Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 910451 times)

FlaJean · « **Reply #7320 on:** April 20, 2015, 01:00:14 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:
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Fantastic Fiction
Stop You're Killing Me

Discussion Leader: JoanK

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I enjoy Laura Child's tea shop mysteries. It was through her books I discovered the tea plantation in Charleston (actually on Wadmalaw Island close by). My husband and I visited it a couple of years ago and found it quite interesting.

JoanK · « **Reply #7321 on:** April 20, 2015, 05:31:50 PM »

I like the tea shop mysteries too, although don't care for tea.

STEPH: I know exactly what you mean! I just DON'T CARE what brand of purse or shoes the characters are wearing. I care more, I admit, about the food they're eating, but it's a little hard when I'm trying to cut down on sweets.

Steph · « **Reply #7322 on:** April 21, 2015, 08:53:04 AM »

I like plot...lots of plot.. I like descriptions of where we are .. So many writers make you wish you were in the town, they write of.. Robert Park did Boston and the surrounding communities so well..

marjifay · « **Reply #7323 on:** April 21, 2015, 10:15:03 AM »

I like plot too, Steph. I couldn't find an author by the name of Robert Park at Amazon. Only Robert Parker. What did Robert Park write?

Marj

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #7324 on:** April 21, 2015, 12:20:14 PM »

Robert Parker wrote detective/mysteries. Very good ones, too! IMHO
They were the "Spencer" novels. A TV series was also made, but I was not impressed with the casting of Spencer. If you choose to read these, I would definitely begin with the first ones, so you get a real feel for the character,
how he lives and thinks, etc.

JoanK · « **Reply #7325 on:** April 21, 2015, 04:35:04 PM »

I'm embarrassed that I've never read Robert Parker.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/robert-b-parker/

Plan to change that.

Steph · « **Reply #7326 on:** April 22, 2015, 08:49:32 AM »

Oh me, definitely Robert Parker, He lived in Cambridge and loved Boston and it showed in his many many novels.. They really make you believe you are there.

JoanK · « **Reply #7327 on:** April 22, 2015, 04:01:49 PM »

I've only been to Boston twice on short trips, but was really impressed with it. It's certainly a city I'd like to know better.

Just finished the latest Molly Murphy book by Rhys Bowen. "The Edge of Dreams."

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/rhys-bowen/

In this one, her neighbors, back from studying in Vienna with Freud, are trying to interpret the nightmares of a crime victim, while Molly tries to help her policeman husband solve a serial killing.

This is my least favorite of Bowen's series. I get tired of the endless arguments between Molly and her male chauvinist husband who wants her to stay home and be a proper wife and mother. But if you skim over those, this one is pretty good.

Steph · « **Reply #7328 on:** April 23, 2015, 07:50:25 AM »

Joan, yes, I don't read Molly because of that. I like the other series of hers more. I love the royal heiress. Light and fluffy, but fun.

MaryPage · « **Reply #7329 on:** April 23, 2015, 10:02:04 AM »

Hoping you have a terrific Irish holiday, Steph! My principal desire re Ireland is to go to Dublin and do the James Joyce Bloomsday tour. It would be SO much fun to see all the places!

salan · « **Reply #7330 on:** April 29, 2015, 07:47:53 AM »

I just finished The Bat by Jo Nesbo. I think someone here recommended it. It is the first in his series about a Norwegian Detective named Harry Hole. It was good, but I thought it got a little tedious before it was over. I don't think I will read the next one.
Sally

MaryPage · « **Reply #7331 on:** April 29, 2015, 09:21:12 AM »

Am a huge fan of Jo Nesbo, and cannot stay away from his stories, but do find I have to pace them. Read about six or eight books, and THEN go back to a Nesbo. Just finished THE REDEEMER a few weeks ago, and next in the pile will be THE LEOPARD. It is only about four books down in the stack. He is extremely intense, but his stories are always well researched and his inventive mind fascinates me. Another thing that intrigues me is how much his very Norwegian culture thinks in the same patterns we Americans do. You do not find that from most foreign cultures.

Found myself wondering how much of it was Nesbo himself, and how much was his translator. Guessed it was all Nesbo, because most of his characters who are native Norwegians are like that, as well.

Then watched some videos of Nesbo in interviews, and now am convinced. Well, My Beloved was half English and half Norwegian (albeit several generations Minnesotan), so guess I am attracted to something there.

At the moment, am hugely enjoying Ann Cleeves WHITE NIGHTS from her Shetland Island series. She is outstanding in her ability to depict what is going on in the minds of her characters and especially in their reactions to other people. Quite a gift, I think!

maeve · « **Reply #7332 on:** May 04, 2015, 11:27:58 AM »

Did anyone see the notice of Ruth Rendell's death?

