Reading the Detectives discussion
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What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread
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I've just finished A Caribbean Mystery and am pleased to have had to re-read it. Although I want to downgrade the stars I gave it. I went over the top and gave the novel four because it was better than my recall. However, that being said,I found quite a lot to recommend it. I like Miss Marple as AC's depiction of her mind at work is at odds with the physical spinster image she projects. I also thought that the clues were reasonably easily detected without being too obvious.
I'm re-reading Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series. I finished Crocodile on the Sandbank a week or so ago and now I've moved on to The Curse of the Pharaohs. Amelia irritates me intensely sometimes, but I adore Emerson!
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Love that series! I haven't read the last one yet (chronological order, not published order) because I don't want to say good bye. The stories are mostly from Amelia's journals so it's amusing to picture the actual reactions and thoughts of the people around her.
See message 1701 above as I finished both books today. Now reading
Mud Run Murder by Leslie Langtry. So Merry Wrath is a former CIA field agent who was outed by a high government official. Now living in the middle of Iowa under the name Merry Wrath, her former life keeps popping up. Dead bodies show up on her doorstep. She is also the local assistant Girl Scout leader and trying to keep her girls safe from her former life. In the current book, Merry is high fiving herself when the dead body (pizza delivery guy) Is found dead in her boyfriend's driveway. Her boyfriend, Rex, is a detective on the local police force. The stories all tend to be LOL funny if your sense of humor is as warped as mine.
"Doris wrote: "I'm re-reading Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series..."then Sandy wrote: "I haven't read the last one yet (chronological order, not published order)"
ooooo, I hadn't *thought* of that!!! EP is a long-time fave.
wow, that sounds like a great way to read the series, or reread it.
Yeah. "as if" I don't already have enough books on my plate, right??! -grin-
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I will continue with Campion ... and I will do it soon. You must have liked it if you're on to #4.
Sandy wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Just finished Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. On to #4 (I think) Police at the Funeral."I will continue with Campion ... and I will..."
I might as well since I already have it on my Kindle.
In addition to
Mud Run Murder I am also working on
The Deadly Ackee by Joan Hess and
It and Other Stories: Collected Case Files of the Continental Op: The Early Years, Volume 2 by Dashiell Hammett
Since I am new to this group I am catching up on my Miss Marple's. Finished Murder in the Vicarage yesterday and started The Body in the Library today.
Jan C wrote: "Just finished Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. On to #4 (I think) Police at the Funeral." and Sandy wrote: Sandy wrote: "I will continue with Campion ... and I will..."then JanC wrote: "I might as well since I already have it on my Kindle."
Oh, lordy, yes, DO! It's superb, very very dark. Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Abbey wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Just finished Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham. On to #4 (I think) Police at the Funeral." and Sandy wrote: Sandy wrote: "I will contin..."I can't read the review until after I've read the book.
Jan C wrote: "I can't read the review until after I've read the book"I don't give spoiler info in reviews unless I very clearly and carefully show them with the "spoiler block" thing-y over them.There is nothing "damaging" in my review of POLICE AT THE FUNERAL, although I *quite* understand your reluctance! "My" concept of "not TMI" might not be yours and you don't want the read to be spoiled.
I do try in all my reviews to give a bit of "set-up" to the story, i.e., maybe some of what you will find in the first 5-10 pages. I mostly write about the characters and their personalities (or lack thereof...) and settings, and a bit of history, of the writer or of time period. And a bit of the plot but without specifics, AND when I can mislead -grin- I will. I consider my job as a reviewer is to draw you in towards wanting to read the story, not tell you all The Good Bits.
Over time you'll be able to figure out if my reviews can be "trusted" -grin- and if I tell/show ONLY "just enough"! for you.
Sandy wrote: "Since I am new to this group I am catching up on my Miss Marple's. Finished Murder in the Vicarage yesterday and started The Body in the Library today."I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in the Vicarage when I read it recently. I was disappointed that it had featured early in the challenge so there is no longer the opportunity to comment. However, thought I'd just let you know it is in another reader's mind too. I haven't read The Body in the Library recently but recall that the clues are really good and it is one that is worth trying to solve while reading.
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I thoroughly enjoyed Murder i..."
You can always comment, and please do. Many of us are always willing to revisit a book we enjoyed. Or one we hated. Its the mediocre ones that get ignored.
Thank you, Sandy. One of the features that resonated for me in Murder at the Vicarage was the humour. Some of the conversations between the vicar and his nephew and wife were 'laugh aloud' at times. The way in which the malicious gossip was undermined by Christie, but the ordinary chit chat in which so many of us indulge was depicted as just part of every day life was pleasing - something that is often criticised but really helps social interaction. There was quite a lot of caring exhibited in this novel, too. Lettice's concern for others, including Dennis; the relationship between the vicar and his wife; Miss Marple's determination that an innocent man and his family should not suffer. unlike some of the later novels, this one had some subtext that is worth exploring.
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Susan wrote: "Yes, Robin, please do feel free to resurrect any discussion threads. We do try to respond to new messages."I will (though not very soon) read some of the Sayers I missed last time and try to find the discussions.
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If you visit the group page on PC there is a search button on the right which can help to find an old thread. The Miss Marple and Wimsey threads are all in the Group Challenge section, with a general and a spoiler thread for each book.
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This isn't the first in his Inspector Littlejohn series, but not all have been reprinted, and it doesn't always matter much with police procedurals. Anyway I downloaded this one free after signing up to the Bellairs newsletter (I put details of this in the freebies thread yesterday).
Judy wrote: "Yes, all the discussion threads on past group reads are still open, so please do feel free to take a look and join in - as Susan says, we try to respond to new messages.If you visit the group pag..."
Thank you. That's great.
