The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Just Finished Neville's Ghosts of Belfast.
That book is very good. Finished it in two sittings. Would have been one sitting if it wasn't for that pesky thing called a job.

Just finished Harlan Coben's latest thriller. Please take a look at my review and think if you can see the events happening to someone you know.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R13JT271...

If you check my review on amazon and agree, please indicate that the review was helpful. Comments are always appreciated.
Mike

Jan C wrote: "
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?
..."

Yes, on my library request list and I can't wait for it to come in. The audios are also delicious, the narrator gets the French accents just right, or so it seems to this American ear.

Finished Company of Liars this morning. Very good. Now I'm going back to Drood.

Just finished Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet. It is a bit of a spoof on Agatha Christie and the traditional English country house murder plus a few other classic or well-known mystery writers. It got high praise from my in-person book group who are very tough on "gimmicky" premises. The humor was described as "high-brow" and "literary" but laugh out loud funny too. We did have fun looking for references to our favorite classics and it was a good mystery too.

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..."

Thanks for the tip. I'd already bought Hill's newest book, Shadows in the Street, but wanted to finish The Vows of Silence first. I've seen Louise Penny on the bookshelves but haven't ever picked up one of her books to see if I'd be interested. But I will now. Other examples, I think, of similar authors to Hill include Peter Robinson and maybe some Denise Mina. (Mina's a little darker, a little funnier). I know there are others I've read but am drawing a blank right now.

Chris wrote: "Just Finished Neville's Ghosts of Belfast.
That book is very good. Finished it in two sittings. Would have been one sitting if it wasn't for that pesky thing called a job.

[bookcover:The Ghosts..."

I've seriously been wanting to read this; I'm happy you think it's good!

I've just finished The Broken Shore: A Novel, by Peter Temple and Frozen Moment, by Camille Ceder. Camille Ceder is a new Scandivanian crime fiction writer, and I think I enjoyed this one more than Lackberg's The Ice Princess. Both books are highly recommended.

Nancy wrote: "Chris wrote: "Just Finished Neville's Ghosts of Belfast.
That book is very good. Finished it in two sittings. Would have been one sitting if it wasn't for that pesky thing called a job.



It's well worth the read. I picked up the sequel the day i finished and have already been hooked by it. A great Good(ish) vs. Evil story.

I'm currently reading The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell.

Lobstergirl wrote: "I'm currently reading The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell."

Speaking of Wallander, starting Sunday, the series is back on PBS!

Nancy wrote: "I've just finished The Broken Shore: A Novel, by Peter Temple and Frozen Moment, by Camille Ceder. Camille Ceder is a new Scandivanian crime fiction writer, and I thi..."

I meant "Scandinavian" not "Scandivanian." LOL

Nancy wrote: "Lobstergirl wrote: "I'm currently reading The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell."

Speaking of Wallander, starting Sunday, the series is back on PBS!"

YES !!!! Faceless Killers, here I come.

Reading In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff. It's quite good.

I finished Nine Dragons which now has me excited to read the upcoming The Reversal.

I'm headed out this afternoon to pick up Louise Penny's newest, Bury Your Dead. I'm really looking forward to diving into that one.

Almost finished reading Donna Leon's Fatal Remedies and then....i have something yummy waiting for me at the library... The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy

A very enjoyable book, Kari.

Marjorie wrote: "I recently discovered Martin Walker. He writes a series about Bruno Courrèges, a small town policeman in the Dordogne region in the southwest of France. So far there have been two books in the seri..."

Hi Marjorie, I read Bruno, Chief of Police with my in person book group and we all really enjoyed it. It had us checking our frequent flyer miles to see if we could book a flight to France!

K.B. wrote: "Reading In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff. It's quite good."

Hi K. B. This is an upcoming book for my in person book group and I am really looking forward to it. Let me know what you think after you are finished.

Donna, I thought it was wonderful. I liked the characters. I liked the setting--both the place and the time. And, boy, was I excited to see that she already has a second book out. So I downloaded A Curtain Falls for my Kindle today and got started right away.

I'm starting The Chimney Sweeper's Boy.

Am CR In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This series starring a male police chief in upstate NY and the newly hired priest of a local Episcopal church, has been long recommended to me by friends on another GR group. I'm listening to it on CD and really enjoying it.

Finished A Curtain Falls. Sometimes the second book in a series disappoints, but not this one. Too bad there won't be another book by Stefanie Pintoff until 2011.

I just finished Faithful Place by Tana French and Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo. Both were AMAZING!

Sworn to Silence was the first book I'd read by Linda Castillo and I couldn't put it down! I have the sequel, Pray for Silence: A Thriller on hold at the library and I can't wait to read it.

Faithful Place was the third book I'd read by Tana French, and the best one yeat. Again, I couldn't put it down. It did take me a while to get through the Irish slang, but once I got into it I was hooked.

I finished The Blood Spilt by Åsa Larsson. I had liked her first book Sun Storm and immediately went on to the second. I was disappointed though. The plot of The Blood Spilt was not as strong and the solution to the mystery really didn't depend so much on detective work as just sheer luck. I'm hoping her next books is better.

Hi Barbara, I really liked Sun Storm too. I have found that sometimes the second book following a strong first book, especially one that wins an award as Sun Storm did, can be a bit weak. Maybe it's just the hard act to follow problem or maybe the publisher rushes a follow up book and the author has not really had enough time.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Am CR In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This series starring a male police chief in upstate NY and the newly hired priest of a..."

