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Kay
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Oct 16, 2014 05:28PM
I always like to hear about a new series. I am now reading The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen for my local book club. Very good book with writing style similar to Henning Mankill.
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Kay wrote: "I always like to hear about a new series. I am now reading The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen for my local book club. Very good book with writing style similar to Henning Mankill."Great book! I just picked up from the library the third one in the series, A Conspiracy of Faith.
I'm currently reading
my first time with this author. It's a bit of a send-up of Agatha and Dorothy - but it works rather well - anyone else read Ian Sansom?
***Carol*** wrote: "I'm ploughing through The Sunday Philosophy Club but I'm not enjoying it much & am starting to skim."I read the first three of the series, then dropped them. I disliked the young man friend ... think he's a whiner and she could do better. And I'm not all that fond of Isabelle. Love #1 Ladies however.
Maitili - would love to read some Allingham but she is hard to get hold of in my country.Sandy - I wrote a review on GR - I didn't like anything about this book other than the beginning.I'm still wanting to try the NO 1 Ladies.
Maithili wrote: "Just started Margery Allingham's Albert Campion series - love it so far! Perfect amount of whimsy."They're lots of fun!
Maithili wrote: "Just started Margery Allingham's Albert Campion series - love it so far! Perfect amount of whimsy."I read many of those many (30+) years ago and have been thinking it is about time to reread them...
Leslie wrote: "Maithili wrote: "Just started Margery Allingham's Albert Campion series - love it so far! Perfect amount of whimsy."I read many of those many (30+) years ago and have been thinking it is about ti..."
I read them all in order, except The China Governess, which I just found last year, about 10 years ago. I remember them with such fondness!
I recently started both The Secret Place, by Tana French, and Vertigo 42, by Martha Grimes, but I didn't finish either of them. I expect to get back to both of them eventually, but I'm just not feeling it right now. French is amazing at getting the reader into the heads of her characters; unfortunately, in the case of The Secret Place, that means readers spend about half the time in the heads of a bunch of teenage girls, and I cannot think of a more annoying place to be.In the meantime, I'm re-reading The Lighthouse, by P. D. James. It's as great as I remember it!
Henrietta Who? by Catherine AirdMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Audio.
After Henrietta's mother is found dead on the road, possibly the victim of a hit and run, she discovers she is not who she thought she was.
If her mother wasn't her mother - who was?
And who was her father?
And is Henrietta, Henrietta?
The more questions are asked, the more people are killed.
Can Henrietta find out who she really is, before she too is killed?
This is a delightful book - with lots of red herrings and more dead ends than you will find on the floor of a hairdressing salon.
View all my reviews
Joan wrote: "I recently started both The Secret Place, by Tana French, and Vertigo 42, by Martha Grimes, but I didn't finish either of them. I expect to get back to both of them eventually, but I'm just not fe..."I have just got The Lighthouseout of the library Jean. Looking forward to reading it. 8:D
Ann wrote: "Just finished The Garden Plot by Marty Wingate the first in her Potting Shed Mysteries. An enjoyable cozy mystery featuring Pru Parke an American gardener who has settled in England. An enjoyable r..."thanks for recommendation Ann - have just got it on my kindle!
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha ChristieMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
audio.
Ruth Kettering did not marry for love. She had money, which her impoverished husband needed, and he had a stately home to be inherited. However, her husband has not been discreet with his dalliances, and Ruths millionaire father strongly advises her to divorce him.
But is Ruth quite as innocent as she seems? She has some rather murky shadows in her past which threaten to surface when she is found murdered in her luxury compartment on The Blue Train en-route to meet her former lover.
And who has her jewels, which have disappeared?
Ruth's father hires Hercule Poirot to bring his daughter's killer to justice.
The twists and turns are Classic Christie! What more can one say?
View all my reviews
Ann wrote: "Just finished The Garden Plot by Marty Wingate the first in her Potting Shed Mysteries. An enjoyable cozy mystery featuring Pru Parke an American gardener who has settled in England. An enjoyable r..."Thanks for the recommendation, Looks like a nice cozy read.
Ann wrote: "Just finished The Garden Plot by Marty Wingate the first in her Potting Shed Mysteries. An enjoyable cozy mystery featuring Pru Parke an American gardener who has settled in England. An enjoyable r..."Thanks Ann. Am adding both these to my TBR list. 8:D
Sandra wrote: "Ann wrote: "Just finished The Garden Plot by Marty Wingate the first in her Potting Shed Mysteries. An enjoyable cozy mystery featuring Pru Parke an American gardener who has settled in England. An..."I added them to my list also but so far my library only has them in ebook form.
just finished
which annoyingly was published as Sanctum and then the title was changed. This was my first Denise Mina - I kept hearing good things about her - this one was fine except for the ending - it was unbelievable and too convoluted. Once I knew who did it I went back through the book trying to work out who did what and when - but that got me none the wiser either! So rather unsatisfied with the book in the end!
I just finished "Murder at the Brightwell" by Ashley Weaver. I did not find it terribly interesting. It may have suffered in comparison as I had recently read "Murder Must Advertise" and put aside "The Lighthouse" for it.
