Reading the Detectives discussion
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What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread
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My mystery at the moment is They Do It With Mirrors.
I'm reading Inferno by Dan Brown in preparation to watch the movie on TV later this week.
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I'm a bit disappointed by it - I'm fascinated by the Weimar period but not finding this very convincing. Very readable though.
Carol ♔Type, Oh Queen!♕ wrote: "Judy wrote: "I feel I'd like to finish the seri..."
The funny thing about the Grafton books - even the ones I enjoy I can't remember anything about them afterwards. Other than W- I do remember th..."
I have the same problem with the Sue Grafton books. An absolute blank afterwards. I am quite fond of the one where she has to hire the private eye to protect her from a hit as it's got a nice romance element, and that's the only one I ever reread.
My problem with this series is that generally I find the character delineation weak, in that I can't easily visualise the characters and therefore I don't care who did it. Being good at character-drawing is a strange and mysterious skill - for me, Agatha Christie can do it in a heartbeat, making even minor characters like Jane Helier instantly visible, when other, often supposedly better, writers, can't.
I've read a couple of the Cantrell books and found them mixed - don't think I've read this first one. The plotting became repetitive and lots of anachronistic responses to Nazism.
I'm reading The Murderer is a Fox by Ellery Queen. It's not the usual EQ, as the beginning is taken up focusing on the hero, home from WWII with PTSD. His father was convicted of murdering his mother when he was 10 and now the stress of war has convinced him he'll kill his wife. So the wife gets him to call in EQ to help. I'd call it a psychological mystery more than an intellectual puzzle. So far it's really quite gripping. I'm listening to the audiobook and I keep sneaking in a few more minutes to see what will happen next. I really care about these characters, and every development makes it look worse for the good guys.
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The first book features a small child who seems to me to be more like a 10-year-old than a 6-year-old, and the dialogue seems a bit odd at times.
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September/Oct: There's Trouble Brewing
Oct/Nov: The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple
Nov/Dec: Not a Creature was Stirring: Jane Haddam
Jan/Feb: Green for Danger: Christianna Brand
Feb/March: The Documents in the Case: Dorothy L. Sayers
March/April: The Beast Must Die: Nicholas Blake
I will post reminders nearer the time. There's Trouble Brewing is currently open. The Life and Times of Miss Jane Marple will open mid-October.
Annabel wrote: "I have the same problem with the Sue Grafton books. An absolute blank afterwards. Yes, I think L was my favourite but I couldn't tell you why.
Interesting what you say about characterisation. Grafton does have a gift for writing conversation though.
Dick Francis is another one. I know I have read at least 20 of his books, but I couldn't tell you a single thing about them - other than the hero often seemed to be very self-pitying!
Wow, I have a pretty clear memory of the Dick Francis books though sometimes my memory needs jogging to connect the title to the plot. I do have that problem with Margery Allingham - I have read lots of hers decades ago and while I remember Campion & Lugg, the individual plots are mostly a blur.
I have finished a very good entry in the Lew Archer PI series, The Galton Case. This one works well as a stand-alone if anyone wanted to try out Ross MacDonald.I am now reading Picture of Guilt (aka A Family Affair), #23 in the Appleby series by Michael Innes.
I'm about to start reading the latest Robert Harris, Munich, which I imagine is going to be pretty much a thriller, which perhaps qualifies as 'mystery'.I am excited about this - RH is one of the few authors for whom I actively and eagerly await their next book. To celebrate, I've posted a rather rambling GoodReads blog about Harris's books which is probably only worth reading if you're a RH fan but here's a link just in case:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Leslie wrote: "Wow, I have a pretty clear memory of the Dick Francis books though sometimes my memory needs jogging to connect the title to the plot. I do have that problem with Margery Allingham - I have read ..."
That's the case with me as well- I can't tell from teh title which one it is (Francis) but one I see the blurb, most times the story comes back to me.
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with the Georgette Heyer group. Nearly finished another reread of Brat Farrar Amazing writing."
I'm getting into Brat Farrar now - really gripped!
Susan wrote: "Annabel, I like Robert Harris too. Must download Munich too, once I have cleared the reading decks a little! Let me know what you think. If you like Harris, you might also enjoy Philip Kerr's Berni..."Thanks, Susan, I will look out for Philip Kerr! I must admit I've left The Floating Admiral and an immense book about novel plots to one side for Munich - reading several books at once and changing the order is a bad habit of mine.
Annabel
I am currently reading this rather large book of short story mysteries set in Scotland. As is usual in a compilation book, some are good and some not so good. A couple of the older stories are rather difficult to read as they use the local dialect but overall this is a pretty interesting book.
by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz
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This hadn't struck me, Susan, but I think you are probably right! I've come to the conclusion Rebecca Cantrell just isn't for me as I can't believe in her characters.
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If you like Tey (I love the books of hers I've read), have you tried Nicola Upson's series about her? The first that is in this month's poll is my least favourite - they're wonderfully researched and each is different from the others.
ps. I can't get on with Bernie Gunther's obsession with women's anatomy!
Judy wrote: "Thanks Susan - have you come across any other good books set in Weimar Germany before WW2? I have tried Philip Kerr but vaguely remember I wasn't very keen, but intend to give him a second try. I w..."Midnight in Berlin by James McManus is set in Germany just before the outbreak of WW2. I really enjoyed it.
