English Mysteries Club discussion
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Lesley Grant-Adamson is a new one for me. I'll check her out. Thanks!
Jean wrote: "Lesley Grant-Adamson is a new one for me. I'll check her out. Thanks!"Which is the first Rain Morgan mystery from Grant-Adamson?
I just looked her up on Fantastic Fiction - the first one is available on kindle for 7.99. Check their listings - you can read a bit of it before you buy.
Mod
I put a request in at the library for the first Sandilands book and also Orchestrated Death by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I have the other Crombie books through my Oyster book subscription, so I will play catch up til they come in. Glad to hear Crombie's a solid series and thanks for the recommendations. :) Love discovering new-to-me authors.
Not an English mystery, but from part of the Commonwealth :)How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny,
(#9 in the Three Pines series)my rating: 4★ out of 5
Wow! So exciting I read it in one sitting -- but most of the interest comes from the long story arc that has been building since the first book of the series, not the nominal murder investigation about which the book is written. This is definitely not a good stand-alone mystery.
While I was enthralled by the developments between Gamache, Beauvoir and the slimy Chief Superintendent Francouer, the mystery of who murdered Constance Ouellette was a bit obvious. This is the first of Penny's books in which the solution to the murder was so plain to see and I was somewhat disappointed by that.
The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the last three. Too wordy, too repetitive, some characters acting out of character, and as you say too obvious a solution. . . .
Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the last three. Too wordy, too repetitive, some characters acting out of character, and as you say too obvious a solution. ...."I have heard a few friends say they were disappointed by the latest one, The Long Way Home. I'm torn whether to read it or not... in the meantime, there is luckily lots of other mysteries out there!
Leslie wrote: "Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the last three. Too wordy, too repetitive, some characters acting out of character, and as you say too obvious ..."I gave this one 4 stars but not so much for a gripping murder mystery, but for a very different style of story. It wasn't thrilling, but it was interesting for the back-story, to read Gamache's musings, and following how he uncovered the trail Peter left. And of course I had to keep reading to find out just what had happened to Peter.
I have to agree that it was quite wordy but only very occasionally repetitive I thought. It kept me interested.
Leslie wrote: "Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the last three. Too wordy, too repetitive, some characters acting out of character, and as you say too obvious ..."I certainly have not been disappointed in either How the Light Gets In nor the prior one. The mystery was secondary to departmental matters. The latest, The Long Way Home, was a bit of a let down but I found it a relief after all the tension. I certainly enjoyed it and gave it four stars.
In looking up the series I see the next is due in August and I wonder who will do the audio and will I ever adjust! I know I will miss Ralph Gosham.
I'm a bit impatient, granted, and possibly a bit tired of Three Pines.
Jean,Going back to your suggestions, I have just downloaded Helen Tursten's Detective Inspector Huss, and have ordered, from Amazon, the first of Barbara Cleverly's Sandilands series, The Last Kashmiri Rose, the first three Cassandra Chan novels, and the first three-book Bill Slider omnibus by Harrod-Eagles. All cheap second-hand, and having sampled the Kindle versions on-line.
Thank you for four new authors to enjoy.
Other authors you might like (but have probably already known about).
James Anderson, who wrote three humorous 'golden age' country house murders in the 1970s, before it became a vogue. It's Inspector Wilkins, and all three take place at the Earl of Buford's estate. Mentions of Inspectors Appleby and Allen, and Poirot. Titles are all 'The Affair of the ..... Bloodstained Egg Cosy, Mutilated Mink, 39 Cuff-links, respectively. Great fun. Maps of the first-floor rooms, corridors, and who was sleeping where (or meant to be!) are de rigueur, of course!
Simon Brett, with his Charles Paris (a jobbing actor) series of 19 books, Fethering (Kent coastal town)series of 15 books with retired civil servant Carole Seddon and friend Jude Nichols, and a more farcical Blotto and Twinks series of 5 books. Also a Mrs Pargeter series of 6 which I haven't sampled. Written from 1970s to date.
And, for me, the best but now least well-known, Peter Cheney, an English writer of about 40 crime novels from 1936 to 1950, 10 starring a first-person American tough guy narrator, Lemme Caution, and 8 starring an English equivalent of Raymond Chandler, Slim Callaghan, in the sleazy and swanky London of war-time. Cheyney was a reporter, and crime investigator for the Metropolitan Police, so knew his stuff. It's the better side of pulp. Titles like: You Can Always Duck; Can Ladies Kill?; Dangerous Curves; It Couldn't Matter Less. Magic!
Just finished She Shall Have Murder. Excellent read!
Now on to All Shall Be Well and Why Shoot a Butler?.
Now on to All Shall Be Well and Why Shoot a Butler?.
Mod
They are perfect to read when you have a cold - you can read one in a day. The Fethering series is on-going. Good character development in these, but the series is getting a bit jaded now. Less humour than in either the seedy sardonic actor Charles Paris ones (these are probably the best) or those about Mrs Pargeter, who is a respectable well-off widow of an ex-con. I don't care for Blotto and Twinks, but if you particularly enjoy the Jeeves type of humour you might like them. I don't think he quite hits the mark in those, but I really enjoy all the others.
