The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
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Currently Reading? Just Finished? 2016
Jan C wrote: "Finally got around to reading Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker. Just thought it was great. Can't wait to read the rest in the series."I enjoyed this book too :)
I am a dedicated Francophile having spent much of my childhood in southwest France, and I love reading, and writing, crime. So "Bruno, Chief of Police" was just so good to read when I discovered it. I've now read the other 6 available as well, and am eagerly waiting for the new one which is due out any time now.Do enjoy the rest of the series.
ABP
I finished The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore about Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. My review is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Currently I'm reading Last Man Standing by David Baldacci who is one of my favorite authors. The leader of a hostage rescue team is the sole survivor of an ambush and can't deal with it so he sees a shrink. So far it has been very good. Before that I finished Crux by Ramez Naam. It's sci-fi about an illegal drug called Nexus which causes the connection of its users' minds. But it has a lot of action so it's more like a thriller. I liked it so much I gave it five stars.
I finished The Last Star
by Rick Yancey.This is the last book in a YA sci-fi trilogy about 'the others' coming to Earth to wipe out the human race. I started the trilogy because the first book The 5th Wave was highly praised. And it was very good.
For me, the books went downhill after that and I was disappointed with this final addition to the series.
3 stars.
My complete review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
really enjoyed the sudden departure of the Frasers, now reading Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer this looks totally my kind of book
Rhian wrote: "really enjoyed the sudden departure of the Frasers, now reading Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer this looks totally my kind of book"I've read Blacklands and enjoyed. I like her style.
I just finished The Sixth Idea by P.J. Tracy. My review of this thriller is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished The North Water at the suggestion of a GR friend, Good suggestion. Here is my review.
I finished NOS4A2
by Joe Hill.Victoria McQueen and Charles Manx each have special abilities. Vic can ride her bike across a special bridge to get wherever she needs to be. And Manx can use his Rolls Royce to drive abducted children to Christmasland, a place built from his imagination. In this horror/thriller Vic and Manx engage in an epic struggle between good and evil. Good book. 4 stars.
My complete review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I decided to finally try Donna Leon's Brunetti series. The first one Death at La Fenice isn't exactly bowling me over. I would have preferred to listen to an audiobook, but this title is not available in that format. The second book is available to me read by a narrator whom I' ve really liked reading other stuff, so even if this one doesn't "hook" me on the series, I'll give the next one a chance.
Finished Murder of a Lady, by Scottish author Anthony Wynne from 1931. I love the British Library Crime Classics series.
John wrote: "I decided to finally try Donna Leon's Brunetti series. The first one Death at La Fenice isn't exactly bowling me over. I would have preferred to listen to an audiobook, but this title ..."It depends what you like, but the Inspector Brunetti is excellent.
I finished Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope today. Interesting and different sort of serial killer thriller. Following an unusual FBI tracker.
I've just started reading Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis. The protagonist's friend is shot to death in the middle of a crowd at a racetrack and he has no clue who shot him or why he was shot. So far I've been enjoying it.
John wrote: "I decided to finally try Donna Leon's Brunetti series. The first one Death at La Fenice isn't exactly bowling me over. I would have preferred to listen to an audiobook, but this title ..."yeah, I was underwhelmed by this one, too, but I liked character of Brunetti, so decided to try another one, audio edition of By Its Cover, which I liked a good bit more. Not great stuff, but entertaining, kept my attention, enough so that I'll probably read / listen to another in near future. In fact, I liked it enough to consider reading the book, or parts of it, as well, to focus on some of details re rare books.
Just started Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville). The main knock on this series I hear is that Black can't help indulging his Banville literary chops at expense of narrative suspense. That's always a fine line for me in this genre, as I want the thrills and chills from the prose as well as the action. (despite a couple of attempts, never got past 20 pgs of Grisham's The Firm because I found the prose so flat). So far Banville's prose feeding Black's atmosphere quite nicely.
Tom wrote: "Just started Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville). The main knock on this series I hear is that Black can't help indulging his Banville literary chops at expense of n..."
The Quirke series is one of my all-time favorites. It's suspenseful enough but is certainly not run of the mill by any stretch.
The Quirke series is one of my all-time favorites. It's suspenseful enough but is certainly not run of the mill by any stretch.
Nancy wrote: "Tom wrote: "Just started Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville). The main knock on this series I hear is that Black can't help indulging his Banville literary chops at ..."Great, glad to hear it, Nancy. I've been looking for a series to get hooked on, and have high hopes for this one so far.
Strange Things Donemy review, 4/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Water Tossing Boulders: How a Family of Chinese Immigrants Led the First Fight to Desegregate Schools in the Jim Crow South
my review, 5/5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It feels like I've been reading Tin Sky for months, but that's because it's so dense and intricate that I don't want to rush it and miss things.It's a WW2 locked-room mystery set in Ukraine, 1943, with a Wehrmacht cavalry officer as the investigator. Wonderfully rich and textural in detail and a compelling set of puzzles to solve. Something like a mix of Bernie Gunther and the C J Sansom historical murder-mysteries...
I'm massively impressed by the author's ability to blend miniscule gritty battlefield detail with three or four complicated plots. Tin Sky is part of a series, so I'll be adding all the others to my kindle, I think...
