Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 910363 times)

Frybabe · « **Reply #6720 on:** September 09, 2014, 06:54:12 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
Fantastic Fiction
Stop You're Killing Me

Discussion Leader: JoanK

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I'm taking a break from Scifi to read Len Deighton's City of Gold, a WWII spy thriller. His first novel, The IPCRESS File, was made into a movie starring Michael Caine. In addition to spy novels, he wrote history, cookbooks, and travel guides. He also did some design work (starting his career as an illustrator) which included the first cover for Kerouac's On the Road, did a comic strip for a while, and briefly dabbled in film production.

ursamajor · « **Reply #6721 on:** September 09, 2014, 09:52:20 AM »

I have given up on Louise Penny, despite the fact that I love Inspector Gamache and Three Pines. Does anybody know how to pronounce Gamache?

Steph · « **Reply #6722 on:** September 09, 2014, 10:21:04 AM »

46,, and all by the same author. Wow..

MaryPage · « **Reply #6723 on:** September 09, 2014, 11:40:45 AM »

And apparently about the same DCI!

FlaJean · « **Reply #6724 on:** September 09, 2014, 01:43:41 PM »

Gamache is pronounced Ga Mash'

If you click on this link, you can hear the pronunciations of the main characters in Louise Penny's own very pleasant voice.

http://www.louisepenny.com/translations/CharacterNames64kps.mp3

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #6725 on:** September 09, 2014, 01:51:44 PM »

testing

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #6726 on:** September 09, 2014, 01:52:50 PM »

Sorry about that "testing" but earlier the site would not let me POST reply (I lost one entirely) don't know what's wrong with my computer this morning.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #6727 on:** September 09, 2014, 07:03:45 PM »

Interesting comment Tomereader - i have had problems downloading sites today, first on Safari and later on Internet Explorer. Chrome seemed to be working o.k., but i was only on it for a short time.

Frybabe · « **Reply #6728 on:** September 10, 2014, 07:02:51 AM »

I don't know about yesterday, but today some sites are participating in a internet slowdown in support of net neutrality, according to BBC. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29127179 So far today, I am not seeing it though. I had a little trouble yesterday morning with several sites.

Steph · « **Reply #6729 on:** September 10, 2014, 08:46:58 AM »

Oh joy, I ran into a Carol O'Connell new book on Mallory yesterday and am deep in it. She is way past weird, but I love the stuff.

JoanK · « **Reply #6730 on:** September 10, 2014, 03:06:57 PM »

Welcome to this site, FRYBABE. If you like Deighton, looks like you have a lot of reading ahead. Seems that he wrote a tone of books.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/len-deighton/

Let us know what you think.

JoanK · « **Reply #6731 on:** September 10, 2014, 03:09:20 PM »

Penny does have a great voice, doesn't she.

Frybabe · « **Reply #6732 on:** September 11, 2014, 07:29:25 AM »

I must not have posted in here for a while.

Steph · « **Reply #6733 on:** September 11, 2014, 10:12:17 AM »

Still swimming along on Broadway with Carol O'Connell. A complicated book as always and Mallory is still way past weird, but a lot of information on staging plays, etc.

JoanK · « **Reply #6734 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:50:18 PM »

Sorry, FRY. But you're always missed when you don't post.

JoanK · « **Reply #6735 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:53:47 PM »

Snagged a Charles Finch that I hadn't read: "An Old betrayal". It's good, and I see there's another even newer one out as well: "The Laws of Murder."

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

(Boy, he's young to have written so much: 34? But he puts them out fast!)

Steph · « **Reply #6736 on:** September 12, 2014, 08:47:15 AM »

I am falling behind on Finch.. 34,, I think I have read five.. oh me.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #6737 on:** September 12, 2014, 12:35:50 PM »

For anyone considering reading Tom Rob Smith's "The Farm" - think twice. I am about half way through and IMO, it's hopeless. I had good expectations, having read "Child 44" by him, but this seems an "experimental novel/mystery".

marjifay · « **Reply #6738 on:** September 12, 2014, 01:43:40 PM »

Thanks, Tomereader, for your opinion of Tom Rob Smith's The Farm. I have it here ready to be read. After your remarks, I won't push myself to finish it if I have trouble with it. I'll let you know.

