English Mysteries Club discussion

Hi Phil and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! I'm so glad you found us, as it sounds as though this group is just your cup of tea! So pull up a chair and get stuck into our threads. Happy reading :)

By the way, I'm from Yorkshire, though I don't live there now.

Phillip E Maynard wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is Phil and love to read all sorts of things, but my favorite is the English mystery genre. I grew up reading and rereading Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Wilkie Collins, and Agat..."

Ha Ha Ha! I'm not that picky about my tea (sugar, but no milk); however, today my mother produced a giant box of PG Tips bags (sachets) from her pantry, explaining she'd received it as a gift.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Hi Phil and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! I'm so glad you found us, as it sounds as though this group is just your cup of tea! So pull up a chair and get stuck into our threads. Happy re..."
Welcome new members.
My wife and I did a UK land tour in 2018. One of our stops was York, where we met with a GR friend and her husband.

Hi all. I’m happy Jean invited me to join this group. I am from New England, more specifically from Massachusetts where so many of our cities and towns are named for their forbears in England. (Although we pronounce them differently:-))

I have been reading mysteries since grade school there were series in addition to Nancy Drew but probably not as good. And I read Rebecca of course, maybe in junior high. Not sure when I discovered Dorothy Sayers, Njaio (sp) Marsh or P.D. James. And so many great U.S. writers too. And now international. My lists are all over but I always come back to England. Looking forward to what I find here.

Thomas - My husband's father originally came from York - his grandad was the stationmaster there :)

Hi Sue, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". Lovely to see you here :)

Yes, it's funny when you consider how different the original villages, towns and cities are :) And I remember at school, a fashion for wandering around the playground talking in American accents (probably after some TV programme). The words "Massachusetts" and "Connecticut", said with a (probably terrible!) American drawl, always seemed so romantic to us!

Bionic Jean wrote: "Thomas - My husband's father originally came from York - his grandad was the stationmaster there :)"

We enjoyed York. My 23&me genetic test showed 10 counties in Ireland and 1 (London) in UK. Liz showed 10 counties in UK , 1 Ireland and several in Europe. I love riding trains.

Jean, many of the place names in New England that aren’t from the British isles are from the native peoples who lived in the region when the English arrived. Such as the two state names you mentioned. And you would laugh at our pronunciation of the cities with the same names as yours. But it makes for an interesting connection.

Thomas, I’ve done the Ancestry bit and have a heavy Irish/English weight in my genealogy. With German and a small amount Eastern European too. I am enjoying doing the family tree and if I should get back to England, I will have a lot more places to visit. Some more in Ireland too.

Hi all. I’m Scottish but I’m still allowed to love English murder mysteries!! Agatha Christie is a favourite, of course, but I’ve recently read some contemporary authors writing in that style, eg Ian Sanson’s The Norfolk Mystery and Jessica Fellowes’ Bright Young Dead, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I’m looking forward to learning about other hidden treasures from you all.

Hi Fiona! Fancy seeing you here too! Welcome to the "English Mysteries Club" :) Oh yes, our members keep unearthing some hidden treasures, so just scroll though the threads, join in wherever you like, and have fun!

Hi Fiona. I just added Bright Young Dead. Thanks for the idea.

Phillip E Maynard wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is Phil and love to read all sorts of things, but my favorite is the English mystery genre. I grew up reading and rereading Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Wilkie Collins, and Agat..."
You may be more English than the English! Welcome to the group. I'm a transplanted Brit living in Canada but my son lives in your part of the world in Youngstown.

Hi everyone. I'm David E Burke author of The Fiesta Murders. I am a big Agatha Christie fan.

Sue wrote: "Thomas, I’ve done the Ancestry bit and have a heavy Irish/English weight in my genealogy. With German and a small amount Eastern European too. I am enjoying doing the family tree and if I should ge..."

Cool!

Hi, I'm Heather and new to the group! I love historical fiction and I've recently gotten into historical mysteries. I started with Anna Lee Huber's series and Darcie Wilde's. I also love Jane Austen! I'm married with 5 kids, I love chocolate and Dr Pepper, vintage jewelry, period shows/movies and obviously, reading!!

Welcome to the group, David and Heather!

Heather wrote: "Hi, I'm Heather and new to the group! I love historical fiction and I've recently gotten into historical mysteries. I started with Anna Lee Huber's series and Darcie Wilde's. I also love Jane Auste..."

