What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread Showing 4,101-4,150 of 4,475

[Bicky]

Judy wrote: "I've only read various introductions by Curtis Evans and there is also lots of good stuff on his blog, http://thepassingtramp.blogspot.com/

I am interested in the sound of his book [book:Masters o..."

Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful.

[Judy]

Jill wrote: "Started the current Marsh book, but mine is called A Wreath for Rivera not Swing Brother Swing"

That's the US title, Jill. I think it might be a better title for this one.

[Judy]

Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interesting things there.

[Annabel]

As if I didn't already have too much on my TBR list, I picked up a modern reprint of what is apparently an early locked room classic in Oxfam today. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux, who wrote The Phantom Of The Opera. The dustjacket quotes John Dickson Carr saying: "The finest locked room tale ever written." I'm ashamed to admit I've never heard of it.

I've developed a taste for locked room mysteries lately although they do ask a lot if you're not naturally good at visualising settings. Death In Captivity which I just read was also a good locked room puzzle, alongside its many other qualities.

[Jill]

I have the Leroux book. Maybe you could let me know what you think of it.

[Susan in NC]

I’ve seen Yellow Room mentioned as a classic, but didn’t know the author, thank you.

[Susan in NC]

Finished ABC Murders last night (so loving the Poirot rereads - trip down memory lane!), and going to start Swing, Brother, Swing today - my used copy arrived in yesterday’s mail from London. Yay!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Susan wrote: "Talking of Japanese crime novels, Bicky and Annabel, I have The Decagon House Murders on my TBR list. It has been compared to, "And Th..."

Not only does this look interesting, but its publisher is one I haven't heard of: Locked Room International. It appears to have a rather short list of publications, but perhaps one to look out for.

http://www.lockedroominternational.co...

[Judy]

I've started one of our forthcoming buddy reads, Stop Press by Michael Innes - the opening is a lot of fun and extremely unusual!

[Bev]

Susan wrote: "Talking of Japanese crime novels, Bicky and Annabel, I have The Decagon House Murders on my TBR list. It has been compared to, "And Th..."

This is a great mystery--plays very well on Christie's "And Then There Were None" and yet does it's own thing.

[Bev]

I'm currently listening to Hugh Fraser read Christie's "Murder on the Links." Will be starting Marsh's "A Wreath for Rivera" (aka Swing, Brother, Swing) next.

[Gary]

Currently reading Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich for a challenge in another group.

[Bicky]

Susan wrote: "Talking of Japanese crime novels, Bicky and Annabel, I have The Decagon House Murders on my TBR list. It has been compared to, "And Th..."

I saw the book mentioned on the Honkaku website but now I am going to start it immediately.

[Bicky]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Susan wrote: "Talking of Japanese crime novels, Bicky and Annabel, I have The Decagon House Murders on my TBR list. It has been compar..."

Bev wrote: "Susan wrote: "Talking of Japanese crime novels, Bicky and Annabel, I have The Decagon House Murders on my TBR list. It has been compar..."

Thanks for the reference.

[Lady Clementina]

I started one of our buddy reads
Really enjoying it-it kept me reading well past bedtime last night.

[Bicky]

Finished reading both Information Received and P.C. Richardson's First Case.

Enjoyed both of them. The wit in the first and the solidity in the second. I plan to read more books by the two authors.

[Judy]

Bicky wrote: "Finished reading both Information Received and P.C. Richardson's First Case.

Enjoyed both of them. The wit in the first and the solidity in the second. I plan to re..."

That's good to hear, Bicky. You are very welcome to join in our discussion of Richardson's first Case - links to the non-spoiler and spoiler threads below.

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

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

[Judy]

PS, we have also had previous discussions of Information Received and the threads for those are still open too. :)

[Bicky]

Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Finished reading both Information Received and P.C. Richardson's First Case.

Enjoyed both of them. The wit in the first and the solidity in the second..."

Thanks. Went there and posted!

[Bicky]

Judy wrote: "PS, we have also had previous discussions of Information Received and the threads for those are still open too. :)"

Thanks, went there too.

[Fred]

Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interesting things there."

Annabel wrote: "As if I didn't already have too much on my TBR list, I picked up a modern reprint of what is apparently an early locked room classic in Oxfam today. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux,..."

Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interesting things there."

If you enjoy locked room mysteries/impossible crimes check out Gigi Pandian's "The Cambodian Curse and other stories." She uses the locked room lecture from John Dickson Carr's "Three Coffins" as the basis for each story featuring historian/sleuth Jaya Jones or magician Sanjay Rai.

[Bicky]

Fred wrote: "Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interesting things th..."

Thanks Fred, not only for the reference but also the introduction to a new writer.

[Bicky]

Fred wrote: "Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interesting things th..."

Incidentally, I have often been puzzled by the fact that when faced with a locked room or otherwise impossible problem, why don't they call upon a magician? It reminds me of Uri Geller fooling scientists.

[Carolien]

I've started Thin Air. I am getting close to the end of the series and starting to wish there were more to come! Loved it.

[Judy]

Bicky wrote: "Incidentally, I have often been puzzled by the fact that when faced with a locked room or otherwise impossible problem, why don't they call upon a magician? ..."

Jonathan Creek started out as a magician solving locked room mysteries in the TV series, though it then changed over the years.

[Jill]

Now starting The Widows of Malabar Hill for the group buddy read

[Lady Clementina]

Jill wrote: "Now starting The Widows of Malabar Hill for the group buddy read"

I'm enjoying it a lot.

[Jemima]

Reading Swing, Brother, Swing on audible. About to start
Look to the LadyMargery Allingham

[Susan in NC]

Started . Enjoying it very much - great characters and atmosphere in 1920s Bombay.

