English Mysteries Club discussion
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Icewineanne wrote: "Catherine wrote: "I am also uo to book seven in Maggie Hope serjes...by Susan Elia MacNeal...and I am waiting for the next in the Hugo Marston series by Mark Pryor to come out (impatiently, I might..."I also really love the Maggie Hope series but I need to find the sixth book so I can continue reading.... I love British Historical Mysteries!!
Michell wrote: "Icewineanne wrote: "Catherine wrote: "I am also uo to book seven in Maggie Hope serjes...by Susan Elia MacNeal...and I am waiting for the next in the Hugo Marston series by Mark Pryor to come out (..."How about alternative history? Have you read The Darkest Hour by Tony Schumacher...I have book 3 in the series now.
For those who like Stuart MacBride books, here are some authors with series that I have recently read and liked:Robert Bryndza. Peter Lovesey Peter Grainger. Joy Ellis. Jussi Adler-Olsen. Angela Marsons
Jyst recently began reading The Death Season by Kate Ellis.
Isa wrote: "Jyst recently began reading The Death Season by Kate Ellis."I love this series. You’re up to #19 in the series Isa? Wow, I’m only at #4. Look forward to your thoughts :)
Icewineanne wrote: "Catherine wrote: "So I just finished The Ship. It is not a mystery but rather a post- apocalyotic story. Currently I am reading Murder MostiMalicious..it is the fi..."
I haven't read any Darcie Wilde books.
Currently reading The Paris Spy, and loving it. Also reading Dominic and Hope Springs on Main Street
Hello my name is Shannon and I love English mysteries. However, of the 11 books which I am currently reading, a few are non-English mysteries -
,
,
,
,
,
and
. As you can see, I read a wide variety of genres. But my preferred genre is English mysteries, books set in Regency-era England. Here are the other books I am currently reading as well -
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Wow... I am impressed I can only do one mystery at a time. I am currently reading An Echo of Murder by Anne Perry.
I’m impressed as well. That’s a lot to tackle at one time 😉Currently reading
by Susan Hill (loving it!)
Michell wrote: "Wow... I am impressed I can only do one mystery at a time. I am currently reading An Echo of Murder by Anne Perry."That is on my TBR list. I look fwd to reading your review Michell. And obviously I only read one-at-a-time, but I like to have many coals in the fire as it were since my mood changes. LOL
Icewineanne wrote: "I’m impressed as well. That’s a lot to tackle at one time 😉Currently reading
by Susan Hill (loving it!)"Thanks Icewineanne, it is a little different to have this many on my CR list but it is also interesting for me to choose in whose drawing room I'd like to be each day. My husband says "You're odd, because normal ppl only read and finish one book at a time." HAHAHA.
Ha ha, it’s always a tough decision as to what to read everyday. Until you find the one book that really grabs you 😊
I understand that feeling. I often check more than one book out of the library and read the first chapter of each to see which one grabs me. The exceptions to this are when I find the newest book in one of my favorite series' and then it is a grab and go. Any new Anne Perry book is one of those.
I love this book (The Leavenworth Case, Chris Apolant reading) I have gone on to read anything I can find by Green and Mary Roberts Rinehart, they paint such a fascinating picture of domestic 19thC American life. A lovely counterpoint to the British writers.Ps sorry about the clumsy message I am a newbie finding my way.
Sara wrote: "I love this book (The Leavenworth Case, Chris Apolant reading)..."Sara, I too thought the Leavenworth Case was a great story. I actually read it; did not listen to audio of it. But I often listen to audiobooks on playster.com and occasionally at archive.org as well.
Sara wrote: "I love this book (The Leavenworth Case, Chris Apolant reading) I have gone on to read anything I can find by Green and Mary Roberts Rinehart, they paint such a fascinating picture of domestic 19thC..."I read a number of Anna Katherine Green’s books as a teenager & really enjoyed them.....but never read this one. Thanks for mentioning it Sara, I’m going to hunt it down this week.
S Dizzy wrote: "Sara wrote: "I love this book (The Leavenworth Case, Chris Apolant reading)..."Sara, I too thought the Leavenworth Case was a great story. I actually read it; did not listen to audio of it. But I..."
