The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I finished the classic domestic suspense novel


I Married a Dead Man by Cornell Woolrich writing as [author:William Irish|247321..."

re Crocodile on the Sandbank: read that one eons ago & then went on to do more of the books, although I didn't finish the series.

I finished Cursed Bunny yesterday ... really not for the faint of heart or the squeamish but if you can get past that initially, it's really, really good.

I'm thinking I might read Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro, but this is a really busy week here so we'll see.

In lack of good newly published thrillers I'm rereading all my 45+ Mary Higgins Clark crime novels this year continuing with "I'll be seeing you".

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

I recently finished The Darkest Sin by D.V. Bishop


I enjoyed it! Here is my 5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Everything But the Squeal by Timothy Hallinan

Simeon Grist #3, OK to read as a standalone. Simeon is hired to find a runaway girl in L.A. I am a big fan of Tim Hallinan's work but this one, with a good deal of descriptions of the abuse that street children receive, was not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

Hardly a mystery, but interesting!
Happy 88th birthday on March 25 to Gloria Steinem, whose story of becoming a feminist activist and icon is told by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. These "Little People BIG DREAMS" picture books are for children, but I am meeting so many interesting people myself!
4★ My review of Gloria Steinem

A modern classic.
I really enjoyed The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, about a super-professional butler who knows how to inspect the silver polishing but, sadly, knows nothing at all about people. Very touching. 1989 Booker Prize Winner.
5★ My review of The Remains of the Day"

My 3 star review of
The Perfect holiday by T.J. EmersonT J Emerson

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

Just finished Before she disappeared by Lisa GardnerLisa Gardner
My 4 star review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished my 23rd book

Gwendys Final Task

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

I just finished Spook Street

Another great addition to the series. My 4.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Read Dirt Creek
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just finished The Eye of the World. Have decided to continue with the series, and will be starting The Great Hunt in bed tonight.

Gaines wrote: "Just finished The Eye of the World. Have decided to continue with the series, and will be starting The Great Hunt in bed tonight."

I made it through them all, but in an omnibus edition: The Complete Wheel of Time. It took a long, long time. My next three mega series are

L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Recluce series
R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt series
and
Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series
Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series

lot of reading there

Looks like a good list!

and not to be done in one year. I'm doing the Recluce one starting in June on a Buddy Reads forum and I might start one of the mystery series this year, but Drizzt is long (37 books)

I've started reading Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro. If you haven't yet read this woman's novels, they're terrific, mostly concerned with crime and corruption in Buenos Aires. Her Betty Boo, for example, is one of her best.

I love books about books, and am currently reading The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk.


Editorial Reviews
11/22/2021

Librarian Liesl Weiss, the protagonist of Jurczyk’s underwhelming debut, is asked to return to Toronto from her sabbatical after the library director of the unnamed university where she works suffers a stroke. When a newly purchased manuscript vanishes from a locked vault and a missing female colleague is suspected of the theft, Liesl must dig deep into the university’s ugly underbelly to find the truth, despite her male colleagues’ attempts to bully her into silence. Jurczyk paints Liesl’s oppressors with a heavy hand, from Lawrence Garber, the triathlon-obsessed college president, to Percy T. Pickens III, the vulgar, glad-handing donor. Mystery readers are likely to be disappointed by the crimes and their solutions, and bibliophiles may feel that the rare books themselves are given short shrift, despite the author’s obvious research. This works best as an unflinching appraisal of the personal and professional effects of a woman’s aging into invisibility. Fans of women’s fiction may want to check it out. Agent: Erin Clyburn, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

I just finished Henrietta Who?, the second in Catherine Aird's Calleshire series. I liked it. It kept me up late for a couple of nights.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

An unconventional therapist is hired to help a couple's marriage, but everyone has deep dark secrets.

Good domestic thriller. 3.5 stars

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

Strangler by Parnell Hall

Stanley Hastings #4, OK to read as a standalone. Someone is strangling Stanley's clients and the cops are fools -- or are they? Light enjoyable entry in the Hastings series. A little bit dated (beepers !) but I liked it.

Jan C wrote: "I just finished Henrietta Who?, the second in Catherine Aird's Calleshire series. I liked it. It kept me up late for a couple of nights."


I read those books a long, long time ago.

Nancy wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I just finished Henrietta Who?, the second in Catherine Aird's Calleshire series. I liked it. It kept me up late for a couple of nights."


