Reading the Detectives discussion
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What mysteries are you reading at the moment? (2021)
Tara wrote: "Totally spellbound by The Bride Wore Black 
by Cornell Woolrich, with another fantastic cover in the American Mystery Classic..."That was my first reading of Woolrich, too.
The movie was shown recently - I DVR'D it and haven't watched it yet.
Susan in NC wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Tania wrote: "Well it's a re-read, and probably my favourite Marple, I'm sure I can grab the book if it becomes too weird."I love watching the DVD of that one,..."
The version of Miss Marple I'd like to try next is the South Korean one 'Ms Ma, Nemesis', it's free to view on Viki in the UK, has anyone seen it? Is it any good?
Jan C wrote: "Tara wrote: "Totally spellbound by The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich, with another fantastic cover in the American My..."I'd love to hear your thoughts on the movie Jan, once you've watched it. I'll have to see if I can rent on Netflix DVD.
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Judy, it's one of my favorite Heyer mysteries if not my favorite and I re-read it earlier this summer. if the buddy read starts and I'm not posting, it's because I forgot to look for the threads so please PM me!!!
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I finished a crime novel by Lucy Atkins Magpie Lane which I found ultimately disappointinghttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Me too, Alwynne - it just fizzled out without making much sense. I preferred Atkins' The Night Visitor for switch-off escapism but there were still some awfully silly parts!
I am now reading Death at Victoria Dock the fourth in the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood. I really like the Phryne as a character
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That is a fun series and the very latest will be waiting for me at the library very soon.
Jill wrote: "I am now reading Death at Victoria Dock the fourth in the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood. I really like the Phryne as a character"Jill I've been watching the TV show and I'm now waiting for the first in the book series Cocaine Blues to come in at the library. Are the books anything like the TV show? I'm hoping that her sense of fun and energy, and general nosiness, come through in the books!
Sue wrote: "Jill wrote: "I am now reading Death at Victoria Dock the fourth in the Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood. I really like the Phryne as a character"Jill I've been..."
I have only read the books and have purposely not watched the tv series. Cocaine Blues was a bit more risque than I had imagined it would be, but that did add to the fun.
I plan to start our August read, Checkmate to Murder
tonight, because it is a library book and needs to be returned!
Jill wrote: "I have only read the books and have purposely not watched the tv series. Cocaine Blues was a bit more risque than I had imagined it would be, but that did add to the fun. ..."Ah, well I can recommend the tv series. A friend recommended it to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and only realised later that it came from a book series. The main actress is very good, but it's one of those series where all the supporting characters are done well too. I particularly liked the sets and costumes, in fact I could watch it all again with the sound off, just to admire the visuals!
Roman Clodia wrote: "Me too, Alwynne - it just fizzled out without making much sense. I preferred Atkins' The Night Visitor for switch-off escapism but there were still some awfully silly parts!"Glad it wasn't just me, it had such rave reviews I thought I must have missed something!
Roman Clodia wrote: "Me too, Alwynne - it just fizzled out without making much sense. I preferred Atkins' The Night Visitor for switch-off escapism but there were still some awfully silly parts!"Atkins’ books always sound so promising and start off brilliantly. But ultimately every book I’ve read takes a downhill turn & disappoints.
Sue wrote: "Jill wrote: "I have only read the books and have purposely not watched the tv series. Cocaine Blues was a bit more risque than I had imagined it would be, but that did add to the fun. ..."Ah, wel..."
I liked the series--I've seen some of it but not read the books yet though I do plan to pick them up some time.
Icewineanne wrote: "
Murder At The University by the terrific author Faith Martin 👍🏻 👍🏻"I see there's a 'box set' of the first 5 books in this series for 99p on Kindle at the moment. It seems like too much of a bargain to pass up but I'm strangely reluctant to take the plunge. I've read her Monica Noble series which I generally enjoyed but this series seems less cozy and I wonder if I'll find it too procedural.
The D.A. Calls a Turn
- the sixth entry in Erle Stanley Gardner's Doug Selby series.
Colin wrote: "The D.A. Calls a Turn - the sixth entry in Erle Stanley Gardner's Doug Selby series."Lovely; my mom's been rereading these as well and tempting me to do so too (for me, some would be first time reads).
They're enjoyable stories, a kind of reversal of the author's own Perry Mason books.
Ruth wrote: "Icewineanne wrote: " Murder At The University by the terrific author Faith Martin 👍🏻 👍🏻"I see there's a 'box set' of th..."
I haven’t read the Monica Noble series yet, Ruth. But if you enjoy British mysteries such as Midsomer Murders, then I think you’ll enjoy this series. The stories have an interesting puzzle with a terrific female detective. They’re not at all what I would consider dark, but the books are also not knitting or recipe cozies either. And 99p for 5 novels is a bargain!
I love the Midsomer Murders books so I've gone for it. Thanks Icewineanne :-)
Ruth wrote: "I love the Midsomer Murders books so I've gone for it. Thanks Icewineanne :-)"Hope you enjoy the series Ruth. Faith Martin also has another enjoyable series that is closer to a cozy, the Ryder & Loveday mysteries. So if Hillary isn’t your cuppa, give WPC Trudy Loveday & coroner Clement Ryder a try.
