The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Kind of addicted to the Donna Leon series with Venetian police Commissario, Guido Brunetti. One reason is that I visited Venice recently..I also enjoy the gentle tweaking of the Italian attitudes toward their institutions.

Janiceinbellevue wrote: "Kind of addicted to the Donna Leon series with Venetian police Commissario, Guido Brunetti. One reason is that I visited Venice recently..I also enjoy the gentle tweaking of the Italian attitudes t..."

I've read one or two of her books and really enjoyed them plus there was a TV series made in Germany, I think, and it was shown for a short while on a public broadcasting station here in the US (with subtitles). I would really like to get back into the series but so many series and so little time!

Janiceinbellevue wrote: "Kind of addicted to the Donna Leon series with Venetian police Commissario, Guido Brunetti. One reason is that I visited Venice recently..I also enjoy the gentle tweaking of the Italian attitudes t..."

Funny you posted this. I just bought the first today as an impulse buy. It looks good.

I just finished listening to
The audio version was recommended and I loved the 2 women's voices who read this British mystery! The accents really made the book more fun! Family secrets, twists and turns and a few surprises at the end. Great fun!
I have a Donna Leon book and I'm excited to read her after reading comments on this thread.

I've read a number of the Donna Leon books and I enjoy them. She is always tweaking the corruption angle.

Am finally reading again (and will finish this time) Sophie's World. Not really a mystery, but has a lot of mysterious elements in between the philosophy lessons. Nice to be reading this after Flavia de Luce!

I've just finished reading Greg Iles' Turning Angel. It's gotten mixed reviews mainly because it involves an affair between a 40-something doctor and a 17-year-old. The affiar in itself would be enough to get the good doc 30 years in jail, but when the girl turns up dead, he's the prime suspect. It's a good read.

I agree. I thought this was one of Iles' better books, even though he apparently did antagonize a lot of people in his home town when he published it.

Scott wrote: " ... "

Hi Scott. I deleted your message because this wasn't the right place for it. Can you post the information again in "Author's Corner" please?

Now reading Gone Tomorros, a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. Husband took me to dinner on Mother's Day w/a trip to Barnes and Noble for book shopping, coffee and dessert. This was one of the books I got.

It begins w/Jack thinking a woman on a NYC subway is a suicide bomber. She's got all 12 points on a list law enforcement uses. Turns out she commits suicide by blowing her head off. Reacher feels he may have pushed her to it. Another thing that bothers him is one of the people on the subway, in fact the man, other than himself, sitting closest to the woman has disappeared. The NYPD don't seem to be that concerned about the missing witness, and federal agents who will not ID themselves (Patriot Act) keep asking Reacher if the woman handed him anything. They also advise him sternly to forget the whole thing. Of couse, being Reacher, he won't do that.

Hi Nike, I've heard good things about the Jack Reacher series but I haven't read any yet. Do you think it is necessary to start with the first or can you jump right in. I see Gone Tomorrow is the 13th in the series and it does sound good.

Nike wrote: "Now reading Gone Tomorros, a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. Husband took me to dinner on Mother's Day w/a trip to Barnes and Noble for book shopping, coffee and dessert. This was one of the books..."

Now there's a nice mother's day gift!

(could you mark if any of that information is spoilers, please Nike)

I started pretty close to the first and for most of them it doesn't matter...sorta. You do want to not start at the very end.

But I'm sorry I didn't start before someone very close (and yet not so close to) was murdered. That adds an emotional "ping" for a few later books. In fact, you wanna start before his mother's funeral (died of old age).

So, I guess I'd say start at book #1 if you can.

Hayes wrote: "Nike wrote: "Now reading Gone Tomorros, a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. Husband took me to dinner on Mother's Day w/a trip to Barnes and Noble for book shopping, coffee and dessert. This was one..."

No, I don't think I put anything in my remarks that could be considered a "spoiler." Try to avoid that. :)

Nike wrote: "Hayes wrote: "Nike wrote: "Now reading Gone Tomorros, a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. Husband took me to dinner on Mother's Day w/a trip to Barnes and Noble for book shopping, coffee and dessert..."

Thanks Nike... just checking :-)

While you can read these books out of order without too much problem, I think it's probably better to start with the first book. The problem here is determining which is actually the "first." After writing several books in the series, Child wrote a book called The Enemy in which he treats Reacher's life leading up to Killing Floor, which was the first book published in the series. Personally, I would say start with "Enemy" and then go through the series in order.

I just finished Terminal Freeze and, although writen well, it wasn't much of a story. Reminded me a lot of the old classic movie The Thing From Another World.

Now starting Dance of Death. I read part 3 first and then part 1 so I now I finish this trilogy, which is damn good so far.

I startedLimitations by Scott Turow. I think he's my favorite author of legal thriller type books.

Just finished listening to The 39 Steps, a classic spy novel from before WWI. I listened to the Librivox version ( http://librivox.org/the-thirty-nine-s... ) which was a lot of fun as the reader is excellent.

The story is not complicated or particularly surprising, but short, and good if you are doing something else at the same time.

VEry enjoyable.

I have read all of the Reacher series and I would read them in order, although not absolutely necessary. Miss a few things if out of order.

I finished Limitations by Scott Turow. I was disappointed because I usually like Turow. The story was rolling along pretty well until the resolution which was not satisfying nor particularly believable. The book also seemed padded; this is probably because it started as a magazine story that was expanded into a book.

