The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Hi Paula, Hmmmm. The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree looked interesting. I may still give it a try sometime but I am enjoying China and company.

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree is new to me. I'll have to go investigate it!

I'm currently reading Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell... almost finished... so hopefully can finish it tonight... then I'm thinking of what to read next for the weekend..

Paula wrote: "The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree is new to me. I'll have to go investigate it!"

Hi Paula, My mistake - when you referred to her latest book I thought you meant the new series! Anyway, I think it is very hard for an author of a long running series not to have a less than terrific one now and then. It doesn't stop me from reading the next one if it's a series I really like.

I started Enna Burning.

I finished Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell. It's about murder and shenanigans in the art world, particularly western art. The story dragged for me but I enjoyed learning a little about art sales and auctions.

I just started "Still Midnight" by Denise Mina. I always like her and particularly liked her last, "Slip of the Knife".

I'm starting The Thirteenth Tale and it grabbed me right away. I think I'm really going to like this one.

Hayes...I LOVED The Thirteenth Tale...it was a standout for me last year. Very unusual and engaging.

JF: BROKEN by Karin Slaughter - was disappointed with the ending. Maybe impatient is a better way to describe it.

NR: THE SILENT HOUR by Michael Koryta...so so read, and I'm getting bored...might chuck it.

Finished Ice Cold and loved it! Started The Little Stranger

I finished Out of Range by C.J. Box. This was a good Joe Pickett mystery.

Barbara wrote: "I finished Out of Range by C.J. Box. This was a good Joe Pickett mystery."

I keep meaning to read a C.J. Box sometime. What would you suggest as a first one to read, Barbara?

Barbara wrote: "I finished Out of Range by C.J. Box. This was a good Joe Pickett mystery."

I'm reading this one now, and it's a good one.

I just finished Mørkemannen (The Bogeyman) after a struggle at first. Liked it after all though, I guess I just wasn't used to reading Unni Lindell anymore. This is #7 in a series that I realy like. The link refers to the original, I read it in Dutch - there is supposed to be an English version soon! Series is best read in order, starting Slangebæreren (The Thirteenth Star Sign).

Now I have started on Complicit by Nicci French.

Kari wrote: "The first book in the series is. You do not have to read the series in order but it helps in understanding some of the relationships. I read [bookcover:Nowhere to Run|..."

Thanks, Kari.

Currently reading

I started Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane and it has really drawn me in. it's hard to put down.

I'm on page 167 of "The Passage". I love this book!

Hi Judith... is it with vampires?
(Just can't cope with vampires, don't know why.)

Thank you Judith.

Will check out The Summer Guest too.

Just finished The Little Stranger and ended up feeling a little let down by it. I've now started Sacrifice by S.J. Bolten and think it's going to be my kind of mystery.

Just finished A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters. I'm never disappointed in this author or series. Highly recommended as 'light' reading.

Jan, I have the first three of the Amelia Peabody books by Peters that I'm going to start on very soon.

Donna wrote: "I started Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane and it has really drawn me in. it's hard to put down."

I have in my possession the entire set of Dennis Lehane
books. They remain dog-eared because they made the entire circuit of my family. I love Dennis Lehane!

I am halfway finished with The Monster in the Box: An Inspector Wexford Novel Ruth Rendell. Lovin' every word...

Just finished Rant by Chuck Palahniuk and now currently reading The Ideal Wife by Mary Balogh

I am currently reading The Atlantis Revelation, the last book in Thomas Greanias' Atlantis trilogy. I really enjoyed the first two books. I am anxiously waiting for Vault of Shiva to arrive. This is the sixth book by Andy McDermott in the Eddie Chase / Nina Wilde series. If you haven't read them, they are really good. Each book deals with a different archeological legend like The Hunt for Atlantis,The Tomb of Hercules,The Secret of Excaliburand The Cult Of Osiris. Nina Wilde an archeologist and Eddie is ex- military and together they solve these historical mysteries. Reminds me of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series or Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series. The Vault of Shiva is not publisher in the US as of yet. It is due in October I believe, but I was able to get a copy released in the UK. Can't Wait. I will also say that this genre (archeological mystery)is my favorite type of mystery/thriller book. Some of my favorite authors are Steve Berry, Andy McDermott, Aarron Elkins, Chris Kuzneski, James Rollins, Clive Cussler, David Woods and David Lynn Golemon. If you have any questions about any of these authors or if you have some suggestions, please let me know. Thanks

Halfway throughThe King of Lies. Next up:The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Kari wrote: "I just started . This is a cool thriller to read on these hot summer days."

Kari I love all of James Rollins stand alone books! Subterranean and Excavation are two of my favorite guilty pleasures. I like his ongoing series but not as much as the stand alones. The only book he wrote I didn't care for was Deep Fathom.

Finished The Thirteenth Tale and indeed I did love it. Just a few quibbles about the tying up of loose ends, but it did not take away from the story or the writing. 4.5 stars.

No mysteries coming up on TBR... will be starting The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and finishing up Gulliver's Travels.

