The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

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General Chat > Currently Reading? Just Finished?

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message 4851: by Genine (new)

Genine Franklin-Clark (suz83yq) Just ordered The Sisters Brothers from B & N - another broken not-New-Year resolution, darn 20% off coupons!


message 4852: by [deleted user] (last edited Dec 17, 2011 08:40AM) (new)

Well I was assaulted by a book in the bookstore today. "Take me home, or it's paper cuts for you! And take my friends too." So what else could I do?
(My husband kindly offered them as my Christmas present this year, so I guess it's all right... right?)

Room by Emma Donoghue The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick Rome A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History by Robert Hughes


message 4853: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 20 comments I just finished The Caller by Karin Fossum It knocked me out. She is amaazing. It'll take me a while to gather my thoughts and write a review, but I do know she'll be getting 5 stars!


message 4854: by T (new)

T (twoo) Hayes wrote: "Well I was assaulted by a book in the bookstore today. "Take me home, or it's paper cuts for you! And take my friends too." So what else could I do?
(My husband kindly offered them as my Christmas..."


Don'tcha just hate when they reach out and grab you and give you a little shake?!? (No, not a milk shake...)


message 4855: by Andre (new)

Andre Farant (andrefarant) | 2 comments Noticed quite a few of you are reading Alan Bradley's Flavia DeLuce books (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, A Red Herring Without Mustard, and I Am Half-Sick of Shadows). Such a fantastic series!

I've just finished The Burning Wire and was quite disappointed. I keep giving Deaver chances but, I gotta say, I'm about done with him. The research is great but the plots are often weak and the characterization is heavy-handed.

Currently reading Think of a Number and enjoying it so far. Should appeal to fans of Jonathan Kellerman and John Katzenbach.


message 4856: by Sandra (new)

Sandra | 238 comments Genine wrote: "Just ordered The Sisters Brothers from B & N - another broken not-New-Year resolution, darn 20% off coupons!"

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is beautiful! Usually Caldecott books are thin since they are picture books chosen to honor an artist's work. This book is pretty thick & full of the most beautiful, detailed drawings. I read it to my class a couple of years ago when it won the Caldecott in 2008, then donated it to our school library where it stays checked out. I need to read it to my current class since there is a movie now.


message 4857: by Diane S ☔ (new)

Diane S ☔ | 438 comments His latest Wonderstruck is awfully good as well.


message 4858: by Linda (new)

Linda Boyd (boydlinda95gmailcom) | 335 comments Hayes wrote: "Well I was assaulted by a book in the bookstore today. "Take me home, or it's paper cuts for you! And take my friends too." So what else could I do?
(My husband kindly offered them as my Christmas..."


Totally alright!!!! Enjoy.........


message 4859: by Jannene (new)

Jannene | 775 comments I am currently reading Murder at the Vicarage. I am 50% through and this is a struggle for me. I am thinking this type of mystery isn't my bag. (To quote Austin Powers) I'm reading it for the book club. I'm also reading Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan, #1) by Kathy Reichs and really like that one.


message 4860: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 20 comments Jannene wrote: "I am currently reading Murder at the Vicarage. I am 50% through and this is a struggle for me. I am thinking this type of mystery isn't my bag. (To quote Austin Powers) I'm reading it ..."
Is Murder at the Vicarage what they call a "cozy" mystery? I know Kathy Reichs isn't. Maybe you don't like "cozies".


message 4861: by Jannene (new)

Jannene | 775 comments Sheila wrote: "Jannene wrote: "I am currently reading Murder at the Vicarage. I am 50% through and this is a struggle for me. I am thinking this type of mystery isn't my bag. (To quote Austin Powers)..."

You know, you brought up terms I just don't understand yet. What qualifies a "cozy" mystery? I've often seen people say that. Another question is what is "chick lit"? I read a few of Janet Evanovich's books and some people refer them as "chick lit" and I just see them all as mysteries. I guess I need to be taught the other categories.


message 4862: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl Jannene wrote: "What qualifies a "cozy" mystery?"

"...a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_mys...