Hi, Heather!

One of my favorite historical fiction series would be Wrexford & Sloane. The first story Murder on Black Swan Lane is a bit dark, but the series goes on to be truly addictive!

Hi, I'm Lori from the UK. I love mystery novels and figuring it out before the reveal while shouting at the characters no it was them.

Hope to get to know you all.

Welcome Heather and Lori, enjoy! :)

Hi David, Heather and Lori, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! Pull up a cosy chair, have a look through our threads, and join in wherever you like :) Happy mystery reading!

Hi, I'm Becky (though I think I'm under my more formal Rebecca on Goodreads - either is fine!). I'm a Graphic Designer here in England. I'm currently actively trying to read more as I sometimes fall out of the habit, and a good mystery will always hook me in.

I came across your group while logging my recent read of The Thursday Murder Club (which I really loved) and saw I just missed it as a monthly read, but I thought that would be a good way to discover new/ old titles and help keep up my reading habit. I also have some big gaps in my reading of classic English mysteries - though I've watched a lot of tv adaptations, I've not actually read too many, so this group seemed a good place to start for that too.

Hi, Becky! Welcome to the group.

First I would like to thank you Jean for starting this group and being its moderator! My name is Beverly and I love to read English Mysteries so when I found this group, I knew I wanted to join! Until I was in my forties, I lived in the Southern US, North Carolina to be exact. I now live in Pennsylvania but with our sometimes harsh winters hope to move back south soon so I do like to read books which take place in the South. I like to read from many genres but English Mysteries are definitely my favorite and have been for many years. I usually do not write long reviews but may make comments about a book I have especially enjoyed. I am looking forward to following this group and joining in reading the suggestions.

Welcome, Beverly! Happy reading!

Hi, Beverly. Welcome to the group!

Welcome Becky and Beverley, enjoy! :)

Hi Becky, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! I'm so pleased you really loved The Thursday Murder Club, as I believe that shows we'll be just your cup of tea :) And the good news is that all our read are left open, so you can still join in afterwards if you like, even if they have been moved to the archive folder. Have fun!

Hi Beverley, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club"! It's lovely to hear that you are keen on the genre already, and I hope we can introduce you to lots of authors you haven't yet read. Just have a look through our folders, and please join in wherever you like! Happy reading :)

Hi all,

I just realised I haven't introduced myself... How rude!

My name's Jacqui and I'm from Birmingham in the West Midlands, UK. I have eclectic tastes in my reading but my lists are always populated by a lot of mysteries. I always seem to come back to a good old whodunit or a police procedural. A lot of my reads are now on Kindle but I do still have a large amount of "proper" books in my collection.

I work during the day which really cuts into my reading time, but alas retirement is far away so I'll just have to keep splitting my time. I'm also the family historian, nothing quite like nosing out my own family's mysteries. Other hobbies are puzzles, dancing and pretending I know how to cook.

Nice to meet you all.

Welcome Jacqui. I’m from the other side of the Atlantic but equally involved with all sorts of mysteries. And I “sort of cook” too, including a lot of reheating thanks to the blessings of microwave, though I’ve pledged to do more from scratch.

Sue wrote: "Welcome Jacqui. I’m from the other side of the Atlantic but equally involved with all sorts of mysteries. And I “sort of cook” too, including a lot of reheating thanks to the blessings of microwave..."

Thanks Sue, I too promise myself that I'm going to do better on the cooking front but haven't managed so far. Making me wonder now if there's a mystery out there involving a microwave. There must be!

Maybe we should each take a stab at writing one!?! No, I know I’ll never do it.

Perhaps one of those sites with lists of mystery books and authors would have that kind of information.

Hi Jacqui and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I'm so pleased you found us :) I think lots of us read all sorts of things, but like to have a mystery on the go too. One of the good things about ebooks for me, is that some of the older hard-to-get mysteries are published there too. Do please take a look at all the different threads, and join in wherever you like.

Birmingham? For some reason I've never really been there, although I'm English and have gone through your city on a train many times! I hope you enjoy it here :)

Sue wrote: "Maybe we should each take a stab at writing one!?! No, I know I’ll never do it.

Perhaps one of those sites with lists of mystery books and authors would have that kind of information."