I read those ..."

I was previously turned off by their covers. Had no idea the flowery covers held relatively decent books inside.

Finished reading The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family

by Ron Howard

My Review

My review of Hostage by Clare Mackintosh

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

Just finished:


The Night Shift

by Alex Finlay

Can a suspense thriller be too twisted? See my full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished my 24th book

Read Diablo Mesa
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished my 43rd book. I increased my reading challenge to 160 books this year, but might end up reading more in the end. However, I also count all the flops that I give up after 40 or 50 pages (that's why I read so much). Over the past 10+ years I've noticed that there are less and less fascinating new books published and more and more books that are over-loaded with dialogs lacking atmosphere. I'm always looking for books with lots of atmosphere.

Christine wrote: "I finished my 43rd book. I increased my reading challenge to 160 books this year, but might end up reading more in the end. However, I also count all the flops that I give up after 40 or 50 pages (..."

Have you tried reading any Japanese or Latin American crime novels? They usually tick my atmospheric buttons. The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda for example is absolutely stunning; on the more fun side of things are the books by Seishi Yokomizo -- they have plenty of atmosphere, especially The Inugami Clan apa The Inugami Curse.

I just finished listening to The Violin Conspiracy. What a great book. A full five stars. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nancy wrote: "Christine wrote: "I finished my 43rd book. I increased my reading challenge to 160 books this year, but might end up reading more in the end. However, I also count all the flops that I give up afte..."

No, I'm really not into any Asian or South-American authors. I always preferred US authors like Isabelle Holland, Nancy Baker Jacobs, Michael Allegretto, Mary Higgins Clark or British authors like Susan Howatch, Peter Robinson, Kitty Ray, some of Rosamunde Pilcher's novels (not all).

Christine wrote: "I finished my 43rd book. I increased my reading challenge to 160 books this year, but might end up reading more in the end. However, I also count all the flops that I give up after 40 or 50 pages (..."

Agree. I usually find that, lately, if I find an author or series I enjoy, just stick with it, because not a lot of newer books appeal to me. I also have been including children's books I read to the littles in my life, so that ramps up my numbers too.

I have enjoyed the Maggie Hope series so far, but I'm only just starting book two. I also liked the spy thriller Who is Vera Kelly? Book one in that series.

I read a historical fiction book Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua
It is set in 1966 China, during the Cultural Revolution. My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Laura wrote: "Christine wrote: "I finished my 43rd book. I increased my reading challenge to 160 books this year, but might end up reading more in the end. However, I also count all the flops that I give up afte..."

I love the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. Read it when I was 10 years old and over the past 20 years read them a few more times.

Finished Last Call at the Nightingale from NetGalley

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

Nancy wrote: "re Crocodile on the Sandbank: read that one eons ago & then went on to do more of the books, although I didn't finish the series."

I hear ya. I like it but not sure how far I'll make it into the series.

I started reading Dashiell Hammett's final novel, the basis for a popular film series during the Great Depression:


The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

I'm not going to jump into the discussion until I'm done with the book, but it's not a long book so shouldn't take more than a couple weeks to finish, even at my typical unhurried reading pace.

Thomas wrote: "I read a historical fiction book Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua
It is set in 1966 China, during the Cultural Revolution. My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review..."

I love novels set during that time period. There are some really, really good ones out there, including To Live by Yu Hua which is downright excellent, and you can't go wrong with Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Nancy wrote: "re Crocodile on the Sandbank: read that one eons ago & then went on to do more of the books, although I didn't finish the series."

I hear ya. I like it but not sure how far I'll make..."

Once their son started getting older, it was the end for me. They just weren't as good then.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote

I see you're also reading Hurricane Season -- one of my favorite books. The reading is just emotionally gut wrenching and often hard to take, but I loved it. She has a new one out in April (supposedly) called Paradais, which I preordered in November and can't wait to read. Both of those books were nominees for the Booker International Prize.

Finished reading Wolf Pack

by C.J. Box

My Review

My husband reads the C. J. Box series.

Christine wrote: "My husband reads the C. J. Box series."

I love it and I'm female (the husband and wife relationship is quite good). I'm waiting for the latest book to get cheap enough to buy.

I just finished The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny and I like that it dealt with the Covid pandemic as part of the story.