What mysteries are you reading at the moment? (2021) Showing 401-450 of 1,557

[Judy]

Colin wrote: "The books don't change, Judy, we do. Someone said that about movies, but I think it's equally apposite to books."

Very true, Colin. This seems to happen to me quite often with rereads, both ways round.

[Jan C]

I'm reading Toyshop. Yesterday I started Lay On, Mac Duff! by Charlotte Armstrong.

[Tara]

Jan C wrote: "I'm reading Toyshop. Yesterday I started Lay On, Mac Duff! by Charlotte Armstrong."

Looks interesting Jan. Who knew Parcheesi could be so dangerous?

[Jan C]

Tara wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I'm reading Toyshop. Yesterday I started Lay On, Mac Duff! by Charlotte Armstrong."

Looks interesting Jan. Who knew Parcheesi could be so dangerous?"

I'm still at the beginning. But they were quite serious about Parcheesi.

[Susan in NC]

I just started Death Comes to the Rectory.

[Jill]

I'm now reading The Private Patient for our last P.D. James buddy read featuring Adam Dalgliesh.

[Susan in NC]

I’m starting The Outcast Girls and The Beckoning Lady .

[Carolien]

Jill wrote: "I'm now reading The Private Patient for our last P.D. James buddy read featuring Adam Dalgliesh."

I'll start this one next week.

[Jill]

I am now starting The Street Philosopher by Matthew Plampin. The main character is a young journalist reporting on the battlefields of Crimea, and then his return to England. It is classed as a mystery, I have yet to find out.

[Judy]

I've started reading Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R. Lorac and am enjoying it so far - it's a wartime book set in London. One of the BLCC titles available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Tracey]

I've just finished The Seat of the Scornful which even though the plot had it's less plausible moments, was a fantastic read. I'm not sure John Dickson Carr can go wrong for me! I wish his books were more easily available.

[Susan in NC]

Judy wrote: "I've started reading Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R. Lorac and am enjoying it so far - it's a wartime book set in London. One of the BLCC titles available on Kindle U..."

Oh, this is on my TBR list, look forward to your review- I find her wartime books really evocative, makes it clear how the difficulties of war complicated investigations! I just started Ordeal by Innocence for this group, and Duplicate Death reread by audiobook for the Heyer group. I’m up to my neck in golden age death!

[Colin]

Tracey wrote: "I've just finished The Seat of the Scornful which even though the plot had it's less plausible moments, was a fantastic read. I'm not sure John Dickson Carr can go wrong for me! I wi..."

Carr wrote consistently good stuff till pretty late in the day, right through till the mid-1960s there's not much to dislike. Even the comparatively weaker efforts right at the end of his career have points of interest.

[Judy]

Susan in NC wrote: "Judy wrote: "I've started reading Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R. Lorac...

Oh, this is on my TBR list, look forward to your review- I find her wartime books really evocative, makes it clear how the difficulties of war complicated investigations!.."

Susan, I've read 60% now and it's certainly evocative of the early days of wartime, with lots about the blackout. So far I think it's more focused on procedure than some of her other books, so Macdonald is in the foreground. I will also be getting on to next month's books soon!

[Sandy]

While others are moving onto next month's reads I am still trying to catch up. I have started The Private Patient and still have the Bobby Owen to go. My library has reopened for pick up so I have January's read, The Poisoned Chocolates Case, in hand.

I recently finished Garden of Lamentations, a modern series I have been avidly reading. And I have moving slowly through a collection of Christmas short stories, Christmas Stalkings: Tales of Yuletide Murder that I obviously started a couple of months ago.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is waiting for me at the library and I have the final Falco book, Nemesis to be read and returned.

And there are a few non-mysteries: Miss Buncle Married was almost as good as the first book. And two book that I didn't finish: Miss Benson's Beetle and Where the Wild Ladies Are. Finally, I have started a McCall Smith short story collection, Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind.

