The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Georgia wrote: "Read The Keeper of Lost Causesand liked
it so I will have to read next"

Lucky you.. :)

I finished How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. In the 9th book in the series Chief Inspector Gamache is a troubled guy: his best homicide detectives have been transferred out of his squad and he's been saddled with a bunch of lazy losers; his former mentee Lt. Jean-Guy Beavoir is not speaking to him and is once again abusing drugs; he's still trying to ferret out corrupt individuals in the Sûreté du Québec (police department) and in return the powers that be want him gone; and he's landed a homicide investigation involving elderly Constance Oullet, the last member of the once famous Oullet quintuplets. Gamache simultaneously investigates the Oullet murder and works to foil an evil plot hatched by the above-mentioned corrupt individuals. All this leads to an excellent, exciting conclusion. Good book.

Just finished Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason and started Marathon Man

My second Robert Crais book, and this was a very entertaining, enjoyable, exciting read.

I am an animal lover, which helps with this book, I admire the work done with all dog trainers/handlers/soldiers/police, which is the base of this story.

What a team, one man and his dog, or one policeman and his dog.

You feel throughout this book the relationship grow and built between a dog recovering from injury and a policeman recovering from injury together.

The tension stays at an even pace for two thirds of the book, and then bang in one chapter the story speeds up to a great last few chapters.

The main characters were great, and I like the idea of the story from the different characters including the dog Maggie.

A book that makes you smile at times and also worry wants going to happen !

I am a softy and love happy endings, but does not always happen that way.

A great stand alone novel and highly recommended.

Now a group read book !

Finished Six Years and the audiobook of Mistress. LOVED Six Years... Harlan Coben is just the best! Mistress was ok. The main character was hilarious to me, while some find him annoying and all over the place. I think I would have had a different experience had I actually read the book but the narrator picked for this one was fantastic! He made the story and I laughed the whole way through.

Now I've started back into the "In Death" series by JD Robb. I need my Eve and Roarke fix. Remember When is listed as 17.5 so I'm not sure how this will fit into the series. We shall see. I've also started listening to Fidelity. The summary seems good but oh boy, the narrator for this one?? Zzzzzzzzzzzz... I hope I can make it through!!

Sean wrote: "My second Robert Crais book, and this was a very entertaining, enjoyable, exciting read.

I am an animal lover, which helps with this book, I admire the work done with all dog trainers/handlers/sol..."

I agree. Suspect was a great book. I haven't read a Robert Crais book that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.

Good month for me, new books in two of my favorite series. Currently reading Field of Prey which is very good ... keep finding myself wanting to read faster to find out what happens next.

Stated my first Harlen Cohen book last nightHold Tight

I started Black Skies : an Inspector Erlendur Novel by Arnaldur Indriðason

I just finished The Pawn by Steven James. This is a new to me author and I enjoyed his book. It had a believable plot and terrible villains with honest characters.

I finished The Crush by Sandra Brown. Dr. Rennie Newton is the foreman of the jury that acquits psychotic assassin Ricky Lozada of murder. Unfortunately for Rennie, Lozada becomes infatuated with her. He sends her flowers, stalks her, and "does her the favor" of murdering a rival doctor. Rennie is a suspect in the murder and Detective Oren Wesley starts a campaign of surveillance and harassment to convict her. For assistance Oren calls in his suspended former partner, Detective Wick Threadgill. Here the book becomes a cliche romance novel. Wick is attracted to Rennie who tries to brush him off. Lozada is enraged with Wick's attentions to Rennie and decides to take action. This is a predictable book with no surprises and characters that are not especially likable. Wick is an an arrogant dude whose goal is to have sex with Rennie; Oren is a lazy cop who makes no attempt to find the real killer; and Rennie is two-dimensional and hard to care about. If you're a hard core romance fan you might like this book. Otherwise, skip it.

Jannene wrote: "I just finished The Pawn by Steven James. This is a new to me author and I enjoyed his book. It had a believable plot and terrible villains with honest characters."

Thank you for the recommendation! Added it to my ever growing TBR List.

Just finished Field of Prey Very good, interesting twist on the 'two serial killers' theme. This will definitely be a re-read for me, I kept trying to hurry to find out what was going to happen so re-reads can be slower and a better introduction to a new character, one I liked and hope to see more of.

Sean wrote: "My second Robert Crais book, and this was a very entertaining, enjoyable, exciting read.

I am an animal lover, which helps with this book, I admire the work done with all dog trainers/handlers/sol..."

I just finished BloodlineJames Rollins Which intro a Soldier handler and a very cool dog name Kane. Found the book fun but can not wait to look yours up.