John wrote: "Jean,Going back to your suggestions, I have just downloaded Helen Tursten's Detective Inspector Huss, and have ordered, from Amazon, the first of Barbara Cleverly's Sandilands series, The Last Ka..."
Thanks, John. Yes, I love Simon Brett - I think I've read them all so I hope he writes fast - but Anderson and Chaney are new to me. I'm going to Fantastic Fiction ASAP and check them out. I hope you enjoy your new authors!
Other Jean, the Pargeter ones are my favorites; yes, the humor is the main thing but they're all enjoyable. Blotto and Twinks . . . silly, but I do like Wodehouse so I have them both. I keep them on the bedside stand in the guest bedroom.
Mod
Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the last three. Too wordy, too repetitive, some characters acting out of character, and as you say too obvious a solution. ...."BURRY YOUR DEAD was my last one. *****spoiler********
***************************************************
The real killer from A BRUTUAL RETELLING is revealed. Where did that come from????
Christina wrote: "Just finished She Shall Have Murder. Excellent read! Now on to All Shall Be Well and Why Shoot a Butler?."
Me too! I loved it!
John wrote: "Jean,Going back to your suggestions, I have just downloaded Helen Tursten's Detective Inspector Huss, and have ordered, from Amazon, the first of Barbara Cleverly's Sandilands series, The Last Ka..."
I seem to recall reading a couple of Peter Cheyney books years ago and liking them. I didn't realize he had written books set in America as well -- I must have just read some of the Slim Callaghan ones.
Jean wrote: "Yes, Brett is very prolific! He produces radio comedies too. Did you mean both authors, by the way, as there are more than two Blotto and Twinks novels now."I have two Blotto and Twinks novels, and I didn't know there were more. I thought they were mildly amusing, not so much that I've looked them up to find more.
Oddly enough, JeanG, Wodehouse and Brett (and Raymond Chandler and Edgar Wallace, come to that) went to the same school in South London. Something in the air, maybe!
I didn't know that - thanks; I love factoids like that. I would have loved teaching those boys. I don't like Chandler that much, but I'm a Wallace fan from way back.
Janefairfax wrote:The real killer from A BRUTUAL RETELLING is revealed. Where did that come from???? "Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the last three. Too wordy, too repetitive, some characters acting out of character, and as you say too obvious ..."
In my opinion, Penny hit such a low in A Brutal Retelling that readers complained, & she had to go back & clean up the mess in a sequel. (See my Goodreads review.) Luckily she got better after this. I've liked most of her succeeding books, & now save them for treats between other more urgent reads.
John wrote: "Oddly enough, JeanG, Wodehouse and Brett (and Raymond Chandler and Edgar Wallace, come to that) went to the same school in South London. Something in the air, maybe!"Has anyone found out who did teach them? There's a promising biography!
Carol wrote: "Janefairfax wrote:The real killer from A BRUTUAL RETELLING is revealed. Where did that come from????
"Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the las..."
I agree The Brutal Telling left me reeling. I have put off Bury Your Dead for that reason. I will have to move it up my TBR pile. I also normally save her books to read after reading a particularly bad one, to remind myself why I read. :) I think Louise Penny's writing style is amazing. I'm a big fan.
"Jean wrote: "The first few of her books were very good, but I've been disapointed in the las..."
I agree The Brutal Telling left me reeling. I have put off Bury Your Dead for that reason. I will have to move it up my TBR pile. I also normally save her books to read after reading a particularly bad one, to remind myself why I read. :) I think Louise Penny's writing style is amazing. I'm a big fan.
Hello! I´m currently reading Cover Her Face, by PD James.
I recently read the Cliff Janeway series by John Dunning. There are 5 in the series, all with the word "Book" in the title. The first is called "Booked to Die." The main character is a former police detective, now a private detective who owns a used book store. The books are mysteries revolving around rare books and the theft thereof. The author is a book seller. Lots of interesting facts about books and their value. Not violent or gory. Highly recommended.
Hi again,Just remembered these aren't set in England but in the US. Still fun books.
Kristine wrote: "I recently read the Cliff Janeway series by John Dunning. There are 5 in the series, all with the word "Book" in the title. The first is called "Booked to Die." The main character is a former polic..."I have read a couple of those -- very enjoyable!
My library hold for the ebook edition of Agatha Christie's Poirot short stories has come in. Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories: A Hercule Poirot Collection with Foreword by Charles Todd It will be a challenge to finish all 51 stories before my 3-week loan is up!
Death in Devon by Ian SansomMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
I received this book from HarperCollins UK, HarperPress/4th Estate/The Friday Project in exchange for an honest review.
I was looking forward to reading what I expected to be a cosy mystery.
However I was sorely disappointed.
I was 1/3 of the way through the book before we even had a body. And although at first I found the characters amusingly eccentric, their eccentricities soon became wearing and the characters never developed.
