What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread Showing 1,901-1,950 of 4,457

[Susan]

I really enjoyed, "The Body on the Beach," Judy.

[Jill]

Just started Magpie Murders and it's looking good. I really enjoyed The House of Silk and thought it was well done.
I have read a number of this author's books, The Gatekeepers and his Diamond Brothers. The latter I thought were very clever, as they could be enjoyed by children seeming quite innocent , but adults could see more to them, being a bit risqué in places.

[Jan C]

Judy wrote: "I've been meaning to try The House of Silk but am getting very behind with reading in general - I seem to have less reading time now that my office has moved and I'm not on a bus for up to a couple..."

I listened to The House of Silk on a long car drive.

[Judy]

Susan wrote: "I really enjoyed, "The Body on the Beach," Judy."

A quick, fun read. I read it in a day (even though it was quite a busy day!) and really enjoyed it too - a bit like Midsomer Murders on the coast. Looking forward to reading more of the Fethering series by Simon Brett - thanks for suggesting these, Susan.

[Susan]

Glad you liked it, Judy :)

[Lady Clementina]

Judy wrote: "Susan wrote: "I really enjoyed, "The Body on the Beach," Judy."

A quick, fun read. I read it in a day (even though it was quite a busy day!) and really enjoyed it too - a bit like Midsomer Murders..."

I like Midsomer Murders so I should enjoy the book. Will keep a lookout for it.

[Judy]

Lady C, I hope you enjoy The Body on the Beach.

I'm now starting to listen to the unabridged audio book of our next Miss Marple, At Bertram's Hotel, read by actress Stephanie Cole. This was available as an audio book from Scribd (also available from audible).

[Annie]

Judy wrote: "Lady C, I hope you enjoy The Body on the Beach.

I'm now starting to listen to the unabridged audio book of our next Miss Marple, At Bertram's Hotel, read by actress [author:Stephanie ..."

Last week I started listening to an audio book version on Youtube, with June Whitfield as Miss Marple. Read the book many years ago.

[Jill]

Reading Magpie murders ,I wondered if anyone else remembers the children's program Magpie. Every time I pick it up ,or come to a new section of it ,the rhyme from the program makes me sing it. Personally I preferred it to Blue Peter at the time.

[Judy]

Welcome, Anniegirl. An audio book with June Whitfield sounds great - there are such a lot of good readers of Christie's books on audio.

[Judy]

Jill wrote: "Reading Magpie murders ,I wondered if anyone else remembers the children's program Magpie. Every time I pick it up ,or come to a new section of it ,the rhyme from the program makes me sing it. Pers..."

I remember it, Jill - my family preferred Blue Peter, but we did watch Magpie too and I always think of the song when I see one or two of the birds.

[Brina]

I'm reading Christie's Dead Man's Folly.

[Lady Clementina]

Brina wrote: "I'm reading Christie's Dead Man's Folly."

That's was a pretty interesting one- er... I can't really say more without it being a spoiler :) Hope you enjoy it!

[Leslie]

I am now reading Appleby's Other Story by Michael Innes. This fairly late entry in Michael Innes' Appleby series is a country house murder mystery; quite enjoyable so far.

[Susan]

Jill, I much preferred Magpie to Blue Peter (was it, dare I say, a class thing?!).

I just finished At Bertram's Hotel

We are currently reading Heads You Lose as our buddy read and, next month (about halfway through September) we will start There's Trouble Brewing. Anyone who wishes to join in is more than welcome.

[Judy]

I've now finished At Bertram's Hotel - the audiobook was good but I got impatient and downloaded the Kindle version from the library for the second half. Not my favourite in the series but definitely lots to discuss!

I'm just starting our group read for next month, Murder at Merisham Lodge.

[Susan]

I really enjoyed Murder at Merisham Lodge. We have some great books coming up! Thanks to everyone for the great nominations and suggestions.