Kathy wrote: "Jan, I have the first three of the Amelia Peabody books by Peters that I'm going to start on very soon."
I'm actually jealous! This is such an enjoyable series with such great characters that I wish I could go back and read them for the first time. Enjoy!

I just finished Dying Bites, a superatural mystery about an FBI profiler being sent to an alternate reality. I enjoyed it a lot and hope to read the sequel.

Now I'm starting good old Evanovich's Sizzling Sixteen. Ah, summer!

Just started Cop Hater the first of the 87th Precinct. It needs to go back to the library soon so I figured I'd start it, haha! Anyone else read Ed McBain? Thoughts? I love good police procedurals and I'm addicted to all Law and Order.

Still working on The Bone Garden and loving it.

Started The Bone Collector, Loving Lincoln Rhymes already. I like characters that have strange quirks or disabilities (Asperger's/Lisbeth Salandar, Synaesthesia/Mark Lapslie, Poison-loving Child/Flavia de Luce, etc). I love the back and forth between the crime taking place and the police trying to catch the guy. Reminds me of Silence of the Lambs.

Someone recommended to me The Calling, which I bought for Kindle (it was super cheap and even though I don't own a kindle, I can read on my PC and my iPhone). I love this! Once again, I think I like having a chapter of police and a chapter of the criminal. I like being in the dark and discovering clues along the way, but I think that can still be done with some creepy insight from the criminal!

As for non-Mystery, but certainly a Thriller, I am reading Feed, a book about zombies and bloggers following a presidential campaign trail. They are uncovering a conspiracy while trying not to get infected along the way. SO GOOD and Exactly what I wanted to be reading right now. I'm upset that it's the first of a trilogy and the next book doesn't come out until May :(

I would love to read some Ed McBain, but whenever I start looking at his books I get a little overwhelmed. It's so hard to know where to start. If you have a recommendation for any of his books let me know! I believe they can be read out of publishing order, am I right?

I finished Sacrifice today and just want to say it fulfilled every mystery loving bone in my body. Fantastic read!

Later on today I get to delve into Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile, which is the third in a series and no, I haven't read the first two. I always seem to manage to plunge in late into series lol.

Anyone else sampled these books?

No, but I adore his The Joy of Lex: An Amazing and Amusing Z to A and A to Z of Words. I have an ancient copy which I brought with me from the States.

Will check out the mysteries now!

Hayes wrote: "No, but I adore his The Joy of Lex: An Amazing and Amusing Z to A and A to Z of Words. I have an ancient copy which I brought with me from the States.

Will check out the mysteries now!"

I saw your book and thought it looked good fun. I'm on chapter two of this mystery and it is choc-a-bloc full of famous people. If this keeps up, it will be worthy of four stars.

Bettie wrote: "Later on today I get to delve into Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile, which is the third in a series and no, I haven't read the first two. I always seem to manage to plunge in lat..."

Hi Bettie, I read the first one in this series, Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance: A Mysteryand I did enjoy it.

Donna wrote: "Bettie wrote: "Later on today I get to delve into Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile, which is the third in a series and no, I haven't read the first two. I always seem to manage ..."

Thanks Donna - looks as if I need to pick up the slack here as it is interesting and Brandreth is such a playful wordsmith isn't he!?

I've started Moloka'i by Alan Brennert.

I've just finished The Ideal Wife (Dark Angel, #5) by Mary Balogh. It was just okay.. light reading..

I'm currently reading Until I Find You by John Irving

Kathy wrote: "I've started Moloka'i by Alan Brennert."

That one sounds really good Kathy.

Hi Hayes and Kathy, I read Moloka'i with an in person group I belong to and we all loved it.

Juat finished The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home last night & started Death on the Drunkard's Path.

Finished Jodi Picoult's "House Rules" and about 1/3 of the way through Jeffrey Deaver's "Burning Wire".

Noticed in the last Deaver I read, "Broken Window", he references RFIDs and data mining. In his latest, he hooks into cloud computing.

Donna wrote: "Hi Hayes and Kathy, I read Moloka'i with an in person group I belong to and we all loved it."

Good to know, Donna. I am going to try and devote some quality reading time to it tomorrow. My reading time has been rather spotty since I started it, but I still think it is pretty awesome so far (first 75 pages).

Just finished the latest Evanovich and have now started Vengeance Road by Rick Mofina, a new-to-me author. Pretty good so far. The main character is a newspaper reporter.

Kari wrote: "I started . I have read other Nevada Barr's that were after this so I am going back to fill the gap. So far I do not like the urban setting as much as the other par..."

My very favorite Nevada Barr book was her 1st book that was published that she wrote in 1984 called "Bittersweet". I thought it was one of the quirkiest but entertaining books that I ever read. I have owned a copy of this book for years.

Here is a quote from Barr's website:

"Bittersweet is the second book I wrote, the first I ever got published. My boss (I was working as an executive assistant for Morgan Stanley in New York at the time) dubbed it a neo-gothic lesbian western. This is a very narrow genre. If you're a new writer I wouldn't suggest this venue. Because it's one of my earliest works, Bittersweet contains a lot of the stories I heard growing up near the Smoke Creek Desert and remains one of my favorite books."

Nevada