"Chick lit is genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_lit

I think if something qualifies as a mystery or crime fiction, that supersedes its chick-lit qualities. Just like if you had a book that was primarily chick-lit, and it had a murder in it, it wouldn't suddenly become crime fiction.


message 4863: by Jannene (new)

Jannene | 775 comments Lobstergirl wrote: "Jannene wrote: "What qualifies a "cozy" mystery?"

"...a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small,..."


Thanks Lobstergirl. That helps a lot.


message 4864: by Sheila (new)

Sheila | 20 comments Jannene wrote: "Sheila wrote: "Jannene wrote: "I am currently reading Murder at the Vicarage. I am 50% through and this is a struggle for me. I am thinking this type of mystery isn't my bag. (To quote..."

Yes, Lobstergirl's definition of cozies from Wikipedia about sums it up - they are mysteries that don't frighten, than make you feel "cozy" instead.


message 4865: by Lobstergirl (new)

Lobstergirl They are often filled with spinsters and tea-drinking.


message 4866: by Lee (last edited Dec 17, 2011 07:19PM) (new)

Lee | 181 comments And an amateur sleuth.


message 4867: by [deleted user] (last edited Dec 17, 2011 10:51PM) (new)

Lobstergirl wrote: "They are often filled with spinsters and tea-drinking."

Don't forget the cats and needlework, knitting, etc.


message 4868: by Kim (new)

Kim (kimmr) The spinsters, tea-drinking, cats, needlework, knitting and so forth are the things that put me off cozies. On the other hand, I'm not keen on graphic and gruesome either. It means I have to be a bit careful about my crime fiction choices.

I'm currently reading Death Comes to Pemberley. I generally avoid anything which smacks of Austen fan fiction like the plague, but I thought this could be good because P.D. James is an excellent writer. But I'm a bit disappointed so far. Far too much "As you know, Bob" exposition and some annoying foreshadowing. *sigh*


message 4869: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 130 comments Rachel wrote: "Discovered Robert Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series 3 months ago; have devoured all of them and now bereft (thank goodness - next book is out in January!).

Can anyone recommend another good thrill..."


Rachel, Happy to share a bunch of fantastic favorites with you . . . try Daniel Silva, Stephen Hunter, James Lee Burke, Sue Grafton, John Sandford, Joseph Finder, and Stephen J. Cannell. (Just to name a few). Enjoy!


message 4870: by Jannene (new)

Jannene | 775 comments Leslie wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Discovered Robert Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series 3 months ago; have devoured all of them and now bereft (thank goodness - next book is out in January!).

Can anyone recommend anot..."


I too like Daniel Silva and Sue Grafton. They are complete opposites of each other though. I like the spy type books of Silva's (really liked "A Death in Vienna").


message 4871: by Shawn (new)

Shawn Davis (shawndavis) | 46 comments Jannene wrote: "I too like Daniel Silva and Sue Grafton. They are complete opposites of each other though. I like the spy type books of Silva's (really liked "A Death in Vienna"). "

And Ken Follet. He's got some WWII era thrillers I REALLY enjoyed.


message 4872: by Ken (new)

Ken Consaul | 209 comments I just ordered the first three in the Dean Koontz Frankenstein series as gifts. I wanted to buy hard cover and could only find the first one. There were large print versions available but others were real pricey. Some as high as $40-50 and up. For books that aren't that old by a real popular author, seems finding a hard cover one wouldn't have been so tough or expensive.
Daughter is getting two of them in trade paper. Oh well.


message 4873: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 130 comments Shawn wrote: "Jannene wrote: "I too like Daniel Silva and Sue Grafton. They are complete opposites of each other though. I like the spy type books of Silva's (really liked "A Death in Vienna"). "

And Ken Follet..."


Agree with you on Ken Follet. He's on my favorites list, too!


message 4874: by Shawn (new)

Shawn Davis (shawndavis) | 46 comments Leslie wrote: "Agree with you on Ken Follet. He's on my favorites list, too! "

..."


Did you like Jackdaws? I LOVED it! I recommended it to about five other people, and none of them were particularly excited about it.

