The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I read A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly It is book 3 in the series, but worked for me as a stand alone It is set in 1940. My 3.5 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

An urgent and enjoyable...how rare to get both...read:
We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate by Michael Grunwald:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King

Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell embark on dual quests to find the long-missing Irish Crown Jewels.

Engaging cozy mystery. 3 stars

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

My review of The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths

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

I'm kicking off July with the novella Murder by Moonlight by Julie Mulhern https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Surgeon

I forgot I had Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's Little People biography of Leonard Cohen to review! As always, the anecdotes and illustrations are a great way to introduce children to the big dreamers who enrich our lives.
My review of Leonard Cohen with illustrations

The Third Act of Theo Gruene by Talya Tate Boerner takes place during the pandemic when neighbours sometimes became extended families. Theo's quiet life of science changes when a bright little girl appears at his front door wearing a too-big, lime-green raincoat and asks to stay. A nice read.
My review of The Third Act of Theo Gruene

Nightswimming is a well written, low key, atmospheric police procedural. My four star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2/5 stars
Coming out: July 22, 2025

Please read my review linked below:

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

Sparrow catcher is a fab read!! Book overview
In the heart of Manchester, darkness descends as a calculating killer terrorises the city streets, leaving behind a gruesome trail of victims that fuels fear and frenzy. Every move is deliberate, every victim a chilling clue, as the city's pulse quickens under the shadow of danger.

Detective Donna Wood, a razor-sharp investigator with unyielding resolve, is thrust into a relentless game of cat and mouse. With her instincts as her only guide and time slipping through her fingers, Donna races to decode the killer's cryptic patterns. But this case is more than just a battle of wit and will—it cuts deep, drawing Donna's inner circle into the vortex of the investigation. Tangled relationships, blurred loyalties, and secrets collide in a harrowing dance that challenges everything she knows.

Central Park West was too dry to be considered a good thriller. My three star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Red Queen by Martha Grimes

Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Richard Jury investigates a puzzling case in Twickenham.

Nostalgic 'look-back' for this long-running series, but not the best of the bunch.
2.5 stars

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

I'll be posting a review for "Death Comes to Marlow" soon.

I finished Carnival of Lies by D.V. Bishop


The full five stars!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am currently reading Blood Ties by Jo Nesbo

The Man Who Cancelled Himself by David Handler

Stewart Hoag #6. Light amusing mystery set in the world of writing and filming a TV sitcom. I do enjoy the series -- 3 stars.

I have just finished reading the wonderful No One Home by Tim Weaver

My review is here:

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

I read A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley It is book 5 in the Easy Rawlins series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm closing out the week with Mistaken Identity Crisis by James J. Cudney https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Fans of thrillers will enjoy Such Quiet Girls . My four star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

We're listening to a new Koontz book, and I'll be starting "Arrest the Alibi" on Sunday.

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

After Mt. Rainier erupts, a troop of Sasquatch descends on a tiny green community near Seattle.

Good thriller. 4 stars

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

Missed #16 in this series so I just read it now! Loved it!
Six Graves

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

My review of Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman

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

My review of An Enemy in the Village by Martin Walker

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

Rage by Linda Castillo

Police Chief Kate Burkholder investigates the murder of an Amish young man in Painters Mill, Ohio.

Engaging 'off the beaten path' mystery. 3.5 stars

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

My review of The Rabbit Club by Christopher J. Yates

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

A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

England, 1919. A shell-shocked (now called PTSD) former Army Captain now a Scotland Yard detective is sent to a small village to solve a mysterious murder. Trying to keep his condition a secret he works to solve the mystery while hearing the voice of his dead Sergeant in his head. Very well done mystery -- 4 stars.

Starling House

I finished my 49th book

Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn

Intrepid retiree Mrs. Plansky takes it upon herself to search for her missing friend.

Fun adventure with this heroine. 3 stars

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

My review of Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert

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

We're reading "She's Not Sorry", and will be posting a review for "Going Home in the Dark".

I read Mortal Fall by Christine Carbo It is a National Park mystery, book 2 in the series. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

Lt. Eve Dallas and her partner Sgt. Peabody investigate a serial killer who's creating bizarre 'art' with dead bodies.

A police procedural with popular recurring characters. 3 stars

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

I enjoyed Frightened to Depths by K.B. Jackson. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Carrie

My review of In a Place of Darkness by Stuart MacBride

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

I'll be posting a review for "Arrest the Alibi", and will be starting "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" tonight.

Two mysteries, one great for summer distraction reading:
The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
–and–
...one not so much:
by Lynn Messina
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Road Chosen;

. - Ben Carlyle

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

Two Times Murder by Adam Oyebanji

Quiet teacher #2. A widow asks Greg's help in proving her husband's death wasn't suicide while the police "ask" his help in another murder. Except Greg knows a lot more about the second corpse than he should. I really like this book a lot -- the plot was absolutely ingenious. and i liked the characters also. The book is easy to read but is actually written at a very high level. 4 stars. Maybe 4 1/2.

For those that can handle the subject matter, The Elements is an amazing book. One of my favorites of the year. My five star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have just finished reading The Daughter: The utterly unmissable, addictive new Sunday Times bestselling thriller from the author of THE MOTHER and THE HOLIDAY by T.M. Logan

It was sooooo good. Imagine turning up to collect your daughter from university and she isn't there. No one has seen her for weeks. This was a really thrilling and terrifying journey as the Mother frantically tries to find her.

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

Now starting THE WORLD AT NIGHT (1996) by Alan Furst.

This is the first of two books (the other being RED GOLD) that are set in France at the start of WWII and feature the character Jean Casson, a film producer who is pulled into the realm of espionage.

Because the Casson character appears in two of Furst's WWII thriller novels, some mystery readers view them as being separate from his "Night Soldiers" spy thriller series, which are all stand alone books with one-off lead characters.

Not sure how I will vote on the subject until after I read the books in question. But after having read nine previous "Night Soldiers" novels the Casson character is going to have to really stand out for me to do so.

The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos

Sheriff Porter Beck has his hands full when 3 people are murdered during a roundup of wild horses in Nevada.

Exciting western thriller. 4 stars

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

I hated "She's Not Sorry". I'll admit that I had an audiobook, yet there was no indication that the book was written with an odd timeline.

I enjoyed a second cruise this week thanks to The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper by Sally Carpenter https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read Killing Orders by Sara Paretsky It is book 3 in a series that my wife recommended to me several years ago. I have decided to read the series in order. My 4 star review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...