World Mysteries and Thrillers discussion
Hot topics
>
What are you reading now?
Mystery fans rejoice! Colin Cotterill has a new mystery coming out, a stand alone set in Thailand and with a central character who is a postman and film aficionado. Like all of Cotterill's mysteries, it's quirky in the best of ways. It's scheduled for a late January 2023 release.My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've just finished Chris Nickson's The Dead Will Rise
and am again appreciating his ability to reliably produce historical mysteries with interesting casts and complex plots. The Dead Will Rise is built around group of resurrection men (body snatchers) plying their trade in Leeds in the 1830. Thief-taker Simon Westow, his wife Rosie (a true partner in his work), and his employee, former street child Jane, face challenge after challenge in this latest volume.My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Paul Goldberg's
The Dissident, set within the refusenik community in 1970s Moscow, offers a challenging, but deeply rewarding combination of political and historical realism, murder mystery, and farce. The combination is unexpected, but highly effective.My ***** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mister Magic is is an engaging horror/mystery novel built around a now-cancelled children's program, "Mister Magic," that ended abruptly, with a disaster of some sort that no one now talks about. Many people remember growing up feeling comforted by the presence of the six friends featured on the program. But... no one can find any hard evidence that this program ever existed. No YouTube videos, no news clippings—despite its being remembered by millions. This slow burn of a book makes for compelling reading.My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished Hugh Munro’s Who Told Clutha (1958), the first in his series about a Glasgow shipyard detective. From “Glasgow” and “shipyard”, you know it will be flavorful, and it is! I look forward to spending more time with Clutha, who is tough-savvy.Hugh Munro is not to be confused with Hector Hugh Munro (Saki) or Neil Munro (author of the Para Handy tales). More info here: https://bearalley.blogspot.com/2010/1...
Mod
A good friend in Vancouver, who is lucky to have a book club, recommended a writer to me and I delighted in the first book as I am now totally enjoying book 2 just out this past June. Cannot recommend this (for me) new genre and writer enough, her books are life affirming, stories of small spaces, small pleasures & friendships coming into bloom...through books and reading in her first and in her second through a small shared garden. There's life all around you, if you just take the time to look for it...
The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams.
Goodreads Choice AwardNominee for Best Fiction (2021)
The Twilight Garden, Sara Nisha Adams, June 2023
This was a crime fiction morning at Chez Murtha. I read in the second of Jack O’Connell’s Quinsigamond Quintet, Wireless. These novels, set in a somewhat warped fictional version of Worcester, Massachusetts, are difficult to describe, but have a noir / borderline horror atmosphere and abound in eccentric characters. Although each volume is technically freestanding, I would start with the first, Box Nine.As you can tell by looking by his Goodreads reviews, O’Connell is a love him or hate him kind of author. He hasn’t published in a while, but I hear through the grapevine that he might get back to it, and I hope he does. I sent him word through a mutual acquaintance that he has still has plenty of fans out here.
Then I continued with some chapters in Simenon’s Pietr the Latvian, having decided to start the Maigrets at the beginning. (I had previously read one of the romans durs, Dirty Snow.) Great stuff, of course.
In The Spanish Diplomat's Secret Nev March does quite a solid job of laying false trails, which leaves readers wondering about the solution to the murder through the entirety of the novel. There are several issues—personal, financial, and political—that might have triggered the murder, and none can be easily dismissed. The detectives here are a half-Indian (as in India) private detective and his wife, who is from a wealthy, established family. They've moved to the U.S. where they hope their marriage will draw less hostility. If you enjoy historical mysteries, particularly those that examine issues of social equity and diversity, you'll find The Spanish Diplomat's Secret an engaging and rewarding read.My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Revenge of the Librarians It is a book of slyly humorous cartoons. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon It is a historical fiction mystery set in 1930s NYC. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Silver Bone, which is being marketed as the first volume in a new mystery series is set immediately after the end of WWII in Ukraine. These years were chaotic for Ukraine, with multiple rebellions and invasions. The Silver Bone has definite strengths: its absurdism, a particular touch of magical realism, and characters and relationships that seem set to develop in engaging ways in future volumes. And I know I'll be reading future volumes in the series, but... The Silver Bone is less a mystery novel and more a very time and location specific dark comedy. I'm hoping that the plotting of the actual mysteries will become more complex in future volumes. My *** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais. Love his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels. This isn't one of those, and it started off slower than is normal for his books but I like the characters.The plot revolves around a newly released from prison bank robber looking into the death of his estranged policeman son.