MaryH

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #7333 on:** May 04, 2015, 01:05:08 PM »

I saw the news about Ruth Rendell. She was one of my favorite authors. After hearing about her stroke in January, I had been trying to find an update on her condition, but was unsuccessful. Here is a link to her obituary in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/02/ruth-rendell-obituary-crime-writer

maeve · « **Reply #7334 on:** May 04, 2015, 02:07:26 PM »

Thank you for the article, Carol. I didn't know there was a TV series. I wonder if it is on DVD.

MaryH

MaryPage · « **Reply #7335 on:** May 04, 2015, 03:02:27 PM »

Yes, it is. I have bought all the DVDs and watched them and passed them on to a granddaughter. I did have one very large objection to them, though, and that was that they do not have closed captioning. That drove me nuts, because not only am I hard of hearing, but all of the actors speak various accents of the British Isles, and that is hard enough without being half deaf! I find I really depend upon the closed captioning, but there was none. No subtitles, either!

JoanK · « **Reply #7336 on:** May 04, 2015, 07:08:48 PM »

MARY PAGE: I have the same trouble with a lot of British shows. I didn't know there was a Wexford series out. I'll try to find it.

CAROL:Thank you for the obituary. I am one of those who like her inspector Wexford books, but find her "psychologicals" too dark. That gives me plenty to work with.

here are the books under Rendell:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/ruth-rendell/

MaryPage · « **Reply #7337 on:** May 05, 2015, 10:21:43 AM »

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/RUTH-RENDELL?store=dvd&keyword=RUTH+RENDELL

These are the ones I owned and this is where I bought them.

pedln · « **Reply #7338 on:** May 05, 2015, 01:21:41 PM »

There are gremlins here. I just had a post and lost it, but maybe it's my mouse.

Very interesting article about Ruth Rendell. Thanks for posting. I have not read many of hers, but did read what I assume was her last published novel, The Girl Next Door, a stand-alone. Liked it very much.

MaryPaGE, re captions -- I've found that the British DVD publishers started with captions a lot later than here in the US. They are much better about including them now.

nlhome · « **Reply #7339 on:** May 05, 2015, 05:33:55 PM »

Our Friends of the Library had a used book sale last week. I didn't have much time to look, because it was a popular sale and I was working at it, but I did get Learning to Kill by Ed McBain. It's a collection of short stories written between 1952 and 1957, when he got his start in writing and before he moved into the 87th Precinct novels. I used to read his books, when I wanted something that moved fast and could hold interest. He wrote the introduction to the collection and explained the history of the stories. Interesting. Some of the stories are very timely, even though written back before I could read.

So I got to thinking about police procedurals, and remembered reading a couple of series set in southern California. These were by Elizabeth Linington/Del Shannon. I hadn't thought about those in years. Those weren't quite so dark. Present-day police procedure novels seem very harsh to me.

JoanK · « **Reply #7340 on:** May 06, 2015, 05:55:09 PM »

here is Dell Shannon. Lots of books still in print.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/dell-shannon/

nlhome · « **Reply #7341 on:** May 06, 2015, 09:03:50 PM »

Thanks, Joan. I understand that she had a very conservative viewpoint. I don't remember that when I read them, way back when. It might be interesting to read a couple now and see if it is noticeable.

Steph · « **Reply #7342 on:** May 09, 2015, 08:22:12 AM »

I used to read Dell Shannon, who was Elizabeth Linington,, She wrote several series. Have not seen her in years.

marjifay · « **Reply #7343 on:** May 09, 2015, 12:05:46 PM »

Thanks, Joan K, for the recommendation of The Edge of Dreams. I put it on my TBR list. Sounds good, especially the bit about the turn-of-the-century-history. Besides your recommendation, I like that Amazon readers give it 4+ stars. I have so many books on my TBR list, that I don't add any more unless they get 4+ or more stars at Amazon.

Marj

JoanK · « **Reply #7344 on:** May 09, 2015, 04:06:59 PM »

Read a really fun mystery: "the Midnight Plan of the Repo Man" by W Bruce Cameron. The narrator is a repo man who solves a murder in between attempts to steal cars (legally for repo). Very funny.

see his other books are about dogs (children's books, I think).

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/w-bruce-cameron/

Steph · « **Reply #7345 on:** May 10, 2015, 11:42:42 AM »

Now that sounds like fun,, a repo man. One of the old time mystery writers Joe Gores?? wrote a small series of a repo company and it was such fun.

