The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I read The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell It is story of a 1913 copper miners strike in Michigan, I rated 4.5 stars rounded down. My review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Sequel accomplishes the rare feat of being as good as the first. My four star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of Quilty as Charged by Maggie Bailey

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

Just starting The Trees by Percival Everett. Might also dip into Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss.

Hi All, I've just finished Guilty by Definition . Here's my 4 star review:

Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This story revolves around Martha Thornhill, senior editor for the Chambers English Dictionary, and her team. Anonymous letters are being sent to each of the team, each containing clues about the sudden disappearance 10 years ago of Martha's older sister, Charlie.
The lexicographers are aptly suited to solving word puzzles and soon become wrapped up in a mystery getting deeper and deeper as more letters are received.

I was really looking forward to giving this a read, knowing Susie Dents lexicography work mainly from TV's Countdown, where her history of words and sense of humour are clear to see.
Susie Dent love of the history of the English language is clear for all to see in this novel, managing to weave into the narrative lots of words and their origins without being distracting to the reader.

The word puzzles and clues within the letters were cleverly created and were certainly beyond my powers of deduction, although the villain of the piece was easier to deduce. I found the world of lexicography strangely compelling and seems to contain a lot of detective work, so it makes sense for Martha and her team to have the skills to piece the evidence together.

I do hope Susie Dent ventures into the world of Mystery novels again. I would love to read more.


I would like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own



View all my reviews

I was glad to see Lisa Q. Matthews back with The Jig is Up, the first in a new series. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Trouble in Queenstown was fun if predictable. My 3.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Randy wrote: "Just starting The Trees by Percival Everett. Might also dip into Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss."

Percival Everett is one of my favorite authors. I hope you enjoy The Trees.

Thomas wrote: "I read The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell It is story of a 1913 copper miners strike in Michigan, I rated 4.5 stars rounded down. My review https://..."

Her novel The Sparrow is excellent. It's sci-fi but just beautifully written.

I finished my 78th book

Nice going Christine. 👍

I read The Bishop’s Villa by Sacha Naspini It is historical fiction, set in a small village in WWII Italy. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of An Irish Bookshop Murder by Lucy Connelly

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

Pulitzer-winner Elizabeth Strout has asked her much-loved characters to Tell Me Everything, and some of them open up. I reckon she should add I'm listening! because that's why they're talking. Wonderful book. Love it, of course.
My review of Tell Me Everything!

I finished my 80th book

Wow! Congratulations.

I generally prefer reading to listening, but audio done well can add a lot to a story.

Darkness Visible by Arvind Ethan David is like a full-blown radio play, part of Audible's Earworm series of short stories. Very entertaining.
My review of Darkness Visible

You Bet Your Life by Stuart Kaminsky

Toby Peters #3............ Chcago, 1941. The Chicago mob says that Chico (pronounced chick-O, not cheek-O) Marx owes them $120,000 and Toby has been hired by Louis B. Mayer to fix this. And of course when you think you have 1 Marx brother you soon have 3. Light, very likeable mystery showcasing amazing and surprising characters and fascinating period detail. I really like the Toby Peters series -- 4 stars.

Gathering Mist is a strong mystery with a SAR dog aspect. My four star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That's Not Funny, That's Sick: and the Comedy Insurgents Who Captured the Mainstream by Ellin Stein

In this book, journalist Ellin Stein provides a history of the iconoclastic 'National Lampoon' magazine, and the movies, television shows, publications, etc. it spawned or inspired.

Interesting and entertaining. 4 stars

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

Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger 4 stars

Blood Hollow by William Kent Krueger 4 stars

I'm slowly working my way through the Cork O'Connor series. I'm not going to write reviews of all the books, but might when I get to the most recent ones.

Cork O'Connor lives in a town in northern Minnesota; he's mixed blood Irish/Anishinaabe Indian; he's a former sheriff who lost his job in tragic circumstances; he has a family; he's always getting involved in tracking down lawbreakers; there's usually a mystical element in the novels, based on Anishinaabe beliefs.

The Cork O'Connor books are good thrillers.

Barbara wrote: "Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger 4 stars

Blood Hollow by [author:William Kent Kru..."

I like this series a lot too

3/5 stars
Coming out: August 27, 2024

Young girls go missing and nobody cares.

Please read my review linked below:

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

My review of Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman

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

⭐⭐⭐.8 for Interpretations of Love by Jane Campbell https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Both plot and cast of characters will remain with me for a long time to come and I will probably revise my rating upwards when I have thought more about it. 💖📚

Clear (Comixology Originals) #2


4 stars
Dystopian Mystery
Graphic novel. Short volume. 2nd book in an episodic series by
Scott Snyder

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

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb #33 in her 'In Death' series takes Eve back to the city of her childhood trauma to catch a dangerous paedophile.

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

I read Code Peking Duck by Max Claro It is a thrilling, true life story of a man who rescued defectors and dissidents from communist countries. My 4.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hercule Poirot's Silent Night by Sophie Hannah

Author Sophie Hannah has picked up the mantle from Agatha Christie. In this Hercule Poirot novel, the private detective investigates a murder in Norfolk

Lacks Christie's flair, but it might fill a hole for Poirot fans. 3 stars

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

Finished The Anatomist's Wife, Anna Lee Huber's 2012 debut. Historical Fiction mystery set in the early 19th century.
3 stars.

I'm ending the week with Listening Woman, the third Leaphorn and Chee Mystery from Tony Hillerman.

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

I finished my 81st book

Michael Connelly has done it again with The Waiting . My five star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Fans of historic nonfiction with a crime bent should check out Devil in the Grove . My five star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This week I have finished Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski, the 4th volume of The Witcher saga, so other for left (for now!).
I'm currently reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Finished Working Stiff by Annalise Ryan. 2009 cozy debut. 3 stars. Had some positives like the overall storyline but also some drawbacks that were annoying when they surfaced.

Now starting PAY DIRT ROAD by Samantha Jayne Allen, the first novel in her ongoing series featuring PI-in-training Annie McIntyre and set in modern day east Texas.

The book earned a 2023 Shamus Award nomination as the Best First Private Eye Novel by a new author, which is how it came onto my radar screen.

I read Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers byMichael Connelly It is a compilation of stories that he wrote as a crime reporter. I recommend to fans of his books. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read a short story The Woman on the Island by Ann Cleeves My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 for this heartwarming and entrancing mystery The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sandy how are 8 of your books going?

Thanks girls

My review of Think Twice by Harlan Coben

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

The Killing Room

Return to Midnight


3.5 Stars
Read as a Review copy. NetGalley.
Thriller. Female author. Nice story.

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

I’m in the minority, but The Ancients just never drew me in. My three star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Flight of Dreams does a good job of taking the reader through the mystery of who survives the Hindenburg disaster. My 3.5 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of The Secret by Lee Child

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

I'm starting out the week with Between a Flock and a Hard Place, the latest fun Meg Langslow Mystery from Donna Andrews https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton is the sequel to Local Gone Missing featuring DI Elise King series. Elise has just returned to work following breast cancer treatment when a body of a murdered woman is found in the woods in the same location as that of young boy murdered fifteen years before.

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