Not familiar with archive.org Dizzy. I usually get them from the library. Though recently I’ve encountered too many bad readers & have had to get the print or ebook instead.
Will Thomas is an author who uses a wonderful reader for all of his books, Antony Ferguson. Thomas is an American writer who writes mysteries set in Victorian England. I recently listened to Some Danger Involved & it was excellent.
Icewineanne wrote: "...had to get the print or ebook instead.Will Thomas is an author who uses a wonderful reader for all of his books, Antony Ferguson. Thomas is an American writer who writes mysteries set in Victorian England. I recently listened to Some Danger Involved & it was excellent. "
Icewineanne, I have ALL print copies of Baker/Llewelyn series by Will Thomas. Very clever and engrossing mysteries. I love them all. I hope you enjoy them as well. Also archive.org is good for finding out-of-print books.
S Dizzy wrote: "Icewineanne wrote: "...had to get the print or ebook instead.Will Thomas is an author who uses a wonderful reader for all of his books, Antony Ferguson. Thomas is an American writer who writes mys..."
Thanks for the info Dizzy. I'll save the link to archive.org 😊
I am reading a series by Arthur W. Upfield, The Bone is Pointed; Bony And The White Savage;Man of Two Tribes: An Inspector Bonaparte Mystery #21 featuring Bony, the first Aboriginal detectiveThe Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mysteries. There are over 20 books in this mystery series. Although he is not an English inspector, he is an Australian Inspector. Great writing, descriptions, and mysteries. The character is 1/2 aboriginal and 1/2 white, well educated and an Inspector for The Queenland equivalent of Scotland Yard. He travels around Australia solving crimes, taking advantage of his aboriginal and white heritage. I highly recommend this series, written in the 1940s.
Memo wrote: "...The Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mysteries. There are over 20 books in this mystery series. Although he is not an English inspector, he is an Australian Inspector. ..."Memo, thank you for this recommendation. I will definitely look it up.
My husband loved that series, and we have all of them - in paperback, unfortunately.
Just discovered author Pete Brassett and have started the DI Munro & DS West Series with "She".
Timothy wrote: "Just discovered author Pete Brassett and have started the DI Munro & DS West Series with "She"."Not familiar with this series or the author. Let us know your thoughts when you finish this Timothy 😊
Just finished Woman on the Water by Charles Finch. It was fantastic!!
Finch is another of my favorites, another that I have all of either in hardback or on a kindle.
Jean wrote: "Finch is another of my favorites, another that I have all of either in hardback or on a kindle."Jean, I too have all of the Lenox' series. They are ones which I know I will reread.
Yes. I'm not much of a re-reader, in general - my memory is too good - but I'll reread those.
Jean wrote: "Yes. I'm not much of a re-reader, in general - my memory is too good - but I'll reread those."Have you read Will Thomas' Barker/Llewelyn series yet? They are amazing, in my opinion.
Yes, I've read all of those - definitely better than most of what's out there.
My library only has one and I loved reading it. I wish they would get more.
I live in a tiny town, Michell, with an inadequate library and no bookstores. The nearest semi-good library is 45 miles away and the nearest good bookstore 60. I do have a card for that library and visit often. However, I also have kindles. The day a book comes out, I can have it on my kindle. It also helps to alleviate the where-can-I-fit-another-bookshelf problem. I know lots of people say "Oh but I want to turn actual pages and smell paper" and I do understand, but I value my kindles.
I think it's really interesting that so many of you love Charles Finch- I got to the second of the Lenox series, and the social anachronisms were just too much for me. I couldn't suspend disbelief long enough to enjoy the story. Am I the only one bothered by this?
I'm sure you're not, Anna Katherine; but for me the mystery is the thing, the puzzle. It is fiction, after all, so historical accuracy is not a major point of interest for me - unless a main character is an actual historical personage, in which case I don't want his/her lifeline and accomplishments or misdeeds too messed with.
