The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Ron wrote: "Just finished The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I'd never read anything by her, but, this impressed me.

The book was an enjoyable read, but, I'm going to have to diges..."

Hi Ron:

I am so sorry about the loss of your best friend. It's difficult, I know.

Years and years ago I was a member of a monthly book club. This was the book selection soon after it hit the NYT Bestseller list.

I read it carefully and when I finished I wondered why it was on the bestseller list. I did not like it at all.

I was so bothered by the fact that I didn't like it that I took it to work and asked some friends who read to please read it and tell me what they thought. Out of four women, none raved about it. Three shrugged and said "it was ok" and one said she hated it.

Seems as though I flow against the tide in my reading. I didn't like "The DaVinci Code" either and it got raving reviews.

Again, I send my sincere regrets at the passing of your friend...my regrets to his wife as well. It's terrible losing someone you love.

Sincerely, Cathy

Another long insomnia night allowed me to finish The Summer of Dead Toys: A Thriller, by Antonio Hill. Pretty good, I must say.

I finished The Red Road by Denise Mina. This mystery begins in 1997 when 14-year-old Rose is out with her pimp, who regularly rents her out to older men. On that fateful night, though, Rose kills two people and promptly surrenders to the police. Her lawyer, Julius Macmillan, sees potential in Rose and makes sure she gets a light prison sentence and a job when she gets out. Skip to the present and DI Alex Morrow is questioning ex-con Michael Brown for having illegal weapons. Brown is a hardened criminal who was previously imprisoned for murdering his brother. Meanwhile, Julius Macmillan has died and his son Robert has disappeared after giving the authorities evidence of his father's illegal activities. Also dead is a Pakistani man, Aziz, known for his charitable work. And Michael Brown - who was in jail at the time of death - seems to have left his fingerprints at the Aziz murder scene. Clearly something is amiss. The plot is complex and the reader needs to pay close attention to hold on to all the threads but it's worth the effort. Denise Mina gives us a fascinating (presumably fictional) glimpse of Glasgow's underbelly of bad cops, shady lawyers, murderous gangsters, child molesters, and other unsavory folks. It's a good mystery, but not a light read.

That sounds interesting, Barbara. I'll look for the first one in that series.

After finishing When Maidens Mourn, I am reading The Janus Stone, which is quite good so far. It's fun learning about archeology, and the protagonist's pregnancy adds an interesting personal element. The mystery plot is starting rather slowly.

Ron: I wanted to add my condolences on the loss of your friend.

Reading A Fatal Grace - very good.

On Page 226 of Under the Dome

Jeff wrote: "Reading The Raceby Richard North Patterson and Reading nowDeath Dance by Linda Fairstein. Overall, I like Fairstein's book better. Patterson's book is good, but so man..."

I love Linda Fairstein =)

Currently reading Don Brown's "Inferno".

Just finished Dissolution and started Dark Fire - both are wonderful.

Malina wrote: "The Brass VerdictI'm more than halfway through , I enjoyed having both Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller in the same book"

I read Michael Connelly to and agree, I love Harry and Mickey in the same books. Enjoy, I really enjoyed it.

Amanda

I just started Duel with the Devil

Currently reading Robert Crais

Have less than a hundred pages to go:)..Im enjoying it!

Just finished by Agatha Christie. Started today by Mary Doria Russell.

Just finished A Fatal Grace and on to The Cruelest Month.

I'm currently reading Emma Healey's "Elizabeth is Missing." According to BookVibe, its a top trending mystery book:
http://www.bookvibe.com/book/Elizabet.... Has anyone else read it?

I just finished Stone Cold. I really like Oliver AKA John Carr. I just adore his group of misfits. (view spoiler)[My heart broke when Milton died. I kept reading hoping he would come back and it would be a mistake. Now I wonder what the gang will do. (hide spoiler)]

I started reading Blow Fly.

Jannene wrote: "I just finished Stone Cold. I really like Oliver AKA John Carr. I just adore his group of misfits. [spoilers removed]

I started reading Blow Fly."

Love the Camel Club too. =)

Just finished The Drowning Pool by Ross Macdonald for the summer selfie challenge. Then I bought his The Moving Target so I can start at the beginning of the series.

It also works for
a) a century of crime and
b) the page to screen challenge. I win all around!

I finished Fire And Ice by J.A. Jance. In this book the law enforcement officials in J.A Jance's two mystery series - Arizona Sheriff Joanna Brady and Seattle homicide investigator J.P Beaumont (Beau) - work together (via phone) to solve some baffling crimes. Six dead women have been found in the Seattle area and one has connections to Arizona. So Beau calls Joanna to ask for assistance. In addition to assisting Beau, Joanna and her deputies also have two local cases: the brutal murder of an employee at an ATV park and a criminally neglectful nursing home. Both Joanna and Beau are happily married and have good home lives, so there's not much personal angst involving these characters. The ATV park murder in Arizona and the Seattle homicides kind of braid together and even come to involve the family of Joanna's deputy, Jaime Carbajal. Eventually, there's a rather dramatic resolution to some of the homicide cases and steps are taken to deal with the nursing home. The problem with this book is that the reasons/outcomes for some of the criminal activity is murky (to me, at least) and I was unsatisfied at the end of the book. Though it's pleasant to visit with familiar, well-liked characters like Joanna and Beau this is a mystery novel and on that score it falls short. Just an okay book.

