Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897733 times)

MaryPage · « **Reply #2800 on:** August 26, 2011, 12:44:43 PM »

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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!

Links:
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Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers
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Discussion Leader: JoanK

I am more than half way through THE PREACHER by Camilla Lackberg. It is really good. She is now the most profitable native author in Swedish history. Her books have been published in 35 countries.

The plot is totally different from THE ICE PRINCESS, but she does keep the town, the police force, and the principal couple. Very nice indeed!

I feel certain her books will each be made into a film.

FlaJean · « **Reply #2801 on:** August 26, 2011, 01:36:33 PM »

I finished all the Peter May "Enzo" series (5 so far). There are apparently two more coming as Enzo is supposedly solving seven cold case mysteries in this series. His China series is also interesting but the characters are not as likable IMO.

Right now I'm starting Rita Mae Brown's newest "Hiss of Death.

Steph · « **Reply #2802 on:** August 27, 2011, 05:59:11 AM »

I have read several of Virginia Swifts books. She did not write that many thus far.. But I do like them.. Her characters are interesting and different from me since they tend to be far West types.

pedln · « **Reply #2803 on:** August 27, 2011, 12:56:42 PM »

MaryPage, I've just been checking on Camilla Lackberg's books on Amazon, had not heard of her before. They do sound good. Will check the library and used book store. None are on Kindle yet.

Whoever recommended Daniel Silva, thank you. Was it Jim NT? I recently started The Rembrandt Affair, which a gather is one of his more recent ones. The trivial tidbits he includes are just as interesting as his characters, but are they true? Was the Mona Lisa really stolen once from the Louvre? And was Pable Picasso one of those arrested after the theft was discovered? Interesting.

CubFan · « **Reply #2804 on:** August 27, 2011, 01:26:01 PM »

Pedlin - yes the Mona Lisa was stolen and yes Picasso was arrested for the theft even though he was miles away when it happened.

Hang tight those on the East Coast. I've seen what inches of water can do with out the winds. Can't imagine the combination of wind and water.

Mary

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #2805 on:** August 27, 2011, 01:27:47 PM »

I am reading Silva's latest: "Moscow Rules". Was awake until about 3:00 am, and didn't quite finish, but I only started it yesterday. Quick moving, and Gabriel is moving from country to country so swiftly, I don't know how he keeps up! (I know, this is just fiction, LOL)

Steph · « **Reply #2806 on:** August 28, 2011, 06:14:48 AM »

I put a Silva on my IPAD for the trip, so will see how I feel about him.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #2807 on:** August 31, 2011, 02:17:49 PM »

I've been reading cozy mysteries one after the other - two Virginia Swift and one Margaret Moran and one Nancy Martin of the Blackbird Sisters - got my fill of sassy young women talking in witticisms, altho i really like the stories. Have to move on to some books that have real conversations. While talking w/the DH i realized that that is one of the reasons i like the tv series "The Closer". She is unintentionally humorous and all of her conversations are purposeful. On the other hand, i like Rizzoli and Isles because i like the actresses, but they tend to talk in witty, snarky comments too.

One of the reasons i like the "Miss Julie" series is there is not that witty, snarky banter written into the story. That witty conversation in small doses is fine but i've just overdosed in tbese last four books.

I recently found Virginia Swift and i really like her stories. The protagonist is a history professor, including teaching women's history at U of Wyoming, and an ardent feminist, issues of which get included in the story.

FlaJean · « **Reply #2808 on:** August 31, 2011, 04:52:31 PM »

I love the Miss Julia series, but I've read all that were written. I am going to start Dragon Bones by Lisa See which technically isn't a mystery but sounds as 'tho there is some mystery/adventure in it.

Steph · « **Reply #2809 on:** September 01, 2011, 06:46:10 AM »

I really like Virginia Swift. I have read all four of her mysteries. Dragon
Bones is a genuine mystery in some ways. It is very good indeed. I lunch at a teeny chinese restaurant maybe every two weeks. The same young woman is the only waitress and is chatty. I always have a book and she said yesterday that she had a favorite book and had read it six times.. I asked.. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, which I have read. She proclaimed it was her life as well. Interesting..

FlaJean · « **Reply #2810 on:** September 01, 2011, 11:50:09 AM »

I'm really enjoying Dragon Bones by Lisa See. Thanks for suggesting it, Steph. I'm going to be on the lookout for more of her books.

