The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

I have most of them already, but thanks. I'm reading my husband's Italian copies.

K.B. wrote: "Hayes, I have to say that I really like Montalbano. I love his screw-the-rules mentality. I'm about 3/4 done with Snack Thief at this point, and if the back cover blurb hadn't already said that the..."

Hi K.B. I see that Hayes has recruited another fan for Insp. Montalbano:) If you ever get a chance to see the Italian TV series of these books it is terrific too. I saw it with Engligh subtitles on a local PBS station. I've not seen it on Netflix yet but maybe someday they will have it too.

Curently reading, and enjoying, Ill Wind for the Summer Theme read and Dancing for Degas for an in person book group. If this heat keeps up I'll get these finished quickly because it is too hot to do anything but sit in the air conditioning.

Donna, it was a soft sell. Lucky for me, one of the local B&Ns has almost the entire series, so I can go get a couple more this weekend.

Finished "The Bridesmaid" by Ruth Rendell a couple of weeks ago; it was a wonderfully creepy, psychological tale of two young lovers. Also read "The Copper Peacock" by the same author. It's a collection of her early short stories; especially liked "Two Lilies"...Rendell never disappoints me:>)

Mary, I know what you mean. I really love Rendell's (Vine's) books.

hi everyone... i recently joined this group, but i think this would be my first posting to this group.

i'm currently reading the second book of the millenium trilogy, the girl who played with fire.. So far so good... i still like the first book better but this one is also good

If you hurry Rosabelle, you can get to the third book while the group is still discussing it. (Me, I still need to start the first book. I don't think I'm going to make it. :))

Welcome.

K.B. wrote: "If you hurry Rosabelle, you can get to the third book while the group is still discussing it. (Me, I still need to start the first book. I don't think I'm going to make it. :))

Welcome."

Don't worry too much... the discussions stay around for a long while after the reading month is over. I haven't read the second one yet and will get to it after the summer sometime.

Rosabelle wrote: "hi everyone... i recently joined this group, but i think this would be my first posting to this group.

i'm currently reading the second book of the millenium trilogy, the girl who played with fire..."

just started "The Girl Who Played with Fire"..

K.B. wrote: "If you hurry Rosabelle, you can get to the third book while the group is still discussing it. (Me, I still need to start the first book. I don't think I'm going to make it. :))

Welcome."

Thanks K.B and Hayes.. I will definitely check out the discussion thread of the third book when i'm reading it... hopefully there's no spoilers.. :)

I'm reading "White Sister" by Stephen J. Cannell who always hits the ground running from his first written page about the antics of Shane Scully and the ever so serious LAPD. I'm barely into this book but by the start of the 3rd chapter Shane, who is trying to do a good deed for a crazy and obnoxious homeless person who thinks he is Samik Mampuna the Prince of the Bassaland while Shane discovers his wife ( who is his boss at LAPD) is missing. So far I"m lovin' this book.

Kari wrote: "I am reading . I really like this series."

I like this series too. I am currently reading Dead Men's Hearts.

I'm listening to the audio of Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell.

I am currently reading The Last Child, by John Hart.

Kari said: "I like mysteries that take place all over the world."

Me too! Sometimes if I read a book set locally, I get too hung up on whether the author got the setting right that it spoils the book for me. I don't have that problem with books set elsewhere.

Just started The Third Man for the Summer Theme Read. I had forgotten how good it was plus now I am going to have to get the movie from Netflix!

i have that problem with Paretsky. i know she has lived in Chicago to get it right but still i mentally check it. i read a joy fielding story once and she spelled sheridan road three different ways. no consistency.

Hi Jan and K.B. I have the same problem with "local" stories. Living in the Washington DC area there are plenty of books set here and plenty of chances to mess up. TV shows are a problem too. When the West Wing was on TV there was a local reviewer/reporter (I can't remember who) who would point out the slip ups in the shows every time he found one.

Last season on Dexter, there was a house in Miami with a bomb shelter. I spent hours researching that. Most of South Florida is barely above sea level, so basements are an oddity here. But lo and behold, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, there were some bomb shelters built down here.

You know, Judith, I wonder if your family would have. If so, your family has far more sense than many South Floridians. Building codes improved after Hurricane Andrew and again after the past 5 years of hurricanes, but it is still nearly impossible to find a home with a hurricane room--a room with no outside walls and no windows on the ground floor. In most houses, that is a powder room or possibly a laundry room. The only problem is that you couldn't possibly fit a family of 4 in the powder room. And to fit the family in the laundry room, you have to move the machines out.

Sorry, Judith, I didn't mean to diminish a frightening experience in your life. I was just commenting that people here don't seem to worry too much about anything that might happen.

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos

Just started Laurie R. King's newest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes book but I haven't had time to really sit and read so I find myself not reading it all, (in other words I don't want to deal with interruptions in what I think is going to be a good read)... ahh, the joys of parenthood!

