Mysteries

How I love crime novels.

Have you read any of the Linda Castillo books? They are set in Amish country and the heroine/Police Chief was raised Amish before deciding not to be baptized.

Oh, thanks,Jjayte. Looks tasty.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/30/the-best-crime-books-and-thrillers...

Reading a lot of mysteries these days, perfect for my deteriorating mind.

Who doesn't love nuns (more or less)?! I'm on to the fifth installment of the Dame Frevisse series that starts with:

The Novice's Tale
by Margaret Frazer
Link: http://a.co/cGDfLvj

Fine reading.

I recently also discovered Oliver Harris who hails from those same Sceptered Isles; nicely transgressive police procedurals. Start with:

The Hollow Man: A Novel (Detective Nick Belsey Series)
by Oliver Harris
Link: http://a.co/6wyMk0m

Tasty.

I just started The Best American Mystery Stories 2015. I couldn't get 2016 on overdrive so I went with this one. The first story by Doug Allyn is exceptional. Wow,talk about brilliant noir. The second was by someone I didn't know-good story though,the third was a first-timer originally published in Ploughshares mediocre, and I just finished for me my first Lee Child which was alright. I know the world is obsessed with Lee Child, I liked the cool demeanour of the narrator but the story was just ok. Next up a Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly team-up!

alan, if you have a Kindle keep your eye out for the daily deals. Every year, I get The Best American Whatevers for like two bucks a piece.

Unfortunately I think the Best American $1.99 sale was this past Friday. But they might do it again in a few months to give the series a bump.

It was, and I was going to post that here and forgot. Sorry!

Thanks, I too buy it but I'm really on a tight budget this month so it's ok I missed the temptation. I did notice that a lot of margaret millar is now on for 3.99. They seem to be bringing back the old classic crime at great prices because Earle Stanley gardener was really cheap as is much of ed mcbain.

Speaking of the Bass,which is a series I live for, I just looked it up and Meg Wolitzer is guest editor for next October and John Stanford (sp) is doing the mystery ones. I have added travel to my beloved reads. The only ones I now avoid are spiritual and sports,although I think I may start sports just for the writing.oh I also avoid science. And for those interested the ASME nominations are also out. Another best of collection I love. Incredibly New York magazine is at the front of the heap but again.it befuddles me how New York always gets more noms than the New Yorker. I mean isn't David Remnick and his crowd perfect?

I love the Science and Nature, and the Essays. I usually end up buying the Short Stories, sometimes the Non-Required Reading. But the Essays and Science are by far my favorites. I've been curious about the Travel one, but I don't have a lot of interest in Mysteries (too short!) and Sports.

And Kat, I'm going to check out those nun mysteries. For an avowed atheist, I really enjoy stories with nuns, monks, abbeys, monasteries, religious schools, etc. And I have enjoyed that time period a lot in other stories.

I've been wanting to read more mysteries or thrillers lately, so I keep looking for new ones. Thing is, I have read such a tiny portion of these genres, I don't need new ones. I can just open my eyes, and there's something I want to read there!

The Wall Street Journal had a nifty article over the weekend about the best spy / espionage novels. The best part was seeing names / titles that I was not familiar with.

The Untouchable
By John Banville (1997)

Ashenden
By W. Somerset Maugham (1928)

The Riddle of the Sands
By Erskine Childers (1903)

The Kaiser’s Last Kiss
By Alan Judd (2003)

Fever and Spear
By Javier Marías (2002)

Stupid WSJ. Every article I click on is behind a paywall.

WSJ is offering a $1 for two months deal. paper and online. so I signed up.

one dollah ..... pretty good deal.

Oh, I like the sound of that, Teep.

I'm trying to read through this year's Edgar nominations so I am ten pages from the end of my first selection-The Ex by Alifair Burke. Reading through the book I assumed the author was a man because the name sounds so much like Alistair, but it turns out Alifair is a woman and a practicing lawyer and the daughter of James Burke who I have heard is one of the top crime writers today.
This book is a legal procedural and I like it quite a bit. I will definitely read more by her down the road. There is this side kick who is shticky without being too overly obnoxious and gimmicky. I imagine he will appear in books down the road if she decides to continue this series.

James Lee Burke is indeed one of the finest mystery writers. Very prolific .. unfortunately a bit prolix, also. But the first half dozen Dave Robicheaux novels set in and around New Orleans are very fine.

Can they be read as stand alones, and which would you recommend as a starting point for a novice?

Although each has a complete story line, the stories -- especially the "lives" of the main characters -- do build and grow from story to story. I don't think that you would be completely lost if you picked a random one.

There's "only" 20 of them. The first is The Neon Rain from 1987.

The biggest gripe I have about them is that most / all feature a dream sequence which often relates to the main character's Vietnam experience. And there would be more than one per book. I found over time that I could skip any dream sequence and not miss anything.

Also, the quirks of the main characters, new endearing at first, do get repetitive as the series progressed.

If you like audiobooks, James Lee Burke's books that are read by Will Patton are amazing. I mean, I enjoy the books and characters and everything, but Will Patton's narration is so perfect for those books! I started kind of in the middle of the Dave Robichaux series, and I think I went back to the beginning after reading/listening to about 6 of the later ones. So I think you can start with any of them and not be too lost. I haven't read Alafair Burke's books yet, but the main character in the Dave Robichaux series has a daughter named Alafair also. I'm not sure if he named the daughter after the character or vice versa!

I'm also listening to The Dry when I go to sleep, but I think it's actually too good for that. I want to actually pay attention, so I may switch it over to "in the car" listening.

I believe Burke named his daughter after the Robichaux character Alafair.

