Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897422 times)

Babi · « **Reply #1800 on:** January 17, 2011, 09:15:49 AM »

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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
We love hearing what YOU enjoy and recommend!

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Discussion Leaders: BillH and JoanK

ROSEMARY, as much as I delight in the settings and the characters, I
am an inveterate puzzle solver. I am alert for clues in all that is
said and done, and am quite pleased with myself when I've successfully
identified the culprit. However, I can also admire the author who is
able to adroitly mislead me.....so long as they play fair!

maryz · « **Reply #1801 on:** January 17, 2011, 01:01:38 PM »

Steph, I envy you. Scotland is one place we'd both like to revisit. Are you on a tour/Road Scholar/something like that? What places will you be visiting?

Steph · « **Reply #1802 on:** January 18, 2011, 06:21:09 AM »

Fly into Glasgow, then STay there for a city tour, off to Loch Lomond and Glen Cow,staying Kyle of Lochalsh, Isle of Skye, Inverewe Gardens, off to Ullapoolm then the Highland areas, finishing in Thjurso, Isle of Orkney, Skara Brae, John o Groats and Dunrobin Castle, Battle of Culloden, Fort. George, Edinburgh for several days and home from there. This is a 12 days trip, so we keep moving but it gives me an overall view of Scotland, which is what I wanted. I know I have some time in Edinburg, since I have been there and spent some time and so have seen a lot of what they will be seeing inEdinburgh. I will probably skip the distillery tour there since MDH and I did that and had lunch there that day..It was fun, but not a repeater. We also did the tours around town on the off and on buses, saw the yacht, castles,etc. So we can have lunch the day of the distillery tour perhaps. I will check the documents closer and be able to tell you where I will be staying and you can advise on buses to get to meet you.

maryz · « **Reply #1803 on:** January 18, 2011, 11:05:22 AM »

Steph, we got to many of those places. Fantastic! We loved Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar - all of the Orkneys.

Have you ever read the M.C.Beaton stories with Hamish MacBeth as the village constable? The BBC did a series based on those books. It was filmed in (@$#%#^% - can't remember right now) a little town very close to Kyle of Localsh. Netflix has the DVDs - well worth watching.

JoanK · « **Reply #1804 on:** January 18, 2011, 03:24:03 PM »

I'm back online after a days-long computer glitch! I feel like a person in the desert who sees water!

Funny I come back and you're talking about Stabanow. I just read her book about the gold mine (have to look up the name). She always has a bunch of local characters that don't have much to do with the plot, and you figure they're based on real people. In this one, there is casual mention of a man who runs an air taxi service.

The next night, I see that the Discovery TV Channel has a new series: "Flying Alaska". So I tune it in, and it's based on this man who runs an air taxi service. There are enough details that it is obviously the same person.

Talk about small world!

JoanK · « **Reply #1805 on:** January 18, 2011, 03:29:26 PM »

STEPH: I envy you so much. Always wanted to go to Scotland. And to meet ROSEMARY, too!! You have to give her big smiles from all of us.

ROSEMARY: I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't always know what's going on. Especially in TV mysteries, it seems that I missed some important bit and can never quite catch up.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1806 on:** January 18, 2011, 03:47:55 PM »

Steph, what an itinerary! I have been to Skye, Inverewe, Ullapool and Fort George, but none of them for a very long time. I didn't even know there was a distillery in Edinburgh - there is one out here - past Ballater - and many on Speyside where my best friend lives. I'll look forward to hearing more details.

JoanK - I am even more hopeless with TV mysteries - it's always me saying "But - who is he? why did he do that?" etc. These days I just sit back and enjoy the scenery

The Stabanow book sounds like the one I read - I had never heard of air taxis before. And as you say, she probably puts people in regardless of the plot, but they are interesting so I don't mind (especially as I can't follow the plot anyway

I would have liked to have seen the programme about the air taxi service - when we move we are hoping to get cable TV at last (it does not exist in Aberdeen), so we should be able to get the Discovery channel. i am really looking forward to having access to Sky Arts.

And thank you for the big smiles you will be sending! I hope you will get over some time - I am also looking forward to having more guests when we are in Edinburgh, as not many people make it as far north as Aberdeen. I have recently re-contacted a friend I hadn't seen for years (through Facebook - it has its uses!) who says he is going to be bringing a show to the Edinburgh Festival, so I am glad we will have a spare room available. These will be the positive things about moving from here - middle daughter is feeling very negative about the whole thing at the moment (leaving her choir, our church, etc) so I am trying to find all the good things to focus on.