Steph · « **Reply #2811 on:** September 02, 2011, 05:23:02 AM »

Yes, I am hunting for the first two Red Princess books by her. I was not fond of Shanghai Girls, but after listening to my waitress, I see that she has a strong appeal to oriental women with it.

nlhome · « **Reply #2812 on:** September 03, 2011, 09:38:00 PM »

I am reading Jacqueline Winspear's A Lesson in Secrets. It's moving slowly for me, although that may have something to do with the fine weather we were having and my need of grasping the good days while I can. Wisconsin winters come too soon. In any case, I did a little research to see how much of the setting is based on the history of WWI and the time after it, and now I found some other books that I may have to order to read up about this time in history. One of the things I like about his series is that I am compelled to read more about the setting and learn a lot that I missed in my history classes.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2813 on:** September 04, 2011, 03:01:08 AM »

nlhome - I have read some of the Maisie Dobbs books, but I always feel that they are a bit formulaic. Maisie herself just drives me nuts, with all her intuition and general perfectness. Then there is her "poor but honest" cap-doffing assistant, and her "salt of the earth" father. However, I agree that the history is interesting - much of it resonates with me as it is the background to my grandparents' lives. And I do think the books are improving as they come along - the last one I read was "Among the Mad" and that was definitely better than its predecessors.

Rosemary

Babi · « **Reply #2814 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:23:01 AM »

I picked up a copy of "The Thin Man" at the library at glanced into it. I realized that while I
had seen 'Thin Man' movies umpteen years ago, I didn't recall ever reading the book. The
few lines I read had me smiling, so it's now here waiting for me to finish one of the other books
I'm reading. You all remember Dashiell Hammett, right? He was one of the groundbreakers
in detective fiction.

nlhome · « **Reply #2815 on:** September 04, 2011, 11:31:53 AM »

Rosemary, I agree to a small extent about the formula in the Winspear books, but I also wonder, as they are set in a time when roles were changing in Britain (and in the US but not quite so much) if some of that isn't just the awkwardness of the times, when people were stretching beyond their "station" in life and maybe not so comfortable.

I think in this last book I am reading that Maisie is showing more of her vulnerabilities, as she becomes more confident in her life at the same time. Maybe I like reading about her perfection because I am so far from it and would like to believe I could, or more aptly, could have done better?

In the little bit of outside reading I have done on WWI, it seems that people did have very complicated lives as a result of that war, especially in England and Belgium and France. Did your grandparents share much about that time period? They were closer to the events than my farmer grandparents were, by distance and by involvement.

FlaJean · « **Reply #2816 on:** September 04, 2011, 12:09:43 PM »

Dragon Bones by Lisa See was well written and a good story line. Now I have just finished Jeanne Dam's latest in the Dorothy Martin series. This series is about a widow from Indiana who moves to England after her husband died. It's best to start this series from the beginning, if possible, as life changes as it does with most series. It's a cozy but what I needed just now.

MaryPage · « **Reply #2817 on:** September 04, 2011, 12:31:02 PM »

Last night I watched a couple of Dalziel and Pascoe films I have on DVD, and afterwards got to thinking about Reginald Hill and this series of books. They are amusing, frivolous, gritty, gruesome, profane and profound. What leaves me thinking about each book, or film based on a book, after reading or viewing are the rather profound messages about our society deeply inserted into each story. I am left thinking Reginald Hill is someone I would love to know and have long conversations with.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2818 on:** September 04, 2011, 12:37:07 PM »

nlhome - my grandparents did not tell me too much about the first war - my grandfather died when I was 4, and although my grandmother lived on until I was in my 20s, she never mentioned it much. However, I know that my grandfather was gassed in the trenches - although he did not die, he came home a changed man and never worked again. They were grindingly poor - there were few benefits then - and my grandmother took in other people's washing and did their housework as well as looking after invalid husband and 5 children. There was huge unemployment after the war - all those men who had gone off in a wave of patriotic fervour, whipped up by people like Haig, came back to nothing.

The entire family lived in 2 rooms in Chislehurst (south London) until my grandmother went to the council offices and told them she would sit there until they gave her a house. Eventually they offered her one and asked her if she would like to view it - she said no, just give me the keys; the family lived in that house until my mother's sister, who never married, died in the late 1990s. It had 3 bedrooms, which to them was luxury.

I do think Winspear probably gets most of the background right - the book that involved the hop-picking was certainly accurate, my mother's family used to do that regularly - it's the rather cliched characters that irritate me. However, I haven't read the last 2 and I would like to - I did think she was improving, and it sounds as though this has carried through to the most recent ones.

