Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

96. n The War Against Miss Winter by Kathryn Miller Haines - 3 star
This is the first book in a series about a young woman who is an on-again, off-again actor in NYC during WW2. She also does receptionist work for a private detective. When she finds her boss murdered she is pulled into trying to find out why. Could have been a decent story but the "40's slang" pushed me into being distractedly annoyed.

97. b The Button Man by Mark Pryor - 4 star
This book is considered a "prequel" in the Hugo Marsten series. Working for the American Embassy in London, Hugo is tasked with babysitting an American couple, actors, after they hit and killed a local boy in a car accident. All is not as it seems.

98. a The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani - 4 star
Great storyline. Just a bit too whiney. BUT worth the "read" (did on audio). A young Indian-American woman is attempting to recover from numerous miscarriages. At some point, she learns that her mother has received communication from her own father in India, whom she never talks about, but refuses to discuss it. The young woman decides that she will go to India and find out about her mother's life prior to marrying her father and moving to the US. Once there, a complicated story of family and culture is unwound.

99. b The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith - 3.5 rounded to 4
Part of the Isabel Dalhousie series, I guess I should be glad that I got as far as the 12th book in the series before I became extremely, distractedly, annoyed with the heroine of the story. I found Isabel to be too much of a pushover in this one. And then I found her husband's response to the situations here to be too "enabling". I just kept hearing my husband's voice from early in my career: "You've got to stand up for yourself! Nobody will take you seriously if you let them walk all over you!" (LOL, I think he may have regretted saying that a few times over the years...)

100. a The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens - 5 stars plus
When I saw that my daughter-in-law, who does not read mysteries, not only read this but gave it 5 stars, I was really intrigued. I had 4 3 1/2 hour trips during the holidays and listened to this for much of it. I loved it!
A college student has to write a paper about a living person and their life.
He decides to choose a sickly old man in a nursing home with a questionable past. In doing so, he determines that the man got a raw deal. Investigations ensue. You have to ignore a few implausible details but the story kept my attention throughout. The narrator was very good.

And now that I've written this, I am wondering if I was the one already in an "annoyed" mood, and my patience level was about zero. Oh well, got some more old books off my shelves.

Gail, I'm delighted to find someone who keeps up with the Isabel Delhousie series. I stopped somewhere along the line, not sure but it must have been in part because I grew less enamoured of them. But now i want to go back and pick it up. Also the 44 Scotland Street series, which I loved but stopped also.

Gail: nice month, I love your descriptions and also love Allen Eskens’ books and a good audio book on a road trip! There is a new one coming out in 2023 I look forward to.
Lol on your comment about the mood some of the characters put you in (“or was it me”) I find my current mood can be bolstered or torpedoed by my books. We have to space them out right to balance don’t we!

Yes, I sometimes have to remind myself that it's my current read that's depressing, not my circumstances. Then I may decide not to continue reading that particular book and pick up another that won't have such a negative impact on my mood.

Interesting subject: Is it the book that depresses you? Or is it your depressed state that flavors your perception of the book? I think it’s a good practice to consider your mood before choosing your next book.

Shomeret: I do that too and have to sometimes distance myself from certain books to regulate my mood, and savor others to enjoy the mood boost.

Dan: It is an interesting subject and one I probably pay a bit of attention to, and why I usually have so many books going so I can jump into another.

Dan in AZ wrote: "Interesting subject: Is it the book that depresses you? Or is it your depressed state that flavors your perception of the book? I think it’s a good practice to consider your mood before choosing your next book..."

Shomeret wrote: "Yes, I sometimes have to remind myself that it's my current read that's depressing, not my circumstances. Then I may decide not to continue reading that particular book and pick up another that won..."

I definitely put off books because the subject matter might not match my mood. I don't want to read books about challenging situations when my mood isn't the best. Then there are books that lift me up whatever mood I'm in (John Sandford, Richard Osman, Jasmine Guillory, I'm looking at you!)

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I definitely put off books because the subject matter might not match my mood. I don't want to read books about challenging situations when my mood isn't the best. Then there are books that lift me..."

I am very much a "mood reader" and the Isabel Dalhousie series is usually my "go-to" when I need something less stressful. Although, saying that, if she were a friend or a colleague and acting as she was written in this book, we would have had a "counseling" session! (I have another term for that but I don't want to offend anyone!)

Gail W wrote: I am very much a "mood reader" and the Isabel Dalhousie series is usually my "go-to" when I need something less stressful. ..."

The 44 Scotland Street series is my fave of his. While I find some of the characters annoying, I can't get enough of Little Bertie.