English Mysteries Club discussion
Book Chat
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What are you Currently Reading?
I've just finished Death in Delft, which I liked well enough that I'm looking forward to the sequel.
So glad you're enjoying the Harriet Gordon books, Jeannine. They're terrific, IMO. I can't wait for the fourth book!And John, the Master Mercurius series is also extra-special. The second book in the series gives us scenes with William of Orange:
.I'm currently reading two books:
The Hanging Tree, the latest Brother Athelstan medieval mystery by Paul Doherty; then
A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber, the 10th Lady Darby book.
Oh we had that as a group read! It was really good :) I hope you'll go on to read the next one with us too.
Helen wrote: "So glad you're enjoying the Harriet Gordon books, Jeannine. They're terrific, IMO. I can't wait for the fourth book!And John, the Master Mercurius series is also extra-special. The second book in..."
I finished A Perilous Perspective last week and it was the first book in a long time that I wanted to read again right away. I'll reading anything Anna Lee Huber writes, but this one was fantastic!
I am listening to The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman and reading Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers and Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart.
On the home pages of
The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine, which is once again laugh-out-loud funny, while also being an excellent "locked room" mystery. Then it's on to more of
Smoke & Cracked Mirrors, a new historical mystery series by Karen Charlton.
Lynnie wrote: "I am listening to The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman and reading Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers and Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart."I am half way through 'The Man who Died Twice' This series is great. I hope there are more to come.
I read Blind Justice by David Mark It is set in Hull, Yorkshire, England. David Mark writes dark and gritty mysteries, but this one was a little too dark for me. There are elements of sadism, masochism and torture in this book. My review, 3.5 stars rounded up https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dorothy wrote: "Lynnie wrote: "I am listening to The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman and reading Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L Sayers and Wildfire at Midnight by Ma..."I have finished The Man Who Died Twice now, looking forward to the 3rd book out in September.
Just finished The Spoilt Kill by Mary Kelly, one of the British Library Crime Classics that are becoming so popular. I thought the story was amazing!
I’m in the middle of The Weed That Strings The Hangman’s Bag, Flavia deLuce #2, by Alan Bradley. A Canadian author using postwar (WWII) Southern England for most of his locales. Fun and odd series with an eleven/twelve-year-old girl in an isolated country house who has lucked onto a chemistry lab of a great uncle, solves mysteries with her self taught skills. Shades of the Mitfords, with a very modern tongue in cheek wit!
Getting started in
by Paul Gitsham. It's from his DCI Warren Jones series, #8. Another serial killer on the loose, which I don't really like to read about, but I will follow through because it's good writing and I like the main character.
I'm currently reading a mystery set in Victorian Age: " Down a dark river" by Karen Odden. I highly recommend it to everyone!
I'm currently reading "Run to earth" by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Her books are great Victorian mysteries, that I highly recommend.
I'm visiting Italy by reading Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri. It is fifth in the series featuring Inspector Salvo Montalbano. I find it delightful and quite fun to read — there's always a bit of humor to the stories and the characters.
@ Pamela:I read it too! I live in Italy and I love Camilleri, he's books are so funny, and in the original version even better because they're written in Sicilian!
Lynnie wrote: "I'm reading Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz and thoroughly enjoying it."I am listening to the CD, in preparation for the film version to hit the USA in October.
Miriam wrote: "@ Pamela:I read it too! I live in Italy and I love Camilleri, he's books are so funny, and in the original version even better because they're written in Sicilian!"
The humor surprised me when I read the first one, Mariam, but I've really begun to appreciate Camilleri's books and earlier this summer I splurged and picked up a number of them after reading one of his later works, Treasure Hunt. This one felt more serious, more dark than the previous ones.
Dorothy wrote: "I agree. I am about to pick up 'Riccardini' from the library."Wow, that one sounds interesting, Dorothy. I've got several of his books to read before I get to that one, but I look forward to it.
While passing time last week in Harrisonburg, Virginia's public library, I started reading
Lord Peter: A Collection of All the Lord Peter Wimsey Stories by Dorothy Sayers. Normally, this would go on my "being read intermittently" shelf, to be carried over until next summer. But the BU library also has a copy, so I plan to finish reading the collection later this month.
Nonfiction. "The Thames Torso Murders of Victorian London" by R. Michael Gordon, about those other serial murders in late 19th century England.
I will be starting, as soon as I can get my hands on it, Lucy Worsley’s brand new bio of Agatha Christie set to be released on September 8th! I usually love Lucy’s tv programs, so I can’t wait to read this one! Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman
It is not released in Canada till January 2023. I'll have to wait till then, and rely on the tottering tower of books I already have .
Joan wrote: "I will be starting, as soon as I can get my hands on it, Lucy Worsley’s brand new bio of Agatha Christie set to be released on September 8th! I usually love Lucy’s tv programs, so I can’t wait to r..."I have this and can't wait to dip into it. I've just finished Partners in Crime. I read this several times, a comfort read as it's light and fun.
