The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

My review of Booked on Murder by Allison Brook

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

Absolute Power

David Baldacci

Debut novel. Political thriller. 1996 release.
Made as a movie.
Power corrupts and Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.

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

Finished The Voice of the Corpse. Twist at the end made the book a bit more fun.

I'm well into Wandering Stars
by Tommy Orange, which is sooooo good! I would advise reading his There There (which I absolutely loved) for a much richer experience while reading this one.

Finished Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis. #2 HFM series set in Ancient Rome. Toggling between a 2 & 3 star. The first half was a slog for me, but it picked up in pace & interest in the 2nd half.

I’m reading by

Great so far, although it seems “different” in a way (maybe the better for it) than his previous few books. This doesn’t seem as much an action/conspiracy like The Firm or Pelican Brief, and doesn’t deal with southern racist violence, as in A Time to Kill or The Chamber. It’s more down to earth, although there is going to be court conflict.

Now starting SUGAR ON THE BONES by Joe R. Lansdale, the latest hardcover release (#13) in his ongoing mystery/thriller series featuring the humorous duo of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine.

I enjoyed another fun novella by Sarah E. Burr - A Voyage of Vengeance https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of Unbalanced by D. P. Lyle

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

ARC coming out August 7:The Antique Store Detective

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Just started listening to The Clockmaker's Daughter.

Eye reading Station Eternity and The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels.

Just finished Career of Evil and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Both were 4* reads for me.

Just finished A Court of Thorns and Roses, currently reading Nothing But Blackened Teeth.

The Body on the Island has the most unique manner of death I’ve ever seen. My four star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Australian crime fiction - Return to Moondilla by Tony Parsons ⭐⭐⭐.8
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of A Poisonous Palate by Lucy Burdette

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

I was pretty sure I'd enjoy The Egg and Other Stories by entertaining author Andy Weir and I was right! It's a good book to dip in and out of.
My review of The Egg and Other Stories

The Booker shortlisted doorstopper, The Bee Sting, cuts right to the heart of an Irish family that is slowly unravelling. Quite a read.
My review of The Bee Sting

Jar Of Hearts

I read Celestina's House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez It is literary fiction, set in the Philippines. I rated it 3.5 stars rounded up. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen

Detective Annalisa Vega investigates a suspicious death while dealing with big changes in her personal life.

Good twisty thriller. 3.5 stars

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

An entertaining read! A Class Act by Julie Houston ⭐⭐⭐⭐ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Brothers Kenney by Adam Mitzner is an interesting family drama and mystery centred around the death of a member and his brother's investigation into why it happened.

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

I enjoyed the historical mystery The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of The Antique Store Detective by Clare Chase

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

Finished Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange. I enjoyed his earlier novel, There There, much more but Wandering Stars is still an incredibly fine read.

I just got a new book called Blood Ties by Mexican author Verónica Llaca which I'm starting later this afternoon.

Sandy how are 3 of your books going?

Her Last Walk Home wasn’t as strong as prior books in the series. My 3.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm currently reading Something Borrowed, Someone Dead by M.C. Beaton.

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. One of modern crime fiction's greats return with his best book in years. 4/5

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

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl

I recently reviewed Reichl's book Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise so I was curious about this 'sequel' which covers Reichl's stint as editor-in-chief of 'Gourmet' 'magazine.

I'm not going to write an extensive review of 'Save Me the Plums', but I made some comments. 4 stars

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

I finished my 77th book

Wild Thing by Josh Bazell

Peter Brown #2, recommend you read #1 (Beat the Reaper) first. Peter is hired by Reclusive Billionaire to go to rural meth-infested small-town Minnesota to confirm the existence of a sea serpent in a local lake. And by the way, 4 people are already dead. Hilarious dialogue and violent set-pieces abound. I loved it, 5 stars.

Christine wrote: "I finished my 76th book"

Nice going Christine. 😀

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight

The mother-daughter relationship can be fraught, especially when the parent is a worrier and the grown child wants to establish her independence. When mom goes missing though......things change very quickly.

Decent thriller 3 stars

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

I'm caught up on Diane Vallere's Madison Night series...until next month. Still, it's always fun to visit the characters, which I got to do again with Please Don't Push Up the Daisies. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre is an entertaining hybrid of cozy and hard boiled mystery with a twist I defy anyone to see coming!

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

I finished The Edge by David Baldacci


Four stars for this second book with Travis Devine: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jar Of Hearts

5/5 stars
Silvia Moreno-Garcia has crafted another gem of a book.

Please read my review, linked below:

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

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

4 stars
for this classic tale.

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

After the Storm by G. D. Wright

A strongly written debut novel dealing with the aftermath of the tragic death of a child.

My 3 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read First Frost by Craig Johnson It is book 20 in the Longmire series, which both my wife and I recommend. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Read a few stories in Golden Age Whodunits, then started The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. Sager's become a go-to thriller writer for my wife and me.

Also intermittently dipping into the Project Gutenberg edition of The Old Man in the Corner by Baroness Orczy, one of the titles included in the Queen's Quorum list of 106 most important mystery/crime books.

I finished The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable


Five stars for this great historical fiction (with a lot of non-fiction):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

So far, loving Blood Ties -- dark and menacing from the outset. I also started Stone Yard Devotional from this year's Booker longlist. Still early days on that one.

Lenin's Roller Coaster by David Downing

Jack McColl #3. Thriller/Adventure Story/ History Lesson. ..... It's winter, 1917. Caitlin and Jack after much travel and travail end up in Russia in the midst of the Bolshevik revolution. Great characters, exciting scenes of espionage and violence and a good deal of detailed information about the workings of Russia's revolution. This is a great series but this one is a bit slower than the preceding 2. Rated 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

The Heart in Winter is a beautifully written story about the Wild West. The mystery is whether the lovers will survive. My four star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm at the beginning of The Club Dumas.

Unprotected: A Memoir by Billy Porter

In this memoir, multitalented entertainer Billy Porter writes about his life and career. Porter worked hard to overcome homophobia and racism as he strived to succeed.

Very good memoir. 4.5 stars

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

I feel shattered in the best possible way after finishing Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...