Also of course Munich (Robert Harris) which I mentioned above I have just started is set just before WW2, as you would expect from the title. And although it's in England at the moment (ten pages in), again the title suggests we will be in Germany before too long...
Not sure why this posted twice ...
Judy wrote: "Thanks Susan - have you come across any other good books set in Weimar Germany before WW2? I have tried Philip Kerr but vaguely remember I wasn't very keen, but intend to give him a second try. I w..."A Toast To Tomorrow is set in Germany, from the end of WWI to the mid thirties - it was written in 1940 so is interesting in its unwitting foreshadowing. It's unfortunately only available at high price at the moment, and I understand that the recent reprints were of peculiarly poor quality. It was also published under the title Pray Silence, and that may be slightly cheaper
Judy wrote: "Thanks Susan - have you come across any other good books set in Weimar Germany before WW2? I have tried Philip Kerr but vaguely remember I wasn't very keen, but intend to give him a second try. I w..."Judy, there's also a German series which has been recently translated (first two books, so far):
Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher
I'm not wild about the MC, but the historical details are pretty good. Very popular series in Germany and there's supposed to be a big Euro TV production out later this year.
Rosina wrote: "A Toast To Tomorrow is set in Germany, from the end of WWI to the mid thirties - it was written in 1940 so is interesting in its unwitting foreshadowing. It's unfortunately only available at high price at the moment, and I understand that the recent reprints were of peculiarly poor quality..."Note that this is the 2nd book in the Tommy Hambledon series - the first is Drink to Yesterday.
Leslie wrote: "Note that this is the 2nd book in the Tommy Hambledon series - the first is Drink to Yesterday. I don't think Drink to Yesterday is necessary pre-reading. It's a rather different book, and although I'm sure I read it originally in the 60s (I even own a copy!) I don't re-read it at all.
Just finished the first in a series of only 3 books by Molly ThynneThe Crime at the 'Noah's Ark'. I liked it and plan to read the others. It is wonderful that some of the neglected Golden Age authors are back in print.
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I haven't tried Nicola Upson's books as yet, RC - are they similar to Josephine Tey's own books? She is an author who has really been growing on me - I wasn't so keen on the first one or two, but I loved A Shilling for Candles and now Brat Farrar is a 5-star read for me, one of the best mysteries I've ever read.
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Jan C wrote: "I've just started A Shilling for Candles and I'm really enjoying it so far."I enjoyed it as well- much more so than Grant's first outing.
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I totally agree with Ellen - it is wonderful that we have so many authors being re-published. I am sure many modern crime authors would not agree though. I wonder if they see them as competition? I know that some crime podcasts I listen to are often a little sneering about GA writers and the re-discovery of books from that era.
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That's interesting, Susan. I suppose they are competition in terms of sales - and many older books being republished are much cheaper than current books, especially when they are in the public domain of course!
I'd like to think there is room for all of them though, with digital and on-demand publishing making it possible for many more books to be available than in the past.
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This is a bit darker than my typical crime reads, but I thought the opening was a very strong hook and got me gripped - a woman sees an incident involving two young girls on a train and has to decide whether to intervene.
The book is very well-written, but the rest of the story doesn't quite live up to the start for me. For one thing, it becomes rather bitty as there are a lot of different viewpoint characters. Also I think there are very few clues to some of the later plot twists.
Judy wrote: "I haven't tried Nicola Upson's books as yet, RC - are they similar to Josephine Tey's own books?They are in that they don't necessarily have an official crime to solve (though some do) and they draw on Tey's life and her friendship with the police inspector who was the model for Grant. They're very varied in theme and are exceptionally well researched and redolent of the period but with a modern outlook. I would place them at the slightly more literary end of the crime spectrum - and the overarching character arcs means they're best read in order - though I came to them via the second book. Maybe try the library first?
BTW, if you haven't read The Franchise Affair, it's brilliant!
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Lady Clementina wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I've just started A Shilling for Candles and I'm really enjoying it so far."I enjoyed it as well- much more so than Grant's first outing."
Me, too. I thought that first book just dragged at points.
Lady Clementina wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I've just started A Shilling for Candles and I'm really enjoying it so far."I enjoyed it as well- much more so than Grant's first outing."
Same here!
Carol ♔Type, Oh Queen!♕ wrote: "Lady Clementina wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I've just started A Shilling for Candles and I'm really enjoying it so far."I enjoyed it as well- much more so than Grant's first outing."
Same..."
I actually prefer The Man in the Queue, although it isn't perfect.
A Shilling for Candles and The Franchise Affair are my 2 favorite Tey books, though Brat Farrar is a close third.
Finished Malice Aforethought last night. It's hard to believe that this book came out in 1931. It was not what I expected. It was a rather disquieting read.
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Reading the Detectives
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Magpie Murders is excellent. I loved the concept of a book within a book, each with its own mystery.
One Corpse Too Many, second in the Cadfael, a medieval monk, series. I'm really enjoying this series, both the setting and the characters.
Festival of Deaths, #10 in a series, the first of which will be our group read for December. Each book has a holiday theme and the descriptions of the decoration overdose in Gregor's neighborhood gets a bit repetitive, but the mysteries are always good. Although written in the early 1990's it is eerily timely with its portrait of some Americans view of immigration that has been in the news lately.