So I'm beginning to think that I might not be normal.


message 4875: by Veronica (new)

Veronica (veraj121) | 129 comments Shawn wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Agree with you on Ken Follet. He's on my favorites list, too! "

..."

Did you like Jackdaws? I LOVED it! I recommended it to about five other people, and none of them were partic..."


I heard this book was pretty good. I will put it on my list.


message 4876: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 130 comments Shawn wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Agree with you on Ken Follet. He's on my favorites list, too! "

..."

Did you like Jackdaws? I LOVED it! I recommended it to about five other people, and none of them were partic..."


Haha! You're normal! (Or maybe neither one of us is!) I liked it too. People's tastes in reading material varies a lot. I would be bored to death with what some of my friends read. I like a page-turning mystery/thriller anytime.


message 4877: by Jannene (new)

Jannene | 775 comments I just finished Murder at the Vicarage. I did not care for it at all. I think this type of mystery is not for me. I couldn't stand the gossiping in the book and the back and forth notes. I'm glad I stuck with the book to finish it though.


message 4878: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer (jhaltenburger) Just finished Swan Peak Swan Peak (Dave Robicheaux, #17) by James Lee Burke . Good book but a weirdness-- in every single other book with this protagonist he's mentioned his family-- his first wife, his second wife, and his daughter all figure prominently, if only in memory in some cases. He doesn't mention them at all, not even once, in this book. Now-- I'm about five books behind in this series (and this is the sixth book I was behind so yeah, I read it way out of order) but I'm now dying to get caught up to see what could so completely have changed!


message 4879: by Leslie (last edited Dec 18, 2011 05:06PM) (new)

Leslie | 130 comments Jennifer wrote: "Just finished Swan Peak Swan Peak (Dave Robicheaux, #17) by James Lee Burke. Good book but a weirdness-- in every single other book with this protagonist he's mentioned his family-- his first wife, his s..."

James Lee Burke is AWESOME. I've read all his books, in fact, just recently finished his latest, Feast of Fools. Highly recommend it! (Reading them in order is helpful).


message 4880: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer (jhaltenburger) Rachel wrote: "Discovered Robert Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series 3 months ago; have devoured all of them and now bereft (thank goodness - next book is out in January!).

Can anyone recommend another good thrill..."



Try Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series. Addictive!!!


message 4881: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 130 comments Jennifer wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Discovered Robert Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series 3 months ago; have devoured all of them and now bereft (thank goodness - next book is out in January!).

Can anyone recommend anot..."


Oh my gosh, yes!!!! I LOVE Mitch Rapp! How could I have forgotten to mention this? Thanks for bringing up this series. A must for lovers of the spy/thriller genre!


message 4882: by Barbara (new)

Barbara (cinnabarb) | 10002 comments I finished Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen. Very good book with plenty of drama and suspense. 4 stars for me.


message 4883: by Shawn (new)

Shawn Davis (shawndavis) | 46 comments I finished Radium Halos: A Novel about the Radium Dial Painters, which was okay. It's very rare that I can read first person without being constantly irritated (Dani Amore's Dead Wood was one of the few that managed to pull that off), and this time it got on my nerves, but not enough to make me stop reading.

The voice was done well - the woman is mentally unsound from ingesting radium while working and she had a North Carolina affectation to her speech/thoughts. It is well represented.

The book is not a thriller, but interesting. Very interesting.


message 4884: by Kellyyyylynne (new)

Kellyyyylynne Just finished Kill Alex Cross. Great read. Patterson is great about staying very true to the characters in the series even with as long as it has been around. He does an excellent job of keeping the characters and the stories current.


message 4885: by Bill (new)

Bill I just finished The Inimitable Jeeves which was excellent and have chosen my last two books for 2011 (if I can finish in time). I've selected The Jacaranda Tree by H.E. Bates and Call for the Dead by John le Carré.


message 4886: by Bill (new)

Bill I just finished The Inimitable Jeeves which was excellent and have chosen my last two books for 2011 (if I can finish in time). I've selected The Jacaranda Tree by H.E. Bates and Call for the Dead by John le Carré.


message 4887: by Ken (new)

Ken Consaul | 209 comments Bill wrote: "I just finished The Inimitable Jeeves which was excellent and have chosen my last two books for 2011 (if I can finish in time). I've selected The Jacaranda Tree by [auth..."

