Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 898159 times)

nlhome · « **Reply #4400 on:** November 10, 2012, 06:53:16 PM »

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Pull up a comfortable chair and join us here to talk about mysteries and their authors.
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Discussion Leader: JoanK

I am trying to read a series set in Michigan, the Starvation Lake series. Mysteries, complicated characters. Lots of hockey. I read the first, attracted in the beginning by the way the author had me back up in the north woods on a crisp winter day, snow packed streets, vehicles running outside stores, people dressed in jackets with hoods and thick gloves....now I'm trying to stay interested in The Hanging Tree. It's also set in deep winter - I'm not sure I want to return to that climate. Author is Bryan Gruley.

Steph · « **Reply #4401 on:** November 11, 2012, 06:23:16 AM »

Up until now Meg in the series has been put upon by her extended family and an extremely bossy mother. She would rush into investigating and could not seem to grip danger. But the author has let her mature with the birth of her sons.. Interesting. I like it when continuing series let their characters learn and grow..

Babi · « **Reply #4402 on:** November 11, 2012, 09:08:01 AM »

Oh, yeah!, NL. The more of my 'protective' fat layer I lose, the less appealing wintry
weather. But then, being Texas-acclimated, I even find ice-cream unwelcome when the temps.
drop.

And if the character does not develop and grow, the series quickly goes stale. Next
thing you know you're reading the same book over and over again, with only the names
and a few details changed.

JoanK · « **Reply #4403 on:** November 11, 2012, 02:50:36 PM »

Or you can change the setting. I'm reading the 10th (or so) Deborrah Crombie book, "Water Like Stone" and it has a fascinating setting : the narrow boats of England. they are 7 ft wide and 58 feet long, can go in water one foot deep. they're houseboats made to travel the canals of England. Traditionally, there are people who spend their whole lives on them.

Here's a picture:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Narrowboats-at-tardebigge.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Narrowboats-at-tardebigge.jpg&h=732&w=1844&sz=276&tbnid=9iCDKJNNKAbPQM:&tbnh=53&tbnw=133&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnarrowboats%2Bengland%2Bpictures%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=narrowboats+england+pictures&usg=__nG2vFTvwlBjRqfR9gf36193omkE=&docid=2fdoAgcedHXDnM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qwSgULGcKqz5igKFn4HoDA&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAg&dur=5244

nlhome · « **Reply #4404 on:** November 11, 2012, 03:26:15 PM »

JoanK, which Crombie book is that. I do like that series.

JoanK · « **Reply #4405 on:** November 11, 2012, 03:34:09 PM »

Home: "water Like stone".

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #4406 on:** November 11, 2012, 04:31:14 PM »

Deborah Crombie is one of my favorites. I read Water Like a Stone this summer.

Steph · « **Reply #4407 on:** November 12, 2012, 06:04:45 AM »

I saw a a narrow boat on one of our southern tours of England..peculiar looking, but effective.
The best boats to live on that I like are the ones in the Netherlands.. They actually take a small car with them many times. It rests on top of the cabin and when they tie up, they can drive it right off. We saw them in Amsterdam when we were doing a rivership tour..So neat.. Waterways are the roads of the Netherlands. Everything seems to be transported that way. They always have flowers.. a dog or so.. several bikes.. Looks like a neat way to live.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4408 on:** November 12, 2012, 12:57:21 PM »

There are some beautiful Canal boats now going up and down the canals in the part of UK I am from and family still live. Will get to be many more as the old Canals that were closed, covered over with roads years ago are now opening up again. In my GM and Mothers days it was the main way of shipping also.

They are opening up the one in my home town now. Will them be able to travel that way all over the North of England. Cousin and friends rented one past summer for 3 week. It is Work though as one still has to get off and open up the locks in order to get through. (The women were voted in to do that job).

Steph · « **Reply #4409 on:** November 13, 2012, 08:47:35 AM »

Once upon a time, that sounds great, alas as a single, not so much..

