What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread, 2019-2020 Showing 451-500 of 1,516

[Judy]

I see the Ellery Queen book I read was The Siamese Twin Mystery, which was the only one my library system had on Kindle - I didn't enjoy it much, but I've been meaning to try another one some time as I was told it wasn't one of the best in the series. Thank you for the info about the TV series, Starfish.

[Carol]

Just an FYI -- If you live in Canada (or anywhere that their copyright rules apply), you can get all of the Philo Vance books as free downloads on fadedpage.com . I am NOT recommending that anyone break copyright laws!!!

[Fred]

Starfish wrote: "Judy wrote: "Susan wrote: "I am thinking that, if we like this, we might like Ellory Queen, which, was, apparently, inspired by the Van Dine books?..."

I've only read one Queen book so far, but I ..."

Having read many of the Ellery Queen books as a teenager I returned to them in later life and found them difficult because the characters including Ellery and his Dad are very superficial.
This was the Golden Age and people wanted a mystery to solve and character development was not the emphasis. In this first books through the early 1940's I believe, solving an intricate puzzle was the goal. Later the books became more psychological with less suspects. I read one of the books during this time and I figured out who did it because there just weren't that many suspects. In this book Ellery supposedly falls in love but I never believed it. The authors did not convey it all because Ellery always seemed satisfied being a bachelor. If you are going to read Ellery Queen I suggest reading the stories which are much more effective and don't drag out live the novels.

[Kirsten]

I started Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

[Tania]

I really enjoyed that one Kirsten.
I have typed in the wrong thing and have been listening to Sparkling Cyanide instead of Sad Cypress, but I'm enjoying it anyway so I will continue.

[Annabel]

Ooh, those are two of my absolute favourite Agatha Christies so whichever you ended up will be a treat .

[Tania]

Thanks. I'll get to Sad Cypress next month. I'm not sorry as I've not read this one before either.

[Judy]

I've started our next Ngaio Marsh, Hand in Glove - enjoying it so far and looking forward to the discussion.

[Susan]

As it is, almost October, and the weekend, we have opened the discussion thread for both Hand in Glove and our group read, The Benson Murder Case. Enjoy!

Don't forget we will have two new buddy reads opening mid-October -
The Whisper in the Gloom (latest in the Nicholas Blake series) and
Hopjoy Was Here a Flaxborough mystery.

[Jill]

Finished The Lake District Murder which I found disappointing, and now starting Hand in Glove hoping it is one of Marsh's better books

[Sandy]

October already! The Van Dine book is waiting for me at the library and I have the Marsh from last week's library visit, but I've been working on a backlog of library books they would really like back. Two - three were pretty mundane, another I didn't finish, but now I've started Kopp Sisters on the March and am enjoying that a lot (#5 in a series, almost fact based).

I treated myself to an #1 Ladies, The House of Unexpected Sisters and that was a soothing treat.

[Susan in NC]

Couldn’t get the Van Dine, but I’m optimistic for this month’s Marsh read - even got a large print edition (woohoo, my eyes are grateful!) I, too, have to finish up and return some library books before our October reads - like Andrea Penrose’s second Wrexford & Sloane Mystery, Murder at Half Moon Gate. Then I’ll dive into Hand in Glove. Just finished Death of a Busybody and really enjoyed it! I definitely want to read more of Bellairs and his Inspector Littlejohn.

[Susan in NC]

Kirsten #EndGunViolence wrote: "I started Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie"

Oh, one of my all-time favorites! I love how Miss Marple is just kind of twittering around in the background, until, suddenly, she’s not! Miss Marple rocks!

[Tracey]

I have started Hand in Glove (can't help thinking of The Smiths whenever I see the ti..."

I have the same earworm too! Were The Smiths big Ngaio Marsh fans?

Just finished Cast Iron by Peter May. I find his books quite easy read and to pop in and out of. I can't cope with complex plots at the moment, due to a bad case of baby brain (baby due any day now...)

[Susan in NC]

Tracey wrote: " I have started Hand in Glove (can't help thinking of The Smiths whenever I see the ti..."

I have the same earworm too! Were The Smiths big Ngaio Mar..."

Good for you, best wishes! I’d like to tell you baby brain goes away, but my only child is 23 and I think I still have it...;)

[Tania]

Jill wrote: "Finished The Lake District Murder which I found disappointing, and now starting Hand in Glove hoping it is one of Marsh's better books"

Jill, I found The Lake District Murder very boring. Too much detail on things, I don't need to know how much petrol a lorry needs, and didn't think you needed this to solve the mystery. I have read some of the others, including The Sussex Downs Murder, which I gave 3^ and won't reread, but the rest were better than The Lake District Murder, so don't give up hope.

