What mysteries are you reading at the moment? Old thread, 2019-2020 Showing 201-250 of 1,516

[Sandy]

Starting Towards Zero on audio - finishing up the Battle books.

[Judy]

I wanted to listen to an audiobook while doing some housework earlier, and found Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Thrilling Stories of the Railway on audio via Overdrive.

These are short stories by Victor L. Whitechurch from 1912, about a vegetarian railway detective called Thorpe Hazell, which were recorded for Radio 4 Extra. I have come across one or two stories by him in the British Crime Classics anthologies and thought these would be fun to listen to. Cumberbatch reads really well. I will hopefully read the full collection later!

[Sandy]

Rita wrote: "I'm currently reading The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz."

Loved it! Hope you do as well.

[Jill]

Now started The Warrielaw Jewel by Winifred Peck but am having trouble sorting out the sisters, aunts and servants from each other Maybe I am not concentrating enough and should write a list.

[Judy]

Jill wrote: "Now started The Warrielaw Jewel by Winifred Peck but am having trouble sorting out the sisters, aunts and servants from each other Maybe I am not concentrating enoug..."

I will probably have to write a list too when I get to that one! I've started the next Ngaio Marsh, Singing in the Shrouds - looks as if this one has a shorter cast list than usual, so I may not have as much trouble keeping track as I sometimes do.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I've started The Case of the Gilded Fly. It has the same problem of a lot of characters introduced in the opening chapter. I made the mistake of reading just before sleep, so when I picked it up again today I had a memory problem. Fortunately, I've noticed with novels of this type that context fills in the blanks in relatively short order.

[Abigail]

I love Edmund Crispin! The combination of wacky and intellectual; plus I feel that "Crispin" takes death more seriously than many authors of the era.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

This is my first, but I've picked up (cheaply) a few others in the series and already know I'll look forward to them. His writing style is what I would call a "cut above" and there is a humorous edge as well.

[ShanDizzy]

Abigail wrote: "I love Edmund Crispin! The combination of wacky and intellectual; plus I feel that "Crispin" takes death more seriously than many authors of the era."

Abigail, I bought the series. Crispin created an intellectual and hilarious character in Gervase Fen!

[Sandy]

Love Gervase, but I only have a couple to go before I have to start over. The humor is just my style.

[ShanDizzy]

Sandy wrote: "Love Gervase, but I only have a couple to go before I have to start over. The humor is just my style."

Sandy I agree. Please tell me you've read . It's my favourite in the series. Crispin pulled out all of the stops, let his hair down as it were, perhaps because it was the last one. It uproariously funny!
Incidentally I purchased the series using thriftbooks.com and ebay; all used in good to very good condition.

[Sandy]

My next one is The Long Divorce so can look forward to Glimpses (except I really don't want to get to the end). I haven't read any for awhile, trying to savor them. Rereading is a solution.

[ShanDizzy]

Sandy wrote: "My next one is The Long Divorce so can look forward to Glimpses (except I really don't want to get to the end). I haven't read any for awhile, trying to savor them. Rereading is a sol..."

The Long Divorce is a great one Sandy, even though Fen isn't prominently featured in it until towards the end. There is a demented cat in it which only adds to the hilarity. I look forward to reading your reviews.

[ShanDizzy]

Judy wrote: "...These are short stories by Victor L. Whitechurch from 1912, about a vegetarian railway detective called Thorpe Hazell, "

Judy thanks for mentioning this author. First time hearing about him. I have previously read Edward Marston's Railway Detective series and just purchased for 99cents USD on Amazon. I wonder will there be similarities between Marston's Inspector Colbeck & Whitechurch's Hazell?

[Judy]

ShanDizzy, I've only listened to one of the Thorpe Hazell stories by Victor L. Whitechurch so far, and going from that one I think he is more of a Sherlock Holmes style detective specialising in railways. I will be interested to hear if you like him!

I haven't tried the Edward Marston railway detective series - I have read a couple of books by him from other series, and quite liked the first in his Home Front Detective series, A Bespoke Murder, which we read here last autumn, but I'm not all that keen on his writing style and haven't read on as yet.

[Tania]

I'm reading The Treasure at Poldarrow Point, which I seem to have missed out when the group read it.

[Sandy]

ShanDizzy wrote: "Judy wrote: "...These are short stories by Victor L. Whitechurch from 1912, about a vegetarian railway detective called Thorpe Hazell, "

Judy thanks for mentioning this author. First time hearing ..."

I enjoyed another railway detective: the Jim Stringer series by Andrew Martin. The first one is The Necropolis Railway. There hasn't been a new entry recently. The only Marston I've read was with the group.

[Jill]

I keep meaning to try thr Jim Stringer books. Just a case of getting to them.

[Sandy]

While looking for the book Judy is reading, Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Railway Thrillers, I found Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Sherlock Holmes' Rediscovered Railway Mysteries: Four original short stories available from my library. I checked that one out and will try again for the other later.

[Judy]

Sandy wrote: "While looking for the book Judy is reading, Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Railway Thrillers, I found [book:Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Sherlock Holmes' Rediscovered Railway Mysteries: F..."

I may go on to those later, thanks, Sandy! He is a great reader and I'm enjoying listening to very short stories which don't require a big investment of time.