Marj

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #6739 on:** September 12, 2014, 04:47:24 PM »

I hope you have a better opinion of it than I had. I took it back to the library. Have some better choices I picked up, all for recommendations to f2f book club (not the Mystery one). I am going to read the following:
"The Invention of Wings"; "A Separate Peace" (Knowles). Also, we are reading for Oct. "

JoanK · « **Reply #6740 on:** September 12, 2014, 04:57:23 PM »

Read a new (to me- I see it came out last year) book by Felix Francis (the son of Dick Francis). the first two were ok, not as good as his father, but worth reading. This one-- on the plus side it kept me up late last night reading it. But it was stupid. The plot was stupid, consisting almost entirely of the violence that Francis is known for without the counterbalance of learning something about the racing or another scene. And the narrator didn't take the most obvious simple steps to avoid the threats he was under!

And his research was bad. (I'm on a tear about this, so excuse me). the narrator is Sid Haley, the ex-jockey with one hand who has appeared in several other books. He's whining about how terrible it is to have one hand, and as someone born with only one fully usable hand, I get impatient. He's whining about not being able to do things with one hand that I've been doing with one hand all my life. I want to say "stop feeling sorry for yourself and find a good occupational therapist to teach you how if you're too dumb to figure it out for yourself!"

I'll bet Felix just didn't do his homework to find out how one-handed people manage. There, that's my rant for the day!

marjifay · « **Reply #6741 on:** September 12, 2014, 06:56:42 PM »

Wow, Tomereader, so you're going to read Knowles' A Separate Peace (from 1958?). I remember reading that long ago as a freshman in college and liking it very much. Don't hear of many reading it now.

Marj

Frybabe · « **Reply #6742 on:** September 13, 2014, 06:34:25 AM »

JoanK, you reminded me of a fellow in my classes in high school. He learned to type without having fingers on one hand, and I don't mean using just his good hand to type. He had a can do attitude. I never heard him complain nor did I ever hear anyone bully or make fun of him.

Steph · « **Reply #6743 on:** September 13, 2014, 11:46:04 AM »

I don't read Felix. I tried, but he simply is not nearly as good as his Dad, who had his wife to do his research.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #6744 on:** September 13, 2014, 05:33:58 PM »

Quote from: marjifay on September 12, 2014, 06:56:42 PM

Wow, Tomereader, so you're going to read Knowles' A Separate Peace (from 1958?). I remember reading that long ago as a freshman in college and liking it very much. Don't hear of many reading it now.

Marj

I started A Separate Peace, but don't know that i will be able to finish. So far he's only talked about (described every single solitary thing about Phineas, but where is the "rest of the story"? Guess I need to read further but it's gonna be a long haul for me if this continues.

Read an interesting, funny&serious book "Early Decision". My best friend who was a teacher for a good number of years, said she wouldn't be interested, but I just loved the book. About a woman who coaches high school students who are trying to get into the "best" colleges, and helping them with their submissions, essays, etc. Well-written, funny in a lot of ways,but deadly serious subject matter. If you were a teacher and don't wish to return to that phase of your life, I'd say NO don't read it. But for me, simply loved it.

Frybabe · « **Reply #6745 on:** September 14, 2014, 08:38:33 AM »

I just finished City of Gold. Even though it felt difficult to put down, it took a while to get trough somehow. The characters were an interesting mix. Their lives seemingly separate at first and just briefly passing or meeting each other, gradually came together as the war, and Rommel, came closer to Cairo. What a hotbed of intrigue Cairo must have been. In trying to locate a spy who is feeding very accurate info to the Germans about Allied forces supplies, troop movements, and plans, we run across Egyptian rebels trying to unseat King Farouk, deserters from both sides of the war, and black market dealings primarily trying to secure supplies and weapons for the Jewish movement to unseat the British in what is now Israel. The ultimate source of information the Nazi's got from Cairo was a surprise to me. I looked it up and found this on History Net. If you want to read the book, this is a major spoiler sp don't read it. If not, it may be a bit of history that you, like me, knew nothing about.
http://www.historynet.com/intercepted-communications-for-field-marshal-erwin-rommel.htm

Steph · « **Reply #6746 on:** September 14, 2014, 09:06:15 AM »

Oh my, sounds like my kind of book. Who wrote it..
Life was complicated yesterday at my house since my not that old dog had a heart attack.. He was rushed to the vet, had all sorts of stuff done and now is home with five different sets of pills on strict bed rest. Doing a big better, but still very ill.