[Jackie]

I loved the Miss Buncle books and want to read everything by Stevenson as she does not disappoint.
Doesn't really feel like a mystery, but I recently finished Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom and enjoyed it for what it is. Love how all the little villages in England are full of nothing but charming, helpful people who all pull together and take care of each other!

[Judy]

Wow, plenty to read there, Sandy! I hope you enjoy all the books in your pile.

[Susan in NC]

Judy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Judy wrote: "I've started reading Checkmate to Murder by E.C.R. Lorac...

Oh, this is on my TBR list, look forward to your review- I find her wartime books really evocative, mak..."

Good to know, thanks.

[Susan]

I have been re-reading Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian books. Currently reading A Great Day for the Deadly

[Sandy]

Susan wrote: "I have been re-reading Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian books. Currently reading A Great Day for the Deadly"

Yet another series I want to continue reading.

[Susan]

I am determined to keep going this time round, Sandy!

[Icewineanne]

Just started One by One

[Judy]

I've started reading our next Christie, Ordeal by Innocence.

[Colin]

Judy wrote: "I've started reading our next Christie, Ordeal by Innocence."

A very good book indeed.
I'm making my way through the second Cecil Waye reissue The Figure of Eight at the moment. It's leaning more towards the thriller than Murder at Monk's Barn and isn't quite as good.

[Annabel]

I found The Moving Toyshop's humour rather childish too. A bit like some of the more frivolous John Carter Dickson novels.

I've just finished Mystery In The Channel by Freeman Wills Crofts. I hadn't read one of his before and found it hard going. He's famed for his timetable plotting, I've now learned, so I should have known it wasn't for me. Lots of meticulous detail on routine but not much characterisation. And no female characters at all, not even the odd waitress! No children either. Every character was a middle-class professional white male.

I'm now reading The Thursday Club Murders by Richard Osman. I get frustrated when celebrities get book deals, but to be fair to RO, he has had really positive feedback for this, so I thought I would give it a go - plus it has a beautiful dustjacket. First chapter was fine but the second chapter has gone into present tense, something I particularly hate. And now it's got bogged down in how to portray the historic past (one of the main problems with telling a story in the present tense) and it has just made me cross. WHY, Mr Osman?

[Susan in NC]

I just started The Cornish Coast Murder for next month, and The Lonely Skier for another group (maybe more of a thriller, not sure).

[Jill]

Just starting Ordeal by Innocence, it seems familiar, but will have to read more to see if I remember it.

[Jackie]

I am reading Duplicate Death for another group and, like Susan in NC, will be reading The Lonely Skier next.

[Lady Clementina]

Hello, I'm popping in after a long time--haven't been all that active on Goodreads last year but am getting back into things now. The Ac challenge looks fun, I'm sorry to have missed Why Didn't they Ask Evans which I like very much but I'll try and join in Ordeal by Innocence and the others. The Flavia challenge looks like fun too. I haven't read not have the current read--Red Herring but I do have others so would love to join in.

My last mystery reads were a young adult mystery Lock the Doors and the sixth Flavia book The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches a few weeks ago.

[Judy]

Good to hear from you, Lady C, and great that you want to join in on the Christie challenge - I'm about halfway through Ordeal by Innocence at the moment.

We have another Flavia buddy read coming up in June, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, so it will be great if you can join in on that one.

[Colin]

Annabel wrote: "I've just finished Mystery In The Channel by Freeman Wills Crofts. I hadn..."

I've really come round to Crofts in a big way in recent years. I'm a firm believer that there's got to be a strong plot first and foremost to hang a mystery on, after that atmosphere and characterization add flavor. You can't get by without the core though, and Crofts' meticulous attention to detail and careful slotting together of everything is a joy, to me anyway. It's not for nothing that Chandler called him the soundest builder of all.
We never learn much about French, but again that's fine by me - I don't especially want background fluff on a detective cluttering things up.

[Lady Clementina]

Judy wrote: "Good to hear from you, Lady C, and great that you want to join in on the Christie challenge - I'm about halfway through Ordeal by Innocence at the moment.

