Author Topic: Mystery Corner (Read 160471 times)

Babi · « **Reply #120 on:** January 25, 2009, 11:03:37 AM »

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I also generally stop reading any mystery that starts out with the most gorgeous woman in the world meeting the handsomest man

I have the same problem with 'romances', STEPH. Actually I have a number of problems with that genre, so I avoid them all. My favorite mysteries are the ones that allow me to try and figure out the solution. Which is why I read every Agatha Christie I could find.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #121 on:** January 25, 2009, 11:17:15 AM »

DITTO!

...............jean

winsummm · « **Reply #122 on:** January 25, 2009, 01:45:57 PM »

i like mysteries and thrillers best because they go so quickly and don't take m;much effort. i cal them my GOOD JUNK so am delighted to ave so may good reviews to brouse. greetings to all most of you familiar old sn folk. I'm here too. Claire

winsummm · « **Reply #123 on:** January 25, 2009, 01:50:20 PM »

romances are all the same just change the names. thrillers are great some even sccare m for a while when finished, I like mysteries that teach me something about a field that is unfamiliar to me as in the works of kathy reich and others. with an anthropological twist. Tony Hillar indians too.

pedln · « **Reply #124 on:** January 25, 2009, 03:28:07 PM »

Steph, I agree with your husband -- I love legal mysteries and also those dealing with Wall Street. Loved the Emma Lathen series about the investment banker hero. Too bad there aren't any more. I think one of the Emma Lathens ((a lawyer and a banker) died.

But I've picked up some good names here that I want to try -- Pelicanos, and Barnard -- A Cry in the Dark sounds good. The library was holding the latest Margaret Truman for me and I just got it -- Murder inside the Beltway. Now that should be a good way to pass a dreary COLD Sunday afternoon. Fix up a big bowl of popcorn. Heat some juice in the microwave.

And this evening I've got the best mystery from Netflix -- Five Days -- the second disc of a 5-day miniseries by HBO. But it's a British show -- Mama goes missing, then the two children also. Lots of characters, in-fighting with the press and the police. What fun.

jane · « **Reply #125 on:** January 25, 2009, 04:41:23 PM »

Pedln...I loved the Emma Lathen books, too, and one of the two authors did die in 1997, according to Wikipedia...

Emma Lathen is the pen name of two American businesswomen: an attorney Mary Jane Latsis (July 12, 1927 -October 29, 1997) and an economic analyst Martha Henissart (b. 1929),who received her B.A. in physics from Mount Holyoke College in 1950.

I thought one was a prof at Columbia, but I may have another author confused here.

jane

EvelynMC · « **Reply #126 on:** January 25, 2009, 07:09:49 PM »

I just finished reading The Dust of Death by Paul Charles.
I really enjoyed it on this cold, dreary Sunday. Thanks to whoever recommended it in December. I had a hold on it at the library and it came in Friday.

I also finished Brimstone a few days ago. I enjoyed that too. It is a departure from what I usually read and I plan to read more by these authors. For the chills up my spine, I guess.
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are new authors for me. Ginny put the list in order for us in December and I was able to check out the three books of the Diogenes Trilogy and plan to read the other two.

I agree, so many books, so little time.

Evelyn

pedln · « **Reply #127 on:** January 25, 2009, 07:32:20 PM »

Jane, are you thinking of Carolyn Heilbrun, who wrote mysteries under the name of

?. Her character was an English professor at Columbia, Kate something.

Several years ago we discussed Helibrun's non-fiction book about living after sixty, and had fits when it was discovered she had committed suicide.

Zulema · « **Reply #128 on:** January 25, 2009, 07:57:24 PM »

Well, I have not been here in weeks, but just read everything since.

Tina,

I would love to discuss anything about P. D. James's The Private Patient, but I may not remember all the details.

Steph,

About Rendell's The Water's Lovely, I felt the same as you did. It is very well written, as usual, and I loved reading the book; but as you note, the nasties prevail, the good people die, and are we spoiling this book for everyone else by saying this?

One of my absolute favorites by Rendell was The Keys to the Street.

jane · « **Reply #129 on:** January 25, 2009, 08:37:12 PM »

Pedln...BINGO! Yes, that's she. I enjoyed her Kate Fansler mysteries, and like her character Kate, Ms. Heilbrun, who was then writing as Amanda Cross, was a professor of English (at Columbia).

Thanks! Now I can sleep tonight and not wait for the right name to float to the top of my brain!

JoanK · « **Reply #130 on:** January 25, 2009, 10:24:04 PM »

HI, CLAIRE!! Glad to see tou as always!
JANE: I'm so glad you remembered Amanda Cross's name. It was driving me crazy that I couldn't remember it.

I haven't thought about Emma Lathan for years - my father introduced me to the books, and I think I've read them all. But worth checking Fantastic Fiction to see if I missed one.

