Play Book Tag discussion
March 2016: Mystery Thriller
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Announcing the March tag: Share Your Reading Plans and Suggestions
Here are a few recommendations:Reconstructing Amelia
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hold Tight
Any of the Stephanie Plum books
As for what I'll read, I have several to choose from:
Defending Jacob
Through the Grinder
Where Are You Now?
Last Known Victim
The Killing Hour
I highly recommend Shutter Island and Defending Jacob. I also think any of the Dan Brown books would be good. I plan to try The Thirteenth Tale (long time TBR) or The Secret History, although I did not care for The Goldfinch at all. I know! I know! I'm so in the minority there.
JoLene wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "JoLene wrote: "I read The Secret History many years ago and really don't get all the love. I feel like maybe I missed something. "I'm with you on this one Jolene - but ..."
I slogged through The Secret History last year for a tag or challenge. I rated it ★★★, I also have The Goldfinch and have no desire to read it.
On the other hand I loved The Monsters of Templeton and another book by Groff and I have Fates and Furies on my TBR.
I read a lot of mysteries, but not many that I would call mystery thriller. Thriller implies a high level of suspense, which really isn't there for me in the average Agatha Christie. And Then There Were None is the exception to that rule.I would recommend Rowling/Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling, or either of the other two in that series. All of them excellent mysteries, thrilling and suspenseful.
I love Sherlock Holmes, but I don't think the originals are thrillers. However, Lindsay Faye's Dust and Shadows and Horowitz's House of Silk both ratchet up the suspense for Holmes and Watson.
Laurie King's Mary Russell/ Sherlock Holmes series is a lot of fun for me, but I don't think of those books as thrillers. King does have another series with the lesbian Kate Martinelli of the San Francisco Police Department. Those books are very suspenseful and full of cliffhangers, definite thrillers with the added benefit of being set in a great city. The first one is called, A Grave Talent.
Caleb Carr's The Alienist was one of the first books that I read for a PBT tag. I bought the second book, The Angel of Darkness at around the same time. It's been sitting on a shelf collecting dust ever since. I'll make an effort to finally read it next month.
Brandy wrote: "Margarette wrote: "I'm going to recommend And Then There Were None by Agatha ChristieI'll be reading The Girl on the Train for sure. I love mysteries ..."
Good to know about Girl on a Train, Brandy. Thanks.
Jgrace wrote: "I read a lot of mysteries, but not many that I would call mystery thriller. Thriller implies a high level of suspense..."I agree. For mystery thriller I think along the lines of Michael Connelly, John Sandford, Lee Child, William Kent Krueger, P.J. Tracy, J.D. Robb, Stieg Larsson, Dana Stabenow, J.A. Jance, Nevada Barr.
I second all the recommendations for Defending Jacob. It's a gripping one.
I will recommend the Cormoran Strike mysteries by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) there are three now and I've enjoyed them all. They are more mystery than thriller; in series order:The Cuckoo's Calling
The Silkworm
Career of Evil
I have three books out from the library that fit the tag, I will read at least one, possibly two:
Ashley Bell
Beside Myself
What She Knew
I hope to fit in one of the following for my personal TBR challenge:
Silent on the Moor
Dangerous to Know
In the Woods is already checked out from the library, so I will save it until next wee.I recommend The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths as the first in a series about a forensic archeaologist.
AJ, I also do not read any semblance of horror and I read 11/22/63. I can confirm that it is not horror and it was a 5 star read by me!!!
AJ wrote: "This is not a genre I really read all that often, although I used to as a child. I did read a book last year that was brilliant (just don't read any summaries before reading it because they all giv..."Ditto to what Nicole said. In actuality it is more of a love story.
A little off subject, but has anyone watched the 11/22/63 series on Hulu? I saw that the first two episodes have been released but I have not tuned in yet....
For this genre, I think I'm going to recommend something off the beaten track: The Clairvoyant Countess, by Dorothy Gilman. This was a book that was published way back in the 70's. It's light, it's quick, and it follows an eccentric, yet down-to-earth clairvoyant, who ends up helping the police solve numerous cases. I posted a spotlight review on my blog some time ago about this book that you can access by clicking here!
For this month, I think I'll to read The Cuckoo's Calling. I've been meaning to read this for ages now, so I guess I'll read it for this group!
