English Mysteries Club discussion

Hi Robin and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I hope you like it here, and find plenty to join in with :)

I'm in Essex right now!

Thank you Helen, Rosemarie, and Bionic Jean for the warm welcome. I feel at home already :)

That's good Robin :)

Has anyone else just joined us? Please tell us a bit about yourself here, if you like, so we can get to know you!

Hi, All,
I love mysteries with inadvertent humor. I need humor because I care for my 80-year-old husband who has dementia and diabetes. That plus keeping my family of three safe during the pandemic by having just about everything delivered, or failing that, curbside pickup has helped keep me sane. In a previous life, I was a grade school teacher which was followed by a career in computer configurations. One of my favorite authors has been Christopher Fowler, ("The Water Room,") because besides humor, a book is valuable if it leads me to learn something I didn't know. (Now I know London has underground rivers.) Of course, Agatha Christie is the bees' knees and not too long ago, I was trying to read all of her works. Recently I enjoyed "Death of a Cozy Writer" by G. M. Malliet mostly for its characterizations although the plot was just fine, too. I have tried humor books but they are too cloyingly blatant; I like it when I'm reading something and humor just pops up unexpectedly.

Hi, Liisa. Welcome to the group! I agree with you about humour-it needs to be subtle and unexpected- like in the Lord Peter books.

Hi Liisa and welcome officially to the "English Mysteries Club". We've been chatting elsewhere, so you already know the thread for humorous mysteries is up, and friends are suggesting options already.

Humour can come in all forms, can't it? A skilful writer can make us feel whatever emotions they like. The English are known for their dry wit, but we can be more obvious too.

I hope you enjoy it here :)

Hello. My name is Julie. English mysteries, especially, books by Agatha Christie made me fall in love with reading. Although I haven't read as many books of this genre as I would have liked because I'm juggling reading with work and studying, I absolutely love the feel of old English thrillers and mysteries. I am excited to be here and to discover hidden gems from everyone's recommendations.

Hi Julie and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". Oh yes, you're absolutely in the right place as our members are bursting with ideas! Have a look through some of the threads and join in wherever you like. I hope you enjoy it here :)

Hi, Julie, and welcome to the group.

Hello, I am Isa from the Philippines. Joined this group some time back but was inactive for a while. Not sure if I introduced myself before, so forgive me if am doing it again. Am a big fan of crime mysteries/police procedurals, especially the British ones. Agatha Christie got me hooked but I like both classic and contemporary English mysteries. Recently, I read Two-Way Murder by ECR Lorac, which I saw from one on Bionic Jean's messages. I enjoyed it and would like to read her other books. Currently reading Peter Tremayne's Absolution by Murder and looking forward to more recommensations from the group.

Hi, Julie and Isa! Welcome to the group!

Hi Isa and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I'm so glad you're joining in with our group read already, and like English Mystery authors.

If you want to know more about E.C.R. Lorac, then Michaela is an expert!

Have fun here :)

Thanks for welcoming me :)

Hello. I'm a non-recovering Anglophile, the result of five years' working in North Sea oil fields and time off from that work to explore the isles, a fun but disastrous marriage to a sexy Brit, and an addiction to most things Brit such as Fox's Ginger Crunch Cremes and real ale (but not mushy peas or haggis). Bookwise, I appreciate both the cozies and locked-door traditionals and modern procedurals of the Ann Cleeves type. I also am a huge fan of the procedurals and other mysteries on Acorn and Britbox.

My prior experience means I don't need a British-to-American translation dictionary or closed-captioning on said streamers.

Looking forward to interacting with y'all (yep, native Texan too).

Hi Richard, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I enjoyed reading your post - I reckon you might have picked up a bit of English humour during your sojourn here ;)

I hope you enjoy the group!

Like your sense of humor, Richard.

You might like H.L. Marsay's Chief Inspector Shadow books, of which the first is A Long Shadow. Suffers from "first book jitters" somewhat but later books settle down. A cozy with harder police procedural edges.

i grew up in Kansas and currently live in Colorado. I enjoy reading various genres. My sister introduced me to Dorothy L Sayers in early adolescence and I fell in love with English mysteries. I am also a huge fan of Margery Allingham, Colin Dexter, and Elizabeth George.

Hi Jenn, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I hope you like it here :) Have you noticed that we're reading a novel by Margery Allingham right now, as our monthly group read? Do pop on over and add your thoughts. LINK HERE.

We wouldn't read Elizabeth George as a group, because she is American, but we do have a thread for American mystery authors.

Plus our member Adrian has just begun an ongoing buddy read of ALL the Lord Peter Wimsey books, so do have a look there too!

Hi, Jenn! Welcome to the group!

Hi Jenn, welcome to the group! You may have already tried her books, but if not, let me add Catherine Aird to your list if you'd like a contemporary read. She writes the Sloan and Crosby police procedurals. Wonderful stories.

Have you just joined the group? Do tell us a little about yourself here if you like, so we can get to know you :)

Hello Jenn! Welcome to the group!

Hi all, I’m Robbie.
Formerly with the ambulance service, I now work in Brussels and drive expensive four-door saloons to earn a shilling. Consequently, although it is frowned upon, I occasionally find time in the working day when I can turn a few pages.