MaryPage · « **Reply #4410 on:** November 13, 2012, 12:50:18 PM »

Oh! Oh! You are reminding me of one of my all-time favorite mystery books, and now, of course, I am feeling my senility and having a hard time remembering much more than the title. I think this is the title: A Clutch of Constables. I will now go off to Google and try to find it and come back in here.

OK, I'm not THAT bad yet! No A. Just Clutch of Constables, and it is by that unsurpassed giant, Ngaio Marsh. Remember her? Well, it is all about a riverboat trip on the Thames and the constables are NOT policemen. He! He! If you missed this one, do try to find it and make up for your loss.

jane · « **Reply #4411 on:** November 13, 2012, 01:49:31 PM »

MaryPage...She was indeed one of the great mystery writers. Another "oldie" that I recall was Helen MacInnes. Her espionage thrillers were incredible, as were the early Robert Ludlum...esp. Parsifal Mosaic and Matarese Circle. WOW...that was mystery/espionage writing, to me.

jane

JoanK · « **Reply #4412 on:** November 13, 2012, 03:16:37 PM »

I think I've read all the Marsh books, but it's been decades. Worth a reread. (I like to reread mysteries, if they're good).

JoanK · « **Reply #4413 on:** November 13, 2012, 03:24:56 PM »

my nautical theme continues. I'm readin "A Burial at Sea" by Charles Finch. Fifth in a series, so I have lots of good reading ahead.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/charles-finch/

The detective is a (in this book) former policeman become member of parliament (huh?) in 19th century England. In this book, he's on a sailing ship carrying out a diplomatic mission to Egypt. Full of sailing lore.

marjifay · « **Reply #4414 on:** November 13, 2012, 07:51:09 PM »

JoanK, I read A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch earlier this year and thought it was a great book. My notes say "Excellent writing and research." I have meant to read more by this author. Thanks for the reminder.

Marj

Steph · « **Reply #4415 on:** November 14, 2012, 05:52:41 AM »

I really loved Marsh and read all of hers at least once and in some cases twice.. Good writer..and loved and have no idea how to prounouce her first name..
Finch is a new writer to me.. Will look him up.

Babi · « **Reply #4416 on:** November 14, 2012, 09:12:55 AM »

Loved McInnes and Marsh! One of my favorite McInnes books, tho', was not a thriller. It
was "Rest and Be Thankful". Anyone remember that one?

It looks as though Charles Finch is another one I ought to meet. Thanks for describing his work, JOAN & MARJ.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #4417 on:** November 14, 2012, 11:10:42 AM »

Marsh's first name is pronounched Ney-O.

JoanK · « **Reply #4418 on:** November 14, 2012, 04:39:40 PM »

Burial at Sea was fascinating while he was on the ship: less so when he got to land. But the first in the series has "ocean" in the tittle, and is only $2.99 on kindle, so I'm in!

I try to alernate types of mysteries for variety, but I made a bad tactical mistake last night. I'm on a pre-Christmas diet, and went to bed kind of hungry. Took with me Katherine Hall Page "Murder in the Boudoir." I've read enough Page, i should have known what would happen. her detective is a caterer, and every meal anyone ate was described in loving detail.

Why I didn't put the book down, I have no idea: it wasn't even very good. But after I'd read awhile, I was REALLY HUNGRY!

JoanK · « **Reply #4419 on:** November 14, 2012, 04:47:47 PM »

Page is too materialistic for me, anyway. her later books are one third food descriptions of every meal a character eats, one third telling the brand name of every object one of the characters wears, carries, or owns, and one third (if you're lucky) mystery. Don't think I'll read another.

I admit to being more sympathetic with the fixation on food than on the fixation with expensive clothes, shoes, jewelry, knicknacks, furnature, and on and on. Maybe the detective's minister husband should preach a few sermons on "lay not up treasures on earth ....."

Or maybe I'm just grouchy couse I'm hungry.

