The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Just finished Alex Kava's Black Friday and think I'll start Joseph Finder's Vanished next.

Just joined this wonderful group. Currently reading Michael Connelly's The Reversal, shows a great deal of promise so far.

Josh wrote: "I just finished Die Therapie by Sebastian Fitzek. It was really good until the end, unfortunately. Now I'm reading In Search of a Distant Voice by [auth..."

I LOVED Strangers! What a great book! Thanks for the tip on the other Yamada book.

Just about to start Sister, which is hailed as magnificently taut for a debut novel. You can listen to Book at Bedtime here

Tossed Company of Liars into the mix of books that I'm currently reading. So far, it's very good.

I finished The Black Cat by Martha Grimes - but to be honest I had to skip a lot to get to the end. I used to love Martha Grimes' books but this one was mundane and boring. Not recommended.

K.B. wrote: "Tossed Company of Liars into the mix of books that I'm currently reading. So far, it's very good."

Love Karen Maitland's ouevre
:O)

Bettie, this is the first one of hers that I've read. I noticed that only one other of her books is available as an e-book.

K.B. wrote: "Tossed Company of Liars into the mix of books that I'm currently reading. So far, it's very good."

Oh, I love Karen Maitland and Company of Liars. I think I may have even loved her next/latest one even more, The Owl Killers: A Novel.

[bookcover:Fhttp://www.amazon.com/review/R3OSFJ1L... Just finished the latest thriller by Brad Thor.
Check it out.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3OSFJ1L...

Just finished reading The Reversal by Michael Connelly. Really enjoyed it - my first book by Connelly. Will have to read more.

Miles wrote: "Just finished reading The Reversal by Michael Connelly. Really enjoyed it - my first book by Connelly. Will have to read more."

Welcome to Goodreads, Miles! You're very lucky to get an early copy of Connelly's book. He's my favorite crime fiction author. I like your review of the book. If you enjoy courtroom dramas, you may like Connelly's first foray into the courtroom -- The Concrete Blonde. It's a part of Connelly's "Harry Bosch" series. Great book.

Dorie wrote: "Miles wrote: "Just finished reading The Reversal by Michael Connelly. Really enjoyed it - my first book by Connelly. Will have to read more."

Welcome to Goodreads, Miles! You're ..."

Thanks Dorie, seems a very friendly place here. Thanks also for the kind words of my review, hard to get a fair balance! I'll mark that down as a book to read in the future - great suggestion

I finished The Gentle Axe by R. N. Morris. Very interesting. While I am not very knowledgeable about Russian literature I do think Morris captured the spirit of the times and St. Petersburg and I did enjoy Porfiry Petrovich, from Dostoyevski's Crime and Punishment, as the detective.

Just started Child 44, audio version...since I drive quite a bit. I was inspired to read it by the group discussions here.

Currently reading this novel and enjoying it. I know there's going to be a plot twist coming, there always is with Coban. I'm trying to anticipate it but I don't have a clue.

Donna wrote: "I finished The Gentle Axe by R. N. Morris. Very interesting. While I am not very knowledgeable about Russian literature I do think Morris captured the spirit of the times and St. Pete..."

I agree, it was a very interesting book. I found it in the bargain rack at Borders and was not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. A very good read.

Janet wrote: "Just started Child 44, audio version...since I drive quite a bit. I was inspired to read it by the group discussions here."

Good choice, it is a great book. When you are done, you should read the second book in the series, The Secret Speech, which is also terrific.

I've just started Once Bitten.
It is paranormal but a human has been murdered so it will probably turn cross-genre in a few pages.

Just finished Brad Thor's latest thriller. This book is so real that it could have been taken from newspaper headlines. It presents a frightening scenario of what could happen. Please check it out.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3OSFJ1L...

Currently reading Blood Men: A Thriller, which has an interesting twist on the serial killer genre (do your kids inherit your "killer" genes?). Pretty good so far.