[Abbey]

Brina wrote: "I'm reading Christie's Dead Man's Folly."
then Lady Clemintina wrote: "That's was a pretty interesting one- er... I can't really say more without it being a spoiler :) !"

ahhh, yes, Ariadnne Oliver, Poirot, a VERY strange house party-plus-village-fete, AND The Girl Guides!

[Judy]

After starting Murder at Merisham Lodge, which is good so far, I noticed the references to a previous short story/novella featuring the characters, Death at the Manor, so have decided to break off and quickly read that one before going back! Slightly confusing but I think this tends to happen when one series spins off from another.

[Susan]

Yes, I did the same, Judy. It was annoying, because the author continually referred to it, rather than just referencing it. Anyway, I will save thoughts for the discussion!

[Annie]

Reading this The Man with the Nailed Shoes: A Dr John Thorndyke Mystery: by R. Austin Freeman

I have no recollection of reading any of the Dr Thorndyke mysteries. There is a collection of Dr Thorndyke mysteries on Amazon UK for 49p (20 novels and 40 short stories), so thought I'd read them. Maybe a bell will ding in my memory lol.

[Sandy]

Judy wrote: "After starting Murder at Merisham Lodge, which is good so far, I noticed the references to a previous short story/novella featuring the characters, Death at the Manor, so have decid..."

Thanks for the warning. I seem to own the earlier novella so will start there before buying Merisham Lodge.

[Jill H.]

I just finished Death Is Now My Neighbor by Colin Dexter. a Chief Inspector Morse mystery. I love that character and the author knows how to weave an intricate puzzle. I can always see the late John Thaw from the television series when I read the Morse books......I thought he was perfectly cast. And there is the delightful Sergeant Lewis who suffers Morse's slings and arrows with great patience.

[Jan C]

Anniegirl wrote: "Reading this The Man with the Nailed Shoes: A Dr John Thorndyke Mystery: by R. Austin Freeman

I have no recollection of reading any of the Dr Thorndyke mysteries. Th..."

I'm currently reading The Red Thumb Mark, another Thorndyke story. I had never heard of these books until they are featured in the Wimsey stories. What Would Dr. Thorndyke Do?

[Judy]

Sandy wrote: "Thanks for the warning. I seem to own the earlier novella so will start there before buying Merisham Lodge..."

I think that's a good idea, Sandy - I think it's possible to enjoy the book without reading the novella first but it does have some background about the two heroines. The novella is a quick read - I'm more than halfway through.

[Judy]

Susan wrote: "Yes, I did the same, Judy. It was annoying, because the author continually referred to it, rather than just referencing it. Anyway, I will save thoughts for the discussion!"

I will save my thoughts for then too. :)

[Susan]

Currently reading The Reluctant Contact. Interesting setting.

[Jill]

I have found that I have the Death at the Manor, which was free back in 2014, so I shall read that first before the Merisham Lodge one. Thanks for the info.

[Judy]

Death at the Manor was even shorter than I expected - it finishes at around 75 per cent read and after that there's a taster of another book, plus offers of freebies if you sign up for the writer's newsletter, which I will investigate!

[Jay-me (Janet)]

I read Death at the Manor in a four book set which was about the same building in four different time periods, and counted it as Wiltshire in my Around Britain Challenge.

I didn't like the last two stories as much as the first two though.

[Leslie]

After rereading The Case of the Gilded Fly, I was motivated to reread the final book in the series - The Glimpses of the Moon. It is the only Fen book that I haven't read this decade so it seemed fitting to revisit it now (plus I own it so it's readily accessible!).

I am enjoying it more than before because I am getting more of the literature references I think.

[Susan]

Golden Age authors expected their readers to be very well read - and have passable French and Latin :)

[Marwan]

Finished Hit Man by Lawrence Block

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

Started reading Blueprint for Murder by Roger Bax

[Susan]

I used to read Lawrence Block a lot some years back. I must go back and read them.

[Jill H.]

Susan wrote: "Golden Age authors expected their readers to be very well read - and have passable French and Latin :)"

How true, Susan!!

[Sandy]

Jill wrote: "Susan wrote: "Golden Age authors expected their readers to be very well read - and have passable French and Latin :)"

How true, Susan!!"