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #1807 on:** January 19, 2011, 06:09:47 AM »

Then you found a house?? Flat?? that you like in Edinburgh.. You mentioned Ballateer, when we were there for the wedding in 05, the parents of the groom stayed there. The little chapel and the shooting lodge where the reception was were on some estate around there.
The distellery in Edinburgh is right down the hill from the castle.. You walk down and boom.. it is there on the right. The little restaurant in it was really good.. There was also a wonderful Hot Chocolate type shop quite close to the little hotel where we stayed. I am not quite sure that six rooms qualifies as a hotel.. But the pub is downstairs and we had great fun.. Our bathroom was the same size on our bedroom. No noise from the pub and they did breakfast just for their guests each morning. We loved it.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1808 on:** January 19, 2011, 08:52:21 AM »

Piping up from the very wet Antipodean city of Brisbane.

Maryz - I was completely smitten by Hamish Macbeth. Small of stature, but strong on screen presence, Robert Carlisle is an extremely versatile actor. The name of the town was Lochdubh (pronounced) Lockdoob, with the post vocalic "ch" so similar to the Greek "chi" or χ. the -doob is pronounced more as a long "oo"; not at all like the "oo" in good. Ah - the Scottish accent is enchanting indeed. Hamish had a West Highland Terrier called "Wee Jock", who was often the star of the series in his own right. Rosemary is surrounded by the Scottish accent. What do you think of it Rosemary? Australian English is renowned for its somewhat flat vowels, although, of course, this is more varied in certain idiolects. My vowels and Gum's are in perfect shape. :-)

maryz · « **Reply #1809 on:** January 19, 2011, 01:03:14 PM »

Click here for the Wikipedia link about the TV series. It was filmed in the village of Plockton. We took lots of photographs, and saw all the places we'd seen in the series. They're terrific!

Robert Carlyle is indeed wonderful. You'll remember him as the star of The Full Monty.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1810 on:** January 19, 2011, 04:53:58 PM »

Steph - No we have not yet found a house or flat! Viewing more on Sunday. We will be in Edinburgh whatever, as we will just keep on the flat my husband currently rents - it is very nice indeed but just not big enough. I certainly hope we will have bought something by the summer - I am cautiously optimistic about one of the flats we are going to see on Sunday, David has already seen it and thought it was good.

Carolyn - the Scottish accent has many variations. The Highland accent is generally quite soothing and pleasant, whereas the Glaswegian one can take a bit of getting used to! Edinburgh varies - many people would say it sounds more like an English accent, and it's certainly true that the posher you are in Edinburgh, the more Engllish you are likely to sound. When my son was a baby we lived in a fairly remote N East farming village and I couldn't understand a word some people said. They speak something called Doric, which is basically English with a lot of local terminology thrown in - for example, if someone sees you in the street, they will say "Fit like?" to which the reply is "Mucktie aye" - this roughly translates as "How are you?" - "Fine thanks". Women will often be referred to as "quines" and boys as "loons". People will also ask you where you stay, by which they mean where do you live, not are you on holiday? At coffee time, they will have a "fly piece", which means a cake or roll that they have brought in as a mid-morning snack.

MaryZ - I have been to Plockton, it's very pretty. One of the four Scottish Executive funded music schools is there - it specialises in "traditional music", which here means ceilidh-type stuff, lots of pipes, accordions, fiddles, clarsach, that kind of thing. I haven't ever been to Orkney, but my husband goes there often as he is involved in wave energy and they are testing their devices in that area, because the waves are so good.

I love Robert Carlyle - the scene at the beginning of The Full Monty, when the two men are standing on the old car in the canal, always make us laugh so much.

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #1811 on:** January 20, 2011, 06:16:49 AM »

I have read several of the Hamish stories, but never any TV.. What is the series name?? I thought I might try net flix to see if they have them.

maryz · « **Reply #1812 on:** January 20, 2011, 08:23:01 AM »

CLICK HERE for the Netflix link, Steph. There are three series to check out.

Babi · « **Reply #1813 on:** January 20, 2011, 09:16:21 AM »

ROSEMARY, I can remember my father telling stories of traveling
with a Scots friend during the depression, following the harvests.
He said that in the evenings people would gather around the
campfires to talk, and John Clark would tell stories in a brogue
that kept them all enchanted. It is an image that has stayed with
me to this day.