Steph · « **Reply #4420 on:** November 15, 2012, 05:56:10 AM »

I read a few Page, but never really got into her. My poor office is overrun with books.. I am donating my large genealogical library to Special Collections at my local library. I had to evaluate them, and that means pulling each one out and looking up on the web , since there is no book appraiser for miles and miles and I really want the donation for tax purposes.. So there are books everywhere..paper ephemera.... quarterlies. I dont want to reshelve them since I hope the library will come up with a yes pretty soon and then they will need to be moved downstairs to be picked up..

Babi · « **Reply #4421 on:** November 15, 2012, 08:41:33 AM »

Huh! My library had absolutely nothing under the name Charles Finch.

My sympathies, STEPH. How many books in that genealogical collection? Maybe you can find some high
school age assistant to help you with that chore for a modest fee.

pedln · « **Reply #4422 on:** November 15, 2012, 09:55:10 AM »

Jane, I loved all the Helen McInnes books, and another one who wrote in the same vein, Ann Bridge. I don't think I've read any N Marsh. Will have to change that.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4423 on:** November 15, 2012, 12:49:43 PM »

Oh, Pedln! Start at the beginning and work your way through! Dame Marsh was a New Zealander. Here ya go!

http://www.fictiondb.com/author/ngaio-marsh~21687.htm

Clutch of Constables was written in 1969.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngaio_Marsh

JeanneP · « **Reply #4424 on:** November 15, 2012, 01:48:37 PM »

I tried finding books by Edith Ngaio March in both libraries in town. None found. I will ask them next time in.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4425 on:** November 15, 2012, 03:08:22 PM »

The name Edith was never on her books.

You might try some used book stores. All of her books eventually came out in paperback. She was super popular, and many of her books were made into films by the BBC.

In her day, I would say she was second only to Agatha Christie in popularity, and IMHO that was only due to her living so far away. I liked her books as well as Christie's, and much more than the Hercule Poirot series.

Apparently all of her books are available on Nook and Kindle and iPads.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=ngaio+marsh+books&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=4657444367&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=516197&hvnetw=g&hvrand=20607977712079119844&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_77mb9jzy5w_b

JoanK · « **Reply #4426 on:** November 15, 2012, 04:10:36 PM »

Another author of the time, similiar in tone to Marsh, was Josephine Tey.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4427 on:** November 15, 2012, 09:15:53 PM »

My all time very, very favorite mystery book is Josephine Tey's A DAUGHTER OF TIME. Oh gosh, I am getting so old I cannot be certain of that title, but I think it is right. I'll look!

Nope, I was wrong. It is THE Daughter of Time. Her The Singing Sands was one I have never forgotten, as well. There was something awesome about Tey's writing in that, once read, you could not forget her stories. We did not get enough of her.

http://www.fictiondb.com/author/josephine-tey~7310.htm

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4428 on:** November 16, 2012, 03:50:47 AM »

I have only read The Franchise Affair - it was good, lots of atmosphere of a 1950s English village.

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #4429 on:** November 16, 2012, 06:07:48 AM »

Oh both Tey and Marsh were lovely writers. I confess to liking both of them a bit more than
Christie. I was never fond of Hercules Poirett.. Liked her other stuff. The Daughter of Time was great and so is a book on Richard from his point of view. Forgot who write that one, but one of those ladies.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4430 on:** November 16, 2012, 08:50:54 AM »

I totally agree with you, Steph. And THE DAUGHTER OF TIME is the book about Richard III. History teachers in our colleges and universities still have their students read that book. Seriously. They do!

Oh, Rosemary Dear, you are right THERE! Do read all of Tey, and most especially this book and The Singing Sands. You are close enough to go see and hear them!

Babi · « **Reply #4431 on:** November 16, 2012, 09:29:11 AM »

I would agree with you about Hercule Poirot, MARYPAGE. Loved Miss Marple, but Poirot
annoyed me frequently. It seemed to me books featuring him tended to use very obscure
hints/clues. Certainly not as good as Ngaio Marsh. I like Josephine Tey, too. Can't
remember whether I read 'The Daughter of Time'. I think I'll check my library for
both of the books you mention.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4432 on:** November 16, 2012, 10:56:30 AM »

Babi, I feel pretty sure you will have read THE DAUGHTER OF TIME. It is the one where Tey shows through the process of a mystery solving sort of way an alternative view of English History as forced upon us by the victorious Tudors.

