Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897868 times)

jane · « **Reply #3280 on:** January 25, 2012, 11:36:54 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!

Links:
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Our Favorite Old Mystery Writers
Fantastic Fiction
Stop You're Killing Me

Discussion Leader: JoanK

One in Arkansas is Arly Hanks (Joan Hess is the author), but the last time I read her, Arly was still divorced.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #3281 on:** January 25, 2012, 11:56:52 AM »

Thanks for all your help in trying to resolve my quandry. I do think i am combining two different stories in my head, or i misremembered the husband being an agent. I was thinking that the protagonist father had been sheriff and she had been elected to take his place and i picture her in NC or that vicinity. I'll get one of Coulter's books today at the library and maybe that will settle it for me.

marjifay · « **Reply #3282 on:** January 25, 2012, 02:01:08 PM »

I'm reading John Grisham's THE LITIGATORS, and really enjoying it. Interesting and has me laughing. The last few of Grisham's books I found boring and were DNF, but this one has me turning pages as I did with his earlier good ones.

Marj

JoanK · « **Reply #3283 on:** January 25, 2012, 02:25:06 PM »

" but my mind is also blank. (I need a nap!)"

A nap won't do it for me. I need a brain transplant! Anyone got one they aren't using?

JoanK · « **Reply #3284 on:** January 25, 2012, 02:26:15 PM »

DNF. Did not finish?

maryz · « **Reply #3285 on:** January 25, 2012, 02:53:22 PM »

mable, isn't there a mystery web site where you can put in a protagonist and find out who it is? I haven't used it, but seems to me I've heard of one.

JoanK · « **Reply #3286 on:** January 25, 2012, 03:08:53 PM »

MARYZ: "Stop You're Killing Me" has an index of characters. Look near the top of the page. I don't know how complete it is:

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #3287 on:** January 25, 2012, 04:12:48 PM »

I checked that, carefully, I think, and didn't find a match-up!

maryz · « **Reply #3288 on:** January 25, 2012, 04:13:45 PM »

Thanks for the help, Joan. Mable was looking for a specific character, and I thought that site might help her. She can try that link.

Steph · « **Reply #3289 on:** January 26, 2012, 06:24:08 AM »

Joanna Bradys first husband was a sheriff and was killed by the bad guys.. Her current husband writes novels, but I think when she first met him, he did something in law enforcement.
I am reading the newest J.D.Robb.. A priest murdered at the altar.. I think this is an older one I missed, not sure.

Babi · « **Reply #3290 on:** January 26, 2012, 08:53:12 AM »

JOAN, I suspect that there are a lot of people out there who aren't using
their brains. They would insist on keeping tho', I'm sure.

I was looking for something light and humorous as a counterpoint to
re-reading Bleak House. The librarian recommended a book she liked, "A Good
Thief's Guide to Amsterdam", by Chris Ewan. I think it will do nicely. The
protagonist combines two careers...writer and burglar.

marjifay · « **Reply #3291 on:** January 26, 2012, 11:19:59 AM »

Thanks, Babi, for telling us about The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterday. I added it to my list. Sounds good, and I like humor in my mysteries. (Keeper of Lost Causes had wry humor, and John Grisham's The Litigators of which I'm in the 12th chapter, has my sides aching from laughing.)

Marj

Steph · « **Reply #3292 on:** January 27, 2012, 06:13:53 AM »

Since I have always liked Bernie , who is a burglar and a bookseller, I put the Thief on my list to find..
Today One for the Money is out in movies. I wish I liked Kathryn Heigl.. But I suspect I will break down and see the movie, since I love Evanovich books.

Babi · « **Reply #3293 on:** January 27, 2012, 08:44:17 AM »

I had stopped reading Grisham, MARJ, but I think I will give 'The Litigators'
a try.

marjifay · « **Reply #3294 on:** January 27, 2012, 11:38:07 AM »

Yes, Babi, I, too, had almost given up on Grisham, as the last couple I looked at were so boring I could not finish them. But THE LITIGATORS has me turning pages like I did with some of his early ones.

