Sandy wrote: "Reading the GR synopsis reminded me that the podcast The Readers has a group read of Strangers on a Train later this summer. I plan to read it as it is another classic I missed."

It is a great book Sandy but is different from the Hitchcock film. I think I liked it better.

[Judy]

I'm enjoying Hamlet. Revenge but, like Jill, also finding it slightly hard going at times, plus it is a job to keep track of all the characters! I'm glad to be reading this one on paper rather than Kindle, so I can flip back when I need to to check who everyone is. Will set up the threads for this in the next few days. :)

[Jill]

Judy wrote: "I'm enjoying Hamlet. Revenge but, like Jill, also finding it slightly hard going at times, plus it is a job to keep track of all the characters! I'm glad to be reading this one on paper rather than..."

That is exactly the problem I am having with it.

[Sandy]

Judy wrote: "I'm enjoying Hamlet. Revenge but, like Jill, also finding it slightly hard going at times, plus it is a job to keep track of all the characters! I'm glad to be reading this one on paper rather than..."

Doesn't bode well for my Hoopla edition!

[Abbey]

Sandy wrote: "[after Judy wrote: "I'm enjoying Hamlet. Revenge but, like Jill, also finding it slightly hard going at times, plus it is a job to keep track of all the characters!]: Doesn't bode well for my Hoopla edition! "

Thanks for alerting me about the Hoopla editions for Innes! I just checked and, no, theirs (Stratus Edition) doesn't have a Cast of Characters either, alas.

I *love* it when authors thoughtfully include that Cast of Characters at the front of the book - Ellery Queen was particularly good at snappy short descriptions, very funny stuff, but it not only quickly brought you into the world of that story, it made things much easier when you got confused about the rich guy's driver or his third-ex-wife or the policeman's best friend who only shows up twice, sort-of-thing.

HAMLET, REVENGE! would have benefited greatly from such.

[Judy]

Just back from holiday in the Lake District - I couldn't resist picking up one of the Pushkin Vertigo European crime titles in a lovely bookshop in Grasmere, The King of Fools by Frédéric Dard.

This is a noir-type thriller about a gambler who meets a woman while on holiday on the Cote d'Azur and follows her back to Edinburgh. I've started even though I'm already reading too many other books and it looks very good.

[Lady Clementina]

Started off on Enigma last night- just one chapter in so no comment for now.

[Annabel]

Oh lucky you Lady Clementina re Enigma. (Don't worry, I will post no spoilers.) I made my daughter watch the film at the weekend because she is going to Bletchley Park on a school trip this week - she was super-grumpy about it but I am sure she will get so much more out of the trip, having watched it. Obv I will try and make her read it too at some point but she's only 13 and the book is fractionally darker than the film. But either way, film or book, it's just a quality piece of work.

[Judy]

I'd love to go to Bletchley Park, Annabel - I read The Secret Life of Bletchley Park: The WWII Codebreaking Centre and the Men and Women Who Worked There a while ago now and found it very interesting. I haven't read Enigma as yet, though! Hope your daughter has a great time.

[Lady Clementina]

Judy wrote: "I'd love to go to Bletchley Park, Annabel - I read The Secret Life of Bletchley Park: The WWII Codebreaking Centre and the Men and Women Who Worked There a while ago now and found it..."

That would be interesting. I haven't read that book but I have read The Code Book by Simon Singh- all about cryptography and codes - it also covered the Enigma machine - though despite his explanations being very easy to understand in general, I didn't quite grasp the working of the enigma machine.

[Susan]

Bletchley is quite near me and I have visited. It is really interesting and a day out I would highly recommend.

[Jill]

Bletchley Park fascinates me. The work of Alan Turing and the other cryptographers was just amazing. I think one of the saddest stories about the breaking of the German code was the fact that England (Churchill) was aware that the bombing of Coventry was imminent but could not warn the people because it would reveal that the code had been broken. Only one of the terrible choices that had to be made to keep that secret.

[Judy]

Did anyone watch the murder mystery series set at Bletchley, The Bletchley Circle? I didn't see it - not sure why, maybe just that the reality is so fascinating without going into a fictional murder plot. But I might watch it in the future...

On an unrelated note, the buddy read threads for Hamlet, Revenge! are now up:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Betsy]

I saw both seasons of 'Bletchley Circle', which were well done, but mostly concerned the women who had worked there. Since they couldn't tell anyone even years after, they could only discuss those years among themselves.

[Judy]

Thanks, Betsy - sounds as if I should catch up with this series.

[Jan C]

It is currently on Netflix here.

[Jill]

I thought the TV series was excellent. The actors( not supposed to used actresses) were very convincing

[Judy]

I've started another of the Patricia Wentworth books on Kindle, Anne Belinda: A Golden Age Mystery - enjoying it so far. This one has an intriguing beginning, with a former soldier from the First World War inheriting an old house.

[Lady Clementina]

Betsy wrote: "I saw both seasons of 'Bletchley Circle', which were well done, but mostly concerned the women who had worked there. Since they couldn't tell anyone even years after, they could only discuss those ..."

I shall look it up.

[Annabel]

Gosh, another Wentworth I have never heard of - this is torture.

On Bletchley, the mention of Coventry makes me think of To Say Nothing About The Dog, one of my absolutely favourite books, a time travel caper which has a lot to do with WW2 and the bombing of Coventry (and also Victorian house-parties, croquet games, jumble sales, cats, etc...)

[Judy]

Annabel wrote: "Gosh, another Wentworth I have never heard of - this is torture.

On Bletchley, the mention of Coventry makes me think of To Say Nothing About The Dog, one of my absolutely favourite books, a time..."

I stashed up a whole load of the early Wentworths when Dean Street Press was giving them away free on Kindle each week in the UK - they are still doing repeat offers on them.

So now it is a case of reading through them! This does mean that I'm reading a lot of the lesser-known Wentworths before I actually get to the famous ones, though!

[Brina]

I picked up Talking About Detective Fiction by P. D. James. Sounds interesting.

[Melanie]

I'm reading The Wolfes Widow. It is a great series by Victoria Abbott about a girl who buys rare and antique books for a wealthy household but there is a twist to each book.

[Gary]

Currently reading Arson Plus and Other Stories: Collected Case Files of the Continental Op: The Early Years, Volume 1 by Dashiell Hammett.
Also reading One for the Money by Janet Evanovich, the first book in the Stephanie Plum series.

[Sandy]

Oh Stephanie Plum! The first half dozen or so are hilarious.

[Jan C]

I enjoy the Continental Op stories.

[Gary]

Sandy wrote: "Oh Stephanie Plum! The first half dozen or so are hilarious."

I have the first 11 or so on my Nook. Enjoying the first one so far.