Josh, I really enjoy Thomas H. Cook's work. Have you read The Chatham School Affair?

Yes, I suppose it is. But I haven't read all of his work. I don't find that I can rush from one book to the next with his stuff. One of the beautiful things about Southern Gothic works is that they stay with you for a long, long time. He won an Edgar award for The Chatham School Affair.

I read the Chatham School Affair a number of years ago. I don't know what I expected but I don’t think that was it. I found it okay. But. I hadn't read anything by this author before and I don’t think I've read anything by him since.

I think that is the problem with southern gothic- - it stays with you for a long, long time!

Jan C wrote: "I think that is the problem with southern gothic- - it stays with you for a long, long time!"

Yes, you (or at least I) certainly feel immersed in the time and the atmosphere with good Southern Gothic. I don't find that Cook's novels are a breeze to read. There are so many nuances that you need to pick up on to truly appreciate his work. So he's not a good choice if you're on a deadline. (I didn't finish Master of the Delta in the 14-day loan period, so I'm waiting for it to move to a longer loan time.) But if you've got the time and the willingness to completely forget your daily life and wallow in someone else's angst, his work is great!

Can you tell that I'm not a happy-ending gal?

Love Thomas H. Cook as well, but I haven't read all his books (yet). Of the ones I've read, my favorites would be Mortal Memory and The Cloud of Unknowing. I also enjoyed Red Leaves and The Chatham School Affair.

After a traumatizing attempt to read Dorothy Dunnett I gave up and needed a "comfort read", so I'm finally reading the sure thing I've kept on my to-read shelf -- Nine Dragons.

For anyone interested in the Stalinist era (eg. Child 44) try to get a copy of a movie called The Projectionist. Stalin was addicted to John Wayne westerns. The closing scene, of his funeral is surreal, all of Moscow turned out - probably to make sure he was dead.

I most recently read Christopher's Ghosts by Charles McCarry and never before has a book made me so angry!

I'm going to write a full review on it later, but to provide a brief synopsis, it's about a young man living in WWII Germany who deals with a bullying SS officer who mistreats (and tortures) the boy's family and his Jewish girlfriend. Several decades later, the young man is now a skilled intelligence officer and tracks down this SS officer to exact revenge. But let's just say the revenge piece isn't very fulfilling. I'm so disappointed!

I have been a fan of Thomas H. Cook for years and have read ten of his books so far. He is a very underrated author and always manages to leave a lasting impression when you finish one of his stories. My favorites are Instruments of Night, The Interrogation and Red Leaves.

Josh wrote: "Gatorman wrote: "Currently reading Blood Men: A Thriller, which has an interesting twist on the serial killer genre (do your kids inherit your "killer" genes?). Pretty good so far."..."

Try The Interrogation or Instruments of Night if you want another great Cook book to read.

Dorie wrote: "Love Thomas H. Cook as well, but I haven't read all his books (yet). Of the ones I've read, my favorites would be Mortal Memory and The Cloud of Unknowing. I also enjo..."

Count me a member of the Thomas H. Cook fan club. I currently have The Last Talk with Lola Faye on the TBR.

I started with his short series featuring P.D. Frank Clemmons (beginning with Sacrificial Ground), and I so loved his writing and characters that I sought ought all his other books. I agree that these are books to be savored, and like others I can't race through them but need a breather before tackling the next.

It's beginning to look like we Thomas Cook fans have hijacked the thread!

Finished Vanished last night....Not sure what I will start next, so many options!

I just finished "The Chatham School Affair" and I wouldn't exactly call it a mystery. There's death, but there's not really a murder to solve. It's more of a coming of age story and a novel about what tragedies can be wrought from the closed-mindedness of small town life. But it was very good, as are all of Cook's books, I think.

I'm in the middle of What's Become of Waring by Anthony Powell. Not a mystery, more of a comedy. From 1939.