Marj

pedln · « **Reply #3295 on:** January 27, 2012, 12:23:56 PM »

I haven't read enough Grisham to get burned out on him yet, but am glad to hear you like The Litigators so much, Marjifay. That's one I'd like to read. The last one I read and liked was The Appeal -- about buying and/or getting rid of state judges in order to get the "right" ruling.

Last week I finished Killerwatt by Sharon Woods Hopkins, which is apparently the first by the author, and the beginning of a series. The author is regional, lives in Marble Hill, MO where her husband is a judge. Her protagonist manages a mortgage and insurance business. Killerwatt focuses on transformers and utility electric substations, how abusing them can cause a ton of trouble. I enjoyed it, it wasn't cutesly or smart-alecy, maybe a few too many regionalisms. Can someone define "schematic" for me. That word appeared a lot.

Both author and protagonist maintain a Camaro from the 1970's.

Frybabe · « **Reply #3296 on:** January 27, 2012, 02:55:37 PM »

Pedln, schematic to me means a diagram that is kind of a map of how electronic parts are all hooked together. It shows the parts and how they are wired together, so you can follow the electron flow through the circuit. It is a very handy thing to have if you work with electric or electronics. Wired the wrong way, a poorly designed circuit can create havoc or just plain not work. It also helps to narrow down where a problem is located more quickly. I've read several books where things were rewired or reworked so that they looked like, when switched in the off position showed it was off when in fact it was on - sabotage or attempts to kill someone. Schematics can can show where all the sewer lines, utility lines, and etc are for a specific area. A maintenance office for a large building might have whole building schematics for their HVAC systems, the wiring and the plumbing as well as schematics for office equipment and appliances, for example.

JoanK · « **Reply #3297 on:** January 27, 2012, 03:37:58 PM »

I ordered "killerwatt" for my kindle. It is only $2.99.

I'm reading a book about a falconer who was killed (can't remember the name -- I'll report it if the book is good.. I wish it had more about the falconers, I wanted to learn about them. But it's turning into a book about terrorists.

It's also an inexpensive kindle book. There are a lot of inexpensive mysteries on kindle, and some of them are quite good.

pedln · « **Reply #3298 on:** January 27, 2012, 05:08:16 PM »

Thank you, Frybabe. That sounds pretty much like what was in Killerwatt. JoanK, take note before you read it. I felt a little guilty buying it for my Kindle because Friends of the Library had an event this week and all proceeds from Killerwatt there were going to the Friends, but then I didn't get to the event anyway.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #3299 on:** January 27, 2012, 07:56:32 PM »

Finished Laura Lippman's In a Strange City. Her books are set in Baltimore and if you are a fan of Lippman, or Baltimore, or Edgar A. Poe, you will probably enjoy this book. It's about the yearly visitor to the Poe grave and, of course, someone gets killed this year. She really saturated this book w/ Baltimore lore. She also throws in a lot of other book and author bits and pieces, fun to read.

I haven't been to the library, so haven't solved my own mystery about the woman sheriff.

Jean

Steph · « **Reply #3300 on:** January 28, 2012, 06:19:01 AM »

Ilove schematics and once got to look at the underside of NYC in many many schematics. It was a special showing to illustrate how hard it is to build in a large city.. Wow..It was hard to believe how interwoven all of the utilities are and the old subway stations.. Neat..

Babi · « **Reply #3301 on:** January 28, 2012, 08:23:50 AM »

It occurs to me that all those inexpensive mysteries, etc., available for Kindle, et al, are one way
for a new author to get read and develop fans. Of course, it can also be a way to dump books
no one is buying.

nlhome · « **Reply #3302 on:** January 28, 2012, 09:41:47 AM »

Our library just got a collection of Colin Cotterill's books, and I had trouble finding them before. These are about the Laotian national coroner, set in the 1970's. So of course I picked on up that I hadn't read, The Merry Misogynist. As usual I am engrossed in the humor/seriousness/history. I look forward to a cup of tea and the book this winter afternoon. (or, if our tasks keep us too busy, a glass of wine before dinner while I relax.)

