Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

A banner month!

The Hunter. Tana French. Read by Roger Clark. 5/5

We return to rural Ireland in this sequel to The Searcher with American transplant Cal Hooper, his “charge” Trey (Teresa) Reddy, his main squeeze Lena, and the people of the small town in which they reside. Trouble shows up in the form of Trey’s Daddy Johnny Reddy, a fast talking con man who has a scheme involving the search for gold in the town. French is such a brilliant writer that I enjoyed every minute with these people and immersed myself in their stories. Even better when read, which is ably done here. The Irish accent and way of phrasing things always brings a smile to my face.

Mistral's Kiss. Laurell K. Hamilton. Read by Laural Merlington 4/5

Working my way for the second time through the adventures of Princess Meredith Gentry, potential heir to the Unseely Throne. The usual mix of faerie fantasy and magic, court intrigue, and sex. Not necessarily in that order.

Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and THE WASHINGTON POST. Martin Baron. Read by Liev Schrieber. 5/5

Martin Baron is a legend in the Boston area because he was editor at the Boston Globe when the Spotlight team exposed the Catholic church and its protection of pedophile priests. Here he has moved on to the Washington Post right before it was bought by Jeff Bezos. A fascinating look at the operation of this storied paper, how it fared with Trump in power, and Bezos’ surprisingly effective management of a business he had no previous experience in.

Walking the Perfect Square. Reed Farrell Coleman. 4/5

I was so impressed with the Coleman I read last month that I sought out this series. Mo Prager is a former cop no longer able to do the job because of a debilitating leg injury. He is hired to look into the disappearance of a rich man’s son. Well plotted with some surprises along the way. I’ll read another.

I Never Thought of It That Way. Monica Guzman. 5/5

I read this with my workplace DEI reading group. Guzman does an impressive job mixing research and real life experiences demonstrating the power of leading with curiosity instead of confrontation when in discussion with those with opposite points of view. It takes patience and courage but I think it is necessary if we are to close the gaps that seem impossible to bridge in today’s world.

Toxic Prey. John Sandford. Read by Robert Petkoff 5/5

Letty and Lucas Davenport join forces to stop a scientist and his devotees intent on releasing a deadly virus meant to reduce the world’s population by half to ensure the long term survival of Earth. Scary but well worth the ride.

A Clean Kill in Tokyo a.k.a Rain Fall. Barry Eisler.

I’ve been trying to finish this yellowing paperback for two years now and finally figured out a way to build steady reading time of print materials into my day (most of my “reads” are audio). Eisler was a favorite of our dear departed Cheryl who founded this group. John Rain is an Amerasian contract killer living in Tokyo whose contract becomes complicated in ways he doesn’t expect. An interesting premise for a series.

No Plan B. Lee Child, Andrew Child. Read by Scott Brick. 3/5

Reacher sees a woman get pushed in front of a bus and in setting out to find out why gets involved in corruption in a prison. Not the best but not the worst in the series.

Where the Guilty Hide by Annette Dashofy.

Interesting first in a series from a new-to-me author. Emma Anderson is looking for her missing sister and has secrets of her own. She is drawn into a robbery gone wrong and the investigation by the local police. Well told with interesting characters. I’ll be interested to see where this series goes.

Wow Carol - this is a banner month!
I read three of these books and was glad to have read both group read books and to have followed your recommendation for Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and THE WASHINGTON POST, a fascinating behind the scenes look at the Washington Post , politics, journalistic ethics and more.
As you said, immersing into the characters and setting of Tans French’s The Hunter was a treat.
Good to see you enjoyed another Reed Farrell Coleman.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "A banner month!
The Hunter. Tana French. Read by Roger Clark. 5/5
We return to rural Ireland in this sequel to The Searcher with American transplant Cal Hooper, his “charge” Trey..."

Nice month!! I am very interested in "Collision of Power". Hadn't seen that one before. (My brother in law tells me I read the Washington Post too much...)

There is a second book already published in Annette Dashofy's new series, which I am anxious to try.

nice month, carol!

I was skeptical of how the Washington Post would fare under Bezos, but have since been impressed enough with their reporting and editorial stances to subscribe.

John Rain was a favorite character of mine.

Gail, I will look for the follow-up to Where the Guilty Hide. I wonder if it's more widely available or still only available on Kindle?

Gail W wrote: "Nice month!! I am very interested in "Collision of Power". Hadn't seen that one before. (My brother in law tells me I read the Washington Post too much...)

There is a second book already published..."

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Gail, I will look for the follow-up to Where the Guilty Hide. I wonder if it's more widely available or still only available on Kindle?..."
I just checked Barnes and Noble and they have it as well on the nook, but I'm not seeing paperbacks anywhere, which is odd because her first series is available in both.

And I'm getting very tired of Good Reads only showing the Kindle edition when there are more out there...

Add me in as a fan of the Moe Prager series. I have read the first five books and need to get back into it.

Gail: I found Keep Your Family Close (Detective Honeywell #2) on Amazon Kindle for $2.99 so I guess I can live with that.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Gail: ... for $2.99 so I guess I can live with that."
Me too! Bought it as well.