Nominations open -- November 2017 group reads: crime with hint (or more) of the supernatural:

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

I know it will be past Halloween when the group gets to the November group reads, but I thought we might delve into the weirder side of crime/mystery writing. So let's nominate books with that slight edge of the supernatural for November.

It's worth repeating here that

a) this is not the place to nominate your own books;
b) if you nominate it, and it wins, you will be the de facto discussion leader for the book. Please don't nominate if you're not willing to do so.

You might want to take a look here for ideas:

http://cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com/p...

https://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Ge...

Have fun -- this ought to be interesting!!!

[Paul]

edit: First!

I'll nominate Rivers of London, the first in an excellent series by Ben Aaronovitch

edit: I believe it has also been published under the title Midnight Riot

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Paul wrote: "I'll nominate Rivers of London, the first in an excellent series by Ben Aaronovitch

edit: I believe it has also been published under the title [book:Midnight Riot|86..."

A lot of my GR friends really seemed to have liked that book. Thanks for being the first, Paul.

[Bill]

I'll nominate The First Prophet by Kay Hooper if that fits the category.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Bill wrote: "I'll nominate The First Prophet by Kay Hooper if that fits the category."

I'd say psychic abilities counts for sure!

[Paul]

Nancy wrote: "A lot of my GR friends really seemed to have liked that book. Thanks for being the first, Paul."


And rightly so.

Oh, I've corrected my post ;)

[Tom]

I'll nominate Deadly Night by Heather Graham.

Looks like a good haunted house adventure.

[Bonnie]

Fun theme. I'll nominate spooky, crimey, cheap on kindle :)

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Bonnie wrote: "Fun theme. I'll nominate spooky, crimey, cheap on kindle :)"

The Diviners, by Libba Bray.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

I'm going to nominate Midwinter of the Spirit, by Phil Rickman. I don't know if anyone saw the PBS version, but it was fun.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Here we go:

1. Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch -- Paul
2. The First Prophet, by Kay Hooper -- Bill
3. Deadly Night, by Heather Graham -- Tom
4. The Diviners, by Libba Bray -- Bonnie
5. The Wine of Angels, by Phil Rickman -- Nancy
6. The Shining Girls, by Lauren Beukes -- Natalie
7. Deadly Kiss, by Bob Bickford -- Saralyn
8. Already Dead, by Charlie Huston -- Jeff
9. Roanoke Ridge: A Creature X Mystery, by J.J. Dupuis -- Martin
10. Strange Practice, by Vivian Shaw -- Zoe
11. The Invisible Guardian, by Dolores Redondo -- Jeremy

[Natalie]

There is a book I really want to nominate, but fact that there is a supernatural/paranormal element in the story is a spoiler, so I think it's best if I wait until another month. Great choices everyone else!

[Shainlock]

Nancy wrote: "Bill wrote: "I'll nominate The First Prophet by Kay Hooper if that fits the category."

I'd say psychic abilities counts for sure!"
I love her. I haven't read that, but I have that one !

[Natalie]

Actually, I will nominate another book. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, and I believe there is time-traveling in it which would give it that supernatural element.

[Dan]

The Lying Game by Ruth Warre
The Lying Game

[Autumn]

I would like to nominate - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

[Tom]

Nancy wrote: "I'm going to nominate Midwinter of the Spirit, by Phil Rickman. I don't know if anyone saw the PBS version, but it was fun."

Damn, you beat me to it! But wouldn't the first book in the series, The Wine of Angels, be a better choice?

[Saralyn]

I'm nominating Deadly Kiss by Bob Bickford. This award-winning first novel has an intriguing plot and the most realistic appearances of ghosts I've ever read.

[Jeff]

I'd like to nominateAlready Dead by Charlie Huston. Although the premise of a vampire PI might lend itself to wild tangents, Huston keeps his premise grounded in the gritty streets of New York City. As far out as the books gets, it's still thoroughly a crime novel and doesn't deviate far from the tenets of the genre.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Dan wrote: "The Lying Game by Ruth Warre
The Lying Game"

I looked at several reviews, etc., for this book, and couldn't find anything that said it might have something to do with the supernatural. So I think we're going to pass on this one. But feel free to pick another!!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Autumn wrote: "I would like to nominate - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson."

Is this really a crime novel? I read it (loved it by the way) twice and it doesn't really come across a crime novel to me, more like a psychological study/haunted house story. If you can make the case for it, I'll let it stand.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Saralyn wrote: "I'm nominating Deadly Kiss by Bob Bickford. This award-winning first novel has an intriguing plot and the most realistic appearances of ghosts I've ever read."

Deadly Kiss, by Bob Bickford.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Tom wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I'm going to nominate Midwinter of the Spirit, by Phil Rickman. I don't know if anyone saw the PBS version, but it was fun."

Damn, you beat me to it! But wouldn't the f..."

I stand corrected. Okay then, The Wine of Angels it is.

[Tom]

Nancy wrote: "Autumn wrote: "I would like to nominate - The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson."

Is this really a crime novel? I read it (loved it by the way) twice and it doe..."

