2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] discussion
. Week 10: Mystery or Thriller
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What did you read this week?Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
It's my first Agatha Christie book!
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
It's a murder mystery.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
Yeah, I did! Here's my review.
I would recommend it to murder mystery fans, but perhaps not to Sherlock fans 'cause, as a Sherlock fan, reading this was kind of redundant for me.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
Near the middle of the investigation I already had an inkling on who did it, but the final decision somewhat surprised but pleased me.
Mod
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
It's short mysteries.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
Yes, some stories were interesting, other were average. I would recommend it to people who enjoy Holmes, I think complete stories are better for someone who never tried it.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
Investigation? What investigation? No, Holmes listens the story, thinks, goes away and finally solves it. Watson opens his ears, thinks, doesn't understand. So zero investigations in these short stories, it was the bad point of the book.
Most of the conclusions were unexpected and good enough, I find Doyle less predictable than other writers like Agatha Christie.
What did you read this week? The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan DoyleDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? Mystery
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review) I don't typically read mysteries (or thrillers) but I enjoyed it. I would recommend it to someone looking for a quick mystery read.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? With not much to compare since I don't typically read mysteries, I liked the level of suspense.
What did you read this week? And Then There Were NoneDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? Hmm, I would say mystery for sure, but some parts made it feel like a thriller.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? YES and YES
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? The suspense was built up over the course of the book. At first I found myself not too concerned with people dying off (mainly because the characters we follow don't really care much for them), but as there became less targets the tension became palpable. I had no idea who had planned it even after everyone had died. There wasn't really a investagation, just the detectives discussing the details of the case and judging it unsolvable.
I was surprised by the conclusion, but at the same time the explanation made a lot of sense.
What did you read this week?Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
I would qualify this as a psychological thriller.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
I did enjoy it, but would recommend it more as a classic and for those who like books set in Paris. I don't think it had enough "thrill" to be the best choice in this genre.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
I was surprised by the conclusion, but the murder happens at the beginning, so it's the psychological effects of the murder that are the surprise.
I read The Moonstone by Wilkie CollinsThis is definitely a solid mystery, but there was an edge of a thrill to it. I thought the moonstone was a little creepy.
I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in mystery. After all, this was the first mystery novel! Wilkie Collins has a very classic style of writing.
The funny thing was that I ended up not caring so much about the moonstone, and 'whodunnit'. I cared so much more about the characters, and the romance, and the treachery. I was in suspense for a long time about a few of the characters, but I figured out what the ending was a while before I finished.
What did you read this week? BurnDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? I would classify it as a mystery.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review) I enjoyed it, but would not necessarily recommend it. It was not one of his better books.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Okay.
Were you surprised by the conclusion? No.
What did you read this week?Sharp Objects
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller? I would say is a mistery around some murders.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? I liked it and yes, I would recommend it, but I would say also that I found the story a little disturbing.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? The story is from a journalist's point of view, so the investigation was a little slow, mainly rumors; however, the ending is so WOW. It really surprised me!
What did you read this week?Cape Refuge
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
It's a murder mystery.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
I did, and I would.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
I thought the investigation was a realistic portrayal of how ill prepared a tiny, small town police force could be for a grisly double murder. As for the conclusion, I figured out whodunit fairly early on, but I was surprised how some of the threads of the mystery came together in the end.
What did you read this week? Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan DoyleDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? I'd say it's mostly mystery as the majority of the stories (it's a short story collection) are kind of creepy with some twist in the tale.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review) I did enjoy it. I much prefer Conan Doyle's short story collections and this one didn't disappoint. Many of the mysteries were written in such a way that you could hazard a guess at what was going to happen/what the big reveal would be.
I also liked the fact that Sherlock Holmes made an (unnamed) cameo in two of the stories. It was a nice little touch and stood to reason that if there were mysteries to be solved, he'd have something to say about them. I'd definitely recommend this to any fan of Sherlock Holmes.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? Some of the stories left me feeling a little bit like 'oh, was that it?' the first in particular, but once I got into the style of the story telling I enjoyed it. There was a fair bit of suspense in the first part (Tales of Terror) and the second and third stories felt very similar.
As I said above, I prefer Conan Doyle's short stories, I think he's a master at building a story in just a few pages and this one had the perfect balance between story and suspense.
What did you read this week?I've read Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
A mystery. But this books got really creepy sometimes...
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review)
Yes, I've enjoyed it. I missed reading a classic mistery book. I've missed reading Agatha Christie.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
They were Hercule Poirot, of course! It's hard to describe to someone that deosn't know him. It's the fact that he never reveal anything to anyone until the end, the showing-off part, and then, the grand final!
And, as always, I didn't expect the end, but I was used to being that surprising! In the end, it's Agatha Christie.
What did you read this week?Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
I chose Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight, I would consider it a mystery.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review)
I really enjoyed this one and read it practically in one sitting!
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
I thought the build-up was good, and how the author used different types of writing (Facebook posts, text messages) to uncover the details of Amelia's life and death. I was not terribly surprised by the conclusion, because I had kind of suspected it...but still thought it was very well-written.