The book is packed full of facts (some more interesting than others) and quotes (many in Latin).
I gave up on this book a little over half way through. There was no sign of any development with the body, nor any probability that anything else remotely interesting was going to happen.
Sorry, this one is a non-starter for me.
View all my reviews
I've read one of Sansom's books and tried to read two others; the effort isn't sufficiently rewarded.
and about to start
8:D
IMO, you can't go wrong with Charles Todd. The Reichs books are so much better than the TV series.
Jean wrote: "IMO, you can't go wrong with Charles Todd. The Reichs books are so much better than the TV series."True Jean, though i found all the technical detail at the beginning a little overwhelming. But now I am into the story proper and enjoying it. I also have
on my bedside table to follow up with. It is a few years since I last read Kathy Reichs, but always enjoyed her.
I like the technical detail. I used to really like Patricia Cornwell because she knew her anatomy/physiology, but she's been too bogged down with personal stuff for quite a while now. I am not a soap opera fan, so when that overwhelms the mystery I get bored.
I just finished Stella Rimington's Dead Line, the fourth in her series of espionage novels featuring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle. This is a 21st-century, British series -- hence post Cold War. I liked this one but not quite as much as I liked the first three (and especially the first two). Once again, I highly recommend this series to anyone who's been wondering whether great espionage fiction ended when the Cold War ended.
Joan wrote: "I just finished Stella Rimington's Dead Line...anyone who's been wondering whether great espionage fiction ended when the Cold War ended." Every time I fear John LeCarre may have died when I wasn't watching, he comes out with another great contribution to this genre (& to the fiction genre in general).
Joan wrote: "I just finished Stella Rimington's Dead Line, the fourth in her series of espionage novels featuring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle. This is a 21st-century, British series -- hence post Cold War. I like..."That's good to know, because I haven't really found great espionage books other than Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series that is set post Cold War. I'll try her books.
I am reading the 10th Inspector Appleby book, Appleby's End. I am getting into it now, but I found the writing in the first chapter to be erudite to the point of being pretentious. After the third word I had to look up that wasn't in any of my dictionaries (including the British edition of the Oxford Dictionary), I resigned myself to just guessing based on context. Did typical English readers of the 1950s really have that much of a better vocabulary than I do?
Carolien wrote: "Joan wrote: "I just finished Stella Rimington's Dead Line, the fourth in her series of espionage novels featuring MI5 officer Liz Carlyle. This is a 21st-century, British series -- hence post Cold..."Carolien,
I like Adrian Magson's Harry Tate series for post cold-war fiction (and I like Stella Rimington too.)
Red Station
And there's Brian Haig's Sean Drummond, though those are military-based...still, great character and snappy writing.
Secret Sanction
Leslie wrote: "I am reading the 10th Inspector Appleby book, Appleby's End. I am getting into it now, but I found the writing in the first chapter to be erudite to the point of being pretentious. ..."Well, since you're erudite without being pretentious, I'm thinking the answer to your question is "no" and that it was written to be deliberately obscure.
As you know, Leslie, you having read the first nine, it's erudition as fun, and the sheer enjoyment in style, vocabulary, and arcane and esoteric knowledge. I got into them as a teenager in the early 1960s, and have loved them ever since. I' m sure I didn't know words such as conventicle, or who the Docetists were. But it doesn't matter: in fact it's almost the point!Can you imagine a Professor of English, such as Innes, having written yet another academic article, or finished another biography (of Kipling or Joyce, Hardy or Conrad) revelling in relaxing with composing the verbal acrobatics of Appleby's End. I think he's also making fun of himself and his High Table fellows, in the whole series, particularly those based in college. In my review, I think I said this was one of the very best: by the end, I hope you agree!
Karlyne wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am reading the 10th Inspector Appleby book, Appleby's End. I am getting into it now, but I found the writing in the first chapter to be erudite to the point of bein..."Blushing...
@John -- I think I must have been tired when I read that first chapter. I went back and looked at it today and it didn't seem as obscure (but maybe that is because I had read it before!). I do think Innes is having fun with words -- maybe the difference between me & those readers in the 1950s is the quality of the dictionaries has decreased! I don't mind looking words up, but I hate it when I don't find them :(
Regarding the plot, it is odd in that peculiar Innes way. And I am assuming Judith is indeed the woman to whom he ends up married. (See -- his erudition is rubbing off on me! I didn't write "the woman he ends up married to" :P)
I agree with John; I also started the Applebys in my early teens and loved the - as I saw it - witty word play. I've read all of them and only wish there were more. I can't find anyone who does that kind of writing now.
English Mysteries Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Taken (other topics)Sherlock Holmes: Murder at the Savoy & Other Stories (other topics)
Wicked Autumn (other topics)
Cover Her Face (other topics)
A Mind to Murder (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alice Clark-Platts (other topics)Chris Ould (other topics)
Adrian McKinty (other topics)
Will Thomas (other topics)
Anna Katharine Green (other topics)
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Are you familiar with Cynthia Harrod-Eagle's Bill Crider series?
No! I will put it on my list. Thanks.