I thought we had already read it but it appears that we haven't. I nominated We Have Always Lived in the Castle a few months ago and it won so this definitely qualifies.

[Shainlock]

Dan wrote: "The Lying Game by Ruth Warre
The Lying Game"
Nothing supernatural there.

[Martin]

Roanoke Ridge: A Creature X Mystery by J.J. Dupuis. It's more creature in the woods than haunted house, but it's definitely crime fiction.

[Icewineanne]

Laura Purcell

[Zoe]

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw it sounds intriguing

[Jeff]

Thank you for the nomination, Martin.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Shaina wrote: "Dan wrote: "The Lying Game by Ruth Warre
The Lying Game"
Nothing supernatural there."

That's what I thought. Thank you, Shaina!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Icewineanne wrote: " Laura Purcell"

That looks amazing, but sadly, it's not available in the US until March. If you'd like to nominate another book, that would be great. Actually, I just pre-ordered it, so thanks!

[C]

I’d like to nominate The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr,a fantastic read.

[Jeremy]

I’d go for the Baztan Trilogy books by Dolores Redondo. Chilling thrillers set in the Basque Country of NE Spain, murders beset by superstition and mythology.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Colin wrote: "I’d like to nominate The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr,a fantastic read."

It is a good book; however, copies aren't very widely available so it may be tricky. All I could find were used copies for sale; no kindle, no audible, no downloadable online versions. If you can find one, post the link and I'll be glad to add the book. Thanks.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Jeremy wrote: "I’d go for the Baztan Trilogy books by Dolores Redondo. Chilling thrillers set in the Basque Country of NE Spain, murders beset by superstition and mythology."

Are you nominating one? The first book?

[Jeremy]

Yes. The Invisible Guardian.

[Tom]

Nancy wrote: "Colin wrote: "I’d like to nominate The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr,a fantastic read."

It is a good book; however, copies aren't very widely available so it may be tricky. All I could find w..."

I tracked down a copy of this one a while back. It would be a good candidate if it were more readily available.

[Icewineanne]

Nancy wrote: "Icewineanne wrote: " Laura Purcell"

That looks amazing, but sadly, it's not available in the US until March. If you'd like to nominate an..."

I didn't realize that this isn't available worldwide as it's available in Canada. Oh well, no other pick for me as im not really a fan of supernatural stories :)

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Last call for nominations -- we have 11 books here. Tomorrow I close the thread. Thanks!

[Ellen]

Dead Men's Bones by James Oswald.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books)]

Dead Men's Bones??? Really?? It's number 4 in the series and reviews indicate that they should be read in order - plus there's no mention of a supernatural element in it (but I could be wrong).

I've been trying to make a start on the first in the series for a while, but just can't get going with it.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "Dead Men's Bones??? Really?? It's number 4 in the series and reviews indicate that they should be read in order - plus there's no mention of a supernatural element in it (but I could be wrong).

I'..."

You're right -- not even a brief hint of supernatural here.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Kate wrote: "I hope it's okay to nominate my sister's novel. She's a suspense author and I happen to be her publicist/ManaSis and well little sister so here goes: Oracle's Hunt by [author:A. Cla..."

Actually, a publicist nominating a group read novel is pretty much the same as the author doing it. You can always set up a buddy read, though!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

It's kind of like a mini-version of a group read, where you set up the thread for your book (there's a topic called "Buddy Reads" in this group) and hopefully you'll find people who want to read along with you and discuss the book.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

[Kate]

Hi Nancy, sorry I think I misunderstood. So if you're a family member or a publicist you can't nominate. Okay, sorry, I'll withdraw the nomination.
Nancy wrote: "Kate wrote: "I hope it's okay to nominate my sister's novel. She's a suspense author and I happen to be her publicist/ManaSis and well little sister so here goes: Oracle's Hunt by [..."

[Kate]

Oh. Thanks :)
Nancy wrote: "It's kind of like a mini-version of a group read, where you set up the thread for your book (there's a topic called "Buddy Reads" in this group) and hopefully you'll find people who want to read al..."

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Kate, it's not about you or your sister. From before the time I came in as one of the moderators, the group had been inundated by author promotions in every thread to the point reader discussions were nearly impossible to sort through without some sort of promotion going on. The moderators had so many complaints about it that we had to do something. We set up a number of places where authors are free to promote their workl. It's also just been a long tradition that authors can't nominate their own books, and it follows that publicists shouldn't be allowed to nominate their clients' work.

Don't take it personally -- it's that way for everyone.

[Kate]

Don't worry Nancy I'm not. I understand there are rules that's why I withdrew the nomination immediately. Not always easy to read ones state of mind in a post :) but I'm not angry. I do hope that one day other publicists and authors won't give us such a bad reputation pushing promos all over the place...
Nancy wrote: "Kate, it's not about you or your sister. From before the time I came in as one of the moderators, the group had been inundated by author promotions in every thread to the point reader discussions w..."

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Okay, people, nominations are closed. All of the books going to the poll are listed in message #11. I'll put the poll up tomorrow.