Barbara wrote: "The book also seemed padded..."

I find that really annoying. Why didn't he write a short story, or a novella, or write two or three and sell them together!

Barbara wrote: "I finished Limitations by Scott Turow. I was disappointed because I usually like Turow. The story was rolling along pretty well until the resolution which was not satisfying nor particu..."

I hadn't even heard of this book. Doesn't sound like he did much to support this book locally. I once went to a reading of his, the audience was filled with his family and friends. It was standing room only that day. And I think they were filming something for Bravo-TV.

Now reading The Siege by Stephen White, about terrorists at Yale. It's certainly keeping my attention so far!

I'm reading My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. I got curious about it when I saw it nominated for the June group read so I took it out of the library. I like it a lot so far.

Barbara wrote: "I'm reading My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. I got curious about it when I saw it nominated for the June group read so I took it out of the library. I like it ..."

If you think the group would like it please feel free to nominate it again sometime for a group read.

Re-reading O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King. I'm working slowly through the series again so that I can finally read the latest ones with everything fresh in my mind! Lots of fun as usual.

I think this one and A Letter of Mary are the best in the series.

Recently read Wicked City by Ace Atkins. I also recommend his White Shadow.

He writes fictionalized accounts of true crime situations. He is a former crime reporter and met his wife over a dead body. These are books in a series. But he takes a city, Phenix City, Alabama and Tampa, in these two books and talks about their corruption. I've started the next book, Devil's Garden about the Fatty Arbuckle case in the 1920s.

Just finished THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE by Rennie Airth. It's an outstanding historical police procedural, set in England between the world wars, that's also a serial-killer thriller. Airth is an excellent writer and storyteller.

The Mermaids Singing Started the Carol Jordan/Tony Hill series. Gruesome to say the least.

I just started reading The Innocents by Richard Barre starring PI Wil Hardesty. So far its pretty good! Has anyone else read this series and if so, do you like it?

Finished O Jerusalem (always fun, this is one of my faves in the series) and am now finishing up Sophie's World (a strange thing, I'm not quite sure what I think about it; will withhold judgement until the end). Must also finish a memoir of Nelson Mandela... lots of loose ends to tie up before I move on to something totally fun.

Sheila wrote: "Just finished THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE by Rennie Airth. It's an outstanding historical police procedural, set in England between the world wars, that's also a serial-killer thriller. Airth is an excel..."

Have you read River of Darkness, the book that preceded The Blood-Dimmed Tide? It's also very good.

James wrote: "Sheila wrote: "Just finished THE BLOOD-DIMMED TIDE by Rennie Airth. It's an outstanding historical police procedural, set in England between the world wars, that's also a serial-killer thriller. Ai..."

He also has a third, The Dead of Winter. which I received for Christmas. But I haven't fifnished BDT yet.

That was a great premier book.

I finished My Soul to Take byYrsa Sigurðardóttir. Set in Iceland, you get a feel for the country and scenery. The story, involving several bizarre murders is inriguing, and the book is well-written with a lot of humor. I enjoyed it.

I needed something a bit lighter after The Girl who Played with Fire so I started One for the Money. I've never read a Stephanie Plum book and I am really enjoying this.

Finished The Last Child by John Hart. My first book by John Hart. Good book, very dark though. Am now reading Caught

Just finished Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815, and am now starting A Beautiful Place to Die.

Just started The Last Child by John Hart. Looking forward to Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which should arrive in the mail this Thursday.

I am reading "The Princes of Ireland" and I love it! I had this book in my possession for some time and couldn't get into it. My husband read it and recommended to me. Since I love Ken Follett and have read almost all his books and decided to give it a try and this time I love it. It's exciting, romantic, historical and mysterious. I know it really isn't in the classification of mystery thriller but I love to read historical fiction also.

I am just about to start 9th Judgement by James Patterson.Looking forward to it as i have read of the others in the womans murder club

Sheila wrote: "Just started The Last Child by John Hart. Looking forward to Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, which should arrive in the mail this Thursday."

Hi Sheila, I just finished the Last Child. Will be interested in knowing what you thought of it when you're done

Sophie's World was strange and I have mixed feelings about it. Couldn't love any of the characters, although I appreciated the synopsis of philosophic thought.

Am reading The Help, which I am loving.

I finished The Last Child this morning. I loved it! Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest arrived in the mail this afternoon, and I'll probably start that after I finish my current book.

I'm starting I'm Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti a young Roman writer. Lots of tension and very good description of what it's like to be a child of the 80s in southern Italy. There is a movie too, directed by Salvatores.

I jut finishedA Beautiful Place to Die, by Malla Nunn, and am now reading Where Serpents Lie, by T. Jefferson Parker.

How did you like the Nunn book, James? I'm in the middle of the Mandela memoir and my antennae are quivering at any thing to do with the subject of south Africa.

Hi James, I read A Beautiful Place to Die a while ago and I would be interested in your thoughts too.

I'm now reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. It's certainly holding my attention so far!

I finished listening to the audio of The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. I like it a lot....and was especially pleased not to have to struggle with the pronunciation of the names of people, streets, and towns. The narrator seemed to be very knowledgeable about that. :) I'm looking forward to reading the last book in the series.