The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
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Currently Reading? Just Finished?
Kim wrote: "Veronica wrote: "I just finished 
. I actually enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series."Veronica, I really enjoyed the first few books in th..."
I think I gave up in the middle of the third one.
Jan C wrote: "Kim wrote: "Veronica wrote: "I just finished . I actually enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series."Veronica, I really enjoyed the first few..."
You gave up rather quickly because the series kept getting better. Explosive Eighteen is funny, I will admit the book before it bombed. I am annoyed of the love triangle which every cozy mystery series seems to have these days.
I read The Ruins because I so liked A Simple Plan. The Ruins was just so so. I liked the movie better which is unusual. A Simple Plan was also made into a movie but the book was better.I note The Ruins made The Worst Books of All Time list.
Heather wrote: "Bill I also recommend them I have read them all and now eagerly awaiting the most recent "Dead Mans grip". Peter is an excellent story teller and I have had the pleasure of meeting him. Take a look..."I bought Dead Simple on Sunday. I'm looking forward to starting it now. Neat that you got to meet him.
Sandra, I don't think you have to read them in order. (The Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva.) I do think you should read the first one for background information and characters. You find out why he's in this business. The first two I found wasn't great, not bad though. I skipped the third and read the 4th and I didn't seem to miss anything. I hope that helps.
(3 stars)
(3.5 stars)
(skipped)
(loved it). Going to start this week
.
Ken wrote: "I read The Ruins because I so liked A Simple Plan. The Ruins was just so so. I liked the movie better which is unusual. A Simple Plan was also made into a movie but the book was bett..."That's how I felt about The Ruins. I kept thinking, "Okay, okay - NOW! Maybe not. NOW! Okay. Now?"
For the record: finished
, which I really liked. It's depressing to reach the end of a series, no matter how quickly I read to get there. And I just loved Repairman Jack.Now I'm reading
. It's gross. Cannibals. There's definitely suspense, I'll finish it. But I won't be getting barbecue for awhile.
Ken wrote: "I read The Ruins because I so liked A Simple Plan. The Ruins was just so so. I liked the movie better which is unusual. A Simple Plan was also made into a movie but the book was bett..."I loved The Ruins. Thought it was as good as A Simple Plan.
A simple plan had a lot of twists and turns, coincidences, irony, etc. The Ruins, while a good premise, was kind of a foregone conclusion. I liked the cell phone tricks. Just for laughs, let's look at the worst book ever list and see why The Ruins rated so 'high'. I'm kind of afraid to look at the list because certainly there will be some of my favorites listed. If I find any of them, there will be blood.
Tay wrote: "Just started and loving it .
"Michael Connelly is the Harry Bosch guy, isn't he. Also has a main character that's a newspaper reporter. I read a couple of those and liked everything I read.
Ken wrote: "Tay wrote: "Just started and loving it ."Michael Connelly is the Harry Bosch guy, isn't he. Also has a main character that's a newspaper reporter. I read a couple..."
Harry Bosch is a great character. The newspaper guy is Jack McEvoy and he is another great character long with Mickey Haller but Harry Bosch is the best of the three.
Am currently reading Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett and really loving it.
I just finished reading
Body Of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell. It was a good story and had many twists that I liked. I didn't care for all of the spelling errors/typos. I would have given it a higher ranking if there wasn't any errors in it.
I'm reading Indigo Slam by Robert Crais, an Elvis Cole mystery. I'm mot sure why but I find I don't like Elvis's girlfriend Lucy :)
Jannene wrote: "Sandra, I don't think you have to read them in order. (The Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva.) I do think you should read the first one for background information and characters. You find out wh..."Thanks for the info! I get to be a "series addict" at times. I get attached to characters.
Barbara--I agree with you wholeheartedly. Lucy is the reason I stopped reading Robert Crais altogether (and I was a huge fan of the early books)! She's insufferable and totally ruins the Elvis Cole experience!
Brian January
I agree with readers who don't like Elvis Cole's girlfriend, Lucy. Self-centered, whiny ... I don't like apologies when nothing wrong has been done (as well as not liking non-apologies when somethiong wrong has been done - e.g., "I'm sorry if you were hurt...") Here Elvis is so sorry he put Lucy and son in danger (she blames him as well), but her ex-husband kidnapped their son and put everyone in danger. This was Elvis' fault?
Ken wrote: "A simple plan had a lot of twists and turns, coincidences, irony, etc. The Ruins, while a good premise, was kind of a foregone conclusion. I liked the cell phone tricks. Just for laughs, let's..."
Maybe so, but it was a hell of a lot of fun getting there! And (view spoiler)
Genine wrote: "I agree with readers who don't like Elvis Cole's girlfriend, Lucy. Self-centered, whiny ... I don't like apologies when nothing wrong has been done (as well as not liking non-apologies when somethi..."Lol, I love Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, and also do not like Lucy either. I just feel with her personality and lifestyle that she does not fit with Elvis at all...She just seems quite the snob and very snooty to me. The series is fantastic but could only improve if Lucy is ditched altogether...Strangely enough I really liked his interaction with Carol Starkey in
...Although I really could do without her smoking, but those two are very interesting together, IMO...
Julie wrote: "Genine wrote: "I agree with readers who don't like Elvis Cole's girlfriend, Lucy. Self-centered, whiny ... I don't like apologies when nothing wrong has been done (as well as not liking non-apologi..."Lucy seems relatively normal to me. But maybe I just work with too many attorneys!
I like Carol. I don't care that she smokes. That comes from her days as a bomb detonator. Have you read her book. What was it - Two Second Warning or some such title. I really liked it.
just finished
by deborah harkness, really liked it. now reading
by daniela sacerdoti, won this on a giveaway.
