Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 905937 times)

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #8080 on:** March 28, 2016, 12:27:20 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

Our f2f book club will be discussing DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay. Good read.

Steph · « **Reply #8081 on:** March 29, 2016, 08:47:20 AM »

Put the Casey Daniels away,, just too girly just now,, picked up Room and am marveling over it. Somehow I had missed it until now.

JoanK · « **Reply #8082 on:** March 29, 2016, 04:09:58 PM »

I know what you mean. I thought I wanted cozies when I went to the library, and got a bunch. Put several down, as too silly.

MaryPage · « **Reply #8083 on:** March 30, 2016, 09:38:48 AM »

Barnes & Noble is promoting a new (to me) series by Lynn Cahoon. Do any of you know anything about it? The 2 they are touting are:

GUIDEBOOK TO MURDER

and

MISSION TO MURDER

and the series is called The Tourist Trap Mystery Series.

They are telling me that if I liked Aunt Dimity, I will love these. So they sound like fun.

Steph · « **Reply #8084 on:** March 30, 2016, 01:17:55 PM »

Name is not familiar. I actually think that Sharon McCrumb way way back did a book on a tour guide in Scotland.. Was really funny.

JoanK · « **Reply #8085 on:** March 30, 2016, 05:04:38 PM »

Here she is. Seems like she's already written a boatload of mysteries, including 7 "tourist trap" mysteries.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/lynn-cahoon/

JoanK · « **Reply #8086 on:** March 30, 2016, 05:11:19 PM »

It looks like her romances are available on Kindle unlimited, but not her mysteries.

Steph · « **Reply #8087 on:** March 31, 2016, 08:33:15 AM »

So many cozy writers are really romance writers under the skin.. My first clue is when everyone is just too too beautiful for words. I tend to pitch the book immediately

Frybabe · « **Reply #8088 on:** March 31, 2016, 09:12:53 AM »

Just got the first of Steven Sayler's Sub Rosa series, Roman Blood. It is going to have to share time with the nonfiction book I am reading.

JoanK · « **Reply #8089 on:** March 31, 2016, 12:40:30 PM »

Sorry, couldn't find him on FF.

Frybabe · « **Reply #8090 on:** March 31, 2016, 02:16:15 PM »

It would help a lot if I spell his name correctly, JoanK. I should have typed Saylor. Here is the FF page
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/steven-saylor/ The Roma Sub Rosa series is set earlier than the Falco series by Lindsey Davis.The Roma Sub Rosa series begins during the reign of Sulla and when Cicero was just beginning his career, around 80 BC.

JoanK · « **Reply #8091 on:** March 31, 2016, 02:18:42 PM »

Thanks.

MaryPage · « **Reply #8092 on:** March 31, 2016, 05:56:45 PM »

I have some of those, but have not gotten around to reading any of them yet. One of my sons likes them and passed them on to me.

Roman Blood is one and The Judgment of Caesar is the other.

Steph · « **Reply #8093 on:** April 01, 2016, 08:24:56 AM »

I have at least one of those tucked away in my TBR file. I am finishing Room and still astounded by it..

marjifay · « **Reply #8094 on:** April 09, 2016, 01:35:11 PM »

I just finished watching the movie Room. Curious why anyone would choose a subject like that to write about. Pretty depressing. Weren't those awful questions the reporter asked her? i.e. "did you ever think of killing yourself?" and did you ever consider having your captor take your son to a hospital so he could be free and perhaps adopted into a normal home?" Now I see why I avoided the book.

Marj

marjifay · « **Reply #8095 on:** April 09, 2016, 01:42:31 PM »

I just started Journey to Munich, the latest Maisie Dobbs book, the first book of that series i've read. Am about ready to toss it unfinished. If I had been writing it, I'd have started the book in Munich instead of spending a whole first chapter with boring gossop with her English friend. Has anyone read it? Someone addressed her as "your ladyship." Is she of some uppercrust family that gives her the right to that title?

Marj

JoanK · « **Reply #8096 on:** April 09, 2016, 02:00:29 PM »

the author is Winspear.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/jacqueline-winspear/

It sounds so familiar, I must have read her. But I have no memory of the books. Maybe I had the same reaction you did, MARJ.

nlhome · « **Reply #8097 on:** April 09, 2016, 07:22:54 PM »

I think with Maisie Dobbs you need to start at the beginning of the series. There is a complicated back story. I didn't know there was a new book out. I enjoy reading the series, but there is a darkness to it.