Rosemary

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #2819 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:06:09 PM »

Hi…I’m a newbie here and love mysteries. I am currently reading Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton and really enjoying it. I also like Tana French’s books. I’ve read In the Woods and Faithful Place. I’m a great fan of the Lake District mysteries by Martin Edwards and the Simon Serrailler crime novels by Susan Hill. Has anyone read any of these?

Frybabe · « **Reply #2820 on:** September 04, 2011, 04:43:46 PM »

Welcome, WinchesterLady!

I am not familiar with any of those you mentioned, but I am sure there are some here who have. I am always happy to see a new face and to hear about what everyone is reading.

Right now, I am reading an oldie - a Peter Whimsey novel, Who's Body? by Dorothy Sayers. Since I got a Kindle for Christmas, I have been going nuts downloading freebie e-books from Project Gutenberg or ManyBooks.net.

BTW, you are not too far away from me - a straight shot down on 81 from the Harrisburg, PA area.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2821 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:24:05 PM »

Hello Winchesterlady and welcome!

I haven't read any of the books you mention, but they do sound interesting - I didn't even know there were mysteries set in the Lake District - and my in-laws live there

I'm sure someone on here will have read some of these writers - they are a well-read group.

Best wishes,

Rosemary

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #2822 on:** September 04, 2011, 05:35:12 PM »

Thanks Frybabe and Rosemary. For the past few years, I’ve been reading many of the on-line book blogs - - several of which are written in Great Britain. They’ve gotten me interested in a lot of the authors I read.

salan · « **Reply #2823 on:** September 04, 2011, 06:00:21 PM »

Winchesterlady, I have read the Tana French books and enjoyed them. I think she has a new one out, now. Frybabe, I am also reading "Whose Body" on my Kindle!
Sally

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #2824 on:** September 04, 2011, 06:18:21 PM »

Hi Sally – Tana French’s latest book is In the Woods. She also wrote one other called The Likeness, which I have on my Kindle but haven’t read yet. She has a new one, Broken Harbour, which is to be published next March. I really enjoy her books.

pedln · « **Reply #2825 on:** September 04, 2011, 08:53:45 PM »

Welcome, Winchesterlady. I've never read any books by Tana French, but you've sent me to Amazon to do some looking, and found an interesting inview between her and Sophie Hannah, whose Wrong Mother I have read.

I thought it was interesting to learn that French is an actor as well as a writer. She even turned down an acting job (most unusual for actors) to work on one of her books.

nlhome · « **Reply #2826 on:** September 04, 2011, 09:59:57 PM »

Rosemary, thank you for sharing the description of your grandparents' lives. I had found the descriptions of the hops picking to be interesting, and that's another thing I had to research. At the time I read that book, we were growing hops - or rather, I should say, my son had decided we would grow hops, which we did and do, for no reason now, because he says the variety he gave us is not the best for brewing beer.

But, to get back to life after the war, what you describe is what I have read in several books by other authors about post WWI, especially in England. I guess I don't notice the cliche characters because I get wrapped up in the history.

I read The Mapping of Love and Death, and now Lessons in Secrets. I think I missed one in the middle, perhaps read only part of it - that's what happens when I depend on interlibrary loan and must return books before I am finished.

Another author who write in that time period is Charles Todd. I've read a couple by him. Very dark.

nlhome · « **Reply #2827 on:** September 04, 2011, 10:11:38 PM »

Welcome Winchesterlady. I hope you enjoy this group.

I have read one of the Simon Serrailler novels, the first, and would be interested in reading more. Have not read the others you mentioned, but I too have put them on my list and requested on by Martin Edwards from my library's interlibrary loan.

nlhome · « **Reply #2828 on:** September 04, 2011, 10:16:07 PM »

Babi, I enjoyed reading The Thin Man and probably should reread it. I find Dashiell Hammet an interesting person and have read most of his other novels. I also read some biography of him and of Lillian Hellman, along with some of Hellman's writings.

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #2829 on:** September 04, 2011, 10:36:14 PM »

Pedln – I’ve also read Sophie Hannah and like her books. I think you might like Tana French.