[Judy]

Today I was in the mood for something light, so I read Lemon Meringue Pie Murder, the fourth Hannah Swenson mystery. I am really hooked on these, but didn't think it was quite as good as the earlier ones... an awful lot of filler about her pet cat, and I'm getting fed up with the sort-of love triangle between Hannah, Mike and Norman.

What really annoyed me, though, was that there is a taster for book 22 in the series at the end - I didn't actually read this, but the note at the start had a spoiler about Hannah's love life! I had assumed it would be a taster for book 5.

[Jill]

HaHa I don't like the sound of a filler of cat in the Lemon Meringue!

[Judy]

Haha, Jill That wasn't quite what I meant...

[Gary]

Current reads:

Beachboy Murder by Sally J. Smith

Killer's Payoff by Ed McBain

[Tara]

Recently started The Burning Issue of the Day by T E Kinsey, mainly because I had run out of Audible credits, and its free on Kindle Unlimited. I enjoyed the first few, but I am finding the formula of the oh so witty, oh so clever, oh so butt-kicking women far ahead of their time oh so tiresome. The characters are beginning to feel like they are made out of cardboard, and lack depth or any real personality to speak of.

[Jill]

Finished The Warrielaw Jewel Now starting Borrowed Time by Robert Goddard one of my favourite authors

[Marwan]

Finished Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark

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

[Susan in NC]

Finished next month’s Poirot read Death on the Nile, and now deep into Singing in the Shrouds. Golden Age murder on the high seas, what fun! I know you clever mods couldn’t possibly conspire to have two such vacation-themed books come up in publishing order at the same time, but it does fit perfectly into summer reading!

[Judy]

Susan in NC wrote: "Finished next month’s Poirot read Death on the Nile, and now deep into Singing in the Shrouds. Golden Age murder on the high seas, what fun! ... it does fit perfectly into summer reading!..."

Yes, it's serendipity, isn't it, Susan? I'm halfway through Singing in the Shrouds at the moment and enjoying it!

[Colin]

Currently making my way through Seventy-Seven Clocks and it's quite good, although it's a pretty hefty tome.

[Susan in NC]

Love me some PCU!

Judy, I am enjoying it, but at first the narrator was laying on the various accents so heavily I had to follow in the book to get what he was saying! I’ve had this narrator before and he was great, but this one has such a variety of characters speaking in the first chapter he couldn’t resist the acting bug to ham it up. He’s really trying to convey the eccentricities of each character through their voice, took some getting used to...

[Tara]

Rita wrote: "I finished The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

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

Looks really interesting Rita.

[Judy]

I’ve been wanting to read The Word Is Murder for ages. Must get to it soon!

[Judy]

Does anyone like the Raffles stories? I keep coming across the odd one in British Crime Classics anthologies and an thinking they should probably be read in order.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Judy wrote: "Does anyone like the Raffles stories? I keep coming across the odd one in British Crime Classics anthologies and an thinking they should probably be read in order."

I have not read any, but the first was free in the recent past and I picked it up. Thanks for the prompt about it, I'll have to see if I can find a place for it sooner rather than later.

[Judy]

I've finished Singing in the Shrouds now and think it will make for an interesting discussion next month.

The other day I started one of the Patricia Wentworth titles on my Kindle which I downloaded as a past freebie, Hole and Corner: A Golden Age Mystery - enjoying it so far although these do tend to be rather samey!

[ShanDizzy]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Judy wrote: "Does anyone like the Raffles stories?..."

I read the entire series and also watched the adaptation staring Anthony Valentine and I thoroughly enjoyed them. It was fluff reading and made me smile.

[Jill]

Now starting Dancers in Mourning The 8th Campion book for next buddy read

[Susan in NC]

Judy wrote: "Does anyone like the Raffles stories? I keep coming across the odd one in British Crime Classics anthologies and an thinking they should probably be read in order."

I came across one in one of those British Crime Classics anthologies, and I honestly don’t remember a thing about it - I guess it didn’t make much of an impression.

[Abigail]

Looking forward to another Campion buddy read! Will have to make sure I don't pack that one when I'm packing up my bookshelves in August.

[Susan in NC]

Going to start The Warrielaw Jewel next.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I started The Warrielaw Jewel, but thought it pretty awful and couldn't push myself to continue.

[Judy]

I'll be starting The Warrielaw Jewel shortly - just need to finish another couple of books first.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I need to have something other than classics/literary fiction just now, so will start The So Blue Marble by Dorothy B. Hughes. It's another noir, first published in 1940. I have read her before and am looking forward to this one.

[Bruce]

I’m reading Cover Her Face, by PD James, my favorite contemporary mystery author.

[Susan in NC]

I really can’t get into The Warrielaw Jewel, so I’m rereading Dancers in Mourning.

[Abigail]

I feel like I'm stalking you, Susan! Dancers in Mourning is next up for me.

[Susan in NC]

Abigail wrote: "I feel like I'm stalking you, Susan! Dancers in Mourning is next up for me."

Great minds...well, I know I’ll enjoy Allingham, I just couldn’t work up much enthusiasm for Warrielaw - when it feels like homework, it’s time to try another book!

[Abigail]

Definitely! One's recreational reading should never be a chore.

[Susan in NC]

Abigail wrote: "Definitely! One's recreational reading should never be a chore."

I wholeheartedly agree!