Bloodline, like the majority of James Rollins books was awesome

Finished Dead Men's Dust by Matt Hilton. Not ready to compare Joe Hunter to Jack Reacher but it's a good read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen this afternoon and I've got to say it was one of my favourite books of 2014. Excellent mystery, with humour, suspense and one of the most interesting mystery plots I've ever read. Loved it and I will be looking for the next Department Q mystery. I'm starting a classic next, The Collector by John Fowles

I finished The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor and To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway.

I've started Blackbird Fly by Lise McClendon and it's reading like a literary mystery.

I finished reading "Deal Breaker" by Harlan Coben. I must say that I was surprised that I actually enjoyed it. I have read all of his stand alone novels and they kept me turning pages until the very end. I thought this book would be about a bumbling Sports guy and amateur sleuthing and a lot of sports. To my surprise even though he is a Sports agent it has very little to do with sports and more to finding out who was the murderer. The only reason I picked it up was I liked Harlan Coben. I am glad I did now and I will probably read more of his books in this series.

I'm reading Michelle Drier's Labeled for Death and enjoying it. It is good light reading with a fun cast of characters. I'm also reading JoAnna Penn's How to Market A Book. Not too far into it, but so far, some good choices.

Just started one of my favorite series. I spent much of my life in the area where this series is set and the author 'does it right' ... the setting is absolutely accurate and the characters are real.

Sharon wrote: "Just started one of my favorite series. I spent much of my life in the area where this series is set and the author 'does it right' ... the setting is absolutely..."

I've enjoyed the TV series very much and I have the first book on my shelf to read. I will get around to it!!

Bill wrote: "I've enjoyed the TV series very much and I have the first book on my shelf to read. I will get around to it!! "

I'm not a TV watcher although I tried with the first season. Couldn't get past the casting ... but the books are probably one of the two best/ most accurate series as far as setting and characterization for modern western people I've ever read. Many of the characters in this series are people I've actually known well and visited with over the years.

Finished The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America last weekend. Seemed like two different unrelated books to me.

Same here. I enjoyed the White City more than the serial killer, actually.

Just bought Storm Front, along with the following 6 books of this long series. I started with a free Kindle sample of this before I purchased, and I wanted to keep reading. So, since they were each $1.99 on Kindle store, I splurged!

The whole wizard idea kind of made me hesitate to check out the book but I decided to give it a shot. Pretty good so far, actually. :)

@karlesa - I started the series last fall and just finished the 14th in the series. I didn't really read fantasy before starting the Dresden files but the series really hooked me. They are excellent.

I got Storm Front today, as well. Samples can be very useful.

Bill wrote: "I finished The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen this afternoon and I've got to say it was one of my favourite books of 2014. Excellent mystery, with humou..."

I really enjoyed Keeper of Lost Causes too. The next in the series keeps calling to me from my bookshelf - I'll have to read it soon.

Sharon wrote: "Bill wrote: "I've enjoyed the TV series very much and I have the first book on my shelf to read. I will get around to it!! "

I'm not a TV watcher although I tried with the first season. Couldn't g..."

I had a bit of trouble with the casting too but I stuck with it and really enjoyed the TV adaptation.

Just started Moving Day: A Thriller , so far so good

Reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry Go Harold!

This is a great book that brought me back to the days of the 1960's and pulp fiction.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Donna wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Bill wrote: "I've enjoyed the TV series very much and I have the first book on my shelf to read. I will get around to it!! "

I'm not a TV watcher although I tried with the first sea..."

Not having read the books yet, that isn't a factor for me. It may make reading the books interesting. I think Season 3 is starting soon.. :)

Finished last night. The setting and characters were, as always, flawless but this isn't going to be one of my favorites of the series. The plot involved the return of a rather stereotypical "evil genius" from a previous book, which I really would hope does not carry on through more books. One book was good. Book two, a stretch. If there is a book three, I suspect that for me, third try will not be a charm.

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "Same here. I enjoyed the White City more than the serial killer, actually."

So did I. I wanted to go see the Exposition afterwards. The serial-killer angle felt very average to me.

Pest On The Run by Gerry Burke – Book Review
Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen
4.5 out of 5 stars


Big trouble and light hearted investigations…

A beautiful stage show star, come whore house madam, is suddenly foully murdered, despite her apparent gangster protection. A disgruntled Japanese business tycoon hires a hit man to assassinate Australia’s Prime Minister. An unbeatable game show contestant takes a recreational bungee-jump, only to have her rope break in what her friend thinks is dubious circumstances. Enter the low-life world of Paddy Pest, sometimes Private Investigator and sometimes secret agent for Australia’s spy bureau ASIO. Pest is based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, though is very frequently an international traveler. He is a master of dubious disguises, and often manages to solve the case despite his shortcomings. Here is a world where virtually everybody has a rancorous underbelly, and where murder is a common life event, but where good will eventually win out (even if by fluke). These humorous short stories will beguile you, entertain you and make you chuckle. Gerry Burke’s Pest On The Run: More Humorous Short Stories From The Paddy Pest Chronicles (iUniverse, c2012) is ideal for the lover of crime and murder mystery tales, but will also suit busy people looking for a witty amusement to fill a free hour or two.