I have some reason why I don't read Dorothy Cannell, either, but now I can't remember what it was.

I like cozies -- when I feel stressed out, I find them soothing. (and not necessarily trivial. After all, Agatha Chrisies are cozies). The weakness of the genre for me is that they can become so cozy that they become "cutsies" (ugh). And they accumulate continuing characters. That is part of their appeal, but the continuing characters can accumulate to the point where they take over and drown out the plot.

Steph · « **Reply #131 on:** January 26, 2009, 08:01:53 AM »

I loved Emma Lathen and recently discoverd one of hers I had never read. Set mostly in Japan and Thatcher was up as always.
Both my husband and I have recently read The Last Templar.. We watched some of it( I think he watched all) last night on television. Boy had they changed it..Whew.. But I did like the book very much.
I like to learn about different cultures and places, so love mysteries that do so. Robert Parker makes you really get into Boston and Cambridge. Tony Hillerman explained Indian culture to me. Minette Walters,, parts of England and Elizabeth George, yet another side of England. In some books, I dont care who did it, but I do care why.. I even sometimes read books that cause me to wake up in the night.. Red Dragon for one.. and then there are mysteries that make me laugh.. Stephanie Plum,, no real villains or crimes that make sense, but fun.

Babi · « **Reply #132 on:** January 26, 2009, 10:48:35 AM »

PEDLN, I like British shows, too, but many of them don't have closed captioning. Did the series 'Five Days' have the CC, do you remember?

Winsum...the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child that Evelyn mentions have a lot
of anthropological and historical background in their books. I like that, too.

pedln · « **Reply #133 on:** January 26, 2009, 02:09:26 PM »

Babi, I'm in your boat -- there have to be captions or subtitles or I sink. Yes, Five Days has both. I finished it last night and really enjoyed. (It was an HBO mini-series)

I'm glad you came up with Amanda Cross, Jane. I couldn't for the life of me remember Heilbron's pen name. "Fansler" just kind of floated by me last night.

Has anyone read any Eileen Dreyer mysteries. My f2f group will discuss Sinners and Saints in Feb. I'm reading it, enjoying it, but it doesn't seem to move very quickly. This is set in New Orleans and the author had this note in the paperback version -- that the hardback was published five days before Katrina hit. Unbelievable. And there are a lot of semi-jokes, tongue-in-cheek comments about hurricanes. In fact, the very opening is at someone's beginning-of-hurricane-season party -- an annual event!

Someone mentioned Dorothy Cannell -- I read something by her years ago -- how to kill your mother-in-law or some such. She is British, I think, but lives (or did) in Peoria.

MarjV · « **Reply #134 on:** January 26, 2009, 05:35:41 PM »

Oho!! This afternoon finished Scotland's Peter May's second Enzio MacLeod mystery - set in the wine country of France. Mr. May certainly can tell a convoluted tale. Think : bodies soaked in wine. Title: The Critic. Glad I read the first one initially. Sets the scene for the main character interactions.

Mippy: I agree. I thought YIDDISH was excellent.

Thanks for the Netflix "Five Days" idea.

Zulema · « **Reply #135 on:** January 26, 2009, 06:37:53 PM »

About Dorothy Cannell, I thought The Thin Woman was fantastically funny, interesting, and everything I could have wished, but I have tried and not been able to read any of her later books. And as for Peter May, I find his books do not hold my interest. When I put one down, I don't feel like going back to it. Robert Barnard I like very much, particularly his later books. There is usually a sympathetic main character in them and I find it a pleasure to spend time with him or her.

Steph · « **Reply #136 on:** January 27, 2009, 09:57:37 AM »

Just finished an old Hamish McBeth. I use them for my waiting books.. I keep them in the car and use them for appointments, etc. You dont lose track and they are sort of predictable.

Frybabe · « **Reply #137 on:** January 27, 2009, 02:31:23 PM »

HI all,
Steph, thanks for the comment about The Last Templar. I watched most of it, thought the second half was pretty uninspiring, and had decided not to read the book. So the book is better and worth reading?

Newly acquired and waiting to be read is Steve Berry's The Charlemagne Pursuit. I've read his The Amber Room and The Templar Legacy. I had a lot of fun with the latter, because I printed out maps to follow the travel and checked out the really neat website of Rennes-le-Chateau where a lot of the action takes place.
http://www.renneslechateau.com

Pedln mentioned Margaret Truman. Last week I was given her Murder on K Street. She has written more book than I thought. Murder on K Street is the last on the list, so can I assume that this is the last Capitol crime series book she wrote before she passed away?

There are also two of Ann Perry's William Monk series in the stack of books given to me. She sure is a prolific writer from the looks of it. Never read her works so I don't know to expect.