Hi Robbie, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I hope you like it here and find plenty to join in with :)

Hi, Robbie. Welcome to the group!

Bienvenue and/or welkom, Robbie! Glad to see you find time to read -- a wonderful pastime.

Hello, everybody, I'm Miriam from Italy!
Literature is my great passion and mystery is my favourite genre. For me mysteries and England are sinonimous!
I started reading in English about three years ago and it had almost completely replaced my mother-tongue. I'm a housewife and in my spare time I like reading and writing. The three things that I love most are my partner, my cat and books!
I was looking for a bookclub to read interesting things and have discussions and I think I'll have a good time with you all.

Hi, Miriam, welcome to the group!

Thank you, Rosmarie! Can't wait to start July's pick!

You're welcome!
I love visiting Italy! In which part do you live?

Hi Miriam and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"!

I hope you enjoy it here! You are joining at a good time, because as you spotted, we are about to start our next group read. Just look through our threads and join in where you like :)

Thank you, Jean! I'll do it!

Welcome and benvenuta Miriam! :)

Wow, in Italian! Thank you, Michaela!

Hello! I'm Selene from Manila. I love psychological thrillers!

Hi, Selene. Welcome to the group!

Hi Selene and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! We read a fair amount of psychological thrillers for our contemporary group reads, so feel free to nominate one, as that's open right now!

Just check that the author is English for this group, please though ;)

Barbara from NJ. On a slow week, I only read 2 books.
I love the mystery and suspense genre overall, classic and modern. A HUGE fan of Sherlock Holmes, the stories and the Granada series, and I enjoyed Elementary, though not Sherlock, and couldn't get into the Downey movies.
I recently got into the Victorian mysteries written by Mick Finlay - the main character, Arrowood, is a sort of slovenly, wrong-side-of-the-river private investiagator who is miffed that all the prominent, high paying clients are going to a guy named Sherlock Holmes.

Hi, Barbara. Welcome to the group!

Hi, Barbara and Selene, and welcome to the group.

Hi Barbara, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! I'm English but one of my nieces married an American and lives in New Jersey :)

Those Victorian mysteries sound interesting! I must look out for those. I hope you enjoy the group - just join in where you like!

Good morning! My name is Lori. I also love to read and started reading Nancy Drew mysteries as a child. I kept a list back then and marked them off as I read each one. I have now also advanced to spreadsheets, ha ha. I have kept records of every book I've read for the past 12 years. Before that I kept it on Goodreads but one day had this thought, "I'm not sure if I want everyone in the world to know everything that I am reading and what I think about it," and I deleted them all!! I was later so mad at myself... You would have thought I would have at least made a copy! However, I digress.... I have since rejoined Goodreads and now I don't care if anyone knows what I'm reading. I love mysteries, classics, Christian (if it is uplifting), romance (sometimes), fantasy, and recently discovered that I like science fiction (I'm reading Dune, which I'm really liking!) I joined this group because out of all books I'm drawn to English mysteries, currently reading and rereading all Agatha Christies. So, that's me. I'm a legal assistant, play the piano at my church and have a happy life with my husband of 42 years.

Hi Lori, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! What a great introductory post; I feel like I know you already. And I loved the story of your childhood list. I used to make the books in my bookcase into a library, stamping them all with a polar bear and issuing tickets :D

I hope you enjoy reading with us :)

Hi, Lori! Welcome to the group from another Nancy Drew fan, but I liked Trixie Belden as well.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Hi Lori, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! What a great introductory post; I feel like I know you already. And I loved the story of your childhood list. I used to make the books in my bo..."

Thanks Bionic Jean (or is it just Jean?). There is no way a group about England and mysteries could be anything BUT enjoyable! :)

Rosemarie wrote: "Hi, Lori! Welcome to the group from another Nancy Drew fan, but I liked Trixie Belden as well."

Thanks Rosemarie! I've never heard of Trixie Belden! Will have to look into that. ;)

Lori

Hi, Lori, and welcome! Do remember reading my Nancy Drew books, and checking them off on the list inside the front covers. Good times... Never read any Trixie Belden, nor any Hardy Boys either. Just Nancy and her cohorts.

I'm just "Jean" really, Lori :) I added the bionic as a joke when I was given a metal thigh, but those who follow my reviews said they lost track of me (being under B not J) so I thought I'd better stick with it! :D

I'm ashamed to admit I have never read Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys or Trixie Belden :/

Thanks for the explanation of "Bionic". I've bee wanting to ask but could not think of a tactful way of being invasive!

I've never read the books you mention either. I have however just finished "the Railway Children" which I also missed as a child. It amazes me when reading children's book from the first half of the 20th century that children were free to roam and have adventures but nowadays are protected every minute of the day!

Dorothy wrote: "It amazes me when reading children's book from the first half of the 20th century that children were free to roam and have adventures but nowadays are protected every minute of the day!"..."

Oh I often think about that, even remembering my own childhood a bit later. It seem so sad, what we as a society, have lost.

As for wondering why I'm called "Bionic", I did have a piece under "My Writing" on my profile page, but Goodreads deleted that function a few weeks ago (so that people would publish on kindle) :( So instead, I posted it in a general group. I know you're in it too, Dorothy, so LINK HERE if you'd like to read it :) Actually, anyone can.