Ah this is such a good one! I'm going to recommend:
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
Hold Tight - Harlan Coben
Anything by Tess Gerritsen
I haven't yet decided what I'm going to read ... honestly not sure if I'll even have time to play this month, but maybe something else by Gillian Flynn
AJ wrote: "This is not a genre I really read all that often, although I used to as a child. I did read a book last year that was brilliant (just don't read any summaries before reading it because they all giv..."11/22/63 is definitely not horror.
I haven't read much John Grisham lately, but A Time to Kill and The Firm were good.
Jgrace wrote: "Caleb Carr's The Alienist was one of the first books that I read for a PBT tag."This was another where I didn't understand all the hype. I thought it was not especially well-written. But then I don't read a lot of mysteries. Not sure I'm going to find room in my schedule of reads for my challenge group to read either of the ones I have on my shelves. (I have about 10 I could have read for 21st century.)
Marti wrote: "I did not care for The Goldfinch at all."Not that it matters, but I much, much preferred The Secret History to The Goldfinch - - although think Tartt's ability to craft a sentence is unparalleled in The Goldfinch. I just didn't like the plotting on that one much.
Anita wrote: "although think Tartt's ability to craft a sentence is unparalleled in The Goldfinch."Tartt's writing was the one thing that redeemed The Secret History for me. I just looked at my review and am reminded why I didn't care for this, although I gave it 3 stars. (3 stars from me is that it was OK, but flawed.)
Anita wrote: "We are excited to announce that this month's tag is:mystery thriller
Please share your reading plans and recommendations below!
Remember, for the regular monthly reads, the book can be shelved ..."
There are over 96 thousand books on this shelf. Have you found any way to narrow this down? Or, how can I check the shelves of a book? I did a google search with mystery thriller plus one other word and got a Goodreads list of only 49 books (so much easier to choose from), but I don't know how to find out if that book, which should fit, is already on the right shelf. I know I can add a book that clearly fits, but might not want to do that.
I rarely read mystery thrillers (so not my vote) but want to find at least one that will fit without rereading (they don't so so well on a second read).
If you have a specific book you want to check, just go to the book page. If "Mystery Thriller" is not in the right hand column under Genres, click the "see more shelves" beneath that box. You can see all of the shelves on that new page. They are in order of most shelved, so to find it easily, you can use your browsers find feature (Ctrl-F in Windows).
Nicole wrote: "A little off subject, but has anyone watched the 11/22/63 series on Hulu? I saw that the first two episodes have been released but I have not tuned in yet...."I thought it was coming out in March? I will have to look and see.
Linda S wrote: "I thought it was coming out in March? I will have to look and see...."They release and episode a week and there have been two released.
Nicole wrote: "Linda S wrote: "I thought it was coming out in March? I will have to look and see...."They release and episode a week and there have been two released."
Yes I know, it's going to rain so I am watching episode one now
Karin wrote: "There are over 96 thousand books on this shelf. Have you found any way to narrow this down? "Truthfully I went back to Shelfari and and found the tag for thrillers and then narrowed it down with the books on my shelf.
I figured it would be the last time I get to do this. :)
Because of a discussion in another thread, I was reminded of an author who I think most books would fit this month's tag/shelf and who many of you might like. Iain Banks
Booknblues wrote: "Karin wrote: "There are over 96 thousand books on this shelf. Have you found any way to narrow this down? "Truthfully I went back to Shelfari and and found the tag for thrillers and then narrowed..."
It really is hard to let go! :-(
The shelf says there are over 96,000, but the list that shows is only 5,000.
I have several to read for this tag but the two I most likely could get to are The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax or Faceless Killers. I need to read Mrs Polifax for a GeoCAT and Faceless Killers for my randomizer books over at 1001. So those are most likely go to books this time around for mystery thriller. My recommendation will be The Girl on the Train. I just read that one for my f2f bookclub and I really did like it.
Anita wrote: "And you all know one of my all time favorites is a fit:The Secret History
So, you know, if you are one of three people here who hasn't read it yet - - now is your chance! ..."
I am one of those people, as well. It is on my tbr, but I have too many others on my tbr for this that also fit other challenges, so I will likely have to go with those.