FlaJean · « **Reply #1814 on:** January 21, 2011, 08:18:22 PM »

Am just starting Laura Childs' The Teaberry Strangler. It was through her books that I discovered we have only one place that grows tea in the US--the tea plantation in the Charleston area. I'm not a big tea drinker but I do love these tea shop mysteries.

Steph · « **Reply #1815 on:** January 22, 2011, 06:36:52 AM »

Thanks Mary. I just wanted to be sure of the title, but it is simply Hamish Macbeth.. Will do the netflix thing and add to my queu.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #1816 on:** January 22, 2011, 02:28:00 PM »

I'm reading Diane Mott Davidson's Fatally Flakey. I think she's throwing in a new character, Jack, Goldy's godfather, retired lawyer, who has moved in across the street from Goldy. Davidson is writing it as tho' he gave her money to start her catering business when "the jerk" was still in the story. Do any of you remember him being in the picture? I, also, must not have read the book where "the jerk" dies even tho i tho't there was only 2 or three that i've missed......jean

roshanarose · « **Reply #1817 on:** January 22, 2011, 10:56:38 PM »

Rosemary - I only use roshanarose as my ID on here because there are a couple of other Carolyns here. But I don't mind if you use it.

When I read the word "Doric" my interest was sharpened. I looked up Wiki (always my first resort - sorry to purists :-)) and found this:

As The Oxford Companion to English Literature explains:"Since the Dorians were regarded as uncivilised by the Athenians, 'Doric' came to mean 'rustic' in English, and was applied particularly to the language of Northumbria and the Lowlands of Scotland and also to the simplest of the three orders in architecture."[2]
Use of the term Doric in this context may also arise out of a contrast with the anglicised speech of the Scottish capital, because at one point, Edinburgh was nicknamed 'Athens of the North'. The upper/middle class speech of Edinburgh would thus be 'Attic', making the rural areas' speech 'Doric'" I accept this explanation, mainly because of its source, but I am looking for a more mysterious and glamorous meaning. Coincidentally, the word for where you live in Greek is also the verb for where you stay. If I am not mistaken, the word word for night in some Scottish dialects is "nicht", the Greek word for night is nichta =
η νύχτα.

I am a frustrated comparative linguist and become quite excited when I see similarities like those above.

Off topic - sorry - but I can't resist adding some Doric (Scottish) dialect sayings here. I think they are enchanting.

Foo's yer doos?" (Hou's yer dous?): Literally "How are your pigeons?", now used as "How are you?" A stock phrase, not so often used in speech as to send up Doric.

"Aye peckin": Literally "Always pecking. " This is the reply to "Fou's yer doos?"

"Fit's adee?" (Whit's adae?): "What's wrong?"

"Gie's a bosie!": "Give me a hug!"

"A'm fair forfochten": "I am very tired. "

The Broch - Fraserburgh also Burghead near Elgin. Fraserburgh, called The Broch in Scots, is a small town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in the extreme Northeast corner approximately 40 miles North Burghead is a small Town in Moray, Scotland, United Kingdom about 8 miles

Steph · « **Reply #1818 on:** January 23, 2011, 06:12:40 AM »

I am reading the very first Louise Penny and loving it. What a wonderful character and what a wonderful small town.. I think she has written several, so.... I can see me looking for each one now..

Babi · « **Reply #1819 on:** January 23, 2011, 09:36:49 AM »

Oh, I do hope I can remember "A'm fair forfochten". I'd love to
astonish my family by using it the next time opportunity presents.

roshanarose · « **Reply #1820 on:** January 23, 2011, 10:58:01 PM »

My favourite is "Gie's a bosie".

Steph · « **Reply #1821 on:** January 24, 2011, 06:17:45 AM »

INspector Gamache is interesting, although I am struggling with procedure. His assistant does not remotely seem to be interested in being a policewoman.. Just a star.. How odd. You would think if she got that far, she knew about police work and how to do it.

CubFan · « **Reply #1822 on:** January 24, 2011, 09:26:33 AM »

Hang in there Steph - it's worth it. The first two or three titles are sequential and the behaviors of the characters are for a reason.