Sandy wrote: "I just finished "Murder at the Brightwell" by Ashley Weaver. I did not find it terribly interesting. It may have suffered in comparison as I had recently read "Murder Must Advertise" and put aside ..."Are you not enjoying The Lighthouse Sandy? I loved that one!
Penny wrote: "Sandy wrote: "I just finished "Murder at the Brightwell" by Ashley Weaver. I did not find it terribly interesting. It may have suffered in comparison as I had recently read "Murder Must Advertise" ...Are you not enjoying The Lighthouse Sandy? I loved that one!
"
Penny, I am enjoying The Lighthouse very much. I put it aside because Murder at the Brightwell was due back at the libray - new book, speed read. So now I am grateful to be back to lighthouse.
Poirot Investigates by Agatha ChristieMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Audio
A collection of short stories featuring the great deductive powers of Hercule Poirot and his off-sider Captain Hastings.
They were lacking the depth found in the full length novels, but were fine for an easy listen walking to and from work.
View all my reviews
I recently finished the 8th Inspector Appleby book, The Daffodil Affair. Very very odd and although I enjoyed some of Innes' subtle humor, the mystery was lacking. Hopefully the next one will return to the style of some of the earlier books in the series...
Leslie - having read every one of the fifty-odd Michael Innes books at least twice, and having managed to get a copy of them all, I think you're in for a treat from the next four - The Weight of the Evidence, Appleby's End, A Night of Errors, and Operation Pax. Probably the best sequence. I think the second and fourth of those are two of the very best. It's towards the end that they get shorter and more formulaic, although still fun for the fan. But there are semi-duds scattered through, as you know. I liked The Daffodil Affair personally but my wife has just finished listening to it, and thought it not of the standard of loads of others.
I am tasked to pick the book for my Mystery Book Club that we will read over Christmas, and I am bouncing between two of the Mrs. Jeffers books, two of the Carolyn Murphy "cat" series, and the Boy Bishop's Glovemaker by Michael Jenks -- just trying to strike the right blend of holiday cheer and challenge for the gray cells.
Kay - re Michael Innes. Yes, many libraries don't stock many crime or other novels from 1930 to 1970, apart from the most popular, like Agatha Christie.Luckily all Michael Innes books are in print (pub. House of Stratus), and now available on Kindle, too.
But that doesn't help, I know, if one just wants to see if one likes a book/author.
Although, on Kindle, you can look into the book on line via Amazon, or have a free sample sent to one's computer or e-reader.
Just finished The Last Train To Scarborough by Andrew Martin. Not keen. Scarborough and the Edwardian railway were well described, but I found the plot a bit confusing and ultimately humdrum.
Jean wrote: "Just finished The Last Train To Scarborough by Andrew Martin. Not keen. Scarborough and the Edwardian railway were well described, but I found the plot a bit confusing..."I have read and enjoyed all the Jim Stringer books. I like the atmosphere, the railroad history and the characters. There have been some that I've had to discuss with my boyfriend before we both figured out all the plot details.
I did like the descriptions of the railway, and it brought back memories of childhood holidays when we went to Scarborough every year (it was a little later than these were set though LOL!) I think it was the "shunting" backwards and forwards which mostly put me off. I thought there would be more to it than there actually was. Maybe I didn't start with the best one.
John-- thanks for telling me about the Innes ebooks from Amazon. I have never read his books and am looking forward to it.
John wrote: "Kay - re Michael Innes. Yes, many libraries don't stock many crime or other novels from 1930 to 1970, apart from the most popular, like Agatha Christie..."Yes, fairly frustrating for people like me! Innes, Cyril Hare, Christianna Brand, Nicholas Blake, etc. are all increasingly difficult to get through the public library system.
My local library did request for me Hare's An English Murder from outside our network of libraries, so that will be my next English mystery...
Yvonne wrote: "I just read of the passing of one of our favorite authors. P.D. James has died."Just came to post that. :( A long full life.
I'm getting ready to start "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. This edition has an introduction by Dorothy L Sayers, and I admit I'm almost more looking forward to that than the story! Even if it's not Lord Peter, I love anything she writes.
E.L. wrote: "I'm getting ready to start "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. This edition has an introduction by Dorothy L Sayers, and I admit I'm almost more looking forward to that than the story! Even if it's ..."Is this your first Collins? I found that once I got used to his writing style, I enjoyed the story very much.
I am about 1/3 of the way through The Orphan Choir, and I think I've reached my Sophie Hannah limit. The narrator of this one is too twisted, even for me. My library just informed me that To Dwell in Darkness, the latest Deborah Crombie, which I requested a while ago, is available. I am switching to it.
Leslie wrote: "E.L. wrote: "I'm getting ready to start "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins. This edition has an introduction by Dorothy L Sayers, and I admit I'm almost more looking forward to that than the story! ..."Yes, I've never read anything by him. I was frantically browsing through the mystery section at the library the other day, trying to find one more book before my kids lost all semblance of patience, spotted that, and grabbed it, thinking it was high time I tried Collins anyway.
Here's my review of The Last Train To Scarborough
Sandy - you may like to read this, and see if we differ in our thoughts about that particular book. I haven't read any others in the series. Feel free to comment of course! :)
Sandy - you may like to read this, and see if we differ in our thoughts about that particular book. I haven't read any others in the series. Feel free to comment of course! :)
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