Unfortunately, Ship of Fools is not put aside, again.

JoanK · « **Reply #3303 on:** January 28, 2012, 12:43:41 PM »

Laura Lippman really loves Baltimore, and it shows. Everyone I ever met from Baltimore really loves it.

And they love the fact that Poe is buried there (hence the Ravens football team). Have you read Mathew Pearl's mystery about Poe in Baltimore? We discussed it here in Seniorlearn.

NLHOME: thanks for reminding me about Colin Cotterill and the Laotian national coroner. I've enjoyed the ones I've read a lot, but there are some I haven't.

Steph · « **Reply #3304 on:** January 29, 2012, 06:27:35 AM »

I love Lippman and have read both her series and her stand alones.. Her stand alones are a bit more grisly,,but all are good.. Baltimore is an interesting city in many ways.. Richmond also adores Poe and has a small museum devoted to him. or at least they used to.

jane · « **Reply #3305 on:** January 29, 2012, 02:22:03 PM »

Babi...I think a lot of new writers are selling first novels for B&N or Amazon ereaders to introduce their works to audiences. It's working for me. I've found several authors I wouldn't know otherwise, and I also go to B&N bookclubs

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/

where people post what they're reading, what they like, etc. There are the other sites where free/inexpensive ebooks are listed, too, that have been mentioned on sites here before:

http://www.epubbooks.com/buy-epub-books

is one.

JeanneP · « **Reply #3306 on:** January 29, 2012, 10:22:18 PM »

I have a feeling that now Millions of the E-readers have been sold that we will see a lot of books out that they know are not really worth going to print but people will want to have many to download. specially if for free or a dollar. (Everybody wants a bargain). Will be the upcoming thing.
I have noticed already that many books in the library written by first time writers. Lot not very good. Going to be now that the good writers who we have enjoyed for years will not be getting paid the big dollars as in the past.

Time will tell. Sometimes Tech. things are a ruination of something that was good. If a person has never been one for reading then being able to download on to a IPAD is not going to make them one.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3307 on:** January 30, 2012, 03:38:19 AM »

I have read in Writing Magazine that uploading your own novel onto Amazon is a way to try to break into the market - I can see that this will mean that a lot of rubbish is out there, but from what I have read it is becoming almost impossible for a new writer to get published in the traditional way - unless you are a celebrity or something already - so at least this does give people a chance. I've certainly read books on Kindle that I never would have read otherwise - some were dreadful and I stopped, but I have enjoyed some of them. I've seen Amazon reviews of Kindle free books in which the reviewer says that they will now look for and even buy (!) more novels by the same writer, so maybe it can work.

Steph · « **Reply #3308 on:** January 30, 2012, 06:14:45 AM »

Yes, just recently I downloaded for.99.. a mystery where one of the protagonists is a Bassett Hound named Elvis, who thinks he is the reincarnation of Presley.. His mistress is a sassy sort of southern woman .. It was good enough that I recently bought another in the series..She is not a spectacular writer, but they are fun.

Babi · « **Reply #3309 on:** January 30, 2012, 08:50:12 AM »

I wonder, ROSEMARY, if it is a cost-cutting measure for today's poor
economy? Promoting a new author must be fairly expensive. It's safer and
cheaper to stick with those aready known to sell.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3310 on:** January 30, 2012, 03:26:41 PM »

Yes Babi, I'm sure it is that - although apparently many of the 'dead cert' celebrity books released for the Christmas market did not end up selling too well.

Rosemary

JeanneP · « **Reply #3311 on:** January 30, 2012, 08:37:26 PM »

The readers sort of bother me. I feel that it will stop the ones who in time would become known as a GREAT WRITER.. We have them now going back 40 years and will be around for a long time.
What will happen to the ones that in the past have written such good Historical books. Such as Wives of Henry Eighth for instance.and that Period of History. What will be in our libraries . I like some changes but don't think this is a good one. Are writers going to put in so much time in research before writing a book? Then picture people just downloading it to a Reader. How are people going to have a bookshelf in their home for people to read years later.. I have some on mine going back 40 years and feel like I can just pull them off a shelf anytime I want to read it.

