What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread Showing 1,751-1,800 of 4,475

[Sandy]

Carolien wrote: "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..."

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.

[Jill]

Starting The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Apparently Ian Rankin said it was one of the books that gave him inspiration for his writing.

[Melanie]

The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side.
Tea Mystery

[Gary]

Once I finish MacDeath up next Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

[Annabel]

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.

[Annabel]

Even though I'm already reading several books, need to add another one to the list. Dandy Gilver and a Spot of Toil and Trouble

The 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.

[Sandy]

I've read the first Dandy Gilver and it is a series I plan to continue. I found her relationship with her husband amusing.

[Annabel]

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.

[Abbey]

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...

[Annabel]

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.

[Jill H.]

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.

[Susan]

Can't lose with Nicholas Blake, Jill. We have one lined up for our next buddy read, after Heads You Lose next month.

[Jill H.]

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

[Judy]

I have just finished The Case of the Demented Spiv by George Bellairs. This starts really well but then gets a bit bogged down in dialogue and minor character descriptions, I felt.

I'm now starting The Novice's Tale by Ann Swinfen, 2nd in her Oxford Medieval Mysteries series.

[Sandy]

I finished A Rising Man last night and liked it a lot. It is the first of a series set in British India right after WWI. The portrayal of life for a Brit recently moved to India seemed accurate to me, as did the historical background but I know little of the true history. The plot was interesting with enough twists and turns. Our hero has his tragic backstory and flaws. The second book won't be out in the US until next year and I'm looking forward to it.

[Jan C]

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.

[Sandy]

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. I have read ..."

The second book in the series is one of the nominees for our September read.

[Jan C]

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.

[Abbey]

finished GUARDIAN STONES, Eric Reed

and been sampling STORY CLASSIC CRIME, Martin Edwards

BUT my beloved Boston Public Library just delivered:
Bound By Mystery: celebrating 20 years of Poisoned Pen Press
Murder at Honeychurch Hall
A Few Right Thinking Men
The Wolfen
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

[Judy]

That little lot should keep you busy for a bit, Abbey! I've been meaning to try one of the Honeychurch books.

[Marcus]

Christmas in July, Abbey?!

[Abbey]

Judy wrote: "That little lot should keep you busy for a bit, Abbey! I've been meaning to try one of the Honeychurch books."
MURDER AT... is the first in series, friends on an email-list mentioned this and when I read the synopsis was hooked.

and Marcus wrote: Christmas in July, Abbey?!
oh, Marcus, isn't it *wonderful*! -grin-

bit of backstory: I'm housebound now, and although library branch is close, it's too far for me to walk, and no car. Over last couple of years been only reading Kindle books, a trying thing for an old book collector like me! No "other sensory stim", you know? no old paper smell, no different textures, bindings, etc, things I *love*. (for me Heaven would be a large UBS!).

Anyway, a couple of months ago our local branch started sending a Bookmobile for shut-ins, which means that I can now have *actual* books!! wheeee!

yeah. Christmas.

[Marcus]

I'm jealous Abbey! Enjoy it!

[Brina]

Guilty pleasure. I ordered Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos. I've already read two other books in the series.

[Jill H.]

Abbey wrote: "finished GUARDIAN STONES, Eric Reed

and been sampling STORY CLASSIC CRIME, Martin Edwards .....

I love Martin Gilbert's books on classic crime And am so glad that you can now have "touchable" books from your Bookmobile.....what a great service for those who can't go the the library.

[Abbey]

GUARDIAN STONES, Eric Reed, 2016.

#1 Grace Baxter, WW2, rural Shropshire England, 1941. A tiny village, "odd" inhabitants, much darkness and sadness, mixed with a stalwart young woman and a tired and damaged Visiting Academic. Unsettled times and places indeed, especially so once the children begin to vanish... Interesting setting and characters, and a good plot, but a somewhat sketchy execution at times. Entertaining, but I had hoped for a bit more substance: 3 out of five stars.

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


Series shows promise, am glad to have
#2 RUINED STONES, 2017 to review fairly soon.

[Marwan]

Started The Silver Swan by Benjamin Black

[Susan]

Just started Heads You Lose which will be our buddy read mid-August.

[Jan C]

Brina wrote: "Guilty pleasure. I ordered Murder at Fenway Park by Troy Soos. I've already read two other books in the series."

I have been stuck on the Cincinnati book for a while - The Cincinnati Red Stalkings.

[Annabel]

I've finished The Poisoned Chocolates Case and I must admit I didn't enjoy it hugely. For a celebrated Golden Age classic, seemed over-formulaic and in love with its own cleverness to me. I've posted a review on it - not very complimentary, I'm afraid.

[Jill H.]

Annabel wrote: "I've finished The Poisoned Chocolates Case and I must admit I didn't enjoy it hugely. For a celebrated Golden Age classic, seemed over-formulaic and in love with its own cleverness t..."

I think that happens sometimes when we read a highly touted GR mystery........authors were still using some plot devices that have since become clichés but were still fresh to that long ago audience of readers. I have been disappointed several times with classic stories for the same reason.