Jan C wrote: "I like Carol. I don't care that she smokes. That comes from her days as a bomb detonator. Have you read her book. What was it - Two Second Warning or some such title. I really liked it..."Carol's book was Demolition Angel. I remember that's the only book Crais has written that I struggled through. Strangely enough I didn't much like the character of Carol until Elvis "met" her. I do like the two of them together.
I liked Lucy in the beginning but as often happens in crime fiction novels, the woman starts whining about the dangers of the job. Elvis' work didn't seem to bother Lucy when she needed his help, but when she didn't he was suddenly too dangerous to be around. Female characters in crime fiction novels are often written like this, and it always annoys me. I like the idea of Elvis and Carol together, but I'm not sure if that's where Crais is heading.
Dorie wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I like Carol. I don't care that she smokes. That comes from her days as a bomb detonator. Have you read her book. What was it - Two Second Warning or some such title. I really liked i..."You may be right about Lucy getting more whiney as time goes by.
I don't know that Elvis can ever think of Carol as anything but a friend. So Carol is doomed.
I am getting ready to begin The Alienist, which is a group read for November. I am looking forward to finishing it and seeing what others thought of it in the discussion thread for it.
Kim wrote: "I am getting ready to begin The Alienist, which is a group read for November. I am looking forward to finishing it and seeing what others thought of it in the discussion thread for it."on the general chat forum for this group, a member posted this review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
As a reader who has tried The Alienist several times and then lost interest without knowing why, the review was revealing.
Ken wrote: "on the general chat forum for this group, a member posted this review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/131...As a reader who has tried The Alienist several times and then lost interest without knowing why, the review was revealing."
Thanks for the link to the review. After reading it, I am now more aware of why others may deem it not worth reading, but I am already enjoying it, and I'm not all that far into it. I hope I don't lose interest, because I find it really, really hard to stop reading a book, even if I am hating it... a habit I dearly wish I could break. Too many good books out there to waste time on finishing the ones I don't care for.
Have just strted my first Frank Tallis, Death in Vienna. And I think I'm liking it! Thanks for bringing it up, Georgia.
Tay wrote: "Ken wrote: "Tay wrote: "Just started and loving it ."Michael Connelly is the Harry Bosch guy, isn't he. Also has a main character that's a newspaper reporter. I r..."
Just finished The Drop and was very pleased, except that now who knows how long it will be before we get another...
Kim wrote: "Ken wrote: "on the general chat forum for this group, a member posted this review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/131...As a reader who has tried The Alienist several times and then lost ..."
I am exactly the same way! I wish I could stop too for the same reason, but I can't. The best I can do is stop for a while, read a different book & then continue. I only stopped reading 1 book that I remember, & that was Dean Koontz's
. I got tired of renewing the eBook download & finally gave up. The worst 2 I struggled through that I haven't blocked out of my mind were Bridget Jones's Diary & Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I know that both have a big following, but I just didn't like them.
Sandra wrote: "Kim wrote: "Ken wrote: "on the general chat forum for this group, a member posted this review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/131...As a reader who has tried The Alienist several times and ..."
I hated Wicked and don't think I got past page 75.
I finished
last night and will not be eating barbecue for at least the next 6 months. It was so intense I can't read his included *more* intense version - too much for me. It is a very well done book, but not for the faint of heart.Now I'm reading
. So far I like it.
Jan C wrote: "I hated Wicked and don't think I got past page 75...."Jan, do you mean Gregory Maguire's book? I didn't like it either, although I really like the musical. I finished it, but it was a struggle. Not sure why I bothered!
Kim wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I hated Wicked and don't think I got past page 75...."Jan, do you mean Gregory Maguire's book? I didn't like it either, although I really like the musical. I finished ..."
I didn't see the musical (it was in town forever ... a very long time anyway) because I hated the book so much.
Jan C wrote: "I didn't see the musical (it was in town forever ... a very long time anyway) because I hated the book so much. ..."My daughter made me go and see the musical with her in New York. At the time I'd heard of neither it nor the book. I'm very glad I saw the musical first!
Jan C wrote: "Kim wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I hated Wicked and don't think I got past page 75......"Ah! Thank you! I no longer feel like a lesser being for not enjoying that book. I think you got further than I did.
I also did not make it through Wicked, I only read to page 50 or so. Am now reading The Boy in the Suitcase and The Retribution. Liking both of these so far.
Diane wrote: "Am now reading The Boy in the Suitcase ..."
That looks really creepy Diane. Is it terribly gruesome?
That looks really creepy Diane. Is it terribly gruesome?
Diane wrote: "I also did not make it through Wicked, I only read to page 50 or so. Am now reading The Boy in the Suitcase and The Retribution. Liking both of these so far."Add me to the list of people who had issues with Wicked...
I really need to try Val McDermid, I think. I can hear my to-read list growing on my kindle...
Mod
That looks really creepy Diane. Is it terribly gruesome?"
Hi Hayes, I'm reading this too and so far not too terribly gruesome. It's not a spoiler to say that the boy survived his trip in the suitcase as the story is more about who put him there and why.
Donna wrote: "Hi Hayes, I'm reading this too and so far not too terribly gruesome. It's not a spoiler to say that the boy survived his trip in the suitcase as the story is more about who put him there and why."
Whew! ;-)
Ok... onto TBR it goes!
Whew! ;-)
Ok... onto TBR it goes!
Currently Reading: House Rules by Jodi PicoultJust Finished Reading: The Perks of Being A Wallflower
just finished
by daniela sacerdoti. absolutely wonderful book!!now starting with
by cody mcfadyen
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Veronica, I really enjoyed the first few books in the series, but after a while they got to be the same thing over and over again and therefore a lot less funny. However, you've got quite a lot of laughs ahead of you before boredom is likely to set in!