JoanK · « **Reply #7346 on:** May 10, 2015, 02:35:53 PM »

Here's Joe Gores. no mention of repo though.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/joe-gores/

salan · « **Reply #7347 on:** May 10, 2015, 06:19:02 PM »

I just finished the latest Aunt Dimity series, The summer King. I like this series, but the earlier ones were better. Simple, fun, quick reads that take place in the English countrysidel
Sally

Steph · « **Reply #7348 on:** May 11, 2015, 08:43:36 AM »

Hmm, none of the Gores titles have repo in the title. They are mostly one word as I recall.. memory is blank, but hopefully some names may pop up.

Steph · « **Reply #7349 on:** May 11, 2015, 08:44:53 AM »

Just looked it up. All of the books in the Fantastic Fiction are from the dead skip ( repo) agency.

MaryPage · « **Reply #7350 on:** May 11, 2015, 12:58:25 PM »

I have purchased and read most of the Aunt Dimities, too, Sally. Very light, fun reading. My last one was Aunt Dimity and The Village Witch, but I have so many stacks and stacks of books awaiting my attention that I am not sure I'll continue with Aunt Dimity.

JoanK · « **Reply #7351 on:** May 11, 2015, 04:51:58 PM »

I love Aunt Dimity, but agree, the last one was slight. the earliest re best.

I missed that "dead skip" meant repo. I'll give them a trial.

Thank you for telling me to go into my amazon account to get a list of my books, and the ability to deliver them. Noodling around, I also found lists of their cheap books, arranged by subject. I went crazy. (I still only ordered samples, even though the prices were only $2-$3.)

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #7352 on:** May 11, 2015, 05:12:43 PM »

Steph, today on BookBub, for $.99 they have a mystery titled Never Con a Corgi". Thought you might be interested for your Kindle or Ereader.

Steph · « **Reply #7353 on:** May 12, 2015, 08:51:11 AM »

Someone gave me the book. I read it and then put it in my trade pile.. Not particularly interesting.. and not anything remotely like a real corgi was involved..
I am reading an interesting Alfair Burke book.. All Day and
A Night.. Seems that is the term for life with no parole for prisoners.. She is good. She is now a professor of Law at Hofstra.. James Lee must be proud of his darling daughter.

JoanK · « **Reply #7354 on:** May 13, 2015, 02:22:01 PM »

Turns out "never Con a Corgi" is the sixth in a series by Edie Claire

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/edie-claire/

The first one, "Never Buried" is free on kindle, so I read it last night. not funny as I thought from the title, but not bad. I'll invest $2.99 in the second.

I'm reading Carolyn Hart "Ghost Wanted." This is part of a ghost series I wasn't familiar with. I'm probably alone in not liking her "Death on Demand" series (maybe my nose is out of joint because I never get the answers in her mystery quizzes, even when I know the author) but I like her other books.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/carolyn-hart/
So far, the ghost book is interesting. The ghost narrator is sent down to Earth to help another ghost.

Steph · « **Reply #7355 on:** May 14, 2015, 08:31:45 AM »

Must look up the ghost ones. I am not reading any more of the death on Demand.. just weary of the whole thing.

FlaJean · « **Reply #7356 on:** May 15, 2015, 10:50:09 AM »

Just finished Donna Leon's latest Falling in Love. It is one of her best Guido Brunetti books yet. There is so much more to her stories than is at first apparent. She is very subtle in getting across opinions about the changes in Opera and life in general in Italy. There are those little occasional digs also at the U.S. However, the story is very good and the characters even better portrayed than usual.

Frybabe · « **Reply #7357 on:** May 15, 2015, 11:19:03 AM »

I am only four or five books into the Guido Brunetti series. I was going to order the next from the library, but forgot which one was next when I got there, so I ended up with a non-fiction, and a SciFi and the first #1 Lady's Detective book from Overdrive. I guess Guido is going to have to wait - again.

As far as Leon's digs at the U.S., it appears she hasn't changed. Falling in Love should be interesting, especially since she wrote Death at La Fenice which involves the Opera.

JoanK · « **Reply #7358 on:** May 15, 2015, 03:12:28 PM »

FRY: hope you love the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency as much as I do. If so, you're in luck: there are plenty more. And a wonderful adaptation done on HBO with Jill Scott.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/alexander-mccall-smith/

JoanK · « **Reply #7359 on:** May 15, 2015, 03:18:56 PM »

I found an episode of No. 1 Ladies online: I love the casting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEuaDc7_6cA

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 910451 times)