Barbara wrote: "My recommendations has to have any of the three (I haven't read the fourth and final) The Girl Who. .. . by Larsson to anyone who hasn't read them yet - probably not too many out there! .."Well, I still have to get to the third one! But, that is one that overlaps with another group for me, so that is very likely for me, that I will get to it.
My one recommendation will be: - Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
(That was hard to choose!)
Other recommendations:
- No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (or just about anything else by him)
- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
- Gone for Good by Harlan Coben (or there are many others by him, as well)
- Hostage by Robert Crais
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
- Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
All of those are from my favourites shelf (except maybe Angels and Demons, but had I been rating and reviewing books when I read it, I am sure it would have made it to that shelf, as well!). I usually also recommend my 4 star books (these were all 4.5 or 5 stars), but this is probably enough!
Oh, and options for me to read include: - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Steig Larsson
- The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
- My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
- The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Those four are all likely, except I may choose between the first two. They all fit other challenges in March, as well.
Other possibilities (ones that I would just like to get to!)
- Paper Towns by John Green
- Intensity by Dean Koontz
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
- Faithful Place by Tana French
- The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston
- The 6th Target by James Patterson
- Curtains of Blood by... cannot recall the author at the moment
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The shelf says there are over 96,000, but the list that shows is only 5,000."Well, certainly far fewer, but far too many for me since I'm not big on mystery thrillers most of the time. I found a series I liked last year, but what's the point of rereading them when I still remember them? All the mystery is gone.
I meant that I went to Google and found a list here. At any rate, I will try Shelfari too, now that I read my typo.
Karin wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The shelf says there are over 96,000, but the list that shows is only 5,000."Well, certainly far fewer, but far too many for me since I'm not big on mystery thrillers m..."
Karin, I just want to make sure that you see that when you go to the shelf with 96,000 titles, that to the right of each one, it indicates if a title is already on your "Want to Read" list.
If it is, the rectangular button displays as grey with a green check mark.
So I just page through the first 10 pages or so, and then I can usually find something that is both on the shelf, and on my "want to read" list.
You may already be aware of this, but just wanted to point it out just in case!
LibraryCin wrote: "My one recommendation will be: - Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
(That was hard to choose!)
Other recommendations:
- No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (or just about anything ..."
This sounds really good.
AJ wrote: "This is not a genre I really read all that often, although I used to as a child. I did read a book last year that was brilliant (just don't read any summaries before reading it because they all giv..."Nicole wrote: "A little off subject, but has anyone watched the 11/22/63 series on Hulu? I saw that the first two episodes have been released but I have not tuned in yet...."
I'm trying to decide whether it is worth subscribing to Hulu just to see this. I loved the book, but the mini-series has been getting varied reviews.
Both this book and Under the Dome are not gory, if that's what you are asking, AJ. More supernatural, I'd say. Not that there isn't violence, but it's not horror.
Susie wrote: "This is probably my favourite genre, if I had to pick only one. I just went through the list and realised I have read an overwhelming amount of them already! My planned books are:
A Secret Histo..."
I loved Rebecca. So I am going to read My Cousin Rachel and hope it is just as good.
Sushicat wrote: "LibraryCin wrote: "My one recommendation will be: - Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
This sounds really good. ..."
I'm assuming you were referring to Still Missing? Yup! Very good! :-)
I would like to recommend a book that I read last year. It was my first time to read this author but really enjoyed it and will be reading the rest in this current series. 
Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
For myself, think I will be reading:
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke
Victorian Reader, in her posting today of Dickens' Our Mutual Friend, reminds me that there is another Victorian author whose books fit the March tag. If you think you might find yourself exploring outside of your usual fare, you should take a look at Wilkie Collins. His The Moonstone is a fun read which fits this shelf/tag as does his more famous The Woman in White. I didn't even think of him, but I have pencilled in his Armadale for my quarterly challenge, and might be sure to bump it up for March so that it fits here too.
The Woman in White is also one of the books that our membership voted in when we compiled our list of top 100 fiction books. I totally forgot about it, but that's also on my TBR and tempting to me!
Anita wrote: "The Woman in White is also one of the books that our membership voted in when we compiled our list of top 100 fiction books. I totally forgot about it, but that's also on my TBR and tem..."Time to yield to temptation!