Have to admit I would imagine it would have to be a very messy murder mystery... maybe best left alone really.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Ji Jacqui and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I'm so pleased you found us :) I think lots of us read all sorts of things, but like to have a mystery on the go too. One of the good things a..."

Thanks Jean, that's one of the reasons I like my kindle, plus being able to find a whole series of books and not having to wait for someone to return a book to the library.

Up until a year ago I would have said that Birmingham was a lovely place, great night life, theatres, restaurants and shops etc... but after this last 12 months I have no idea what is going to be left.

Jacgui, I think many of us wonder about what’s ahead. I live just outside Boston Ma and so many restaurants have closed permanently. This city and suburbs is a college area and tourist destination as well as a tech business area but no one knows what the future of any of it is. At least the museums have begun reopening with small admissions. I won’t go till I’m vaccinated.

Sue wrote: "Jacgui, I think many of us wonder about what’s ahead. I live just outside Boston Ma and so many restaurants have closed permanently. This city and suburbs is a college area and tourist destination ..."

Sue, you're definitely wise I think to not go until you've had your jabs why tempt fate I say? I'm waiting for my second, although my first was only on Friday morning so a while to go yet.

I know that the whole lockdown/covid/isolation thing has changed my reading habits. I used to quite like reading dystopian novels and dark psychological mysteries as well as my usual fair of historical but I've found that I can't stomach them at the moment. Not something that I would have expected to happen that's for sure.

Got my vaccination yesterday. One sot only since it was the Johnson & Johnson (or Jansen) vaccine. So a fee weeks and it will be fully effective. Yippee!

Hi, I always seem to return to the English mystery books. I read old ones and new ones. Looking forward to share some jolly good mysteries!

Nothing like an English mystery, is there, Anne-Marie.

Hi Ann-Marie, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I hope you enjoy it here :) Have a look at all the different threads, and just join in wherever you like. Happy mystery reading!

Hello all, I'm new to the group and happy to have found it!

My name is Helen and I am from western Pennsylvania in the US. I've always loved English mysteries, especially the classics. I have been busy playing catch up over the past 5 years since my kids have grown and I have more time for reading. I also enjoy epic fantasies, late 19th-mid 20th century history, historical fiction (though not romances), and novels with a strong sense of place. I'm not a fan of much contemporary fiction - I read to escape this crazy world, for a little while anyway...

I look forward to joining in the monthly reads and I'll try my best to chime in on book discussions!

Hi Helen, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I'm so pleased you found us, and hope you soon feel at home here :) We read lots of golden age mysteries, and have an ongoing buddy read of both Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple! So just have a look, and join in wherever you like. Have fun with your mystery reading!

Helen wrote: "Hello all, I'm new to the group and happy to have found it!

My name is Helen and I am from western Pennsylvania in the US. I've always loved English mysteries, especially the classics. I have been..."

Hi Helen! I'm down in the Deep South. I love English mysteries, too! I'm very picky about contemporary fiction - I feel safer with old mysteries and classics. I'm also a five year empty nester - and I love the extra reading time that's brought me! :)

Bionic Jean wrote: "Hi Helen, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". I'm so pleased you found us, and hope you soon feel at home here :) We read lots of golden age mysteries, and have an ongoing buddy read of bo..."

Cozy_Pug wrote: "Helen wrote: "Hello all, I'm new to the group and happy to have found it!"

Thank you! Happy to "meet" like-minded readers!

Good morning, everybody! I am definitely glad to hear about this group. It sounds like a great place for me. I sure wish I had heard about this place a year ago, when I joined Good Reads.

I am definitely a great lover of British mysteries. Golden Age, historical, Regency Romances and British thrillers, too. And Georgette Heyer has always been a favorite author, l love her books.

By until later,

Zain

Zain wrote: "Good morning, everybody! I am definitely glad to hear about this group. It sounds like a great place for me. I sure wish I had heard about this place a year ago, when I joined Good Reads.

I am def..."

Welcome Zain!

Zain wrote: "Good morning, everybody! I am definitely glad to hear about this group. It sounds like a great place for me. I sure wish I had heard about this place a year ago, when I joined Good Reads.

I am def..."

Welcome, Zain! I enjoy many of the same type books you do! :)

Hi Zain, and welcome to the "English Mysteries Club". It's great to have you join us, and I hope you find to join in with here :)