Frybabe · « **Reply #6747 on:** September 14, 2014, 09:54:11 AM »

That is upsetting Steph. How do you keep a dog on strict bed rest is he wants to get up and move around?

Len Deighton is the author. During WWII he was a photographer for the RAF's Special Investigation Branch (SIB).

JoanK · « **Reply #6748 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:24:14 PM »

STEF: so glad your dog is all right!

JoanK · « **Reply #6749 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:29:51 PM »

Who knew Ruth Rendell was still writing? I didn't, anyway. She's 84 and has a book coming out in October. I've got her latest Inspector Wexall book, "Nobody's Nightingale." So far, it's good. He's retired, but is helping his former colleagues.

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

I can see I've missed quite a few of her books. Have to catch up.

JoanK · « **Reply #6750 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:39:46 PM »

TOME: is this your book?

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/lacy-crawford/early-decision.htm

Sounds interesting. Although with a grandson who'll be applying to colleges in a few years, not sure whether I do or don't want to know!

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #6751 on:** September 14, 2014, 04:55:31 PM »

That's the one! If one has "connections" or would be a "legacy" student, makes all the difference in the world. However, as the book shows, perhaps the young woman/man is not interested in going to their parents' alma mater.
I really liked the book! It might be nice to know some of this "stuff" on behalf of your grandson, and according to the author, it's never too early to start!

Steph · « **Reply #6752 on:** September 15, 2014, 08:05:06 AM »

The short answer with dogs on bed rest is a crate. Since Duncan hates crates however, I am settling for one room in the house, next to my chair. He has his bed and also a big fluffy towel next to it, since for some reason he loves towels to cuddle on. He is much much better today. Back to the vet this am, since he wants to take his walks big time. He is a very busy bee and loves walking up and down the mountain, Me, not so much

MaryPage · « **Reply #6753 on:** September 16, 2014, 11:50:54 AM »

I have read a few by Ruth Rendell and/or Barbara Vine, another name she writes under. I have owned and watched all of the DVDs of the television shows the BBC made from her stories. I don't buy her books anymore, because, frankly, they always depress me. Always. I wind up feeling heavily saddened and not very happy about the state of mankind. Hey, I can get all I might wish of that for free just by watching the news!
She is a very talented writer, I will say that; but her plots are sick. Maybe she has changed?

JoanK · « **Reply #6754 on:** September 16, 2014, 04:13:29 PM »

Mary Page: I agree with you. But her Inspector Wexford books are different: lighter police procedurals. That's the one I read. It's ok -- a little slow and rambling, but not bad for 82 (as she was at the time. It features a cleaning lady who talks all the time, and boy can I relate!!!

JoanK · « **Reply #6755 on:** September 16, 2014, 04:36:20 PM »

Ken Burns series on The Roosevelts airing now on PBS brought to mind the two mystery series with Roosevelts as detectives. The author of the series featuring Eleanor as detective is her son Eliot. But who wrote the series with Teddy, as police commissioner of New York? Does anyone remember?

JoanK · « **Reply #6756 on:** September 16, 2014, 04:48:35 PM »

Ah, I found it on "Stop you're killing me" by using the locate on index. It's Lawrence Alexander.

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/A_Authors/Alexander_Lawrence.html

Acording to fantastic Fiction, he's now writing legal beagles onder his real name of Buffa. They don't list his Alexander mysteries: I assume it's the same person.

Steph · « **Reply #6757 on:** September 17, 2014, 08:46:12 AM »

I can think of several books on that era that use Teddy as a character, not necessarily the main character, but he was so vivid they like using him..

marjifay · « **Reply #6758 on:** September 17, 2014, 12:26:19 PM »

Darm, none of my libraries carry Lawrence Alexander's books about Teddy Roosevelt.

Marj

marjifay · « **Reply #6759 on:** September 17, 2014, 12:37:48 PM »

How about Caleb Carr's The Alienist and Angel of Darkness.

Marj

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner ~ 2 (Read 910363 times)