I just started the Tin Roof Blowdown and I think Burke has no equal. Anyone recommend someone that comes close? I'm running out of Burke novels...

Have you tried Robert Crais or John Sandford? Crais writes about L.A., primarily, with his detective Elvis Cole ("world's greatest detective") and an evergrowing cast of characters - some of whom have their own books. And Sandford writes mainly about Minneapolis with his sometime-cop Lucas Davenport.

They're both good series but not everyone is crazy about both of them. I am. I also like Burke.

Just finished The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill yesterday. Hill does a solid job of keeping the reader guessing. The ending was somewhat surprising (although I have to admit that the identity of the actual culprit did cross my mind for a fleeting minute before getting to the end of the book). As usual, Hill is so very adept at character development. You know you're fully invested in the story when you laugh out loud or cry at something you've read, the latter of which was true in my case. A solid mystery, sad in parts, but classic Hill all the way around.

Should have put this in my earlier post - just started reading Fragile by Lisa Unger. I love love love when I finish one book and then get to stare at my stacks and stacks of accumulated books that I've bought to try and get a feel for what I want to read next. Sometimes it takes me a long while to settle on one, but this time Fragile won out.

Erich wrote: "I just started the Tin Roof Blowdown and I think Burke has no equal. Anyone recommend someone that comes close? I'm running out of Burke novels..."

I don't see Michael Connelly in your books. He's the best contemporary crime fiction author (though of course that is just my opinion). His first books is The Black Echo. I would also second Robert Crais, who I enjoy.

This week-
Just Finished - Sandford - Eyes of Prey- Great Book!


Currently Reading- Stuart Neville- The Ghosts of Belfast


Up Next - Koontz - Intensity

Erich wrote: "I just started the Tin Roof Blowdown and I think Burke has no equal. Anyone recommend someone that comes close? I'm running out of Burke novels..."

Erich, you said it right, Burke has no equal. One who comes close is Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. Complex plots, troubled hero who follows his own nose no matter what anyybody says, like Robicheaux. Connelly is not as lyrical a writer, however, but he also doesn't have the raw material of the Bayou to work with.

Voula wrote: "Just finished The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill yesterday. Hill does a solid job of keeping the reader guessing. The ending was somewhat surprising (although I have to..."

If this is part of the Simon Serailler series i'm right behind you, Voula. I just finished
The Pure in Heart. Her plots are very surprising.

Come to think of it, another similar author is Louise Penny of the Inspector Armand Gamache series. That series has atmosphere (French Canadian town). The first novel was enjoyable but the two followups really hooked me.

Chris wrote: "This week-
Just Finished - Sandford - Eyes of Prey- Great Book!


Currently Reading- Stuart Neville- The Ghosts of Belfast
--


be prepared for some sleepless nights, Chris!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Voula wrote: "Just finished The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill yesterday. Hill does a solid job of keeping the reader guessing. The ending was somewhat surprising (alth..."

I think Penny just gets better with each book. I'm on The Brutal Telling now. She just came out with a new one - Bury the Dead?

I was reading Faithful Place by Tana French. Her writing is terrific, and I found myself analyzing her writing to learn from it. I do plan to finish the story, but for now I set it aside to read Wicked Prey by John Sandford. I needed to read a familiar author who I knew would pull me in an keep me engaged in the story.

L.J.
Secrets to Die For
The Baby Thief
The Sex Club
The Suicide Effect
Thrilled to Death

Just finished Running Blindby Lee Child and really enjoyed it! Has been my favorite Reacher book so far (and I'm reading them in order).

I'm currently reading One Second After by William R. Forstchen and while I'm enjoying it (I think), I'm also terrified for what could be.

Just finished J. Evanovich's Wicked Appetite....Fun read, with Diesel, Wulf, and Carl the monkey....

Just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and now reading The Enemy by Lee Child. My first book by him, but it looks like I will enjoy reading this book