The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Finished The Wrong Case by James Crumley. As good as his The Last Good Kiss which is considered a modern masterpiece of the genre. Recommended to all, reminded me strongly of Chandler's prose. Rating - 5/5

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

I finished:


The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 edited by John Sandford and Otto Penzler
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

currently reading

Barbara i’m a huge fan of Harlan Coben

Finished Long Road to Mercy and reading X by Sue Grafton.

Redemption by David Baldacci

'Memory Man' Detective Amos Decker fears he helped convict the wrong man, and reinvestigates a 13-year-old multiple murder. Enjoyable mystery with a creative solution. 3 stars

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

Re-reading an old favorite, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club.

Tim wrote: "currently reading "

I've got this on my TBR list. I'm a fan of Jo Nesbo, so I'll be interested in your thoughts on this one.

Recently finished by Karin Fossum. This is the third in the Detective inspector Konrad Sejer series, which can be read as a stand-alone as the author does a nice job of recapping important details from the past without burdening the current plot.

I've enjoyed all the books in the series thus far. I've rated this one as 5-star because I think the author's treatment of mental health issues is realistic and positive -- not an easy thing to portray when one of your central characters has serious mental health problems.

Just started

Finally getting around to this one

I just finished Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin, one of my favorite Rebus stories. My review is below.

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

Now starting Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther

I finished The Narrows by michael connelly

Deb, the Fossum series is on my list of series to complete (or at least make a further dent into) this year.

The Moscow murder by Donald Bain

World Gone By by Dennis Lehane

In this 3rd book in the 'Joe Coughlin' series, the gangster/businessman is in the midst of deadly mob rivals. The book can be read as a standalone. Good thriller. 4 stars

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

Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins

Nate Heller # 15. If you're not familiar with the Heller series, he is a fictional P I who gets involved with the most famous crimes in America, like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, Huey Long, Amelia Earhart, the Black Dahlia, etc. etc. starting in the 1930's and running to the early 60's. All books show deep and professional research and I think they are a lot of fun. "Bye Bye, Baby" examines the death of Marilyn Monroe. I thought this was one of Collins' best--absolutely fascinating. Highly recommended.

Patty wrote: "Deb, the Fossum series is on my list of series to complete (or at least make a further dent into) this year."

I think Fossum is a wonderful storyteller. I'm planning on reading further along, too.

Araych wrote: "Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins

Nate Heller # 15. If you're not familiar with the Heller series, he is a fictional P I who gets involved with the most famous c..."

Oooh, another new (to me) series and author. This sounds promising. Thanks for the intro and candid thoughts here. : )

Currently reading : Post Office by Charles Bukowski.

A Nail Through the Heart is a fast, satisfying series debut that introduces an interesting and well-rounded lead character navigating the narrow streets and wide corruption of Bangkok. If you like this, there are seven more waiting for you at the other end. The cost of entry is especially low if you're already a Hallinan fan. If you're not, this is a fine way to discover him. Four Songha bottles.

Read the full review here.

Night Man is a fast-paced, mild-mannered vigilante thriller whose easy-to-get-along-with protagonist relies on brains rather than brawn or firepower. As a consequence, it involves a lot of skulking and not a lot of thrills. You'll need to decide if this is a bug or a feature. If you go for it, its 306 pages will zip by as quickly as you'll forget the specifics once you're done. That's perfect for the beach or the LA-NY nonstop. Take it for what it is and you'll have a good time. 3.49 stars rounded down to three.

Read the full review here.

Enjoyed what for me was a great page-turner, author David Baldacci (author) new standalone, . It's a standalone -- at least for now -- but I wouldn't be surprised, or disappointed if it became a series.

I finished my 67th book

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is not his usual reassuring self in Louise Penny's sixth in the series, Bury Your Dead. History, mystery, and haunting flashbacks in Old Quebec make for a good read.
4★ Link to my review

Just finished X by Sue Grafton.

The Story Of ivy

Finished reading , Shamed

by , Linda Castillo

My Review

I have finished Miracle Creek

My Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/2911597087

Finally finished End of Watch and it was a slow read for me. Probably liked this book least of all the Bill Hodges trilogy.
Started The Chain
I love the premise and so far the start is promising.

I've been reading non-fiction or historical fiction recently. Will go back to mysteries soon, I'm sure. The non-fiction has been a great change of pace. I read Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy. It is a true travel book She received her first bike when she was 10 in the late 40's. She decided then and there to bike through Europe to India. In her early 20's in 1963 she did just that. She is Irish; took a ferry to Dunkirk and then made her way through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to India. She loved Afghanistan and Pakistan. The people were amazingly kind to her there. She only spent 60 pounds in 6 months of travel! Amazing woman who went on to write multiple travel books about traveling through exotic countries by bike, mule, or donkey.

Lu wrote: "Finally finished End of Watch and it was a slow read for me. Probably liked this book least of all the Bill Hodges trilogy.
Started The Chain
I love the premise an..."

I agree End of Watch is possibly the weakest book in the trilogy as King could not resist introducing a supernatural element to his crime books. The balance between the two genres is better in his follow up The Outsider.

Aditya wrote: "Lu wrote: "Finally finished End of Watch and it was a slow read for me. Probably liked this book least of all the Bill Hodges trilogy.
Started The Chain
I love the..."

I agree, Aditya! I already read The Outsider and I enjoyed it a lot as a stand alone book. Now it sort of makes sense how things developed and what was hidden in the first parts of The Outsider and I am just glad that I read that one prior to End Of Watch. Still.... from this series, I think that most of all I enjoyed the second book -- Finders Keepers.

Yup Finders Keepers was my favorite too.

Currently reading

Just finished ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Started Cyclops Initiative

Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner

In this 3rd book in the 'Tessa Leoni' series, the private detective helps her cop boyfriend search for a missing child. However, not everything is as it seems. The book can be read as a standalone.
Pretty good mystery. 3 stars

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

Deb wrote: "Araych wrote: "Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins

Nate Heller # 15. If you're not familiar with the Heller series, he is a fictional P I who gets involved with th..."

You're welcome. Enjoy.

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

English, half mystery and half spy. New author to me, reminded me a bit of one of my old favorites--Len Deighton. Introduces us to the inhabitants of Slough House, end of the line for the spy services' screw-ups, drunks, and fools. Except maybe they're not so useless after all. Does take a few pages to get going (gotta learn who's who) but then buzzes right along. Herron has an extremely entertaining style. I thought this book was great; I absolutely loved it.

I finished a standalone thriller by Meg Gardiner this morning; Phantom Instinct, which was a fast-paced page-turner. My review below

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

Next in line is from the middle of my TBR book shelf, the first Jack McColl historical spy adventure, Jack of Spies by David Downing. I have previously enjoyed Downing's WWII spy series featuring John Russell. Looking forward to moving back to WWI to see how he portrays it.

Just finished Child's Play . My https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Damage Control by J.A. Jance

In this 13th book in the 'Sheriff Joanna Brady' series, Joanna has a new baby at home and a tough caseload at work. The book can be read as a standalone. Good mystery. 3 stars

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

About to begin The Third Mrs. Durst byAnn Aguirre after finishing the entertaining Till Sudden Death Do Us Part bySimon R. Green. My spoiler free review can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

About to start The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

In this 17th book in the 'Harry Bosch' series, the detective and his new partner look into a few old cases. The book can be read as a standalone. Very good mystery. 4 stars

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

The Long Call
A new series by Ann Cleeves
I liked it and will read more of her books
My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...