And, rather annoying for those of us aren't well read and don't speak anything but English!

[Christmas Carol ꧁꧂]

The Rubber Band started off hilarious with some very typical Wolfe/Goodwin banter. I'm really enjoying it!

[Sandy]

I'm zipping thru The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and loving it. It is a different view (so far) of Poirot: he is hiding in retirement, growing vegetables, and the narrator isn't someone he knows.

I read something that, I think, gave away the murderer so it has been a different sort of read. I'm trying to recreate the crime, determine when the suspect lies, how it could have been done.

[Christmas Carol ꧁꧂]

Sandy wrote: "I'm zipping thru The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and loving it. It is a different view (so far) of Poirot: he is hiding in retirement, growing vegetables, and the narrator isn't someone he..."

One of Christie's best! :)

[Teri-K]

I just started 4.50 from Paddington - one of my favorites. I really like Lucy and Alexander and his friend, as well as Miss Marple, of course. Though she's not in this one a lot.

[Sandy]

Teri-K wrote: "I just started 4.50 from Paddington - one of my favorites. I really like Lucy and Alexander and his friend, as well as Miss Marple, of course. Though she's not in this one a lot."

That was one of our annual Miss Marple reads, so be sure to check that thread for lots of comments. I certainly enjoyed it.

[Jan C]

I just started Deborah Crombie's latest, Garden of Lamentations. Really enjoying it so far, about 1/3 of the way in.

[Jill H.]

Sandy wrote: "I'm zipping thru The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and loving it. It is a different view (so far) of Poirot: he is hiding in retirement, growing vegetables, and the narrator isn't someone he..."

I have seen several reviewers reveal the identity of the murderer. I really hate that since this was a first in detective writing that used that approach. Christie was chastised for it but probably only because the chastisers hadn't thought of it before!!

[Susan]

Just a reminder that mid-September (around the 18th) we will be reading There's Trouble Brewing as our next buddy read.

This is the third Nigel Strangeways mystery.

Private detective and poet Nigel Strangeways is invited to address the Maiden Astbury literary society. The picturesque Dorset town is home to Bunnett's Brewery, run by the much disliked, and feared, Eustace Bunnett and shortly before Nigel's visit, Bunnett's dog Truffles, was found dead in one of the brewery's vats. The culprit was never caught - although there was no shortage of suspects - but when a body is then found in the same vat, boiled down to its bones, Nigel is called into action to help capture the killer.

You do not need to have read the previous books in the series to join in with this one. He is now married, but his wife, Georgia (who he meets in the second book) appears in only a few lines, before he goes off to do his sleuthing and this is very much a stand alone story.

[Judy]

Looking forward to Trouble Brewing, Susan. Interesting that Cecil Day-Lewis aka Nicholas Blake made his hero a poet - presumably he had plenty of experience of lecturing at literary societies himself!

[Judy]

After reading all the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle last year, I've been wishing there were more to discover.

Now I've been tempted to read The New Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by expert on the Golden Age Martin Edwards.



These are lovingly-written pastiches which I feel get the voice of Doyle/Watson very well - but, judging by the first couple of stories, the mysteries are not as fiendishly puzzling as the originals.

[Sandy]

I finished The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and loved the portrayal of Poirot and all the plot twists. I was fully engaged even though I knew the murderer and still missed an important clue dropped early.

Christie backed herself into a corner by starting both her series with elderly lead characters.

And I must look up vegetable marrows. I think they were mentioned in one of the Marples as well. Every one must grow these in Britain, like zucchini in the US.

[Sandy]

They are zucchini!

[Jill]

Sandy wrote: "They are zucchini!"

They aren't courgettes. They are usually quite big and are often stuffed with savoury mincemeat , to be served as a main meal. Vegetable growers get prizes for growing the biggest in shows

[Jan C]

Sandy wrote: "They are zucchini!"

From the pictures I had seen I wondered if they were like watermelon. They always seemed to be about the same size.

So, thanks for the update.