I am almost finished with The Dead Zone, I suppose more of paranormal/horror than mystery, but there is a mystery within the plot. I want to watch the film with Christopher Walken again after I'm done.

Recently finished Hot Money Dick Francis, a standalone novel, and great read! I gave it five stars. Here is my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Birdman and loved it! Am now on to The Treatment.

Finished listening to Anarchy And Old Dogsby Colin Cotterill and read wonderfully by Clive Chafer. Another good addition to the series.

Maryjo wrote: "I just finished Birdman and loved it! Am now on to The Treatment."

You know, I've had Birdmansitting on my shelves for years and have never opened it. Thanks for the reminder!

I am finished with..

and Im now reading...

Still working on Under the Dome

Nancy wrote: "Maryjo wrote: "I just finished Birdman and loved it! Am now on to The Treatment."

You know, I've had Birdmansitting on my shelves for years and have nev..."

I, too, have this one in my Kindle library and have yet to read it. Did you write a review? I'd love to read it!

Aiesha wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Maryjo wrote: "I just finished Birdman and loved it! Am now on to The Treatment."

You know, I've had Birdmansitting on my shelves for year..."

Maybe I'll nominate it for the next group read -- that might nudge us to read it!

Anyone ever read anything by Bentley Little? I recently saw a few of his books and they looked good. I haven't heard of him before, which was surprising considering how many books he has out and how good they look. Then again I keep finding out about new authors on this site all the time, so it could just be my ignorance of a great author! Please let me know if you have read any of his books and what you think.

Unless he's switched genres, he's mainly a horror writer. A LOT of people really like his work, but I was never a fan.

I nominated Birdman this month but it didn't get much traction.

Jannene wrote: "I nominated Birdman this month but it didn't get much traction."

Sorry, I didn't see it! I think I was still pretty taken aback then that I couldn't nominate a newly-published book.

I just finished Daniel Silva's Fallen Angle. It was a good read. I enjoy his books.

Nancy wrote: "Jannene wrote: "I nominated Birdman this month but it didn't get much traction."

Sorry, I didn't see it! I think I was still pretty taken aback then that I couldn't nominate a newly-..."

We can try it next month. :)

I have read and reviewed A Million Dirty Secrets - C.L. Parker and A Million Guilty Pleasures - C.L. Parker. Now I am about to pick up Solace in Scandal - Kimberly Dean.

Halfway through The Good Suicides: A Thriller, by Antonio Hill, from Spain. It's much less a thriller than a mystery.

Have given in to a burning desire to read A Game Of Thrones, need a change of pace from crime novels.

Charlotte (Buried in Books) wrote: "Have given in to a burning desire to read A Game Of Thrones, need a change of pace from crime novels."

I'm listening to Game of Thrones -- so very well written. Also binge watching all four seasons.

I finished The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly. Attorney Mickey Haller has problems. He regularly represents criminal lowlifes and his embarrassed teenage daughter has rejected him. He is also low on cash and drinking too much. Things start to look up when Andre La Cosse, a 'cyberpimp' who runs websites for prostitutes, is accused of murdering a client. Turns out the client is Gloria Dayton, a woman Mickey represented years before. At the time Mickey got Gloria off by arranging for her to give up a member of a Mexican drug cartel. As Mickey prepares his case he finds that Gloria may have set up the cartel member at the behest of a DEA agent and that Gloria's death may be related to this incident. When the La Cosse murder case gets to court Connelly presents a lot of courtroom activity which is interesting but goes on and on at times. This was a good mystery, well-written with compelling characters and a satisfying conclusion.

I've watched the first season, really enjoying the book. It's so easy to read, some fantasy books can be so confusing with the world building, but this is great.

Jeff..I personally thought Angels and Demons was a good book. Enjoy reading!

I started reading Blow Fly. It is off to a pretty good start. I finished Death in the Stocks. It wasn't that great. The language barrier had a lot to do with my issue. The way they worded things and such. Two cousins marrying which I know happened a lot in the 1920s and 30s caused me to be turned off too.

I thought Angels and Demons started out really well but the end of the book was just a total waste to me

Jannene wrote: "I started reading Blow Fly. It is off to a pretty good start. I finished Death in the Stocks. It wasn't that great. The language barrier had a lot to do with my issue. Th..."

If you read enough of Georgette Heyer's mystery fiction, or other books written around the same time, you get used to the language thing. I've been reading this stuff for a long time, so I don't even notice it any more.

I just finished

Jeff wrote: "Janie wrote: "Jeff..I personally thought Angels and Demons was a good book. Enjoy reading!"

I only paid .25 cents for it so I am not risking much.
library sale"

I enjoyed Angels and Demons, not great literature but fun, especially if you've ever been to Rome and the Vatican.

Donna..have you read Dan Brown's "Deception Point"?Its good as well.

I've just started A Drink Before the War

Just finished .
Reading now:

Garrett wrote: "I've just started A Drink Before the War"

Very good, very intense early Dennis Lehane.