What did you read this week?The Girl on the Train
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
A mysterious thriller ;)
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review)
I did enjoy it. Couldn't put it down, in fact.
Was nice not to be rooting for a happy ending as all the characters in the book were rotten!
Would definitely recommend it...and I have!!!
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
Certainly kept me guessing almost until the end!
What did you read this week?I read Inferno by Dan Brown.
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
It's more of a mystery, though it's probably trying to be a thriller.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
No, not really. It wasn't bad, but it was mostly boring and I was absolutely unimpressed the whole time. Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code were way better. So no, I would not recommend this book.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
There were a few places where Brown turned everything upside down and I was surprised, unfortunately it was mostly because I wasn't really thinking about the plot and the characters while reading. Most of the time I felt like the book was making me brain-dead. The conclusion itself was only slightly surprising. On the plus side, I'll give it to Brown that he knows how to create a good motivation for a villain. He knows how to work with the whole "the villain never thinks he's a villain" thing.
What did you read this week?The Silence of the Lambs
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
I suppose it's a bit of both really.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review)
I picked the book up because I love the movie and I haven't been disappointed. I will also say the movie adaptation is on point it's nearly the exact same as the book, of course you don't get all the different characters views but it's very VERY similar.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?
Like I said, I picked up this book because I love the movie, all the Hannibal movies really. So needless to say, the original suspense I would have felt went with the movie the first time I watched it, I still love it though and am anxious to see how the last 100 or so pages play out.
What did you read this week? Guilt by Associationby Marcia ClarkDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? mystery
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review) it was okay. I chose it because I was curious about a novel by Ms. Clark. There are others with the same characters... I haven't rushed to read any others but I might at some time.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? I was mostly surprised (disappointed) that the story didn't involve more court drama. The story was fun, light reading and this book is the first of a series.
What did you read this week?The Cuckoo's Calling
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
It was a mystery
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
In the end I did enjoy it. It just took me 2 month's of starting and stopping to finish it.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? I liked that way that he did the investigation. All I could think when reading it was old-fashioned private eye. I thought that I had it figured out and I was wrong! I like when a book surprises me like this.
What did you read this week?The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun by Sebastien Japrisot
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
A mystery.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it?
This is the third book I've read by this author and I honestly love his books.
I had trouble getting into the story in the beginning but after about 40 pages I couldn't stop. It's one of those books that keeps you completely engrossed in the story and you just have to know what happens. I probably would have stayed up all night reading if I lived alone. I loved the writing, the story, the mystery - the whole experience.
I highly recommend this book, as well as my favorite book by this author - Trap for Cinderella.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion
Oh yes, so much suspense, I was dying to know what is happening. The conclusion surprised me, it ended not the way I expected.
What did you read this week? The Damned by Andrew PyperDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? Sort of both. If I had to choose, I'd call it a thriller, but there is a murder mystery in play as well.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review) Yes and Yes! It's not for everybody, but if you like a good creepy ghost story-type mystery, it's a pretty interesting one. Check out my review here
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? There was a lot of suspense and a very creepy vibe to the whole thing that had me looking over my shoulder. The conclusion didn't really surprise me - I might not have guessed it, but it didn't come out of left field either - but it was very well done.
What did you read this week? Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob ThomasDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? I chose a mystery but it has some slight thriller elements to it.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review) I absolutely loved it! Highly recommend it to fans of the series, the movie and the previous book: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line . Wouldn't recommend it to someone who hasn't seen and read those yet as it has a lot of plot points, elements, and characters from them which might not make a lot of sense to someone who hasn't and they won't understand the whole backstory to each of the characters.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? They were both amazing. The suspense was subtle but done well and the investigation was in true Veronica Mars style. The conclusion wasn't a massive surprise as they did build up to it but the way it ended up playing out was a surprise. The second plot also had a surprise conclusion which was great.
What did you read this week? And Then There Were NoneDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? A mystery, by the queen herself!
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? Yes and yes! It was my first Agatha Christie but certainly won't be my last. Girl knew how to write a good story! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? It was brilliant - so well crafted.
What did you read this week? The Girl on the TrainDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? I guess it was both.
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? Yes and yes.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? Definitely surprised. I found the first half a bit slow but the suspense built up later on.
What did you read this week? A Mind to MurderDid you choose a mystery or a thriller? Mystery
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? Yes. This is the second in the Adam Dagliesh series by the great P.D. James. As an unapologetic addict of murder mysteries, I'd recommend anything by Ms. James.
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion? Enjoyed the suspense and the investigation and I didn't figure it out before the end.
2015 Reading Challenge [Closed]
Books mentioned in this topic
A Mind to Murder (other topics)The Girl on the Train (other topics)
And Then There Were None (other topics)
Mr. Kiss and Tell (other topics)
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
P.D. James (other topics)Rob Thomas (other topics)
Andrew Pyper (other topics)
Dan Brown (other topics)
Agatha Christie (other topics)
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This discussion thread is solely for your progress (book discussions go in individual threads).
What did you read this week?
Did you choose a mystery or a thriller?
Did you enjoy the book? Would you recommend it? (feel free to link to your review)
How were the suspense and the investigation in your book? Were you surprised by the conclusion?