http://goo.gl/pfzodA Pest On The Run (Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/PJDHzw Pest On The Run (Kindle ed.)
http://goo.gl/rxzUnD Gerry Burke’s Facebook Author Page
http://goo.gl/QisYTm Gerry Burke’s Web Site

For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

I am around, just not been reading much as I have had a bad case of thinking I liked a book and it turned out I didn't. Then there is my eldest son who wanted to move to Scotland and now isn't and my fridge/freezer blowing up and having to fork out £100 (GBP) for a new fridge lol.

On a good note, I am reading Exquisite Betrayal - A.M. Hargrove which I am enjoying.

I have just finished reading The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh, a dark, fine coming-of-age mystery set in the Ozarks. It offers insight into the claustrophobic closeness of small towns, and yet also offers an affectionate exploration of how people protect and defend each other.

Starting my first Katy Klein mystery, by Karen Irving, Pluto Rising. Have been meaning to read it for awhile.

I finished Unlucky 13 by James Patterson. I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two days. It was a very fast paced book.

About halfway through which has had some interesting reviews. So far, not overly impressed.

I finished The Last Dead Girl by Harry Dolan. David Malone - a house inspector in Rome, New York - makes the chance acquaintance of law student Jana Fletcher. Malone falls hard for Jana but she's soon murdered and Malone decides to investigate. He discovers that Jana was working on an "innocence project", trying to prove that Gary Pruett, a jailed high school teacher, didn't kill his wife. During Malone's investigation he finds that a police detective may have suborned perjury to convict Pruett and that other people in Jana's orbit have been attacked or murdered. Pruett himself claims that a couple of former students - one dead and one missing - killed his wife. As the story moves along we learn that many people have shocking secrets that explain the local "crime spree". This book's intricate structure and startling twists puts it a step above the usual mystery novel. Highly recommended.

Just finished which is currently a free download on Amazon and definitely readable. Not fast paced, or a thriller and tighter editing would have improved the pacing, I think. However, interesting characters and a definite feel of authenticity. Think this is going to be a series and I'll definitely buy the next one.

Just finished Kate Mosse's Gave it **** She is on target with France, French. Am looking forward to
watching her Labrynth which will be on CW Thurs. evening

Reading Natchez Burning. I'm on page 100 and really enjoying it. When the mailman brought it I was surprised to find it to be such a brick at a whopping 800 pages! I'm already a book behind on my challenge so I'd better kick it in high gear or pick some 200 page books.

Oh dear I have not posted for a long time and to be honest I have read anything for a while, I seem to have lost my interest in reading.But now I have just bought Irvine Welshs new book The sex lives of siamese twins and 3 Agatha Christie Poirot books Sad Cypress, Mrs Mcgintys dead and Murder in the mews.These are a couple of my favourite authors, an odd combo I know, but I am hoping these are going to reignite my passion for reading, they have never let me down before.

I'm a few chapters into . Enjoyed the first in the series and the premise of this second book, the rescue of a child from a cult, sounds intriguing, especially since the author was raised in a cult.

I finished Black Skies : an Inspector Erlendur Novel by Arnaldur Indriðason. Though nominally an Inspector Erlendur novel the detective in this book is his team member, Sigurdur Óli. In Reykjavík Sigurdur Óli is approached for a favor by his friend Patrekur. Patrekur's relatives have been wife swapping and are being blackmailed by a swinger couple, Lina and Ebbi. Patrekur asks Sigurdar Óli to have a word with the blackmailers . Sigurdur Óli goes to the couple's house at the exact moment Lina is being attacked and fatally injured. It turns out Lina and Ebbi owe a lot of money and often engage in extramarital trysts. So the detectives look for suspects among Reykjavík's debt collectors as well as men who have had sex with Lina. Meanwhile Sigurdur Óli is contacted by an elderly alcoholic tramp, Andrés, who has has taken an old man hostage and tied him up in a basement. Andrés is incoherent, however, and can't make Sigurdur Óli understand his situation. Sigurdur Óli digs through layers of intrigue to discover who attacked Lina and why. He also looks into Andrés difficulties and uncovers some shocking secrets. Good mystery

Barbara wrote: "I started Black Skies : an Inspector Erlendur Novel by Arnaldur Indriðason"

Indridason is one of my favorite Scandinavian authors. I don't read many Scandinavian crime novels any more but he is an author I've stuck by.