JoanK · « **Reply #138 on:** January 27, 2009, 03:47:23 PM »

I used to have a "wait" book, too. I always had a purse big enough to hold a small paperback, which was always with me. Unfortunately, the big purses weren't good for my arthritic shoulder. Now, I have to remember to carry a book.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #139 on:** January 27, 2009, 05:34:28 PM »

Joan - i only like "shoulder" bags, but my shoulders are so sloped now i have trouble keeping the strap on one shoulder, so i got a bag w/ a strap long enough to go over my head and the bag hangs to the other side, maybe that kind would be helpful for you to carry your book in and not hurt your shoulder..............jean

JoanK · « **Reply #140 on:** January 27, 2009, 08:18:01 PM »

JEAN: that's the way I always carried it, too. Actually, I can still fit a small paperback in my purse if I keep the other junk cleaned out of it. (sigh!)

FRYBABE: if one of your William Monk books is "Face of a Stranger", read that first. It's the first in the series and sets up the situation in the later books.

Frybabe · « **Reply #141 on:** January 28, 2009, 12:48:43 AM »

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FRYBABE: if one of your William Monk books is "Face of a Stranger", read that first. It's the first in the series and sets up the situation in the later books.

No Joan, I was given The Sins of the Wolf and Slaves of Obsession.

Oh, I think I forgot to mention earlier that I saw Joan Rivers on Fox and Friends. She has written two books. One is non-fiction about plastic surgery and the other is a work of fiction about murder at the Emmy Awards (I think I got the right awards show). If I remember correctly, she said that some of the things in the book revolving around the Emmys were based on actual events. Has anyone seen this book? Sorry, I didn't catch the title.

Steph · « **Reply #142 on:** January 28, 2009, 09:43:10 AM »

I simply cannot imagine Joan Rivers writing anything worthwhile. I browsed through the autobiography a few years ago in a library.. Very self serving..
I loved The Last Templar and need to look him up for whatever else he has written. Sort of a type of DaVinci Code book.. Just did not get the promos that that one did.

Babi · « **Reply #143 on:** January 28, 2009, 09:52:31 AM »

Thanks, PEDLN. I'm going to add "Five Days" to my Netflix queue.

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"I thought The Thin Woman was fantastically funny, interesting, and everything I could have wished, but I have tried and not been able to read any of her books."

ZULEMA, I read a Dorothy Cannell book because someone here had recommended her as a humorous author. I guess I missed the funny one, because I wasn't sufficiently impressed to read any more of them.

FRYBABE, you are in for a treat. Ann Perry is a favorite of mine, and I watch for the books in both her series. Wouldn't miss them. Wm. Monk is one; Pitt is the other. They go way back, tho'. Must be fifteen or more in each series.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #144 on:** January 28, 2009, 01:06:06 PM »

Just finished Julie Garwood's Slow Burn. It was o.k. for these dreary winter days - fun.

I mentioned before that i was listening to Evanovich's "Fourteen" which i had read, but a friend gave me the cd's so i'm listening to them in the car - takes a while that way, but it entertains me while i'm running errands..........i didn't notice it so much when i read the book, but while listening i'm thinking that this has more profanity than her previous books...............i don't mind a little of that, but some how listening to it seems to make it stand out more...........hope she's not feeling a need to spice-up her books as she writes more and more of them................hope she backs off from that, her books are hilarious w/out that. I think that way about the comediens also. Bill Cosby is very funny w/out using the profanity and Eddie Murphy/ Richard Pryor, etc. were just as funny when they were on late night shows where they couldn't use profanity. (guess i'm showing my age w/ those examples, uh?) There's almost no stand-up person on the Comedy Channel who doesn't use profanity - or sexual situations - in their comedy - men or womn. Shows a lack of imagination and creativity .................jean

Phyll · « **Reply #145 on:** January 28, 2009, 02:05:30 PM »

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i didn't notice it so much when i read the book, but while listening i'm thinking that this has more profanity than her previous books

And a little more graphic with the sex, I thought, Jean. I love Evanovich usuallly but "Fourteen" didn't seem as good as the others. Perhaps she is growing tired of her Stephanie Plum theme.

marjifay · « **Reply #146 on:** January 28, 2009, 03:49:57 PM »

I agree, Phyll. I really liked Evanovich's HIGH FIVE and PLUM LUCKY. But FEARLESS FOURTEEN, altho' it started out well, got just silly and not funny at all, IMO, about half way through. I laughed more reading Dorothy Cannell's THE THIN WOMAN. The best part of Evanovich's books are that grandmother -- a real kick!

JoanK · « **Reply #147 on:** January 28, 2009, 09:49:14 PM »

Too bad you don't have the first Monk, but the others can be read out of order. I notice from Fantastic Fiction a new Monk is coming out in March.

In fact, March seems to be when a number of mystery authors have new books coming out. Look for them!