Then, I have been wrong before. I think Mobile phones have ruined many things along with good letter writing. Now people E-M. I like them but miss lot of things we did.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #3312 on:** January 31, 2012, 03:21:11 AM »

JeanneP - I do still write letters, but I would be glad if my teenagers could even be bothered to email. Even a text is too much trouble half the time! Email is seen by them as something middle aged women do (guilty). They IM their friends on Facebook so that we can't see what they're saying, and as for making a phone call, forget it!

The attention span of my son in particular is almost non-existent (although he can of course concentrate on X-box games and DVDs for hours). He can lead people on mountain walks, abseil with them down cliffs, kayak with them down rapids, but nothing else holds his attention for more than a couple of minutes.

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #3313 on:** January 31, 2012, 06:33:47 AM »

I love books.. but I also love my IPAD and my computers in general. I dont miss writing letters.. My handwriting is truly awful and the convenience of email is great.. IM is a younger thing, I think.. Texting for me is few and far between.. I think that important books will always be published, but that the ebooks have opened the field enormously. I know on the tour I took ( buses) at least half of the bus had some form of IPAD or ebook.. Amazing.. A lot of them had put tour guides in them and were busy prompting us all to look at things..

Babi · « **Reply #3314 on:** January 31, 2012, 09:28:46 AM »

Ah, ROSEMARY, some people are just more active by nature. I do hope he
will find a career that allows him to be outdoors and active. I, and my
family, would doubtless be healthier if we had been somewhat less sedentary.

Actually, I can see where I might someday want to get into texting. It would
certainly be easier to keep in touch with people, now that a phone is useless
to me. The only drawback, of course, is that the people I want to contact
would need to have 'text' gadgets as well.

jeriron · « **Reply #3315 on:** January 31, 2012, 09:34:15 AM »

Now that I'm alone I especially love my IPad and computer and also my Kindle. Without them I think I would go and jump in front of a fast moving car. I text very little and really prefer that my children call me because I get tired of talking to myself or my dog Missy. God what would I do without Missy.

Now Grandchildren send thank yous on Facebook. That is why I belong to Facebook. I get to see pictures they post etc.
I don't think many people write letters anymore. After all even bills can be paid on line.

Babi · « **Reply #3316 on:** January 31, 2012, 10:00:14 AM »

I do sometimes miss the long letters, JERIRON, especially since my son wrote
such great ones. I tried to save those, but apparently they got lost in the
shuffle, somewhere. I know I could write legibly once upon a time...like college.
But once I learned to type I lost that art. Now I have difficulty reading my own
shopping lists!

Frybabe · « **Reply #3317 on:** January 31, 2012, 02:29:23 PM »

No wonder I couldn't find them. I just picked up three Daniel Silva, Gabriel Allon series, books at the local used book emporium. The owner moved the spy thrillers from her Mystery shelves to the Adventure section. Now all I have to do is see where they are in the sequence and get the rest. My library only as one or two of them, and newer ones at that. The used book store is less expensive than the Kindle version. Oh, it didn't hurt to have a coupon for a free book, either.

JeanneP · « **Reply #3318 on:** January 31, 2012, 06:50:04 PM »

Rosemary.

I think that most parents are now saying the same thing. My 2 girls married now and not in the same town. Even their children are out of Schools. I was so close to my one grandson but he is always on the go. If I call he will call me back either from airport or his office. Parents say same with them. Daughter wants her son and daughter to talk to her everyday. They do have camera on computer or fancy Mobiles. She contacts them daily. Me I have given up. they know where I am if needed.

Steph · « **Reply #3319 on:** February 01, 2012, 06:20:10 AM »

Frybabe, I am getting my Gabriel fix from my paperback swap club.. I have skipped around so much in the series, but I do feel as if they are all my old and good friends.. Reading Rembrandt just now.. It is a bit different at this point, more pictures, less spy, but I think that is about to change. They are in Holland.. I really like the series..

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 897868 times)