Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

This was a month of very large and very fictional animals, old people, feminist trope, and Agatha-esque murder setups.

✸ The Day That Never Comes by Caimh McDonnell -4
The second book in the Dublin Trilogy, this series had been recommended to me by a bookseller in Ireland. (Which luckily filled a challenge prompt of "Read a book that was recommended to you.") They are quirky, fun reads. The detective agency that was started in book 1 is in trouble and the lead detective, a maybe shady ex-cop, has disappeared.

✸ The Summer Book by Tove Jansson -5
Read for several challenges, this lovely little book is a translated work from Swedish, but based in Finland. It follows an elderly grandmother and her six-year-old, rather precocious (and bossy) granddaughter. It is a testament to the young taking care of the old and the old taking care of the young.

✸ Deadly Gamble by Connie Shelton -2.5
Read this for another challenge, I thought it would be fun to read one with an accountant as the investigator. Yeah. She should have just stuck to the accounting. This book only confirmed to me that we as a profession really are boring... There will be no follow-up from me on any other installments.

✸ The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu -4
A first book in a new series, Crown Colony, it is set in 1936 Singapore. The protagonist, a mission school educated young woman, accepts a position as a nanny to the acting governor, after her predecessor dies. It was an enjoyable read.

✸ Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke -3
A follow-up to the first book in what was supposed to be a series, this one was quite disappointing. I was being generous with the 3 stars. It had a great premise: land in Texas owned by a black man and settled for many years by both he and a few families of the original Native American tribe, is now very desirable for a group who are willing to cheat to get. There is a missing child seemingly with no ties to the conflict. The execution was sloppy and whiney. Had a hard time listening to a whiney male Texas Ranger. (Didn't fit my idea of what he should be, I guess.) It was very annoying.

✸ When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill -5
It is the 1950's and women by the thousands are transforming into dragons. Speculative fiction, the story is broken into two sections: one follows one young girl, whose favorite aunt does dragon and whose mother didn't but should have, as she navigates her mother's illness, her father's infidelity, and attempting to raise her young cousin. The second part recaps the studies of a medical doctor who studies the various factors that cause the "dragoning" and the impact on his career when the government decides to ignore what is going on.
This is definitely a polarizing book. The group to whom I suggested the book and which was voted in (made up mostly, if not entirely, of women) gave it ratings between 2 and 5.

✸ Death's Favorite Child by Frankie Y. Bailey -3
First in the series of the Lizzie Stuart series. A cozy, the writing could get a bit "clunky" as one reviewer called it, but the location (Cornwall) was great and the storyline was good. I would definitely read another. The author's backstory is quite interesting.

✸ Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney -4
This is the first time I have read this author and I was not disappointed. Although classified a thriller, this had a lot of "Agatha" going for it, which in my mind simply added to the enjoyment. The Darker family has gathered at Nana's island home to celebrate her 80th birthday. Unfortunately, Nana is murdered sometime during the night. And cutoff from the mainland until the tide changes, there is no getting help.

✸ The Guest List by Lucy Foley -3
Another thriller reminiscent of Agatha, this thriller takes place at a wedding in Ireland. And, of course, somebody dies. A good read, but liked the previous one better.

✸ Ghostwriter Anonymous by Noreen Wald -2
Ghostwriters are dying. This is the first in a series ... and the last one I'm reading. Too cutesy for me. (That was harsh, sorry...)

✸ Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West -4
Listened to this memoir, narrated by the author. I had honestly never heard of her before this and couldn't even remember why I bought it, except that I liked the title. The first 30 minutes of listening, I was pretty sure I wasn't the target audience for it. (Think I was too old.) However, that portion was the set-up for the rest of it. It tells the story of her issues as a young person dealing with her weight and then as a young journalist dealing with the social media trolls ... and her weight. Quite frankly, it is no wonder people do themselves harm, when you hear the life-threatening comments made. I came away admiring her spirit and most definitely her bravery. She would be a perfect candidate for "dragoning"!

✸ The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi -4
Another listen, purchased for no other reason than it sounded unique. It definitely was! Not my usual fare, but once I got through the first hour, I had to know what was going on. I did not enjoy however Wil Wheaton's narration. A lot of characters with no change at all in sound, and sometimes making them sound sophomoric. That may have been the author's intention in the first place, but this is one where I never would have finished the book had I been reading it.

Wow, Gail - nice month, even with the ones that ranked low and led you to stop reading a series or two. I enjoyed Kaiju a lot and do like Wil Wheaton's narration - it may be an acquired taste. There are some Scalzi novels (Locked in series) where he and Amber Benson both narrate a different version and I am intrigued by the differences.
My turn at the library just came up for The Day That Never Comes. I recently read the first book (I believe from seeing you read it!) and look forward to it.
Thanks for reminding me I have been meaning to read When Women Were Dragons. It looks intriguing!

Ann wrote: "Wow, Gail - nice month, even with the ones that ranked low and led you to stop reading a series or two. I enjoyed Kaiju a lot and do like Wil Wheaton's narration - it may be an acquired taste. Ther..."

That's funny. After I posted my comment about KPS, I realized I had heard about it from you!

Great month Gail! I think I read that whole Connie Shelton series, and if I remember correctly, you didn't miss anything.