Mary

FlaJean · « **Reply #1823 on:** January 24, 2011, 01:28:21 PM »

The author's name, Louise Penny, didn't ring a bell but Inspector Gamache did. I'll have to check on those books. They sound interesting. I might have read one or two. I have a list but often just don't bother posting books. $:-\$

pedln · « **Reply #1824 on:** January 24, 2011, 01:43:56 PM »

I had never heard of Louise Penny until someone recommended Brutal Telling, which was the only Penny my library had. It's her latest, and knowing what I know now, I would have held off on reading it, and tried to find earlier ones first. It was a great story.

At the library the other day I decided I was in the mood for another Arnaldur Indriasson, so checked out Hypothermia. Not sure how I feel about it -- it's a little slow, kind of plodding, perhaps a bit too introspective. Not nearly as engrossing as his Arctic Chill.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #1825 on:** January 24, 2011, 03:08:59 PM »

Double Recommendation: Do read the Louise Penney books. Start with the first one. They are wonderful! Go to her website, and there you will find the books listed, and alternate titles, since they do that in other countries besides the US. She writes a wonderful blog and sends it in mail every month.

Steph · « **Reply #1826 on:** January 25, 2011, 06:31:03 AM »

I finished Still Life and loved it. Must find the next few.. Will try the Website.. I do love informative ones on authors. I still do not understand the awkward assistant. She does not seem suitable to be a police person.

joegreyfan · « **Reply #1827 on:** January 27, 2011, 03:00:06 PM »

I've read all of Louise Penny's books to date. I love them! And each one seems better than the last.

Has anyone tried Sophie Hannah's mysteries? I've read two, The Wrong Mother and The Dead Lie Down. She writes good psychological suspense, though I wish she'd include some likable characters. And The Dead Lie Down is so densely and intricately plotted that several times I found myself losing track of who was who and what was going on. I'm normally a fast reader, but it seemed to take forever to get through this one!

Now for a fast, easy read, I'm enjoying Tick Tock by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge, the fourth in a series I really like featuring a widowed NYPD homicide detective with 10 adopted children.

pedln · « **Reply #1828 on:** January 27, 2011, 09:32:03 PM »

joegrayfan, my f2f group will read SophieHannah's The Wrong Mother later this year. I've never read anything by her before, and I get her confused sometimes with Kristin Hannah. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading it and hope that the characters are likeable.

Every night I tell myself that I'm going to go to bed early and just read a mystery. And I never do, it's always way late when I head off to bed. Last night I started Maron's Christmas Mourning (late) and read until the wee hours. Can't do that again, so hopefully it's off to bed early.

Frybabe · « **Reply #1829 on:** January 27, 2011, 11:51:05 PM »

I was nosing around on the net again, looking for something else, when I ran across this little tid-bit. A movie of Boris Akunin's The Winter Queen is in pre-production and is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012. So far the only cast listed are Milla Jovovich and Anton Yelchin.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1830 on:** January 28, 2011, 02:41:57 AM »

Pedln, that's exactly what I promise myself - and it never happens. I go to bed far too late, then try to read a mystery, then can't remember a thing I've read and have to start back-tracking. I was brought up to think that reading during the day was almost sinful - you should be doing something "better" with your time - and although I of course don't agree with that, I do find time does just disappear (then I think, how can it? I used to work, now I work only 2 half days, I don't have any more things to do now than I did then, but I seem to have even less time. I wonder if the laws of physics could explain that one?!)

I am trying to read a book by Mary Jane Clarke, but I must admit I am not yet gripped. The heroine (TV reporter) seems to be a bit too good to be true for my liking.

R

Steph · « **Reply #1831 on:** January 28, 2011, 06:18:50 AM »

Amazing how you can track an author. I am reading an older book by Charlaine Harris..It is one in the Aurora Teagarden series.. A Fool and his honey. She started writing sort of cozies, but this one becomes darker and really surprises you in the end.. Now of course, she mostly writes about the vampire.. Sookie Stackhouse series and a few other paranormals, but she is good in those as well.

Babi · « **Reply #1832 on:** January 28, 2011, 09:06:49 AM »

A police detective with 10 adopted children?!! On a policeman's
salary? Maybe he has another source of income? Okay, JOEGREYFAN,
I'm intrigued. I'll have to check this one out. Ten kids ought to
make for lively living.

It's true, ROSEMARY, I can testify to that. I get much more
done when I have a great deal to do. I think the sense of urgency
is responsible. When I have little to do and plenty of time..
well, what's the hurry?