Currently reading Death in the Andamans by M.M, Kaye
Currently
A Fox in the Fold by Candace Robb for NG, and also
Death on Damson Island: A 1920s Mystery by Jay Gill.
I've just read Put Out the Light by Sara Woods - review - & am wondering if anyone could tell me if this is a good example of the Antony Maitland series or not.I have no idea how this book came to be on my shelves - probably a huge mixed mystery box buy on ebay back when surface mail existed - & have never heard of the author before, & yet this series is 48 books strong. This being the only one I may ever read, I'm curious about the quality of the series as a whole.
I read a few modern thrillers and was pretty much let down by all of them. I don't know what's going on with writing, but it all seems to homogenous, like I can't tell who the author is by the way the book is written. And a lot of them seem like variations of the same plot lines.So the one book I read recently that I liked was actually written in the 40s by a woman who was a very popular mystery writer back in the day, Mabel Seeley. It was called "Eleven Came Back" - some of the details might be dated, but overall it was a good, suspenseful read.
Barbara wrote: "I read a few modern thrillers and was pretty much let down by all of them. I don't know what's going on with writing, but it all seems to homogenous, like I can't tell who the author is by the way ..."I’m with you Barbara. So many of the latest thrillers are very predictable, re-hashed plots.....really not “thrilling” at all.
I’ll take a well written mystery puzzle plot anyday.
Decided to write a classic mystery: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I've read The Moonstone and thought it was excellent.
I started a book that just came out - "Hidden Fires: An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes Before Baker Street" It's based on one of the remarks Holmes makes to Watson about an old case and so far it is excellent. I am familiar with the writer who wrote some contemporary mysteries in the past and also Sherlock Holmes works. I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and some of the new fiction but I always want to see the new stories sound authentic to Doyle and the characters. This one is doing that reallly well.
I've been reading quite a few British Library Crime Classics - Jumping Jenny by Anthony Berkeley, Somebody at the Door by Raymond W. Postgate and Fell Murder by E.C.R. Lorac - I enjoyed them all especially Fell Murder. I'm currently reading another Lorac now - Crook o' Lune: A Lancashire Mystery
I've just started:
Dark Waters Rising for NG; it's the last in the series, which is a shame, will miss domina Hildegarde. Also reading Lucinda Brant's Georgian HM,
Deadly Kin. And for a change of pace will be delving into
Clarissa Eden: A Memoir - From Churchill to Eden. Niece of Churchill, married to the WWII politician/later PM after Churchill, Clarissa Eden saw it all. These people had lives.
My name finally came up on my library waiting list for Lucy Worsley’s “Agatha Christie: An elusive Woman”. I have just started and I am about 40 pages in. So far I am enjoying it! I love the book’s photos. Lucy tells a great story about Agatha being on a train with 2 of her readers, with her paperbacks on their laps, that were discussing her life. One said to the other they had heard that Agatha was a lush! Agatha, a teetotaler, never said a word! No one ever recognized her in real life - including a great story about a party to celebrate her play “Mousetrap” when the hotel employees didn’t let her in! Never one to make a fuss, Agatha just went home!!!! I’d at least ask for the events manager!
I agree that opinions differ. We can all like different authors. But lately it seems that one of my favorite genres - suspense and psychological thrillers - have been my biggest let-downs.I got a book called "Final Cut" by SJ Watson. I never read anything, but he came highly recommended. I made it about a third of the way. It was one of those back and forth, back and forth, writing in present tense, than past tense, then, now, then, now and I just got tired of it, found it boring, thought the characters were nothing special and I just didn't care about any of them.
Icewineanne wrote: "Barbara wrote: "I read a few modern thrillers and was pretty much let down by all of them. I don't know what's going on with writing, but it all seems to homogenous, like I can't tell who the autho..."I will chime in here and say that I so often agree that many modern thrillers aren't!
I'm reading
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont. Sadly not nearly as enjoyable as
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict at this point.
I started reading Anne Perry’s Inspector Monk series in order. This author never disappoints me. And by reading them in order you can better understand the main characters.
Oh, Carolina, you've picked a good one. Excellence all around, in plot and characterization, the Monk books never disappoint.
carolina wrote: "I started reading Anne Perry’s Inspector Monk series in order. This author never disappoints me. And by reading them in order you can better understand the main characters."I have enjoyed many in the series especially near the beginning, but realized I need to read them spaced out. The series is getting pretty long and not all of them were as good. Next up for me is Revenge in a Cold River which seems like something I should save for hot weather reading.
Books mentioned in this topic
Skylark (other topics)A Rising Man (other topics)
The Man Who Died Twice (other topics)
A Rising Man (other topics)
Nightshade (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Paula McLain (other topics)Abir Mukherjee (other topics)
Richard Osman (other topics)
Abir Mukherjee (other topics)
Michael Connelly (other topics)
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Evil in Emerald