I read All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny It is book 16 in an excellent series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
which is about the black community in Hogan`s Alley in Vancouver in the 50`s. A friend just told me that “Junie” won the 2023 Vancouver book award…interesting, it really made me look up a lot of old Vancouver history and feel homesick.
Mod
The Dutch House, Ann Patchett. 2019. iBook. 5/5
Tom Lake, Ann Patchett. 2023. iBook. Bloomsbury. Currently reading.
It is nice to branch out a little…..
I read Don't Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins It is an entertaining private eye thriller, set in Memphis, Tennessee. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Desperation Reef: A Novel by T. Jefferson Parker It is a book that surfers will love. But I am not a surfer. I rated 3.5 stars rounded down. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo It is book 1 of the Glacier mystery series, set in Glacier NP, Montana, US. I rated it 3.5 stars rounded up. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Ladykiller by Katherine Wood It is a romantic mystery set on a Greek island. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor It is a mystery set in an English village with 2 timelines: 1986 and 2016. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Where Roses Never Die by Gunnar Staalesen It is a private eye mystery set in Norway. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished A Killer Clue last week. If you like cozy mysteries, particularly those that revolve around the world of books and book collectors, A Killer Clue is a treat you can give yourself when you need a vacation, but don't have the time or money for actual travel.My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read A Red Death by Walter Mosley My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...It is book 2 in the Easy Rawlins series, a black unofficial private investigator in 1950s Los Angeles, California.
I read Robert B. Parker's Someone to Watch Over Me by Ace Atkins I rated it 4 stars. It is almost as if the plot was ripped from the headlines, with a Jeffrey Epstein type abusing underage girls with the help of a woman recruiter. I am using my library to read some books in series that I enjoy reading. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Robert B. Parker's Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins It is book 50 in the Spenser series. I devoured it in 2 days and recommend it. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The President's Lawyer by Lawrence S. Robbins It is a US legal mystery with a surprise ending. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read First Frost by Craig Johnson It is book 20 in the Longmire series, which both my wife and I recommend. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell It is story of a 1913 copper miners strike in Michigan, I rated 4.5 stars rounded down. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Code Peking Duck by Max Claro It is a thrilling, true life story of a man who rescued defectors and dissidents from communist countries. My 4.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Robert B. Parker's Fallout by Mike Lupica It is book 21 in the Jesse Stone series, now being written by Lupica, as authorized by the Parker estate. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman It is set in the present day, with flashbacks explaining events in Ove's life. I recommend this book. My 5 star review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Silent Are the Dead by D.M. Rowell It is a mystery set on the Kiowa reservation in Oklahoma. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished Michael Sear's Love the Stranger and really enjoyed it. Lost of plot twists: New York housing, building, and gentrification; shenanigans among the community that lives off foreclosures and other activities, like loan sharking; the continually shifting maze of immigration law and those who live in fear of deportation; and increasingly complex cyber attacks.My **** review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am currently reading Less Than a Treason This book is set in wilds of Alaska. Ms. Stabenow's books are fast paced and keep you on the edge of your chair.
I read The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall It is a very good historical fiction book based upon an actual person. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Tooth and Claw by Craig Johnson It is a prequel book in the Longmire series, set in 1970 Alaska. I recommend it to fans of the series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am reading The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg. Book 5 in the serious, reputedly one of the worst, was given to me. It hooked me. So, I went back to the beginning....
I read Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita It is book 2 in the Cara Kennedy series, set in Alaska. I recommend it. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read A Lesson In Dying by Ann Cleeves It is a police procedural set in northern England. I recommend it to fans of the author. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg It is a police procedural set in Los Angeles County, California. It is book 3 in the series and you should read them in order, as this one contains a spoiler for book 2. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets by Christopher Farnsworth It is a police procedural set in Massachusetts. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...I recommend it to fans of the series.
World Mysteries and Thrillers
Books mentioned in this topic
Four Aunties and a Wedding (other topics)My Friends (other topics)
Midnight and Blue (other topics)
Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets (other topics)
Hidden in Smoke (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jesse Q. Sutanto (other topics)Fredrik Backman (other topics)
Ian Rankin (other topics)
Christopher Farnsworth (other topics)
Lee Goldberg (other topics)
More...
My ***** review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...