October 2016 Group Read Nominations

[Billy]

Dixie Howell The cashmere killer wore socks

And

Sharon brownlie Betrayal

[Billy]

Apologies. That's great. Thank you

[Bill]

I nominate Untouchable by Sibel Hodge for value read.

[Mary]

David wrote: "Automatically nominated as it was moved from September is


Murder at Bewley Manor by John Tallon Jones

This was nominated by Ma..."

Thanks for remembering, David. I have had time to read this and really enjoyed it. The description is accurate. BUT the length of it is more like a novella so not sure about it being considered.

[Mary]

The Mystery of 31 New Inn

The Mystery of 31 New Inn (Large Print Edition)
by R. Austin Freeman

The Mystery of 31 New Inn, a classic mystery novel by R. Austin Freeman, relates a puzzling tale from an earlier century. In the grand tradition of the great sleuths brought to life by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle comes John Thorndyke, cerebral, meticulous, British, . . . and undestimated. A contested will and an unusual sickness have no apparent connection until John Thorndyke and Dr. Jervis collaborate on a labyrinth of clues, including broken glass, an upside down picture, a veiled woman, and a box of candles. This puzzle is solved with inductive reasoning and careful use of the scientific method.

The author himself intrigued me--what a life!
Deemed 'the father of the scientific detective story', Richard Austin Freeman enjoyed a prolific career that saw him gain qualifications as pharmacist and surgeon, pull off a diplomatic coup along the Gold Coast, work for Holloway Prison and then become a formidable writer of fiction. He was born in London, the son of a tailor who went on to train as a pharmacist. After graduating as a surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital Medical College, Freeman taught for a while and then joined the colonial service, offering his skills as an assistant surgeon along the Gold Coast of Africa. He became embroiled in a diplomatic mission when a British expeditionary party was sent to investigate the activities of the French. Through his tact and formidable intelligence, a massacre was narrowly avoided. His future was therefore assured in the colonial service. However, after becoming ill with black-water fever, Freeman was sent back to England to recover and finding his finances precarious, embarked on a career as acting physician in Holloway Prison. In desperation, he also turned to writing where he went on to dominate the world of British detective fiction, taking pride in testing different criminal techniques.

[Mary]

End in Tears by Ruth Rendell

A lump of concrete dropped deliberately from a little stone bridge over a relatively unfrequented road kills the wrong person. The driver behind is spared. But only for a while...

One particular member of the local press is gunning for the Chief Inspector, distinctly unimpressed with what he regards as old-fashioned police methods. But Wexford, with his old friend and partner, Mike Burden, along with two new recruits to the Kingsmarkham team, pursue their inquiries with a diligence and humanity that make Ruth Rendell’s detective stories enthralling, exciting and very touching.

[Susan]

I just ordered this from my library. Even if it's not chosen sounds like a story line that I'd enjoy.