Reading the Detectives discussion
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What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread
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Finished Seventy-Seven Clocks. Very intricate plot, as usual discovered a whole lot of facts about London (and Christmas) that I did not know. Huge cast of characters, very few that I actually liked, but I am definitely continuing with the series.Started Singing to the Dead, I read the first in the series a while ago and enjoyed it. I am mainly looking for books set in cold places at the moment, we are in the throes of a heatwave.
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I've read the first four Clara Benson books so far and it is definitely the characters and the witty writing style which hook me in, rather than the plots as such. Hoping to get back to this series soon.
Thanks for mentioning Clara Benson. I had meant to join in with the group read earlier this year of The Murder at Sissingham Hall but I got swamped by over-committing myself! (There are so many irresistible group reads on GR!) I just read the article on her website about how she came to write the books. She made a very good point about the level of detail an author would put in if writing about the 1930s rather than writing in the 1930s. I had never considered that before.Anyway, I digress. I've bumped this up my reading list and I shall make sure to check the group read threads when I start reading. Better late than never right?!
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Susan wrote: "Those threads always remain open. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time :)"Thanks Susan!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I've started The Late Monsieur Gallet. Simenon is marvelous."I need to actually try and read this series in order. I have a whole shelf full of them.
Carolien wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I've started The Late Monsieur Gallet. Simenon is marvelous."I need to actually try and read this series in order. I have a whole shelf full of them."
I don't know if all of them have been translated. Also I can't see there is any advantage to reading them in order.
I'm reading I Found You by Lisa Jewell
Finished Murder has a Motive by Francis Duncan Now moving on to Murder for Christmas for the group Christmas book
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Judy wrote: "Did you like Murder Has a Motive, Jill? I enjoyed it but liked Murder for Christmas more. I read that one first when it was republished, then caught up with Murder Has a Motive when the publisher b..."Yes . I thought Mordecai Tremaine was a really likable character , and I liked the way we were able to know thoughts most of the time. His suspicions of everyone were quiet feasible and had me thinking along his lines. Not sure this was actually the first book he wrote in the series but maybe there are more to come. I do have the other three.
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I'm currently reading Murder at the Mendel, the second in the Joanna Kilbourn series set in Saskatchewan, Canada.
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the second Stuart MacBride novel. I love the narrator of these books, Steve Worsley.
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Very true!
Just completed Singing to the Dead. Very complex plot - it has about 5 story lines intersecting so you need to keep your wits about you, but a manageable cast of interesting characters. If you enjoy murders in freezing Scotland, this is a good one.
Carolien wrote: "Just completed Singing to the Dead. Very complex plot - it has about 5 story lines intersecting so you need to keep your wits about you, but a manageable cast of interesting characte..."Did you read the first in the series? Is this one that absolutely *should* be read in order?
I recently found out that Agatha Christie's best selling novel of all time is And Then There Were None. So I am reading that at the moment. The premise is very intriguing and I'm dying to find out more.
I just reread Death and the Dancing Footman and started Colour Scheme, not having realized or remembered that they are the November and December Ngaio Marsh books, respectively. I'm a longtime Marsh fan, dating back to the late 1970s. I also just reread Agatha Christie's The Secret of Chimneys and Destination Unknown; the latter is more of a spy novel than a murder mystery.How many of you reread your favorite mystery authors/books?
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Ooh, my fave Christie, Balaji. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. I am currently re-reading (or listening, rather) to Murder on the Orient Express. Lovely comfortable listening, with David Suchet as an excellent narrator (although I do prefer Hugh Fraser to be honest, but, sadly, no Hastings on the train!).