You remember, of course, and I mean as a scholar and not in person, the War of The Roses? Lancaster and York. And the Battle of Bosworth where Lancaster won the day and the crown by killing Richard of York? Henry VI married Richard's niece and the white and red roses came together to make the Tudor rose, which died out with Elizabeth I.

Shakespeare and other Tudor toadies went to great lengths to glorify their masters and vilify the House of York. Tey believed this to be false history, and she lays it all out. I tend to agree with Tey, and the only gold charm bracelet still in my possession (I have passed my others on to daughters and granddaughters) has a white rose charm on it from my visit to the City of York.

And that is why this slim little volume by a famous mystery writer is still used in university history courses as a source. It is both a treasure and a classic.

pedln · « **Reply #4433 on:** November 16, 2012, 11:37:47 AM »

A friend who didn't want anything to do with computers, but loves her iPad (for grandchilren pictures and downloadable books), recently suggested a free Kindle book -- by A.A. Milne. The Red House Mystery. This is an adult book, nary a hint of Christopher Robin. He wrote it for either his father or FIL, who loved mysteries. So far, so good. I keep wondering if he's throwing in a lot of red herrings.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4434 on:** November 16, 2012, 03:13:05 PM »

Not having luck on finding in out libraries any books by Ngaio March or Josephine Tey. Could be they could find for me in other libraries but I doubt they are out in Large Print. I try to stay with LP. Books written for last 6 years are so seem to be all out in LP. Not a eye problem but just so much easier to read.
I just have never been able to read a Paper back. Think I would have same type problem with the "Readers" now on the market. I need the feel of a book in my hand.

JoanK · « **Reply #4435 on:** November 16, 2012, 03:28:01 PM »

Jeanne: you can afjust the type size in the readers. Including a huge type. Only problem: the huge type only gets a few words on a page.

If you're interested, I'll bet barnes and Noble would let you play with a Nook, and see if the type is good. If it is, you don't have to worry about which books are avilable in large type -- they all are.

my kindle has a very good feel in the hand -- I think they worked on it. Only problem: you have to figure out the best way to prop it when you're in bed.

JoanK · « **Reply #4436 on:** November 16, 2012, 03:31:30 PM »

I LOVE Winnie-the Pooh! Have to try his adult mystery! I've ordered it on kindle.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4437 on:** November 16, 2012, 04:18:07 PM »

Barnes and Noble has a lot of Josephine Tey's books in Paperback and on NOOK, but no hardbacks or Large Print. I would suggest a used book store.

They have a lot, if not most of Ngaio Marsh's books in AudioBooks and on NOOK. They have some paperbacks in stock, but apparently she must have had another wave of popularity because most of her books are being republished shortly, all in paperback, and you can pre-order each of these from Barnes & Noble on line.

Probably if you go to Amazon.uk you can find both Marsh and Tey in hardback, and mebbe in Large Print.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/276-6303717-1061157?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Josephine+Tey

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/276-6303717-1061157?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Josephine+Tey#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Ngaio+Marsh&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ANgaio+Marsh

marjifay · « **Reply #4438 on:** November 17, 2012, 02:35:47 AM »

I just read Ngaio Marsh's ENTER A MURDERER (the second of hers I'd read) and decided I'd not read another of her books. Her New Zealand jargon drives me nuts, and the story was not not interesting enough to bother finishing it. I read about half, then skipped to the end to see who the murderer was (didn't really care by then) and sent it back to the library.

Marj

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4439 on:** November 17, 2012, 05:28:37 AM »

Just looked up The Red House Mystery - but sadly it is far from free on Amazon UK, at least at the moment. I will check the library.

Rosemary

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 898159 times)