Nlhome – I hope you can get Martin Edwards’ books from your library. I still have several more in the series to read. I googled the Lake District and it looks like a beautiful place to live. If you're interested, Martin Edwards describes this series at: http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com/lakedistrict.htm

Babi · « **Reply #2830 on:** September 05, 2011, 09:02:14 AM »

We have surprising things in common, ROSEMARY. My grandmother lived a similar life,tho'
not due to the war. He mother died when she was< I think, eleven. Nana ended haviang to
leave school to take care of the house and her younger siblings. Her family turned away
from her when she married a 'half-breed', a man with some native American blood. My
grandfather, who died long before I was born, was an invalid from a never fully diagnosed
disease. They were also very poor, and not only did they have 4 children of their own, my
grandmother took in her sister's children when the sister died in an auto accident. She
had a hard life, but lived into her nineties, clear of mind up until the last few months.
I wish I had the skill..and the time... to write her story, but people would probably not
believe it all.

Welcome, CAROL. Thanks for that link. I was surprised to see that the first three covers
on the Martin Edward books had very similar woods backgrounds. Then the next two had
somewhat stony appearances. I guess I was expecting pictures of lakes.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #2831 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:14:05 AM »

In the Woods was Tana French's first book. The latest is Faithful Place.
There is another due soon, Broken Harbor.

Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox
1. In the Woods (2007)
2. The Likeness (2008)
3. Faithful Place (2010)

nancymc · « **Reply #2832 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:16:36 AM »

I have just finished reading the fifth J. C. Sansom and I feel quite sad does anyone know if there is another one in the pipeline, I must know what happened to Matthew, did he meet someone nice and get married, I feel he is such a kind person there must be someone out there for him. Oh I forgot he does not exist! However while I was reading the books he certainly existed for me. Please C. J. write another book about him.

Nancy

Gumtree · « **Reply #2833 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:48:05 AM »

Babi: Write that story about your grandmother - it doesn't have to be deathless prose - just the facts are all you need - and the little things you remember about her - the way she looked and spoke and laughed and cried - but get it down now! And don't forget everyone in the family has their story - write down everything you can remember - you won't regret it.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #2834 on:** September 05, 2011, 01:16:42 PM »

Just finished Bye,Bye Love by Virginia Swift and A Crazy Little thing called Love by Nancy Martin. I talked about Swift before and this book was particularly interesting to me, talking about abused women and the issue of family planning clinics and the religious extremists. This Nancy Martin Book, about the Blackbird sisters of Philadelphia included a lot of angst about whether Nora should continue her relationship w/ the Mafia boss's son. Well-written, kept me interested.

Welcome Winchesterlady. I grew up just up the road from you, just over the Pa border.

Jean

nlhome · « **Reply #2835 on:** September 05, 2011, 03:56:28 PM »

Babi, I second Gumtree - write it all down now. Do the fine tuning and editing later if you can, but at least get it down. I have some rough notes from my mother that I will pass on to my children - to give them a taste of what their grandmother's life was like.

JoanK · « **Reply #2836 on:** September 05, 2011, 09:56:39 PM »

WINCHESTERLADY: WELCOME, WELCOME! I've been in Winchester many times: I envy you the lovely fall weather and leaves you'll be getting there.

Off to track down Tana french on my kindle!

Babi · « **Reply #2837 on:** September 06, 2011, 08:40:43 AM »

Thanks so much for alerting me to a fifth Sansom book, NANCY. I've read the first four
and loved them. The fifth hasn't turned up at my library, but I certainly intend to urge
them to get it. I begin to fear Matthew will never find a wife to end his lonelinesss,
but we can hope.

The problem is that it's not just one story, GUM, and NL. My grandmother had an incredibly
difficult life, but came through it an incredible woman. Her story would have to begin
at age eleven, and she lived a very long life.
You both have me thinking, tho', that I would hate for my children and grandchildren not
to have some of these stories. I may simply start writing down some of them and
saving them in a file here on my computer. (Hmm, I'd need to save them to a disc, too.
We have had a computer crash before.) It would surely be a more useful way to spend
my time than playing computer games.

pedln · « **Reply #2838 on:** September 06, 2011, 10:20:23 AM »

Babi, a friend of mine who is 85 recently showed me an article she was writing for a DAR friend about the years she spent in DC after Pearl Harbor, working as a "government girl." She was 16 years old and had just finished her sophmore year of high school.

I suggested that my brother make it in a booklet form for her (he likes to do that sort of thing) and so she's been enhancing it and adding some of the old photos from those days. And this she is doing specifically for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

You might want to put your stories on a flash drive. They'll probably outlive discs? Or at least there have more ports available.

Gumtree · « **Reply #2839 on:** September 06, 2011, 11:15:21 AM »

Babi: It doesn't need to be the whole story told from beginning to end - start wherever - add bits - start new bits - you'll surprise yourself.

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897733 times)