JoanK · « **Reply #1833 on:** January 28, 2011, 08:31:41 PM »

I'm back with a new computer -- my old one is dead as a dodo. You may find me grouchy for awhile as I get used to it.

" I was brought up to think that reading during the day was almost sinful - you should be doing something "better" with your time"

And since my mother was a librarian, I was brought up to believe that there is nothing better to do with your time.

While I was off the computer was playing with my new kindle (I now have more than 60 books on it: only one did I pay over 5$, and many were free. I caught up on the Dana Stabinow I missed -- don't know how I got so far behind. Read a sample of the new Donna Andrews (Meg is 8 months pregnant), but I'll bet I can get it "like new" for less than $9.99 even including postage. And others that aren't worth mentioning.

Steph · « **Reply #1834 on:** January 29, 2011, 06:15:48 AM »

Donna Andrews makes me laugh,although I would love to see Meg get more of a spine. Her Mother is fairly obnoxious.
Ten adopted children. Will have to hunt for that one. I am reading a James Swain.. Always interesting. His detective finds cheats in casinos for the casino.. Amazing the different scams that are done in the name of free money.. This one is about the Micanopy Indian casino down in south Florida..I think Swain lives in Miami..

marjifay · « **Reply #1835 on:** January 31, 2011, 08:37:21 AM »

I just finished a great mystery: WHY SHOOT A BUTLER? by British author Georgette Heyer, with a group that reads vintage mysteries. An English country house murder mystery with a twist -- the butler as the victim. Very good writing with first-rate dry British wit.

Marj

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #1836 on:** January 31, 2011, 01:14:08 PM »

I have just finished "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" by Mary Ann Clark. I am not too sure about it. I liked it enough to read more (if there are more), but I felt that the characters were not well enough defined - even at the end of the book I kept getting some of them muddled up. Also, the heroine, Eliza, was just too too perfect - she was meant to be a secret smoker, but you did feel that the author had just put that in to give her a vice, and it didn't ring true. And I was also not convinced by the fact that at the start of the book she was mourning her recently dead husband, but only a matter of weeks later she was making hay with another reporter (who of course thought she was wonderful).

Meanwhile, the immensely rich ex-wife of the main murderee (as it were) wasted no time in hooking up with also immensely rich vice-chairman of the TV company, who of course also thinks she's wonderful. The only women who don't get their men are the murderee's devoted secretary (stereotype bitter twisted spinster with cat) and the chairman of the TV company (successful, but fat and unattractive, so no hope for her then). So not good messages really!

Marj - I saw that book in our local discount bookshop last week and dithered about whether it would be good or not - I expect they've sold out by now! I have never read any Georgette Heyer, but she is immensely popular. When I was at school, my best friend read through all of her historical romances and loved them.

Rosemary

FlaJean · « **Reply #1837 on:** January 31, 2011, 05:10:28 PM »

Checked out three Louise Penny books from the library. She is a new author for me but from the reviews here, her books sound interesting.

joegreyfan · « **Reply #1838 on:** January 31, 2011, 06:41:38 PM »

The first book in the Patterson-Ledwidge series about the police detective with 10 adopted children is Step on a Crack, followed by Run for Your Life, Worst Case, and Tick Tock. It's best (but not essential) to read them in order.

I'm almost finished with Susan Hill's The Woman in Black, a ghost story that's more of a novella than a novel, and am not finding it nearly as scary or creepy as I've heard it is. In fact, it made a fine, relaxing bedtime read last night. It's written in the style of an old-fashioned Victorian ghost story. Has anyone else here read it? Next I'll most likely read You Are Next by Katia Lief, which several friends have recommended (I can tell from the synopsis that it's not for those who dislike serial-killer thrillers).

mabel1015j · « **Reply #1839 on:** January 31, 2011, 08:34:21 PM »

I'm reading The Bootleggers Dgt which is the first in Margaret Moran's series on Judge Knott. I've read the next two but hadn't read the first one. She's running for Judge in this one. There's something about the clarity of her writing that appeals to me.....except for trying to keep the 10 brothers and their spouses straight...

.... Or maybe it's just how well she writes small-town, rural America that i can identify with, but i enjoy her books so much. For those of you who are looking for an enjoyable mystery w/out too much gore and some humor, i recommend her. Next on my mystery list is a Lisa Scottolini, since she writes abt Philly, i can also identify w/ her environment ........... My scheizophrenic life is laid bare

...........jean

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897422 times)