The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
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Currently Reading? Just Finished?
I just finished Tami Hoag's "Down the Darkest Road." It filled me with despair and, at times, a bit of irritation with the main character. For a change of pace, I am reading James Rollins'"Bloodline." As always, there is danger, action and adventure action galore.
VickiLee wrote: "Anthony wrote: "I just finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and absolutely loved it. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series. Flavia rules!"I adore Flavia de Luce and ..."
You know... I feel the same way. I've been reading (and writing) so much DARK material, psychological mysteries, with crazed killers and intricate plot lines, etc., etc...that it was actually refreshing and pleasant to read something that was dark, but in an entirely playful and sardonic way; cleverly plotted without making my head ache trying to keep it all together; and to follow a "Detective" albeit an eleven year old (maybe because she was 11 years old) work through the solving of a crime using nothing but her cleverness, her peculiar love for chemistry, and some good old-fashioned research at the library.
I just finished reading
Very good book. Not like any of the mysteries I have read before. Highly recommend.
Anthony wrote: "VickiLee wrote: "Anthony wrote: "I just finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and absolutely loved it. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series. Flavia rules!"I adore Fl..."
Glad you like Flavia. I read Sweetness a few months ago and found it to be just OK. Then I picked up and read Hangman's Bag last week and absolutely loved it. The books seem to get better as they go on. I'm going to pick up the next one shortly; it will provide some great relief from the big, difficult books I'm reading.
Just finished
which is the third book I've read by this author and probably the best of the three. Some indication this might become a series in the future which I'd like to see.
Ann wrote: "now reading 
"You know, i've never really gotten into Anne Perry's novels. But what interested me more was her notorious involvement in that whole Parker-Hulme affair in new Zealand. That whole bizarre episode in her young life was infinitely more fascinating than her fictitious output. At least to me. I mean...she and her friend were convicted for murdering that girl's mother....and they killed her with something like 40 repeated blows with a brick or something like that.
The movie Heavenly Creatures, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Kate Winslet, was based upon that sordid episode.
Anthony - there are a lot of people who won't even pick her up because of her past. She was just lucky that she was a juvenile at the time.
I have always been a reader of historical romance and have just got into historical mysteries, I know nothing about Anne Perry or her past but I do enjoy her books, does that make me a bad person?
Wow!!! I had NO IDEA!!! I don't really know how I feel about it. I have several of her books in my TBR right now. But, I already have the books, so I will probably read them. They are good books. What can I say? I would really miss the characters in those books. How sad. I'm shocked right now. I wonder how many other people have read her books over the years without knowing about her past. Or am I the only one?
Julie wrote: "Wow!!! I had NO IDEA!!! I don't really know how I feel about it. I have several of her books in my TBR right now. But, I already have the books, so I will probably read them. They are good books. W..."This might interest you. A movie was made in 1994 called `Heavenly Creatures' based on the murder Anne Perry was involved in. Fascinating story.
I'm busy reading The Gauguin Connection. Am about a third into it and really enjoying it. A new author?
VickiLee wrote: "Julie wrote: "Wow!!! I had NO IDEA!!! I don't really know how I feel about it. I have several of her books in my TBR right now. But, I already have the books, so I will probably read them. They are..."I looked the movie up on Netflix and they have it on streaming. I'll check it out. Thanks!
just finished
now reading
I am to far into the series to stop now and I really like Monk and Hester and all the other characters so I will continue with the series.
Good for you. She paid her debt to society.
Jan C wrote: "Good for you. She paid her debt to society."Thank you, I agree with you.
Jan C wrote: "Good for you. She paid her debt to society."Really...? From what I remember about the case, that although she was convicted for the crime, they couldn't punish her for it because she was a juvenile. I don't think she ever went to jail, either. She was released into her family's custody...and that was that. I could be wrong, I haven't thought about this in a long LONG time.
So in many respects, she kind of got away with murder? I mean, i don't know too many convicted murderers who go on to become bestselling authors.
And as for her being "too young"...the murder was without a doubt a cruel and deliberate act. Murder is murder, no matter how young you are. An accidental death i can see...but this was a murder. Those girls beat that woman to death.
So not sure how she lives with herself. Comfortably well, i imagine with the amount of books that she sells.
From what I read on the internet, the girls hit the woman 45 times before she died. 45 times!!!!! That's the part I can't get past. But, like Ann, I have these books and I've been reading them forever, so I'll probably read the ones I already have at least, and I too am attached to those characters. I do confess to feeling a little weird about it though.
I just finished a book entitled Daybreak by a new author by the name of Jason E. Felts. I think he is a self published author and it is his first book. I really enjoyed it.
If I had known about her history I probably would not have picket up her book but I didn't and as Julie said I am attached to the characters so as I said I will continue with the series. I do not know the life story of any of the other authors that I read and I don't need to it is none of my business, just as my life story is none of their business. I will not apologize for the books I read and if that upsets some people then that is just the way it is. If you wish to judge me then that is up to you.
Actually, I wasn't making a judgement on Anne Perry's work. I'm sure she's a fine writer. I personally just haven't gotten into her victorian mysteries, though I hear they're quite good. This whole sub-thread started because someone mentioned reading her, and I recalled that history about what happened in New Zealand and mentioned it as a point of macabre interest. It's a tragic thing, to be sure. I'm not telling one or advocating that people NOT read her books. I think Jan C was the one who mentioned that there were some people who felt very strongly about the author's past history and have refused to read her books. Some people like to hear personal stuff about the writers, there is a certain celebrity aspect about those kind of things. Like Truman Capote or Ernest Hemingway who's personal life was almost as large as their work.
If you love Anne Perry's books, great. If her sordid personal history spoils things for you, then I'm sorry I brought it up.