Finished
Mud Run Murder by Leslie Langtry. I love this series and highly recommend it if you like like fun mystery fiction. Any book that starts with the main character trying to give her cat Philby a pill is a winner in my book. "Do you know your cat looks like Hitler?" Then there is the laser tag match between our MC's girl Scout Troop, mostly 3rd graders and the much older local Boy Scout Troop. Now if only the MC's former life as a CIA field agent would stay away from her new life in Who's There, Iowa.Now just started
MacDeath by Cindy Brown
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I can't remember how this one made it onto my TBR list, but I'm so glad it did. A Deadly Affection is one of the best mysteries I've read this year. It's set in New York in 1907 and captures the feeling of early twentieth century New York very well - if you like Edith Wharton's New York, you'll enjoy this setting. The book also showcases both the progress and lack of progress that we have made in the medical field over the past century. There is no lack of of suspects and quite a few red herrings. It's a book that does not shy away from complexity in the characters and plot. Highly recommend it for lovers of historical mysteries.Just noticed that the ebook is on special on Amazon. The second in the series is due out in August.
Gary wrote: "Finished Mud Run Murder by Leslie Langtry. I love this series and highly recommend it if you like like fun mystery fiction. Any book that starts ..."Only problem is that 3rd graders are in the brownies - unless things have changed since I was a brownie/girl scout.
I'm currently half-way through Eric Reed's #1THE GUARDIAN STONES The Guardian Stones
in prep for reviewing #2 RUINED STONES Ruined Stones for ReviewingThe Evidence http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/
the #1 is slow, but well-written and interesting, especially the characters, although am having a bit of trouble with some odd viewpoint shifts (and a Pet Peeve - they're in italics -sigggh-)... ymmv
I put a Deadly Affection in my TBR, Carolien. I like your description of the book.
Jan C wrote: "Gary wrote: "Finished Mud Run Murder by Leslie Langtry. I love this series and highly recommend it if you like like fun mystery fiction. Any book..."Leslie either is or has been a Girl Scout Leader for many years according to her bio. Besides the comedy of a troop of little girls taking on the older boy scouts is too much fun.
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It sounds really interesting and available on Hoopla thru my library. And I have so many books on my TBR that I have no idea how they got there! I can't decide if I should delete them blindly and assume I won't miss them.
Starting The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Apparently Ian Rankin said it was one of the books that gave him inspiration for his writing.
The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side.Tea Mystery
I love The Big Sleep. I went through a phase of reading Chandler and that one was my favourite, perhaps because it was the one I read first. I also love the film, which is reasonably close to the book and also a beautiful masterpiece in its own right and a wonderful watch for anyone who has a soft spot for Bogart and Bacall.
Even though I'm already reading several books, need to add another one to the list. Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and TroubleThe latest in this series, only published on 13 July but my husband pre-ordered it for my birthday. Very excited to be returning to the 1920s-era of Dandy and Alec. (I say 1920s but the first chapter mentions Chatsworth opening to the public, which makes me think we must now be post-WW2. It's sad but also understandable if the author has skipped WW2 completely - if I wrote cosy mysteries, I would be tempted to do so too.
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Yes it is and she is very droll and witty. I love the dustjackets, too. Re time period of this one, it now definitely appears to be set shortly before the onset of WW2. So I think the reference to Chatsworth must be wrong - I'm pretty sure that the heir to Chatsworth was killed in the war and it was only after his brother inherited in the Fifties and had loads of death duties that he and his wife (Debo Mitford, of course) decided to open it to the public.
Annabel wrote: "the first chapter mentions Chatsworth opening to the public, which makes me think we must now be post-WW2. It's sad but also understandable if the author has skipped WW2 completely - if I wrote cosy mysteries, I would be tempted to do so too."from History of Chatsworth site: "When Edward Cavendish succeeded his father as 10th Duke in 1938 he and his wife, Lady Mary Cecil, daughter of the 4th Marquess of Salisbury, planned to make many alterations and improvements at Chatsworth. But a year later, war broke out and the girls and staff of Penrhos College arrived. The house was not re-opened to the public until 1949."
? RE-opened in 1949? must mean that it was open to public before the war at some point, but the "history of" site is quite long and haven't read all of it as yet:
http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/h...
That's interesting, Abbey. Perhaps I'm wrong, then. I've finished it now, anyway and have written a review. It was pretty good if you like the series, which I do, but quite a lot of the other reviews are written by people who haven't read other books in the series (and were clearly given a free copy to review) and they complain that they don't understand who is who. I sympathise, but surely that's inevitable if you join a series late on.
Back to the Poisoned Chocolates Case now. I also have AA Milne's The Red House Mystery waiting to start which I've been meaning to read for years.
Am headed to the library to scan the mystery/detective shelves. I have been reading a lot of non-fiction lately and need to get back to my first love. I have a list a mile long........but our library is not very big so I'll be lucky to find many of them. I'm in the mood for a good British police procedural or maybe a Nicholas Blake authored classic.
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Love Blake. I am back from the library and they didn't have any....they used to but I guess when they remodeled, they got rid of older books. That is really a shame. So I got a Rebus and an Inspector Banks, cited below.
by Ian Rankin
by Peter Robinson
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I'm now starting The Novice's Tale by Ann Swinfen, 2nd in her Oxford Medieval Mysteries series.
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I just started The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield, the first in the Napoleon Bonaparte series. I think he's an aboriginal detective in Australia. I have read one later in the series and I liked that.
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The second book in the series is one of the nominees for our September read.
Sandy wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I just started The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur W. Upfield, the first in the Napoleon Bonaparte series. I think he's an aboriginal detective in Australia..."That was when I noticed that a number of Upfield's books had been released on Kindle, and this one was subsequent to that.
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Reading the Detectives
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Morton (other topics)E.F. Benson (other topics)
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