Victorian Reader wrote: may also read some Rex Stout who I have heard great things about I definitely recommend Rex Stout. The Nero Wolfe books are a lot of fun.
Shelfari people might enjoy getting familiar with Goodreads listopia. Looking for something else entirely, I tripped over this list I had bookmarked. I suspect that many on this list, and many on the linked lists as well, would fit this month's tag.https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
Anita wrote: "Karin wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "The shelf says there are over 96,000, but the list that shows is only 5,000."Well, certainly far fewer, but far too many for me since I'm not big on myste..."
None on the first few pages.
Anita wrote: "The Woman in White is also one of the books that our membership voted in when we compiled our list of top 100 fiction books. I totally forgot about it, but that's also on my TBR and tem..."I loved The Woman in White, even though I had to grit my teeth at how women were treated or thought of. But I really enjoyed the book, I listened to the audio and read the Kindle book - which is free on Amazon.
About a fourth of my reading is mysteries or thrillers. Certain writers I have to read all of their work (Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Robert Crais, C.J. Box). This tag is a good opportunity to weigh what rises to the top. I take the opportunity to provide a sampling of recent great reads by diverse writers. Almost all the links are to my reviews so you can have some guidance among the bewildering range of choices out there.Mystery or police procedural with dangerous thrills
The Closers —Michael Connelly (Los Angeles)
Creole Bell —James Lee Burke
Worth Dying For —Lee Child (Nebraska)
Deadline —John Sandford (Minnesota)
Taken —Robert Crais (Los Angeles)
Unnatural Exposure —Patricia Cornwell (Virginia)
The Skeleton’s Key —Archer Mayor (Vermont)
The Chalk Girl —Carol O’Connell (NYC)
The Prostitute’s Ball —Stephen Cannell (Hollywood)
Magic City —James Hall (Florida)
The Twelfth Card —Jeffrey Deaver (NYC)
Love You More—Lisa Gardner (Boston)
Death without Company —Craig Johnson (Wyoming)
Breaking Point—C.J. Box (Wyoming)
Destroyer Angel —Nevada Barr (Minnesota)
Thrillers with mystery
The Lion’s Game —Nelson DeMille (NYC)
Train Man —P.T. Deutermann (Midwest)
Memory Man —David Baldacci (Ohio)
The Third Bullet—Stephen Hunter (Dallas, r.e. Kennedy)
Stallion Gate—Martin Cruz Smith (Los Alamos, WW2)
Mystery/thrillers in exotic locations
The Skull Mantra —Elliot Pattison (Tibet)
The Godfather of Katmandu —John Burdett (Thailand)
A Man without Breath —Philip Kerr (Nazi Germany)
Finding Nouf —Zoe Ferraris (Saudi Arabia)
Wandering Ghost —Martin Limon (South Korea)
December 6—Martin Cruz Smith (Japan, WW2)
Victorian Reader wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Any suggestions on which one to start with"If you haven't read any of his books before definitely start with the first in the series Fer-de-Lance. The books don't have to be read in order but there is some character development from book to book and occasionally there are mentions of previous cases in subsequent books. I'm somewhere in the middle of the series myself. I'll have to figure out which book is next for me and read it for March.
Rachel wrote: "If you haven't read any of his books before definitely start with the first in the series [book:Fer-de-Lance|776..."Uh-oh. I tried reading Fer-de-Lance and have bogged down about halfway through. I find that noir is really not to my taste - the way Nero Wolfe's assistant talks about women just grates, though I understand that's a reflection of the period. But others may enjoy it more, so check it out for yourself.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Shutter Island (other topics)The Quiet Game (other topics)
In the Woods (other topics)
Dark Places (other topics)
Sharp Objects (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Lene Kaaberbøl (other topics)Agnete Friis (other topics)
Lisa Harris (other topics)
Wilkie Collins (other topics)
Iain Banks (other topics)
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For a really gritty series I loved the The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy by Pierre Lemaitre. They are: Irene, Alex and Camille. Alex won critical accolades and they are making it into a movie. If you read Alex first, there are lots of spoilers that would ruin Irene.
Irène
Alex
Camille
I also recommend anything by Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay for a traditional thriller.
My favorite thriller this year has been Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton.
Little Black Lies