I would agree with Jean. I am not sure I am as familiar with the historical details as I should be to cause it to be irritating. If the main character is an actual historical personage as you say then yes I don't like inaccuracies. (Watching the show Tudors is a case in point). For me an historical fictional mystery is about the mystery, the development of the characters and the language the author uses to develop the plot.
Anna Katharine wrote: "I think it's really interesting that so many of you love Charles Finch- I got to the second of the Lenox series, and the social anachronisms were just too much for me. I couldn't suspend disbelief ..."Charles Finch’s books should be fairly accurate for the period as he has a master’s in renaissance english lit from Oxford. But I haven’t read any of his books yet, but when i do, now i’ll pay close attention to the social anachronisms you refer to 😉
I agree he is very well educated. I would be interested to know what social anachronisms seem to be inaccurate. While they don't bother me (or rather I am unaware of them) I am curious what they are.
So am I. Can you give us a couple of examples, Anna Katharine?
Oh, goodness, it's been so long since I've read them that I'll have to find my copies and scan back through to look for specifics. I remember, in general, that the relationship between Lenox and Grey seemed WAY too casual for the strict social rules of the time, even if they were life-long friends. I also seem to remember the use of conversational language that was too modern for the period, but I suppose that could be a deliberate choice by the author- to use a narrative style that modern audiences would understand. I feel like I may have offended some of you in asking this question, and that wasn't my intention. I don't question Finch's intelligence, or the mastery of his puzzles; I was just curious to know if anyone else was bothered. I enjoy Wilkie Collins, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham- all authors who wrote of their own time, with characters interacting in ways that would be true to the period. Maybe that makes me uncomfortable when authors of historical fiction don't seem to fit their characters to the time. I think Sara Donati's Gilded Hour, for instance, does a great job of representing Victorian social norms, but I've read other historical fiction that reads like modern characters transported to the past, and it doesn't work for me. If I get a chance to revisit these books, I'll try to come back with some specific examples. Otherwise- please don't think I'm disparaging anyone for liking Finch!
Also- I'm currently reading the Alienist, which is Victorian NY rather than London- but I'm loving it!
Cheers, all!
Just for fun, here's a post from Finch himself, discussing some minor errors he knows he's made: https://www.facebook.com/charlesfinch...
No, Anna Katherine; we weren't offended at all - just curious. I see what you mean about the language, and I agree it is more modern than actually correct. I'm bothered by people who try to write in colloquial or archaic language - it always seems artificial - so I don't mind that at all. As for the social rules being a bit bent, I think we simply take that as evidence of the essential niceness of Lenox and a few other characters.
BTW, thanks for the link to the fb page!
I too am not offended in any way, simply curious since I missed them entirely. And thank you also for the facebook page.
Well I’m waiting for my pb copy of A Beautiful Blue Death. St. Martins has discount deals for the first book in many of the numerous series they publish, so i picked up a few. Sometimes i can be a bit of a stickler especially when it comes to period films but Sidewalk v Pavement actually doesn’t bother me 😉Excited to begin this new-to-me series.
Angela wrote: "Hi - I'm new to this group. I love British crime/mysteries/police procedure, etc. Stuart MacBride is one of my favourites in this genre and I'm currently reading his latest release
Alex GrecianThe Cold Cold Ground Adrian McKinty
The BlackhouseThe Ghosts of Belfast Stuart Neville
As you can see, I love the British/police procedural books too. You might enjoy these also. I could name more but I thought I should stop myself. 😉
Susan wrote: "Reading the Adrina McKinty series, very entertaining Adrian McKinty"Susan wrote: "Reading the Adrina McKinty series, very entertaining Adrian McKinty"
Icewineanne wrote: "I bought a copy of The Yard based on the excellent on line reviews. Read book #2 first because it was a monthly book pick for another group on GR. But because it was a so-so read fo..."
I loved his books.
Patti wrote: "Angela wrote: "Hi - I'm new to this group. I love British crime/mysteries/police procedure, etc. Stuart MacBride is one of my favourites in this genre and I'm currently reading his latest release..."
These sound interesting Patti. Thanks for sharing.
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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I too liked the Yard but was less thrilled by the second book. Thanks for the information about his further books.