We have another Flavia buddy read coming..."

Thanks, Judy. I have I'm Half Sick of Shadows so should be able to join in on that one as well. And I will try and keep up with the Christies as well.

[Colin]

OK, finished off The Figure of Eight and it was, let's say, fair.
Time to try some more Brian Flynn - next up then The Five Red Fingers

[Judy]

Colin wrote: "I've really come round to Crofts in a big way in recent years. I'm a firm believer that there's got to be a strong plot first and foremost to hang a mystery on, after that atmosphere and characterization add flavor. ..."

Colin and Annabel, I've only read a few by him so far - I really liked Inspector French’s Greatest Case, and the inverted mystery we had here as a group read, The 12:30 from Croydon, but wasn't quite so keen on a couple of others I've tried. Antidote to Venom, another inverted mystery, is brilliantly plotted but had some religious content which I didn't think worked all that well, so I'm hoping that was a one-off.

I must try some more by him - I do like French's character although he often seems to stay in the background, and I like the way Crofts writes. There is an interesting introduction to Inspector French's Greatest Case about how he created the character.

[Colin]

On the religious aspect, Crofts was very devout and it played a big part in his life. It's not all that obvious in most of his work but does become more prominent in some later stories towards the end of his career.

[Judy]

That's interesting to know about Crofts' religious beliefs, thanks, Colin. I will bear it in mind if reading more of his later stories.

[Annabel]

Jackie wrote: "I am reading Duplicate Death for another group and, like Susan in NC, will be reading The Lonely Skier next."

I love Duplicate Death. To my mind, the Georgette Heyer detective stories are really patchy in quality but this is one of the better ones, great fun and with some well-drawn characters.

[Jackie]

Annabel, I think Duplicate Death is my least favorite of her mysteries (Penhallow might be worse) but still well worth reading and so many vivid characters, most of whom are unlikeable!

[Annabel]

That's funny, Jackie, we all like different things. But I definitely agree with you about Penhallow! I read it expecting it to be light-hearted like most of Heyer's other books and was thoroughly depressed and dismayed by it.

(I also wonder whether Stella Gibbons had Penhallow in her sights when she was writing Cold Comfort Farm.)

[Lady Clementina]

I didn't mind Penhallow--not a great mystery but I thought it was pretty good as a character study.

[Julie]

Jackie wrote: "Annabel, I think Duplicate Death is my least favorite of her mysteries (Penhallow might be worse) but still well worth reading and so many vivid characters, most of whom are unlikeable!"

Aren’t they just? I struggled with the first chapters for that very reason, until our old friends from the first book put in an appearance.

[Judy]

I've started The Cornish Coast Murder by John Bude, our forthcoming group read - I read it when the group chose it before, more than five years ago, but don't remember much. Enjoying it so far.

[Piyangie]

I'm about to read Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie

[Jill]

I am now starting The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton. I like the writing so far.

[Susan]

I liked that too, Jill. I'm nearly finished with A Great Day for the Deadly on my personal challenge to read/re-read Jane Haddam's Gregor Demarkian series.

[Lady Clementina]

Started Ordeal by Innocence. I have read it before but forgotten much of it including whodunit so as good as new, so far

[Susan in NC]

Just started listening to the audiobook of The Virgin in the Ice . I’ve read it several times, but always delightful to be back with Cadfael!

[Tara]

Lady Clementina wrote: "Started Ordeal by Innocence. I have read it before but forgotten much of it including whodunit so as good as new, so far"

I enjoyed this book so much I gave it 5 stars, but yet I cannot remember anything about it! Very strange. Looking forward to reading again, and seeing what I liked so much the first time. I believe Christie said this was her favorite book.

[Tara]

I'm just starting The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson for my American Mystery Classics bookclub. It takes place at a university library, and apparently contains many humorous limericks.

[Judy]

I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Widening Stain, Tara - I remember it was nominated in a poll but was hard to get hold of outside the US, if I'm remembering correctly. It sounds very intriguing.