Heidi wrote: "Just started Laurie R. King's newest Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes book but I haven't had time to really sit and read so I find myself not reading it all, (in other words I don't want to deal with i..."

Heidi, this is one of my favorite series. This newest one is great!

Reading Along Came a Spider after not long finishing one of Cornwells books. I'm not really feeling Mr Alex Cross at the moment. Very 2 dimensional character but am only 62 pgs in. No match for Cornwell though.

Yas wrote: "Reading Along Came a Spider after not long finishing one of Cornwells books. I'm not really feeling Mr Alex Cross at the moment. Very 2 dimensional character but am only 62 pgs in. No ..."

Hang in there...this is one of his better Alex Cross stories...movie did it no justice...

Yas, I agree that Alex is a very flat character. I'm definitely not a fan.

I just recently finished two Harlan Coben thrillers, Caught and No Second Chance. He is such a consistently good author. I, also, read Tess Gerritsen's Bloodstream, which I really enjoyed. Tess is a little more graphic than some, but I guess the doctor in her can't help but come through. Her new one, Ice Cold comes out tomorrow.

Just finished The Girl Who Played with Fire and have moved on to The Third Rail.

Good stuff!

I'm just starting Buddha's Money, by Martin Limon. I've really enjoyed the other books in this series.

I'm currently reading cruel and unusual by patricia cornwell, the fourth book in the kay scarpeta series. so far so good. pat cornwell is one of my favorite authors

Hi Kathy...I got ICE COLD today by Gerritson and can't wait to start it. Harlan Coben is another of my favorites...I have read all his stand alone thrillers and am starting the Myron Bolitar series.

Mary/Quite Contrary wrote: "Hi Kathy...I got ICE COLD today by Gerritson and can't wait to start it. Harlan Coben is another of my favorites...I have read all his stand alone thrillers and am starting the Myron Bolitar series."

Oh, I'm so jealous, Mary. I haven't been out to get Ice Cold yet. I will be buying it sometime today, though.

I started Candles Burning. Not being familiar with Tabitha King's or Michael McDowell's work, I can't tell where McDowell's original idea ends and King's interpretation of his manuscript and notes begins. But I can say that it is shaping up to be a very good read.

This month I have finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, Dead and Gone and Death Masks.

I am currently reading The Bone Garden, Missing, Tooth and Claw: A Mystery and Smilla's Sense of Snow.

Reading Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories.

Hillamonster wrote: "This month I have finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, Dead and Gone and Death Masks.

..."

Hillamonster has too much time on her hands! ;-)

Just kidding really! Good list of reads. Which one was the best?

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest was probably the most satisfying, but Dead and Gone and Death Masks were fun.

(I do have too much time on my hands, or at least I use it all to read.)

Just finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pieand really like Flavia's character. Just realized the last 3 books I have read have been with children as main characters!

Now on to the Summer Theme Read and The Savage Garden

Hi Hillamonster and Patricia. Be sure to check out the group read discussions of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Interesting discussion of both books.

I'm reading Back On Murder by J. Mark Bertrand, the first book in his Roland March series. Can't stop turning pages.

Roland's a detective who's got a complex character and can't seem to stop himself from getting in his own way.

K.B. wrote: "I started Candles Burning. Not being familiar with Tabitha King's or Michael McDowell's work, I can't tell where McDowell's original idea ends and King's interpretation of his manuscr..."

Hillamonster...I loved The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritson, in particular, the way the story went back in time and then to the present.

I just finished Promise Me and I'm starting the last Myron Bolitar book Long Lost

Mary/Quite Contrary, The Bone Garden was a good one. Different from most of the others of hers that I've read.

K.B. wrote: "Mary/Quite Contrary, The Bone Garden was a good one. Different from most of the others of hers that I've read."

I love books that delve into the past and "dig" up old secrets. Heh heh...see what I did there?

@Fred, I was very disappointed in Long Lost. It seemed like he doesn't even like those characters anymore. Very little of Win, who I prefer over Myron.

I needed something a bit lighter and I found Hangman's Root by Susan Wittig Albert on my bookcase. Even though I am not much of a gardener I am enjoying it. It's the 3rd in the China Bayles series.

Hilla...I saw what you did, you cheeky chick! Another one with the back and forth in time thing is Nevada Barr's Flashback. It is set in Key West's Dry Tortuga National Park and the mc Anna Pidgeon reads letters from when the facility called Fort Jefferson was used as a prison in the Civil War. Very interesting.

Thank Kari...I never heard of Aaron Elkins...I'll take a look!

I finished The Spellman Files and did not care for it.

Donna, I love the China Bayles series. I did not like Albert's latest book at all, but I'm loyal to her series and will read all of the books concerning China!