[Jughead]

Just started "They Came to Baghdad" by Agatha Christie

[Jemima]

I picked up a beautiful hard cover edition to They Came to Baghdad at a library sale for 20 cents last week. I was stoked. Looking forward to reading it soon.

[Fred]

Bicky wrote: "Fred wrote: "Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interest..."

Bicky wrote: "Fred wrote: "Judy wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Thanks for the reference to the blog. Very interesting. Very helpful. ..."

Thanks Bicky, glad you like the Curtis Evans blog - I have found lots of interest..."

Clayton Rawson did feature a magician as a detective. In John Dickson Carr's biography, he studied magician's tricks to come up with some of his impossible crimes.

[Susan in NC]

Jemima wrote: "I picked up a beautiful hard cover edition to They Came to Baghdad at a library sale for 20 cents last week. I was stoked. Looking forward to reading it soon."

Yay! I love when that happens, you go not expecting anything, and find a great book at a great price!

[Nickleby]

Just finished AC’s ‘Five Little Pigs’ a few days ago. Not exactly a surprise ending, but still really enjoyable. Currently in the middle of ‘The Labyrinth of Spirits’, fourth book in the ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’ collection by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

[Bicky]

Jemima wrote: "I picked up a beautiful hard cover edition to They Came to Baghdad at a library sale for 20 cents last week. I was stoked. Looking forward to reading it soon."

The joy of secondhand shopping.

In Delhi, there used to be a Sunday market with a long street full of people selling books out of sacks! One needed to be poker faced. It made a great difference, whether I paid fifty paise or one Rupee. To not show my hand, I even ended up buying books in which, then, I had no interest as there often was a bulk discount. At times buying ten books was cheaper then just buying the one book I really wanted, if I had picked it up with sufficient casualness. The amount of money was limited, not the number of books. For the sellers, it was a kind of clearance sale. They wanted to get rid of their entire stock, while bargaining hard. And, of course, the other buyers were my enemies.

And then to take home the armloads of books in very very crowded buses on a long ride home, already perusing the first of my treasures while fellow passengers looked at me strangely.

Later, remaindered books from USA would be brought to India by the shiploads and end up in roadside stalls often with the mark of small town libraries. The sellers had bought them by the weight. By now, I was travelling by car and so just had to load up the trunk.

So many of the books remained unread. I now find I have out of print books stacked in a forgotten bookshelf. For decades, I had stopped reading detective fiction but continued to pursue them as bargains. For example, if the book had a 'Penguin Crime" label or was an Ace double or was by an author I had liked or, in fact, just had a mystery label, I knew that a time might come when I would want to read it. It has.

Life's undeserved gift- karma?

[Bicky]

Fred wrote: :Clayton Rawson did feature a magician as a detective. "

Will follow it up. Andrew Mayne has a very interesting series with Jessica Blackwood, an ex-magician FBI agent.

[Jemima]

Bicky wrote: "Jemima wrote: "I picked up a beautiful hard cover edition to They Came to Baghdad at a library sale for 20 cents last week. I was stoked. Looking forward to reading it soon."

The joy of secondhand..."
Yes absolutely. Your stories of India are fascinating. Do you still live there?

[Bicky]

Jemima wrote: "Your stories of India are fascinating. Do you still live there? "

Thank you. Yes, I still stay in India. Always have with a few sojourns in USA and a year in Mexico City.

[Sandy]

Wonderful reminisce of your book buying, Bicky. Thank you for sharing.

[Jill]

Starting Stop Press The forth in this series, for the buddy read this month. I wasn't keen on the two previous books by this author but I did like the first book. Hoping this one is better.

[Bicky]

Sandy wrote: "Wonderful reminisce of your book buying, Bicky. Thank you for sharing."

Thank you for appreciating.

[Judy]

I’m about a third of the way through Stop
Press and enjoying it so far, Jill.

[Jemima]

I know who to ask if my group travels to India this year on our books around the world journey. Right now I’m seeking some recommendations for a book set in Holland or by a Dutch author. Preferably the first as I love learning about other countries. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Lady Clementina]

Bicky wrote: "Jemima wrote: "I picked up a beautiful hard cover edition to They Came to Baghdad at a library sale for 20 cents last week. I was stoked. Looking forward to reading it soon."

The joy of secondhand..."

1 rupee for a book? When was this? (and where?-Darya Ganj?) The cheapest ones I find are around 50.

[Lady Clementina]

[Susan]

I am currently re-reading the second Shardlake, Lady :)

Also, I am enjoying The Boy in the Headlights: the 3rd in one of my fave Nordic Noir series.

[Lady Clementina]

Susan wrote: "I am currently re-reading the second Shardlake, Lady :)

Also, I am enjoying The Boy in the Headlights: the 3rd in one of my fave Nor..."
:)

I really enjoyed The Widows of Malabar Hill/A Murder at Malabar Hill that I read just before this. Looking forward to our discussion.

[Bicky]

Starting The Widows of Malabar Hill with trepidation, a problem I always face when reading books situated in India but written by non-Indians.
Meanwhile continuing with Basil Thomson's Richardson series.

[Lady Clementina]

Bicky wrote: "Starting The Widows of Malabar Hill with trepidation, a problem I always face when reading books situated in India but written by non-Indians.
Meanwhile continuing with [author:Basil Thomson|165437..."

It's very good-the setting is done perfectly. And she does have Indian roots.

[Susan in NC]

Lady Clementina wrote: "Bicky wrote: "Starting The Widows of Malabar Hill with trepidation, a problem I always face when reading books situated in India but written by non-Indians.
Meanwhile continuing with [author:Basil ..."

Thanks, good to know it’s authentic, I enjoyed it, too.