[Judy]

I had a similar experience when I read The Poisoned Chocolates Case. I remembered reading this as a teenager and loving it, and I also really enjoyed the short story version (with a different outcome!) in one of the British Library Crime Classics anthologies, but the novel somehow didn't hold the same magic for me 40 years on. I still liked it but didn't love it.

[Leslie]

I just finished Christiana Brand's Cat and Mouse. I have enjoyed some of her Inspector Cockerill mysteries but this was the first of her stand-alone mysteries I have read. I liked it and look forward to reading more.

[Abbey]

Leslie wrote: "I just finished Christiana Brand's Cat and Mouse. ...this was the first of her stand-alone mysteries I have read. I liked it and look forward to reading more..."

oh you have LOTS of "good stuff" ahead of you! She can be very dark AND very sly, and her plots are truly diabolical. Try her short story collection soon, it's spectacular:

my review BUFFET FOR UNWELCOME GUESTS:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jill H.]

I loved her Green for Danger which was the first one of hers that I read. She was sooooooo good!!!

[Robin]

I have just found Twelve Women Detective Stories in some books I had stored. It is edited by Laura Marcus and includes writers from 1861 to 1948. I've just finished Lot's Wife by F. Tennyson Jesse (1888-1958), which was predictable but worth reading. Her Pin to see the Peepshow (murder but not a mystery) was so very good and heartrending that I willingly read her first. The earliest writer is anonymous but the work is attributed to W.S.Hayward, The Mysterious Countess, which I'll read next.

[Susan]

I am currently reading The Devil's Claw . This is set in Guernsey and I can't recall reading a book set there before.

[Jay-me (Janet)]

Susan wrote: "I am currently reading The Devil's Claw . This is set in Guernsey and I can't recall reading a book set there before."

I read a book set in Dorset & Guernsey for my Round Britain challenge - but I have come across other books set in Guernsey before. My parents spent their honeymoon on Guernsey, and we had a family holiday there when my brother was small.
I am still looking for books set on some of the other Channel Islands - Alderney, Herm & Sark (I remember reading one many years ago set on Herm but have been unable to locate it)

[Brina]

I finished A Caribbean Mystery. Excited for next month's discussion. Most likely the next mystery I read will be Troy Soos' Murder at Fenway Park and/or Kerry Greenfield's Cocaine Blues.

[Jill]

I really liked Cocaine Blues. Thought it was a lot of fun and will definitely try to get to the others in the series.

[Brina]

I added it when I saw you reading it. It looks like fun.

[Abbey]

Jay-me (Janet) wrote: "I am still looking for books set on some of the other Channel Islands "

I *think* (it's been a long time...! -g-) P.D. James' second "Cordelia Gray" book is set on one of the Channel Islands, THE SKULL BENEATH THE SKIN, waitaminnut....

[looked it up]

Wiki says "Set on fictional Courcy Island off Dorset coast."

My georgraphy re the Channel Islands is not strong, any chance she might have "meant" one of them? It's a doozy of a PI story, though with dark dark humo(u)r! A tempermental director, an ancient castle, a production of Duchess of Malfi, and Cordelia as bodyguard to an aging actress who has received threats...

[Abbey]

Jill wrote: "I really liked Cocaine Blues. Thought it was a lot of fun and will definitely try to get to the others in the series."

They only get richer - and better!

The settings and plots remain superb, and the characters grow and connect, love the series.

[Judy]

Susan wrote: "I am currently reading The Devil's Claw . This is set in Guernsey and I can't recall reading a book set there before."

These are not mysteries, but I've read two lovely books set in Guernsey. One is The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G.B. Edwards - I think this is a masterpiece, an eccentric old man telling his life story.

The other is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, about the occupation during WW2 (which also features in Edwards' book). Both of these were published posthumously and I think were the only books by the authors.

[Robin]

Judy wrote: "Susan wrote: "I am currently reading The Devil's Claw . This is set in Guernsey and I can't recall reading a book set there before."

These are ..."
I recall really enjoying The potato Peel Society years ago. I am now wondering where it is on my shelves or in boxes in storage so I can whip through it again - I think it is a fast , enjoyable read.

[Judy]

Robin, hope you find your copy. I've just looked back and I see I gave The Potato Peel Society a slightly unenthusiastic review. But it has got much better in my memory (I sometimes find this with books, that I keep remembering them and realise I liked them better than I thought at the time), so I may revisit soon too.

[Robin]

Thank you, Judy. I'm just celebrating finding a box full of Agatha Christie and other mysteries! It could well turn up as I have around 10 boxes to unpack.

[Judy]

I've finished The Novice's Tale, the second Oxford Medieval Mystery by Ann Swinfen - I really enjoyed this one as I loved the characters, the setting and the way she writes, though I would have to admit the mystery element isn't very strong! It follows straight on from the first book in the series, The Bookseller's Tale, and even mentions whodunit in the first book.

Now moving on to another book set in Oxford, our group read for next month, The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin. I've only read a few pages so far and am enjoying the humour.

[Jill H.]

Judy........I think you might be in for a treat. Crispin's books are enjoyable. I read.The Case of the Gilded Fly years ago and remember liking it. Maybe it is time for me to re-visit his works.

[Judy]

Jill, if you are tempted to revisit and join in with our group read that would be great! I'm enjoying it so far.