Susan wrote: "Ooh, my fave Christie, Balaji. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. I am currently re-reading (or listening, rather) to Murder on the Orient Express."It is brilliantly written. I read it all night long and completed today around 4 am. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout the night and I was dying to know what would happen next, who would be the next victim, and also the killer's identity. At every turn, I thought okay he must be the killer, only to find him dead in the next few pages. Especially when (view spoiler) died I was lost for good. I had no more theories and had to read till the end. And then it came down to 4...then 3... and then 2, I was super alert at this point, I read on as fast as I could, I did not even pause to fetch water from the next room. I was thoroughly enjoying the experience. Finally, when it was revealed I was amazed at how a detective story could keep a reader on edge from page 1 till the very end. I am glad I picked it up and hoping to read more AC books in the future. Definitely, 5 stars this one. This is one of the best AC books that I have read till now.
Murder on the Orient Express: I read it last year and liked it very much. Have you seen the film adaptation? I hear its good.
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Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Carolien wrote: "Just completed Singing to the Dead. Very complex plot - it has about 5 story lines intersecting so you need to keep your wits about you, but a manageable cast of int..."I did, and it does help as it sets the context for the second book. The first book is excellent and the author takes a huge gamble in it - very brave.
Carolien wrote: "I did, and it does help as it sets the context for the second book. The first book is excellent and the author takes a huge gamble in it - very brave. "Thank you. I've put it on my over-burdened wish list.
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Judy wrote: "I've started Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh - can hardly believe it's the last in this year's challenge, though we do have another year of Marsh coming up!"I have not read any of her books yet. Should I have to read the rest of the books in the series to get into this one (color scheme) ?
Susan wrote: "Balaji, good to hear you enjoyed And Then There Were None - a brilliant, very creepy, read! I am currently listening to Orient Express, so looking forward to discussing that soon."Me too!
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Susan wrote: "Ngaio Marsh's mysteries do not follow on from each other really, Balaji. You might like to read the first one, where Inspector Alleyn is introduced and meets Nigel Bathgate, who appears in some of ..."Good, then I can join in the next month's read.
Starting Colour Scheme for next month's read. This year has certainly gone fast, up to book 12 already.
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I read these books originally, so I am enjoying them in another format, and loving Sean Barrett's narration.
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A Shot in the Dark is a humorous take on a classic detective story. So far it is not grabbing me but is good enough to continue. I loved the author's Cat Out of Hell.
A Christmas Revelation is Anne Perry's 2018 holiday novella. I don't find these as good as the full size books but there it was, waving to me from the display rack, so I started it while waiting for my date ... and drinking iced tea in the café (referring to another thread about eating while reading - I was careful).
I just started Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer. I read a couple of her regency romances years ago, and although I thought she wrote well, I didn’t care all that much for the books. (Romances don’t hold much appeal for me). I just found out that she wrote a number of mysteries as well, and this book is one of them. If you like old fashioned, traditional style, British country house mysteries, this one is worth a try.
I'm listening to I Found You by Lisa Jewell
Gardener0126 wrote: "I just started Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer. I read a couple of her regency romances years ago, and although I thought she wrote well, I didn’t care all that much for the books..."We read Death in the Stocks back in 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
We didn't have spoiler threads then so you may want to read the book first before looking at this
We also have threads for some other of her books we have read as a group
Jill wrote: "Gardener0126 wrote: "I just started Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer. I read a couple of her regency romances years ago, and although I thought she wrote well, I didn’t care all th..."Hmmm...read the first several posts in the “Death in the stocks” thread. Seems several readers had negative feelings about this one. And...some of those readers liked the romances.....I didn’t...
Guess I will just keep reading her mysteries and see what happens.
False Scent by Ngaio Marsh. One of her theatrical.mysteries. Quite enjoyable.so far.
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Reading the Detectives
Books mentioned in this topic
Earthly Remains (other topics)A Rule Against Murder (other topics)
Earthly Remains (other topics)
Earthly Remains (other topics)
The Lake House (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Morton (other topics)E.F. Benson (other topics)
E.F. Benson (other topics)
Ed McBain (other topics)
Leslie Charteris (other topics)
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You should check the rest out too. Story-wise it is not that captivating, the mysteries are not that complex, but the main character is developed very well through the series.