'Call for the Dead' is the first of the George Smiley books. Its far from the best but it does intro a great character. Even if you aren't impressed with this one from 1975, give

[book:Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy|18989] a try. Once read, you will become one of Smiley's People.


message 4888: by Veronica (new)

Veronica (veraj121) | 129 comments I just finished Eclipse (Twilight, #3) by Stephenie Meyer which I thought it would never end. I just started The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium, #2) by Stieg Larsson . I am already sucked in..


message 4889: by Judith (new)

Judith Starkston | 47 comments I took a delightful break from serious fiction and read the hilarious second Algonquin Round Table Mystery by J.J. Murphy called You Might As Well Die set in New York in the 1920's. Here's my review. Its zany cast of characters includes Dorothy Parker and Harry Houdini, along with a bunch of fictional characters who are truly "characters." A great way to cheer yourself up and laugh yourself silly.


message 4890: by Jane (new)

Jane (flopsybunny) | 159 comments There was a brilliant adaptation of Tinker, Tailor done by the B.B.C. starring Alec Guinness as George Smiley and if you enjoy the book, it is well worth getting hold of the dvd's.


message 4891: by Fatma (new)

Fatma (fatmasucdi) | 5 comments I am reading The Girl Who Played with Fire it's not as good as the first one ,but better than a lot of books.


message 4892: by [deleted user] (new)

Just completed Gone for Good by Harlan Coben...started today Killshot by Elmore Leonard.


message 4893: by Renee (new)

Renee (rys00) | 252 comments Speaking of Dorothy Parker and co.... just started perusing Vicious Circle: Mystery and Crime Stories by Members of the Algonquin Round Table. Bedtime stories.


message 4894: by Judith (new)

Judith Starkston | 47 comments Renee wrote: "Speaking of Dorothy Parker and co.... just started perusing Vicious Circle: Mystery and Crime Stories by Members of the Algonquin Round Table. Bedtime stories."

Yum! I wasn't aware of that book. Thanks for the recommendation.


message 4895: by Alex (last edited Dec 21, 2011 06:07AM) (new)

Alex (alexe11) | 74 comments Struggling my way through Rough Justice by Stephen Leather not as good as the previous Spider Shepherd books and I'm finding it difficult to finish as I really don't care what happens anymore. The book has three seperate strings to the story all of which cover the taking of revenge in varying degrees and is not a bad idea for a thriller but is taking far too long to get to the point!


message 4896: by Steffi (new)

Steffi (steffi_the_bookworm) reading Where There's Smoke by simon beckett


message 4897: by Leslie (new)

Leslie | 130 comments I love Carl Hiaasen. Has anyone read any of Tim Dorsey's "Serge Storm" novels? Thinking of making this my next "find."


message 4898: by Diane S ☔ (last edited Dec 21, 2011 09:51AM) (new)

Diane S ☔ | 438 comments Reading Season of Darkness which is very good. Jennings wrote the Murdoch mysteries but this is a first in a new trilogy. Also reading an ARC of The Book of Lost Fragrances: A Novel which I am also enjoying, tibetan and chinese history mixed with a scent from the Egyptian age and reincarnation. Sounds different but it really is working quite well, the characters and the plot are very interesting.


message 4899: by T (new)

T (twoo) Leslie wrote: "I love Carl Hiaasen. Has anyone read any of Tim Dorsey's "Serge Storm" novels? Thinking of making this my next "find.""

I tried Tim Dorsey, but did not like it as much as Hiassen and gave up....Don't remember if I finished the one I started, but know that I don't feel inclined to read more of Dorsey.


message 4900: by Lee (last edited Dec 21, 2011 09:54AM) (new)

Lee | 181 comments Leslie wrote: "I love Carl Hiaasen. Has anyone read any of Tim Dorsey's "Serge Storm" novels? Thinking of making this my next "find.""

Dorsey's, Serge series are humorous fun as well.


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