JoanK · « **Reply #8098 on:** April 10, 2016, 04:41:38 PM »

I'll have to try the first one, NLHOME. Often, the early ones are better than the later ones.

Frybabe · « **Reply #8099 on:** April 10, 2016, 05:38:37 PM »

I've finished the Roman Blood by Steven Saylor. While I didn't like much how he portrayed Tiro in the book, I did find the story interesting. It was based on one of Cicero's actual law cases. On order at the library are a the next regular book, and a book of short stories (one of two) that he wrote to cover the time between the first and second time periods. The second regular book is eight years later.

nlhome · « **Reply #8100 on:** April 10, 2016, 06:17:31 PM »

Yes, Joan, sometimes with a series I get bored or I find the author has gotten lazy or run out of good ideas.

I read a second in a series, Out Comes the Evil by Stella Cameron. The first is Folly, which I will not go back and read. There were enough references to what happened in the first book to assure me that I still would not like the main character, who obviously didn't learn anything from almost being killed in the first book. I had a hard time finishing, just wanted to see how the author worked it out. I could say more, but considering the loose ends, there is probably a 3rd in the wings, and some of you might want to read the series.

marjifay · « **Reply #8101 on:** April 11, 2016, 08:48:11 AM »

The Amazon summary of Steven Saylor's Roman Blood sounded very interesting. Had to look up thge word "sybaritic" that Amazon used to describe the murdered male victim. It means "self indulgent and fond of sensuous luxury or pleasure." I like mysteries with an historical background, so with Frybabe's recommendation, I looked for it in my library. Unfortunately they do not have that particular series. So I ordered it used (very cheap at Amazon). Look forward to reading it. It will very probably lead to my reading some Roman history which I've intended to do for some time.

Marj

JoanK · « **Reply #8102 on:** April 11, 2016, 06:10:23 PM »

MARJ:"It will very probably lead to my reading some Roman history which I've intended to do for some time."

mysteries lead us down all kinds of paths don't they.

ginny · « **Reply #8103 on:** April 11, 2016, 06:48:45 PM »

S.P.Q.R., Marj. By Mary Beard is what you want.

If you read that, you'll be up on the latest thought and scholarship, and it's eye opening, about the Romans. Then when you read a novel about it, or a newspaper clipping comparing Trump to some Roman figure, you'll know better.

It's not a mystery or a novel. Until she gets to the Republic, her specialty, it's dense, essentially because not much is known. When she gets to the Republic it flies. Wonderful book.

Frybabe · « **Reply #8104 on:** April 12, 2016, 06:03:30 AM »

I got S.P.Q.R. from the library last month, but only read one chapter what with other books I needed to get read and back to the library. Everythibng came in at once. Anyhow, I knew after a few pages that I needed to buy it for my permenant personal library. It should arrive tomorrow.

Comparing Lindsey Davis's Didius Falco series with Steven Saylor's Sub Roma series, I think Saylor is a bit more discriptive of the streets of Rome. That is to say, I could "see" the narrow streets, dark alleys, the hilly terrain better. This may be because, having read Davis, Saylor reinforces the "feel" of the city, or it may be that he is just a hair more detailed regarding the "texture" of the surroundings.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #8105 on:** April 17, 2016, 04:30:30 AM »

Marjifay

I started reading the Jacqueline Winspear books a few years ago when they first began. I quite liked the first one, but I found them increasingly irritating and I don't think I'd bother with any more. There are so many cliches, so much stuff that seems to have been thrown in for the 'heritage' market, and Maisie became - to me - more & more annoying - she's just too perfect.

Someone I enjoy a lot more if I'm looking for that kind of things is Catriona McPherson. Her books don't pretend to be anything but light, and they centre on an upper crust girl who's married a dull rich man, and the adventures (all totally innocent - it's not about her having affairs or anything) she has when he's 'away in the city'. Interestingly, Catriona & Jacqueline Winspear are both British and both live in the USA - but I find Catriona much more down to earth and fun. And she does bring in some historical references (The Great Strike, etc) but without trying to be too 'meaningful' - maybe that's what I dislike about Winspear, she's fundamentally writing light stuff but tries to dress it up as 'deep'.