[Tracey]

Susan in NC wrote: Good for you, best wishes!

Ha ha, cheers! I have a toddler already, and I don't think my brain has been the same since since she was born, but this pregnancy really seems to have turned my mind to mush! The simpler plots the better!

[Judy]

Tania wrote: "Jill, I found The Lake District Murder very boring. Too much detail on things,..."

Me too - thanks for saying the rest of the series is much better. I have also heard others say this, so I am looking forward to trying Bude again. I thought the Cornish Coast Murder (not in the same series) was better than The Lake District Murder.

[Susan in NC]

Tania wrote: "Jill wrote: "Finished The Lake District Murder which I found disappointing, and now starting Hand in Glove hoping it is one of Marsh's better books"

Jill, I found [b..."

Thanks, good to know - sorry to butt in, but I haven’t seen any really positive reviews for Lake District Murder, and I like to read series in order if possible, also, but didn’t want to slog through it to be ready for our upcoming group read!

[Susan in NC]

Tracey wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: Good for you, best wishes!

Ha ha, cheers! I have a toddler already, and I don't think my brain has been the same since since she was born, but this pregnancy really seems to ha..."

Ok, so you’re prepared! I only had one, but a dear friend was pregnant with her fourth when I picked her up for an event, and she was lamenting the whole car ride how she was so exhausted, so out of it - I didn’t know what to say, felt so bad! She’s fine now, in middle age, but those last two pregnancies years ago really took it out of her!

I don’t have your excuse, I’m just spoiled and insist on entertaining plots, or I chuck it and move on to the next book - life is too short, too many books I want to read! Take care! ;)

[Jill]

Tania wrote: "Jill wrote: "Finished The Lake District Murder which I found disappointing, and now starting Hand in Glove hoping it is one of Marsh's better books"

Jill, I found [b..."
Thanks for letting me know, I will go ahead with the next one then.

[Bruce]

Judy, I was wrong. The Philo Vance books are available on Amazon in newer editions. Not for very long though. It’s been a while since I looked.

[Jan C]

I looked yesterday and there seemed to be new editions of them, some not even out yet.

[Judy]

Bruce wrote: "Judy, I was wrong. The Philo Vance books are available on Amazon in newer editions. Not for very long though. It’s been a while since I looked."

Thanks, Bruce, it's good to hear they are now available in the US. Kindle books often seem to be withdrawn and reissued and it can get a bit confusing!

[Doris]

Chaz wrote: "Hey guys. I am new to this group. I am a fan of murder mysteries based in the late victorian time period, such as C.S. Harris and the Sebastian St Cyr series. Does anyone have any recommendations? ..."

Without wanting to be pedantic, I would point out that the St. Cyr series is set during the Regency. If that's what you're after, I strongly recommend Kate Ross's Julian Kestrel series, starting with Cut to the Quick. There are, alas, only four in the series, but they're all excellent.

There's also Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mystery series, starting with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor.

If, on the other hand, you really are more interested in late Victorian era, there's Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody series, which actually spans from late Victorian through WWI. The first book in that series is Crocodile on the Sandbank. (These books are set largely in Egypt, but the 'cast' is mostly English.)

There's also Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt series, starting with The Cater Street Hangman, and William Monk series, starting with The Face of a Stranger.

Charles Finch has a series featuring Charles Lennox, starting A Beautiful Blue Death. And then there's Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton books, starting with And Only to Deceive. In a similar vein, there's Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, starting with Silent in the Grave.

[Judy]

Welcome, Chad! Thanks to both you and Doris for the suggestions for historical mysteries - I also enjoy this genre. I will have a think about whether there are any more I can suggest.

[Doris]

Judy wrote: "Welcome, Chad! Thanks to both you and Doris for the suggestions for historical mysteries - I also enjoy this genre. I will have a think about whether there are any more I can suggest."

Hi Judy,
You're welcome. I think you might also enjoy Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series, starting with The Beekeeper's Apprentice. It's a Sherlock Holmes spin-off, but very well done.

Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series, starting with A Test of Wills, is another excellent series, set in the aftermath of WWI, with a main character whose PTSD takes the form of being haunted by one of the men who had been in his command. Todd (actually a mother-son writing team) has another series set in the same era, featuring Bess Crawford, who had been an army nurse. The first in that series is A Duty to the Dead.

Also set in the inter-War era is Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. I find this series *wildly* uneven: Some are perfectly dreadful, but others are quite good; good enough to keep me coming back. Caveat emptor. The first in the series is Maisie Dobbs.