The original purpose of this thread was to share what books you were finishing or starting to work on. So to that end...I just finished the marvellous The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and am working on finishing Outlander. :)
I'm not offended. I just didn't have any idea. I would never have made that connection in a million years. I do like to know a little about authors personal lives sometimes, especially if I read a lot of their books. But, mostly I don't look up anything about them. If you visit Anne Perry's webpage, there is no mention of those events. I had heard about that case, but didn't know all the details. Don't feel bad about mentioning it. I was just shocked. Evidently, many people read Anne Perry because she is a bestselling author, and I would bet many of them know about her history. I may have been in the minority on that. But, since I've read many of her books in ignorant bliss, and really liked them, I intend to read the books I already have of hers. You didn't ruin anything for me. I will admit to feeling a little weird about it, but I'll probably keep on reading her books. I don't judge what people read, to each his own. I think I will look up more information on the case though. The discussion has also been interesting. I'm glad you mentioned it.
I'm currently reading Dennis Lehane's A Drink Before the War and I'm really digging it. I don't usually go for the first-person narrative, but the language here is colorful and fun. I bought it off the bargain table of a bookstore in Brookline without noticing that it is, in fact, a UK printing of the book. That little anecdote is pretty meaningless, but I found it humorous when I got home and saw the cover price in pounds and UK copyright info on the inside.
I read A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR also and really enjoyed it. He won a Shamus award for that book.
Jeffrey wrote: "I read A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR also and really enjoyed it. He won a Shamus award for that book."I picked it up on a lark because I had enjoyed 'Shutter Island' and the movie 'Gone Baby Gone' (and also because it was like 3 bucks). I didn't know anything about it, even that it was the first of the series, until I got home.
Reading House of Chainsthe fourth in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, another great read from Steven Erikson,
also The Etched City
a new author for me, another gunslinger fantasy that is full of surprises, quite wierd and rather poetic in places and I'm really enjoying it.
Mungboy wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Been rereading Lawrence Block now that I'm out of unread Lee Childs. In the Midst of Death and The Sins of the Fathers."The Sins of the Fathers was a great book: excellent dialog..."
Agreed! It's always such a mind-blowing thing to me now to read these older books and think about how much more work was involved in doing research then than is required now. But it was normal then. I guess one boon of the Internet ageis libraries have to spend less money on newspaper archives and so forth-- which leaves them more to spend on books!
Anthony wrote: "Actually, I wasn't making a judgement on Anne Perry's work. I'm sure she's a fine writer. I personally just haven't gotten into her victorian mysteries, though I hear they're quite good. This whole..."sorry I took things so personal, my only excuse is I was having a bad day at work and feeling a little picked upon but I should not have taken it out on you. Again sorry for all the drama!
I'm currently reading Broken Harbour by Tana French.How come it received the most votes in the poll but it's not the August/September read? I'm fairly new to his group, so perhaps I'm missing something.
Mod
How come it received the most votes in the poll but it's not the August/September read? I'm fairly new to his group, so perhaps I'm missing som..."
Unfortunately, the person who nominated it was not available to moderate the discussion and we had a tie for second place so we went with the 2 second place books.
Perhaps you would like nominate the book next month?
I'm about half the way through
by Will Thomas and really like it. I'll definitely be reading the others in this series.
Reading a YA book called
and it is really creepy and I can;t figure out what is going on.
It's not a mystery, crime or thriller book, but I'm enjoying The Secrets of Mary Bowser, a historical fiction book that I just picked up at the library.
I'd like to recommend M.O. Crimes of Practice, the second in a series of anthologies from the Crime Writers' Association, published by Comma Press. I really enjoyed the stories in this book, which all focus on the modus operandi of the criminals.
I am finishing up my first Lawsrence Block. Just simply a great writer in this genre. I like everything about
. I'd love to hear from others who like Block and what direction I should go in with his books. I am also sort of into John Sandford's Prey books and wonder about Virgil Flowers. Any recommendations about outside the Prey series? Thanks!
Hi everyone! You know my head is spinning...no not literally. I've read Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie but never any of the authors that you all are reading...so I started. I had no idea what I was missing! Read "Gone Girl" and "The Bone Collector" over the past few weeks and have realized that I could go a thousand different directions. I went to a used bookstore in Tulsa over the weekend and bought $5 hardbacks (they were having a sale) of the most popular authors I've seen you all talk about. (About 25 books!) Has anyone ever wanted to read a handful all at the same time???
Ohhh Lori, I'm soooo jealous!!! $5.00 hardbacks!! great deal!! I love used bookstores, I went to one over this past weekend, didn't find anything for me this time around, but I did find a couple for my niece.
I just finished
and will start
today.
I finished
a few days ago. It was a great read that kept me engaged. I just finished
and it was another good read. I'm starting to get used to the idea of Bonnie the ghost talking to Eve. I should finish
. I started it but it really hasn't kept me all that engaged. Maybe I'll give it another go.
Jannene wrote: "I finished a few days ago. It was a great read that kept me engaged. I just finished
and it was another good read. I'm starting to get used to th..."Any book by Michael Connelly is a winner.
Die Trying and The Hard Way is probably the two weakest in the series by Lee Child.
I know nothing about Iris Johannsen.
Maybe you should go back to Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. :-)
Jannene wrote: " finished Body Of Lies (Eve Duncan, #4) and it was another good read. I'm starting to get used to the idea of Bonnie the ghost talking to Eve. "I've read a number of the Eve Duncan books and others by the author, but my personal favorites are two she wrote plotted around search and rescue dogs.
The Search and Dark Summer
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I adore Flavia de Luce and have read all 4 novels. She makes my heart happy.