October 2017 Group Read - Winner!

[Judy]

I can hardly believe this, but it's time to nominate for our October group read. You are welcome to nominate books by Golden Age authors, or titles which were written later but are set during the Golden Age. Just one nomination per group member, please.

Please don't nominate The Lake District Murder by John Bude, as it was last month's runner-up, so it will go forward to the second chance poll in December.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review)]

Wowza!

Hmm I will nominate Information Received by E.R. Punshon

I think this missed out on the 2nd chance last time!

[Jill]

I nominate The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart with Halloween in mind

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I know someone else discussed doing this, but I'll nominate And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

[Jan C]

Last month the second "Bony" Bonaparte book was nominated. Since then I have found that the first Bony book has been issued on Kindle, so I would like to nominate The Barrakee Mystery (a/k/a The Lure of the Bush) by Arthur W. Upfield. An Australian mystery series about an aboriginal detective.

[Abigail]

Perhaps I might venture again (after a year or so) with A Treasury Alarm by Jocelyn Davey. Described as “the best mixture of mystery and erudition since Dorothy Sayers’ The Nine Tailors and Gaudy Night,” it’s about an Oxford don pursuing a financial mystery across the pond in Boston, Massachusetts. The Cleveland Plain Dealer said, “A Treasury Alarm is like a very rich fruitcake laced with brandy—a heady mixture of action and brilliant conversation stuffed with goodies from philosophy, economics, opera, poetry, Renaissance art and espionage.”

I can’t find any sign of an ebook edition, but it’s cheap in used paperback on Abe Books and Amazon USA; somewhat less cheap but available on Amazon UK.

[Judy]

Jill wrote: "I nominate The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart with Halloween in mind"

Ooh, I fancy this for Halloween too - will save the nomination I had in mind for next month.

[Judy]

Any more nominations? The poll will go up at the weekend.

[Judy]

The poll is up!
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

[Judy]

Information Received has gone into an early lead, with The Circular Staircase just one vote behind at the moment.

[Judy]

Ooh, dead heat between Information Received and The Circular Staircase now... but still a long way to go!

[Susan]

Just out of interest, all the Bobby Owen mysteries are currently 99p each on Amazon UK. That shouldn't change the vote, as The Circular Staircase is also about the same price.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Susan wrote: "Just out of interest, all the Bobby Owen mysteries are currently 99p each on Amazon UK. That shouldn't change the vote, as The Circular Staircase is also about the same price."

The compiled by volunteers version of The Circular Staircase comes up as free for me. (New Zealander using the .com site)

https://www.amazon.com/Circular-Stair...

[Susan]

It is 91p on Amazon UK. However, if you like the Bobby Owens series, you can get them all really cheaply at the moment. I think I downloaded the first one a while ago when it was discounted, but I might get the next couple.

[Jill]

The Circular Staircase is free on Gutenberg

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/434

[Judy]

Thanks Susan, but I think it may be only the earlier books in the Bobby Owen series that are 99p - I just had a look and some of the later ones are still coming up as £1.99 for me (a good price even so!) Still, it will be ages until I get to those anyway - and also I have a lot of them stashed on my Kindle as past freebies!

I've read the first 4 so far and will go on to book 5 very soon. I found book 2 a bit disappointing (though still quite fun to read) but enjoyed 3 and 4.

[Susan]

That's odd. All 15 are listed as 99p when I look. If the prices are different even when we're in the same country, that will be very confusing!!!

[Judy]

Sorry to cause confusion, Susan! Those 15 are all 99p for me too - and I will be snapping some up. :)

Meanwhile, Christie's And Then There Were None is only a couple of votes behind the two front-runners and is also a bargain on Kindle at £1.49, for anyone who doesn't have it - with photos from the recent TV adaptation on the cover.

[Susan]

No, my fault, Judy. I should have checked - Amazon had 15 Bobby Owens books listed and I assumed that was the whole series. In fact, there are 35 books in the series!

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/e-...

Good to see all the top 3 books in the vote are reasonably priced anyway. They all look good.

[Judy]

I think probably the confusion was actually down to Amazon, but never mind anyway, great that they have a lot on offer! And as you say, it's good to know that the top 3 books (at the moment) are all available at a good price.

[Judy]

Now we're only 1 vote away from a 3-way tie! The suspense is killing me...

[Susan]

Certainly a very close vote this month!

[Annie]

Now a 3- way tie!

[Judy]

Aaargh!

[Brina]

Wow.

[Susan]

A tentative leader at the moment, but VERY close!

[Judy]

We have a winner! It was very close for most of the time, but in the end The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart was a decisive winner and it will be our October group read.

Runner-up Information Received by E.R. Punshon goes forward to the next second chance poll.

Full results:

The Circular Staircase 12 votes, 38.7%
Information Received (The Bobby Owen Mysteries, #1) 9 votes, 29.0%
And Then There Were None 8 votes, 25.8%
The Barrakee Mystery (Bony, #1) 2 votes, 6.5%
A Treasury Alarm 0 votes, 0.0%

[Judy]

I've never read anything by Mary Roberts Rinehart, who was nicknamed "the American Agatha Christie" but actually started publishing long before Christie.

The Circular Staircase was published in 1908, so it will be one of the earlier books we have read together in the group. Looking forward to it!

[Susan]

It was really close this month!

[Annie]

Gutenberg have The Circular Staircase if anyone wants a free ebook copy.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/434#

[Jill]

So pleased this has won. I put it in last year's poll but it was beaten by Poirot, which was great. Just hope it is a good read.

[Sandy]

And those of us who like our books free are also pleased!

[Brina]

I'm excited. I have this book as part of a woman's century challenge and it will be interesting to see a woman author from before Christie c

[Jan C]

I listened to this a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Reminded me of Phoebe Atwood Taylor, except of course that Rinehart came first.

[Lisa]

She's a great writer. And this is one of her best mysteries. (Her non mystery "The Amazing Interlude" is one of 2 books I reread immediately upon finishing)

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I have a copy of this one. Looking forward to the read!

[Judy]

Great to have so much enthusiasm for the winner, and nice that it is such an easy book to get hold of!

[Stephanie]

The Circular Staircase is free as an ebook as Amazon. At the time I got the free book in 2013, I was able to get the audiobook as well for $2.99. Just started it and it's quite excellent!

[Judy]

Glad you are enjoying it, Stephanie - just a few days now until our discussion!

[Gina]

I'm in. Just got it from the library.