Steph · « **Reply #148 on:** January 29, 2009, 08:16:46 AM »

I always wait and buy the paperback on Evanovich.. Sorry to hear she is ramping up.. But then it is amazing the authors who do that. I used to like Laurell Hamilton..She had vampires and werewolves and complications and toughness, but she got deeper and deeper into sexual perversities and now I simply cannot read her at all.

Babi · « **Reply #149 on:** January 29, 2009, 09:13:32 AM »

Evanovich's 'grandmother' really was a doozy, to use an old-fashioned phrase, wasn't she, Marjifay?

Phyll · « **Reply #150 on:** January 29, 2009, 12:51:59 PM »

I'm just beginning "Brimstone" by Preston and Child and I'm already intrigued. I may regret all the "spine chills" but I am hooked to keep on with it.

JoanK · « **Reply #151 on:** January 29, 2009, 04:51:14 PM »

I've started "Yiddish". I thought my Yiddish was good enough to catch all the jokes, but I was wrong. I do know that "Landsman" (the detective) is like paisano in Italian. It means a fellow Jew. And that "Lasker" (the victim) is a famous chess player. (The detective as a chess player should have caught that at once) It was clear that the author had a ball with all the names, but the rest I didn't get. I'll have to read it with google at hand, or give up.

I'm hoping the clue will be something about the chess game that was left -- in which case, I probably won't understand it.

EvelynMC · « **Reply #152 on:** January 29, 2009, 05:04:12 PM »

Phyll: I finished "Brimstone" last week, and really enjoyed it. I finished the second book in the trilogy "Dance of Death" last night. And will start the third "Wheel of Darkness" in the next couple of days. These books are different...well written, hard to put down. Hope you enjoy them.

Evelyn

EvelynMC · « **Reply #153 on:** January 30, 2009, 12:47:24 PM »

Correction: The third book in the Diogenes Triology is "Book of the Dead". I started "Wheel of Darkness" last night and realized I had skipped something somewhere, so went back and checked my library list and realized my error.

"Wheel of Darkness" also seems to be a good mystery. These books are very strange, interesting but strange.

Evelyn

JoanK · « **Reply #154 on:** January 30, 2009, 02:49:21 PM »

Correction: the detective in Yiddish did catch Lasker, the Chessmaster -- just hadn't mentioned it.

Babi · « **Reply #155 on:** January 30, 2009, 04:51:32 PM »

I just started Daniel Silva's "The Most Unlikely Spy". Silva was recommended by someone here. So far, he is filling in background and establishing his characters, but I think I'm going to like it.

peace42 · « **Reply #156 on:** January 31, 2009, 12:09:04 PM »

wow, been a while since I posted here! between inauguration stuff and some health issues, well, I haven't been doing much reading. When I last posted, I think I said I was beginning a book by British Author Ian Rankin...title FLeshmarket Alley...not as erotic as it sounds...the "alley" is an area in Edinburgh where there are "adult" clubs with nude dancing and all the stuff that goes with it...The paperback is 561 pages long and I really should have finished it by now! But here I sit, on page 256. I read a page or two and then put it down. According to the jacket blurb this guy is the #1 mystery writer in Britain..a Wall Street Journal quote compares him to P.D. James and Ruth Rendell. So why can't I finish this thing?! British mysteries often plod but this just slogs so I guess I'll start something else and maybe come back later. How far do you folks read in a book before deciding it just isn't worth continuing? Just curious. Next, I'll go to my pile of "winter books" and see what I find! happy reading everyone..and,if it applies, keep warm.

JoanK · « **Reply #157 on:** January 31, 2009, 02:27:19 PM »

PEACE: I think this is the same guy my f2f mystery group read, though not the same book. I managed to finish it, only because I didn't want to let the group down, but it was a slog. Fans of his in the group assured me he is wonderful, and this was just a bad book, so I tried another one. Same thing!! To make it worse, he used the same "surprise" gimmick at the end. Sigh.

It's a good thing tastes vary. I tend to stick with books too long. A friend of mine has a "rule of 89". If the book hasn't grabbed you by page 89, forget it! (She never told me how she arrived at that number).

marjifay · « **Reply #158 on:** February 01, 2009, 08:51:42 AM »

I usually give a book a chapter before dropping it, unless the chapter is a James Patterson-sized one, then I'll give it about 50 pages. Maybe a little longer if it has been highly recommended by a friend or book reviewer I trust.

I just dropped Agatha Christie's THE SECRET OF CHIMNEY'S after less than a chapter, because the conversation was so silly I couldn't go on.

maryz · « **Reply #159 on:** February 01, 2009, 10:46:49 AM »

I give up on a book when I discover that I don't really care what any of the characters are doing.

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Author Topic: Mystery Corner (Read 160471 times)