Or maybe I'm just being extra cranky today!

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #8106 on:** April 17, 2016, 10:02:56 AM »

I tried Maisie some years ago and didnt like the series.. I finished an Alafair Burke.. not one of her series, but a stand alone that is a puzzle intertwining. I did like it. She is not violent like her Dad, but is quite an interesting writer..

marjifay · « **Reply #8107 on:** April 17, 2016, 01:31:16 PM »

Thanks much, Ginny, for your recommendation of Mary Beard's SPQR, on ancient Roman history. My library has it; I'll probably end up buying it as it's fairly long (606 pp) It certainly does sound interesting.

Marj I

Steph · « **Reply #8108 on:** April 18, 2016, 08:57:12 AM »

I just found a deal on Charles Todd. two short stories on Bess and two on the detective. Put it on my Kindle.. Still recovering from the cruise, so not much reading just now.

JoanK · « **Reply #8109 on:** April 22, 2016, 03:16:39 PM »

here is :McPherson.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/catriona-mcpherson/

I've read a n umber of the Dandy Glover books and liked them.

I finally updated to Windows 10 a few days ago, and have been busy trying to learn my way around. So if I missed some posts, please forgive me.

Steph · « **Reply #8110 on:** April 23, 2016, 09:22:50 AM »

I bought the newest Daniel Silva and am crazy about Gabriel, so deep into spy and violence, but oh so good.

JoanK · « **Reply #8111 on:** April 24, 2016, 04:22:55 PM »

read the almost-latest Gaslight mystery by Victoria Thompson Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue.

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/victoria-thompson/

The main characters are away (on their honeymoon, I seem to have missed the one where they finally get married), and their friends and family combine to solve a mystery without them. Good read as always. I ;ike the turn-of-the century New York background.

Steph · « **Reply #8112 on:** April 25, 2016, 10:27:10 AM »

Must look for it, yes the last book I read they were either married or getting married.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #8113 on:** May 05, 2016, 01:38:39 PM »

I just finished the Braque Connection, the third is the series on art mysteries and the high performing autistic woman who is the protagonist. It was more complicated then the previous two I read, but enjoyed it very much. Have any of you read any of the series?

This one I read in softcover which our library just purchased. The first two, The Dante Connection and The Gaugain Connection I got as ebooks, free from Amazon. Estelle Ryan is the author.

Jean

Frybabe · « **Reply #8114 on:** May 05, 2016, 02:18:15 PM »

I read the first one only, Jean. I've been concentrating on free or library books to keep my costs down, so I haven't ordered the others. My library doesn't have it, but I should look on the PFL site to see if they do.

I've been very spottily reading Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series. They are good stories, but they don't seem to hold my interest (yet) as well as did Lindsey Davis's Didius Falco series, or Ruth Downey's Medicus series. Not sure why. Maybe it is because I have reading mostly SciFi for the last year or more.

maryz · « **Reply #8115 on:** May 05, 2016, 04:43:15 PM »

Jean, I think I've read 8 of Ryan's books - obviously, I liked them. It's an interesting ensemble "cast".

Frybabe · « **Reply #8116 on:** May 05, 2016, 04:59:05 PM »

I was surprised to see how many she has written since I read the first one. Maybe I could recommend the series to the library. They seem a bit pricey for paperbacks, though. At that price they should be the trade paperbacks rather than the cheaper mass market paperbacks.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #8117 on:** May 05, 2016, 10:00:37 PM »

I recommended them to my library, that's how I got the Braque Connection.

Mary - I didn't realize there were 8 of them. Oh goodie, five more to look forward to.

I also just finished a Clifford Irving mystery, Boy on Trial. It was also a free Amazon ebook. It was a fun book. The protagonist is a 12 yr old genius and the story is told from his perspective.

Jean

MaryPage · « **Reply #8118 on:** May 07, 2016, 09:51:01 AM »

Jean, I have read (and thoroughly enjoyed) two of the series, and own all of the rest.

JoanK · « **Reply #8119 on:** May 07, 2016, 04:19:30 PM »

JEAN: you missed it when you were out: we did an in-depth discussion of the first one. It's nice to find a series with such a richness of material: autism: art, Mozart!

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 905937 times)