The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
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Currently Reading? Just Finished? 2016
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Charlotte (Buried in Books)
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May 19, 2016 11:09AM
Ohhhh, I like that idea. Picking one out of a hat. Problem is I've got hundreds in the house (maybe thousands).
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I didn't mean to imply it would be THAT easy! Agreed, that one would still have to narrow things down to a handful of titles from the vast selection.
I just finished my first thriller by Helen MacInnes, The Snare of the Hunter. I know I will search for more of her work as it was such a well-written, nail-biting thriller. Basically, the premise is that, set in the Cold War period, a Czech national is smuggled out of Communist Czechoslovakia with the help of a group of amateurs. Her father, a renowned writer, had left many years ago and she wanted to be with him. Starting in Vienna they must get her safely to Switzerland, all the while being hunted by Czech spies, who don't want to leave any witnesses behind. Their plans seem to be known in advance so we must wonder if there is a traitor in their midst. I won't ruin this by telling you how it all turns out.
The characters, from Irina to her rescuers, David, Jo and Krieger and to the shadowy people following them are all well-crafted. I liked all the team and Irina very much and wanted so much for them to be successful. There is so much tension created and I readily admit as the story drew to its conclusion, I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it would end. Wonderful writing and excellent story-telling. (4 stars)
John wrote: "I have considered putting slips of paper with titles on them in a hat, and drawing one!"I like it!
Bill wrote: "I just finished my first thriller by Helen MacInnes, The Snare of the Hunter. I know I will search for more of her work as it was such a well-written, nail-biting thril..."Sounds like a good story.
I'm reading Headhunters
by Jo Nesbø. This isn't one of his "Harry Hole" series but it's just as intense. Some REALLY cringeworthy scenes.....what would you do if you had to hide in the ....shall we say....'holding tank" of an outhouse with a toilet paper tube to breath thru?...
This is gonna haunt me forever.
Sandra wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "I just get really restless sometimes and can't settle on anything to read. I always have lots on the go and get frustrated if nothing takes my fanc..."
I love Pascal Garnier!
I love Pascal Garnier!
Still happy with Despair and still reading it very slowly. With this book, you have to slow way down to catch a lot of the nuances. I thrive on challenge.
Nancy wrote: "Sandra wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "I just get really restless sometimes and can't settle on anything to read. I always have lots on the go and get frustrated if nothin..."I'm a big fan of Garnier now. I already have my eye on another one of his books. That they are novellas is a big plus too, short and intense.
I finished Death Times Three, my introduction to the famed detective, Nero Wolfe, by Rex Stout. The book features three short stories/ novellas; Bitter End, Frame-up for Murder and Assault on a Brownstone. I didn't really have any sort of clue about Nero Wolfe and was interested to find out more about him and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who is, in effect, Wolfe's arms and legs.
Wolfe never leaves his brownstone in New York and uses the investigations conducted by Archie to analyse and solve the cases brought his way. Wolfe is a curmudgeon, doesn't like his routine upset (breakfast, morning with his orchids, office work in the afternoon, then more work with his orchids, etc.). He doesn't like women clients for some reason (maybe I'll find out more as I further explore his other cases), doesn't really need the work, but seems to take them on when his routine is disrupted or his character is called into question (at least in the three cases in this book.)
The stories were nicely varied; an invasion by Treasury officials in the last, a case involving quinine in Wolfe's pate and the murder of a fashion designer. I enjoyed the cases, the dynamic between Archie and Wolfe and the interruptions by and interaction with Inspector Cramer and how Wolfe uses the information gathered by Archie to solve the cases. Enjoyable reading and I'm looking forward to finding out more about this detective. (4 stars)
Onto Agatha Christie with another short story collection, The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a selection of entrées.
I finished Headhunters
by Jo Nesbø.This isn't one of Nesbo's "Harry Hole" novels.
In this book, arrogant corporate headhunter/art thief Roger Brown encounters a client with a problematic agenda (to put it mildly). Darkly humorous thriller...but just okay for me. 3 stars.
My complete review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Starting
by
Lee ChildThis is the fourth book in the Jack Reacher series. I have read most of the books in the series but have not had a chance to read this one until now.
Finished Munich Airport by Greg Baxter. An unusual and disturbing book, yet mesmerizing. A beautifully written psychological thriller. A bleak portrayal, but lucid. Definitely not a mainstream novel.
L.R. wrote: "Finished Munich Airport by Greg Baxter. An unusual and disturbing book, yet mesmerizing. A beautifully written psychological thriller. A bleak portrayal, but lucid...."Thanks for the report as it's been on my TBR list for a while.