In a very much fluffier vein, there are the Burford Family mysteries by James Anderson. Though published in the late 70s, these are classic inter-War country house mysteries; the first is The Affair of the Blood-Stained Egg Cosy. Alas, he wrote only three.

Even fluffier still are the Lady Hardcastle mysteries by T E Kinsey. These are set pre-Great War and are wildly implausible, but I nonetheless find them addictive. The relationship between Lady Hardcastle and her maid Florence reminds me oddly of that between Madame Vastra and Jenny (a reference which will go right over the head of anyone not a Whovian). The first in that series is A Quiet Life In The Country.

[Judy]

Thank you, Doris, for the further suggestions! I keep meaning to try Laurie R. King and I like the sound of James Anderson.

Must admit, I couldn't stand the first T.E. Kinsey book so I don't think I will try any more of those.

I did try one each in the Ian Rutledge and Maisie Dobbs series and didn't feel spurred to carry on, but I should probably give them both another try, as often series get better after the first book. It's interesting to hear that you find the Maisie Dobbs series so uneven.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I tried the first Maisie Dobbs and wasn't impressed, but I see she is quite popular. Also of note she isn't late Victorian, as she was a WWI nurse.

[Judy]

I’ve started reading Death Is No Sportsman by Cyril Hare - hoping it will be an entertaining read.

[Bruce]

I’m reading Enter a Murderer by Ngaio Marsh.

[Judy]

Bruce, Enter a Murderer is one of the previous reads in our Marsh challenge, if you want to look up the threads and maybe add a comment or two.

[Colin]

Scarweather by Anthony Rolls.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Trouble in Nuala I'm enjoying the description of scenery, customs, etc, but some of the dialogue is very stiff.

[Sandy]

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Trouble in Nuala I'm enjoying the description of scenery, customs, etc, but some of the dialogue is very stiff."

Good story but the characters never came alive for me.

[Susan in NC]

Currently reading Murder at Half Moon Gate, the second Wrexford and Sloane Murder mystery; I have this and book three, Murder at Kensington Palace on loan from my library, so I’ve got to get cracking before they are due back!

[Jan C]

I was going along thinking I had read The Lake District Murder by John Bude. I was wrong. So I'm reading it now. Enjoying it so far.

[Bruce]

Judy, I will when I’ve read more.

[Bicky]

Just read Dregs by Jørn Lier Horst. Really enjoyed it.

The author has explained: ‘When I had in mind to create a new, Scandinavian crime hero, I was very conscious of what he should be like. I was tired of reading about detectives who singlehandedly solved murder cases while dead drunk, waking up in the mornings with three-day-old designer stubble and a whisky bottle at the ready on the bedside table. I wanted a central character who was more like the policemen I knew from my daily work in the police force. It turned out to be William Wisting, a fair-minded, exemplary policeman, but above all a decent and genuine human being.’

[Tara]

Bicky wrote: "Just read Dregs by Jørn Lier Horst. Really enjoyed it.

The author has explained: ‘When I had in mind to create a new, Scandinavian crime hero, I was very conscious ..."

Nice to see there are contemporary police procedurals that depict detectives as normal, functional people.

[Judy]

I really enjoyed Death Is No Sportsman by Cyril Hare. I’ve now started Hopjoy Was Here by Colin Watson, ready for our buddy read.

[Susan]

I am reading the next Nicholas Blake buddy read, Whisper in the Gloom and will start Hopjoy when I've finished that.

[Marwan]

Finished 1984 by George Orwell

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Started reading The Man on the Balcony by Maj Sjöwall

[Jan C]

I started Murder Isn't Cricket by E. & M.A. Radford. I feel like I'm reading a foreign language.

[Judy]

I’m reading The Whisper in the Gloom by Nicholas Blake ready for our buddy read - I think this will be a quick read. Quite fun so far.

[Jill]

Just started Hopjoy Was Here Looks like fun

[Carolien]

Just started The Janissary Tree which is historical crime fiction set in Turkey in the 1830s. Enjoying it so far. Interesting characters and exotic setting.

[Susan]

I've read that one, albeit a long time ago, Carolien. I seem to recall enjoying it a lot. Very topical country at the moment too...

[Susan in NC]

Susan wrote: "I've read that one, albeit a long time ago, Carolien. I seem to recall enjoying it a lot. Very topical country at the moment too..."

Yes! I finally read it last year, after starting it and putting it aside, great hero, setting, humor etc., all the things I usually like. Might have been “debut syndrome” , getting everyone and their situations straight, plus working in a mystery, sometimes overwhelms the plot!

[Susan in NC]

Just started Murder at Kensington Palace, then I want to get to our buddy read this month (well, the one I could find), Hopjoy Was Here.