Carol, I just wanted to say that this is one of my favorite series. There is generally some action, some sexual tension and a fair amount of food for thought.

Heather wrote: "Monica wrote: "Almost finished reading Donna Leon's Fatal Remedies and then....i have something yummy waiting for me at the library... [book:The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy|94..."

Heather wrote: "Hi Monica, I'm just starting on The Strain and can't wait to see how it is! It's a part of my creepy October line-up. I'm assuming, since you are going to read The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy, that you've probably read The Strain already? If so, what did you think of it? Is it good and scary/creepy?! *hoping*

Hi Heather...I loved "The Strain"...thought it was well written, fast paced, loved the variety of characters....and it was creepy! I've been waiting months for this second book to come out, and it's proving to be as good as the first. Enjoy!

Jan C wrote: "Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Am CR In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This series starring a male police chief in upstate NY and the n..."

Jan, I'm so glad to hear from someone who loves this series. I'm generally enjoying it, even though I find the sexual tension business, as well as the predictable miss-steps of an amateur detective, a little frustrating. I'm not a big fan of the small town mystery series, although there are exceptions (Louise Penny, Susan Hill). I do find it fascinating to hear the point of view of a modern day female Episcopal priest, since I am an Episcopalian.

I just finished People of the Book. While not really a mystery, it is rather like a detective novel. I liked it overall. Now I want to know more about the art of book conservation.

Will be starting another Camilleri, Il ladro di merendine which is The Snack Thief in English. I love the covers of the Italian editions.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Am CR In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This series starring a male police chief in upstat..."

For me, one of the attractions of this series is the locale. I formally lived in Albany and I appreciated how some of the books talked about the economics of the area. I have read all of the books so far in the" Millers Kill" series and am anxiously awaiting the next one which isn't due until spring 2011.

Hayes wrote: "I just finished People of the Book. While not really a mystery, it is rather like a detective novel. I liked it overall. Now I want to know more about the art of book conservation.
..."

Hi Hayes, The book conservation part was facinating and when you think about it most art conservation has a detective aspect about it. The overall story was very good too so I highly recommend People of the Book

Started The Dogs Of Rome and The Anatomy of Deception. Both are good, but neither one is grabbing me.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3L8NQKF...
Just finished my review of Barry Eisler's latest thriller.
Check out the review and if you agree, please indicate that the review was helpful.
Thanks.

Just finished and really enjoyed Live Free or Die which I won as a Goodreads Giveaway.

Just finished The Chimney Sweeper's Boy and And Then There Were None.

Donna wrote: "Just finished and really enjoyed Live Free or Die which I won as a Goodreads Giveaway."

Lucky you. I never win anything!!

I'm reading The Bride Collector b y Ted Dekker.

Currently reading Think of a Number. Looking forward to starting Heartstoneby CJ Sansom!!!

Colette, I am so jealous! Heartstone won't be out in the U.S. until January 2011. I love his Shardlake series.

Colette wrote: "Currently reading Think of a Number. Looking forward to starting Heartstoneby CJ Sansom!!!"

Hi K.B., I have been waiting all year for Heartstone to arrive in stores here in Ireland, I have been hooked on the Shardlake series since I picked up the first book in the series Dissolution and as soon as I finish a book I am eagerly awaiting the next. I have also got the audiobook versions of the first 4 Shardlake books(read by Anton Lesser) on my iPod which I would highly recommend!!!!. January 2011 will be here before you know it - its good to have something to look forward to!!!!

Just started Prince of Thieves. Interested to see how good Hogan is away from The Strain trilogy.

Picked up a copy of Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley which is another one of those how did I miss this book when it first came out book. So far I am really enjoying it.

Currently reading Pillars of the Earth again. However, my most recent thriller read, Private by James Patterson, was disappointing. It did not pull me into the pulp like some other Patterson's I've read. It makes me wonder if he is using a ghostwriter.

Hi all... haven't been feeling well, which isn't fun, but it is good for the reading.

Finished The Snack Thief, one of my favorites in the series, which shows Montalbano trying to 'grow up'... we'll see in the next book if it's possible. (Highly unlikely!) The writing is so beautiful in Italian, I wish you could all share it with me.

Also finished The Railway Detective. Fast moving and light. I will continue the series as the stories are good for those "in between" moments.

Jack wrote: "Currently reading Pillars of the Earth again. However, my most recent thriller read, Private by James Patterson, was disappointing. It did not pull me into the pulp like some other Patterson's I'..."

I don't think Patterson writes anything alone anymore. Everything I've seen has his "brand" along with another author's name.

Finished Collusion by Stuart Neville- if you liked Ghosts of Belfast you will love this book.

Started my first James Ellroy, White Jazz, and subsequently stopped. Didn't feel like spending the time deciphering his prose. That guy is a nut.

Now started Intensity by Koontz. I have been itching to read this since I first saw it mentioned on this board.

Currently, I'm reading Evil Under the Sun. I love Agatha Christie, and am currently trying to read all of her books and short stories. It's amazing how she makes us suspect the innocent and think of the guilty as innocent until the very end when Hercule Poirot reveals the murder and the plot wihtout even being told!!!

Alex wrote: "Currently, I'm reading Evil Under the Sun. I love Agatha Christie, and am currently trying to read all of her books and short stories. It's amazing how she makes us suspect the innocen..."

I love Agatha Chrisie and Evil Under the Sun is one of my favorites. It was a good movie too.

Tonight I finished Bury Your Dead and loved it (as usual for this series). I have a wish that one day Louise Penny will publish a book of Ruth Zardo's poems.

Now, what to read next?