Happy reading!
Thanks Icewineanne. I shall bookmark that series to try next.
Just finished Checkmate to Murder last night, I’m going to start our August Christie, They Came to Baghdad. Always enjoy Christie, and I’m not sure I’ve read this - if I have, it’s been decades!
Susan in NC wrote: "Just finished Checkmate to Murder last night, I’m going to start our August Christie, They Came to Baghdad. Always enjoy Christie, and I’m not sure I’ve read this - if I have, it’s be..."is that an August group read? I don't remember that book and if it's a Christie I have never read I need to find a copy and read it!
Jackie wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Just finished Checkmate to Murder last night, I’m going to start our August Christie, They Came to Baghdad. Always enjoy Christie, and I’m not sure I’ve read this ..."I have it as the August read for our Assorted Christie challenge- if I’m wrong, I hope our kind mods will let me know!
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August it is!
Its been quite some time since I read They Came to Baghdad so looking forward to it as well.
Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Just finished Checkmate to Murder last night, I’m going to start our August Christie, They Came to Baghdad. Always enjoy Christi..."Thanks, Sandy!
Lady Clementina wrote: "Its been quite some time since I read They Came to Baghdad so looking forward to it as well."Yes, I’m just one or two chapters in so I can’t tell - getting an exciting, international thriller vibe, but not particularly ringing any memory bells for me. I know I read The Big Four, when I plowed through all the Poirot mysteries decades ago, I think that had a similar feel. So many of the Assorted Christie’s we’ve read this year have been a pleasant surprise, either new to me or I may not have read them - a treat to savor for an aging Christie fan!
I think I've read about half of this year's assorted Christie's, so its great to get to experience new ones. I'm liking Sparkling Cyanide, and as usual, I'm stumped on the killer.
I am just starting Richardson Scores Again by Basil Thomson. I liked the first book in this series that we read here so thought I would try another
I'm reading I Remember You
, the third in Martin Edwards' series about Liverpool lawyer Harry Devlin.
Tara wrote: "I think I've read about half of this year's assorted Christie's, so its great to get to experience new ones. I'm liking Sparkling Cyanide, and as usual, I'm stumped on the killer."I always fail to predict the murderer in Agatha Christie's books! I sometimes think that I must be the most clueless reader out there!
Kirsten wrote: "Tara wrote: "I think I've read about half of this year's assorted Christie's, so its great to get to experience new ones. I'm liking Sparkling Cyanide, and as usual, I'm stumped on th..."Oh no you aren't; she always takes most of us down the wrong path, so very rarely can we 'guess' whodunit.
I've just finished Catriona McPherson's The Mirror Dance
, the latest in her Dandy Gilver period crime series set in Scotland of the 1920s-30s.I love this series and am a huge fan of Dandy's dry wit and the acerbic way she comments on the ridiculous social standards of the day. I also love her loyal friendship with neighbour Alec. A proper platonic friendship between a man and a woman in the 1930s must have been quite a rare thing - although I now find myself thinking of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh. They would have made a fun detective pairing!
Annabel wrote: "I've just finished Catriona McPherson's The Mirror Dance , the latest in her Dandy Gilver period crime series set in Scotland of the 1920s-30s.I love this ser..."
I have some of these books, but never started them as I knew nothing about them. I will have to give them a try.
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, the latest in her Dandy Gilver period crime series set in Scotland of the 1920s-30s.I love this ser..."
I read the first few, quite liked them so I'm not sure why I stopped. Maybe the library didn't have the next one when I wanted it or I have so many series going some get left behind. I'm glad the friendship remains platonic as I feared the author might take it in another direction.
Sandy wrote: "Annabel wrote: "I've just finished Catriona McPherson's The Mirror Dance , the latest in her Dandy Gilver period crime series set in Scotland of the 1920s-30s...."
Yes Sandy, I'm always find ones I should get back to. That is where this group helps, as we do read all the way through.
Tara wrote: "I'm reading The Chinese Orange Mystery, my first by Ellery Queen. I was concerned by comparisons to Philo Vance, who I found to be quite insufferable, but so far, its a..."I loved this book. It, too, was my first Ellery Queen, plus a locked room mystery. It has sent me down a path of fun reading. I also found a great facebook page about Golden Age mysteries with so many great recommendations. Happy Reading.
Angie wrote: "Tara wrote: "I'm reading The Chinese Orange Mystery, my first by Ellery Queen. I was concerned by comparisons to Philo Vance, who I found to be quite insufferable, but ..."I also read and enjoyed The Dutch Shoe Mystery. Not my favorite detective, but one of the better GA ones IMO.
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I've just completed The Resistance Man from the Bruno series. Not my favourite in the series, but interesting historical elements.
Reading the Detectives
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I love watching the DVD of that one, Joan Hickson is..."
She really is - I see why Agatha herself wanted her to play Miss M (well, that’s what it says on my dvd collection box, anyway…)