Seema wrote: "just finished
! :)"I love Nancy Drew! I am currently re-reading all the yellow hardbacks, I hope you enjoyed the read!
I loved into the darkest corner by Elizabeth Haynes now I'm reading All these perfect strangers by Aoife Clifford good so far
Rebecca wrote: "Seema wrote: "just finished
! :)"I love Nancy Drew! I am currently re-reading all the yellow hardbacks, I hope you enjoyed the read!"
Thanks!
Hey, I'm currently reading a Nancy Drew yellow hardback too! I'm reading
Seema wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Seema wrote: "just finished
! :)"I love Nancy Drew! I am currently re-reading all the yellow hardbacks, I hope you enjoyed the read!"
Th..."
The Hidden Staircase was one of my favorites! Awesome, I have been loving re-reading this series; I definitely have a better appreciation for Hannah Gruen haha :)
I'm nearly finished with Raymond Chandler's Playback. The Philip Marlowe series really is a classic!
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. She is known as a literary author who started incorporating more commercial plots. This book is beautifully written. I would classify it as a literary suspense kind of novel even though the author might disagree. A strong and engaging plot. I found the ending a little fantastical, but enjoyed the atmospheric nature of the book (the Amazon seems dense and dripping with insects and other creatures).
Just finished Between Black and White by Robert Bailey. Am currently reading Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin.
John wrote: "Just finished Between Black and White by Robert Bailey. Am currently reading Kind of Blue by Miles Corwin."You're on a color kick.....
My plan is to finish Nabokov's Despair today (down to the last 30 or so pages). Then I'm reading something very light to get the main character from that book out of my head.
Nancy wrote: "My plan is to finish Nabokov's Despair today (down to the last 30 or so pages). Then I'm reading something very light to get the main character from that book out of my head."LOL
I just finished the audiobook version of The Summer Before the War. While it started off a bit slowly, it soon picked up the pace to the point where I didn't want to turn it off. This is easy five-star read for me. It's also a timely selection as Memorial Day is celebrated in the U.S.A. this weekend.My review is here.
I just finished The Innocents by Ace Atkins my review is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Last night I finished Absalom's Daughters: A Novel by Suzanne Feldman. This gender-bending look at one of Faulkner's classics told in the form of of a road trip taken through the Deep South by two sisters, one black and one white, This is not the story I expected it to be. Instead, it is something unique, something magical. My review is here.
Just starting
Irreparable Deeds by Sloane Kady after finishing a cracking good golden age mystery
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for an ARC copy of the book for a honest review.
Tanya DuBois doesn’t exist. At least not after an accident leaves her husband dead and makes her suspect No. 1. She has one choice: Run. Tanya isn’t real, and neither is Amelia Keen, Debra Maze, or any of her other aliases. She is “Amelia” when she meets Blue, another woman with a life she’d rather not discuss, and thinks she’s found her kindred spirit. But their pasts and futures clash as the body count rises around them...
Identity theft is all very relevant today with the Internet and electronic surveillance and Tanya Dubois is about to find out how difficult it is to do. Her husband dies falling down stairs but rather than stick around and just explain what happens she goes on the run, but why?
That is the question that does stick in your head throughout the book, why is she running?
How to explain this book, it is hard, a gripping thriller, no not really, action, well some tense moments, but more like an adventure across America, that sometimes I found a struggle and heavy going at times.
But in between were many unbelievable parts that I personally could not get my head around, the sections where she becomes different identities she has email communication with a man named Ryan, who is somehow linked to her past, and through this communication our interest is kept a little as to the nature of her secret past, and for the real reason her life was turned into a journey of anonymity.
This kept me reading to know why?
Then did the ending make any sense, did we get all the answers, I am not sure.
I finished Sick Puppy
by Carl Hiaasen...not a mystery, but a kind of fun offbeat thriller with a one-of-a-kind hitman.The story is about a slightly demented environmentalist who enacts revenge on a litterer and tries to stop an unspoiled Florida island from becoming a golf resort. Crazy situations abound. Good light reading. 3.5 stars.
My complete review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished reading The Mosaic Crimes by Giulio Leoni; it was okay but I'm looking forward to returning to continuing the Shardlake series.
Tonight I'll be starting The Last Child. Hopefully I can get John Hart to sign my copy next week when he comes to town.
I got Time No Longer at a library book sale. It was written in 1941 when WWII was just beginning . I'm about 100 pages into it . I find it interesting, and remember some of the things of that time, but I was so young but my uncles and cousin were in the war. I have read many books of this time period and am somewhat tired of this subject; however, for you young ones out there I would recommend this book as it gives you the feelings that were felt at that time, the fears , anguish and horror whether German or German Jew. Brother against brother!!
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