The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
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Currently reading? Just finished? 2023
I finished some books earlier last week. It was quite the proverbial rollercoaster, because I read one great book, one that could have been better and two very disappointing titles. In the shadows of obsession by A.L. Whyte
The worst book I've ever read. It made me almost threw up. So this is a warning: don't read this.
A Different Kind of Gone by Catherine Ryan Hyde
A solid four stars: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Night Time Is The Right TIme by Merrit Graves
Not my cup of tea, so to say: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Her Mother's Daughter by Brian O'Rourke
Other reviewers liked this better: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels
deserves all five stars. My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Brutal & Strange edited by Jim Fusilli a book of crime short stories inspired by some of the songs by Elvis Costello. 18 of today's leading crime authors have come up with some sharp and twisty shorts. It prompted me to queue up and listen to the Elvis Costello greats once again and for that I'm grateful.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've liked all of the P.J. Tracy Monkeewrench series, but my favourite so far is #7, Cold Kill (aka The Sixth Idea. Suspenseful (plausible!) threat to today's world. Great read. 
My review of Cold Kill - The Sixth Sense
My review of Murder of an Amish Bridegroom by Patricia Johns
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Murder Wheel
by Tom Mead2nd old school (but newly written) classic locked-room mystery featuring retired magician Joseph Spector. Actually 2 impossible murders are committed before Spector and his friends work out the solutions. Very enjoyable story, with the plot being the important part -- the characters are fine but it's the plot that carries the book. I really liked it -- 4 stars.
The Royal Bath Murder
was great up until the end. My 3.5 star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cocktails & Chloroform
by Kelley ArmstrongTime-traveling Edinburgh police detective Mallory - who was transported from 2019 to 1869 - gets involved in a criminal incident in the past.
Fast-moving novella. 3 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recently completed
Next in Line by Jeffrey ArcherMy review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished the Midwestern noir
Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Deep Sky
by Yume KitaseiIn this science fiction mystery novel, an all-female crew on a starship traveling to a distant planet has to root out a saboteur.
Interesting story. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Cuddy, by Benjamin Myers, which in my opinion was excellent -- historical fiction done innovatively. I recently bought his book The Gallows Pole, also historical fiction;
The Fraud by Zadie Smith -- not a huge fan, but it was okay
The Devil of the Provinces by Juan Cárdenas -- strange but really good
currently working on Scotland the Strange, an anthology of short stories on the weird side edited by Johnny Mains (from the British Library) and as soon as it arrives (on its way now), I'll be starting The Meiji Guillotine Murders by Fūtarō Yamada.
The Last Devil to Die
by Richard OsmanThursday Murder Club #4, best read in order. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are back, just as enjoyable as ever. Wonderful book but here's a warning -- I cried. I'm a grown man and I never cry and I cried. So you've been warned. But I loved the book -- 5 stars.
I read Murder on Brittany Shores by Jean-Luc Bannalec It is a cerebral mystery--no sex or violence. MY 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The second Detective Honeywell Mystery was another enjoyable book. 
Keep Your Family Close by Annette Dashofy https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You know that guy you haven't seen for a while and you ask, "Hey, Bob - what've you been up to?" and he always has a funny anecdote about his latest venture? That's Aussie writer Robert Skinner, and he's put his stories together in I'd Rather Not: Essays. Best enjoyed separately, like letters from a friend.
My review of I'd Rather Not
Mod
Now I'm about half-way through Rim of the Pit by Hake Talbot, a 1940s mystery playing around the edges of the supernatural, with a medium and a magician with a reputation for uncovering the tricks mediums use in the mix of characters. So far, it's better than I expected.
I finished the second of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries and was not overly impressed, dash it all!
Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the second Continental Op novel
The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
The Lost Gift to the Italian Island by Barbara Josselsohn ⭐⭐⭐.7 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Scorched Grace
had an interesting MC but lacked an equally engaging plot. My 3 star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Heart Full of Headstones
by Ian RankinThough Inspector Rebus is retired now, he still likes to involve himself in police investigations.....especially when they involve corrupt cops.
Good mystery. 3.5 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
Yesterday I finished Muori per me, an exciting thriller. Today I read Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1.
Now starting BLACKOUT by Simon Scarrow. This is the first novel in the author's new series set in wartime Berlin that features homicide inspector Horst Schenke. The sequel novel is scheduled to be published just after Christmas, so I hope this first book will whet my appetite for more.
I finished A Quiet Contagion by Jane Jesmond
An interesting read: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished The Escape by Ruth Kelly
three stars, because of the terrible characters: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime by Casey ShermanActress Lana Turner was at the height of her career when her boyfriend, gangster Johnny Stompanato, was murdered in her house. This book tells the story.
Good true crime book. 4 stars
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Another thrilling Nikki Hunt book by Stacy Green (#8):Bone Lake
Due out December 8.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Rachel Incident
was a mixed bag for me. My 3.5 star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Broken Fixer by Ralph Dennis It is a book of the dark side of Atlanta, Georgia in the 1970s. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Baby Blue Rip-Off
by Max CollinsVery early novel from the prolific Max Allen Collins, featuring Vietnam-vet, hot meal delivery person, aspiring novelist Mallory who gets involved when one of his elderly hot meal recipients is killed in a robbery. Everything works out a little too neatly but I like the book just as I've liked almost everything Collins has written. 3 stars.
I read The Spy in a Box by Ralph Dennis It is a taut thriller and I rated 4 stars. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In Shades of Death: Murder at the Court of Elizabeth I, historian Angela Ranson presents Catrin, an appealing, independent young heroine whom the Queen sends to investigate death threats. Great read for historical mystery lovers.
My review of Shades of Death
Fans have been waiting a while to see what author Graham Brack's Captain Josef Slonský has been up to, and I was glad to seem him back in (limping) action in Prague, solving the case of The Murdered Molls. Crime and humour - great mix.
My review of The Murdered Molls
I'm starting the week with
Six Feet Deep Dish by Mindy Quigley https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Blessing of the Lost Girls
was a disappointment in light of how much I previously enjoyed the Joanna Walker series. My three star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Liz wrote: "Blessing of the Lost Girls was a disappointment in light of how much I previously enjoyed the Joanna Walker series. My three star review:https://www..."
oh, that's sad - I was waiting for that book to go down in price and get it.
I liked Wild Card, the second book in the Detective Zoe Mayer series even more than the first. Aussie author Simon Rowell gives us a good story with a cross-border investigation between Victoria and New South Wales and plenty of secret alliances. Harry is back in harness, still acting to serve and protect Zoe. Good boy!
My review of Wild Card
The Algorithm Will See You Now
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars
Near future story with AI taking over decisions of medication.
Takes off from the worldwide pandemic.
Gr8 story. I read this as a free review copy.
My review here -
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group
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