Rowena wrote: "It feels like I've been reading Tin Sky for months, but that's because it's so dense and intricate that I don't want to rush it and miss things.
It's a WW2 locked-room mystery set i..."
she's a really good writer. I enjoy her work.
It's a WW2 locked-room mystery set i..."
she's a really good writer. I enjoy her work.
Nancy wrote: "she's a really good writer..."And I didn't realise that 'Ben Pastor' was a woman until I checked her site! Lots of goodies await:
http://www.benpastor.com/en/novels.html
Tom wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Tom wrote: "Just started Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville). The main knock on this series I hear is that Black can't help indulging his Banville lite..."
Just a heads-up: you have to read those books in series order. Each book builds on the last.
Just a heads-up: you have to read those books in series order. Each book builds on the last.
Rowena wrote: "Nancy wrote: "she's a really good writer..."
And I didn't realise that 'Ben Pastor' was a woman until I checked her site! Lots of goodies await:
http://www.benpastor.com/en/novels.html"
I've been reading her for years.
And I didn't realise that 'Ben Pastor' was a woman until I checked her site! Lots of goodies await:
http://www.benpastor.com/en/novels.html"
I've been reading her for years.
Nancy wrote: "Tom wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Tom wrote: "Just started Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville). The main knock on this series I hear is that Black can't help indulging his B..."Ok, thanks!
I finished The Killing in the Cafe
by Simon Brett.Carole and Jude, amateur sleuths in Fethering, discover a dead body on the beach and decide to investigate.
Meanwhile, Polly's Cake's Shop is being sold and a do-gooder action committee wants to buy and run it. Can this ever work?
Entertaining cozy mystery. 3 stars.
My complete review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Barbara wrote: "I finished The Killing in the Cafe
by Simon Brett.Carole and Jude, amateur sleuths in Fethering, discover a dead body o..."
Have you been reading the series all along? I've read most of them, except for this one and the one before it.
I'm getting towards the climax of Joe Hill's new book, The Fireman. It's different than I expected which, in this case, is a good thing. Hill interests me. The more of his books that I read, the more I recognize his father's style in them but, and this sounds totally contradictory, I also see more of Hill's own distinct talent.
Barbara wrote: "I finished The Killing in the Cafe
by Simon Brett.Carole and Jude, amateur sleuths in Fethering, discover a dead body o..."
I've read the first two or three of the Fethering series and enjoyed. I have yet to try Charles Paris, although the missus had been listening to a BBC radio adaptation of the books starring Bill Nighy and that's kind of what tweaked me to Simon Brett's books.
John wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I finished The Killing in the Cafe
by Simon Brett.Have you been reading the series all along? I've read most of them, except for this one and the one before it.
.."
I've read a few of the books here and there John...not the whole series. I've read more of Brett's 'Charles Paris' books.
Oh, by the way, a few books back I actually tried a bottle of Chilean chardonnay. Didn't think it was anything special, but then again I don't much like chardonnay (from anywhere!) to begin with.I have trouble accepting that the books are written by a guy, even though I listen to them as read by Brett himself!
OMG....WOW .. What a book... Read this 466 page book in three days..
Gripping, tense, action, shocks, twists ... a rollercoaster of a ride... Non stop thriller book.
No Way Back is a thrilling page-turner from Andrew Gross, the New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds and The Blue Zone. One woman is framed for a horrific crime, and desperate to prove her innocence.
A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends in a shocking murder. Wendy Gould is an average mom—and the only witness. Nanny Lauritzia Velez knows a shocking secret that could prove to be deadly. Both of their lives in danger, this unlikely pair must work together against a network of dangerous men who want nothing more than to see them dead.
A fast-paced, riveting tale with strong, compelling characters, No Way Back is an edge-of-your-seat read with nonstop action and a complex mystery.
Superb characters in Wendy Gould and Lauritzia Velez and a compelling, shocking, clever and superbly put together suspenseful story.
This thriller shows you how to write a thriller, great characters, great story and very cleverly bring the stories together, with some really great supporting roles for Harold and Roxanne, and some very nasty baddies.
Cannot say anymore other than " Read this book". Five stars from me.
I just finished A Serigamy of Stories by professional storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham. It's a great book to sit down with if the modern world is driving you crazy. Here is my review.
Barbara wrote: "I finished The Killing in the Cafe
by Simon Brett.Carole and Jude, amateur sleuths in Fethering, discover a dead body o..."
I stumbled on this series a couple of years ago. About to start Death Under the Dryer. It took me quite a while to track this one down.
I'm currently reading That's Not My Name by Yvonne Navarro. A woman is abducted by a man who thinks she's his wife who's suffering from amnesia. So far I've been enjoying it.
I just finished
. I was disappointed as one blog I read said it was the best of 2015. I gave it ***. You can read my review on Goodreads.
Just finished Kindred
by Steve Robinson. That's the fifth book in the Jefferson Tayte genealogical mystery series and was excellent. Today I started 1894
, a book of Sherlock Holmes tales, by Hugh Ashton.
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It's such an excellent series, Jan.