Looking forward to these two mysteries I just loaded up to kindle:

Bluebird, Bluebird
by Attica Locke
Link: http://a.co/8oFRaFJ

Murderous Mistral: A Provence Mystery (Roger Blanc)
by Cay Rademacher
Link: http://a.co/cYkhzxn

If you are a fan of Hard Case Crime books and their over the top covers, there is a relatively new Canadian similar imprint called Ricochet books. Their covers are also outrageous and their works are by some famous writers of the forties and the fifties who wrote pulp under pseudonyms. Their selection grows all the time. Apparently Brian Moore had a pulp novel under another name but his estate refuses to allow the book to be published.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/books/review/best-crime-novels-2017.html?emc=...

NYT on best crime books

New mysteries:

The Unforgotten: A Novel
by Laura Powell
Link: http://a.co/gqYw9zn

Down the River unto the Sea
by Walter Mosley
Link: http://a.co/5t3kksH

The Policeman's Daughter (A Detective Sarah Alt Novel)
by Trudy Nan Boyce
Link: http://a.co/546duS9

Sent from my iPad

If anyone reads Bookmarks Magazine, our own Lynn Reed has a list of books published in there of some of her favorite mysteries/thrillers. I tried to see if it was on their website, but they haven't updated their site since the August 2017 issue. (If you don't have the magazine and are interested, I can post it later when I'm at home.)

I've subscribed to bookmarks for years now-I have no idea how they keep going.

They only have like 5 employees, which I guess explains why there are so many typos and errors throughout the magazine. It drives me crazy, but I do try to remember they don't have a lot of people to help.

Hey good eyes Julie! I’ve been getting Bookmarks since Day 1 - I think it’s the last of its kind.

I had made that list (Favorite Mystery
Books with a Twist at the End) like 10/15 or so years ago and on a lark emailed it in just a few weeks ago. Within 5 minutes I heard back saying how much they liked it but I immediately wrote back asking them to let me edit it since it’s so old but didn’t hear back so I was surprised when I saw it. (It’s also got some typos, eg. I said Barbara Vine WAS Ruth Rendell, not LIKE her. Plus I would’ve updated saying I don’t recommend Thomas Cook anymore but otherwise, I do stand by that list.

I've subscribed to Bookmarks since almost the beginning, and I look forward to it arriving in my mailbox. I sure hope they can hang in there until my subscription expires. What a blast that Lynn has a list in the magazine. I didn't even catch it, but I did read through the list looking for some juicy reads. There are some good books in that list, Lynn.

I have ten pages left in The Cold Kiss by John Rector and it's been just amazing. What a great thrilling noir ride. Unfortunately I read the reviews on amazon and I can kind of guess how it will end-but this has been such a fantastic read. Not for the faint of heart though, very fast-moving and very very gory.

Everything by authors Elizabeth George (Lynley series) and Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache series).

I love the Inspector Gamache series as well, but I don't think I've ever actually read any Elizabeth George. No idea why, just too little time! I only recently read my first P.D. James and am currently reading my first Nevada Barr. I really would like to catch up with Penny's series and Tana French's series. I just need to throw my tv out the window, clearly.

I'm reading a P.D. James, too. The Murder Room. Can't remember if it's my first or not. As for the television, I've been making a conscious decision to watch less this week specifically so I will read.

Peter Robinson won the best Canadian Crime novel last night for this year. I've never read Robinson but I'm sure some of you have. I hear he's fantastic.

Interesting list but Ruth Ware?! That Cabin book was awful.

Who do you like on that list Alan? I don't read enough mystery to be really conversant, but I like to read the occasional one and am always looking for good new authors.

I dont really know anyone else on that list. By far my favourite is Ruth Rendell. I don’t think any writer in any genre writes character like Rendell. I never fell for her Wexford series but her stand-alones never disappoint,creepy,funny in a crazy way and brilliantly plotted.

I agree, alan,. The Wexford novels never really stick but her stand-alones are deliciously creepy.

The Times’ Marilyn Stasio is recommending this one in unusually positive terms
so I’m gonna click.

“Sarah Jane” by James Sallis
https://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Jane-James-Sallis/dp/1641290803/

Dang, that does look good, Kat. Almost every blurb mentions how well it's written. This isn't one of my fav genres, but the emphasis on its writing got me clickin'.

I like to say I am a discriminating reader because I read everything but for romance (of the Harlequin variety). I’m such a slut.

Stasio’s current column:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/01/books/review/crime-fiction-marilyn-stasio-mar...

New series from the writer of the Dexter novels:

Just Watch Me
https://www.amazon.com/Just-Watch-Me-Jeff-Lindsay/dp/1524743941/r

My favorite mystery/thriller writer discovered in the last year is Mick Herron, in particular the “Slow Horses” series, the first three of which are excellent. But his other books are good too.

My favorite mystery/thriller writer discovered in the last year is Mick Herron, in particular the “Slow Horses” series, the first

TEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi All! Long time no see. Still in my years-long reading slump (it might just be multiple months-long ones broken up by a month of good reading), so I thought I'd try something different. If I can't read this contemporary book, try a classic, try an essay, try a short story (the horror!!), try sci-fi, try something easy, try something hard.

Well, the one that made me enjoy reading the most so far has been The Complete Sherlock Holmes. I've never really read these stories, I don't think (maybe one or two 20 years ago), and I'm enjoying it so far. I hope it sticks! I'm not sure what order these are in, it's the B&N classics edition. Starts with A Study in Scarlet, so that's where I am so far!

Yay. I love Sherlock Holmes. And I love seeing you here, Julie. Stick around. :)

Hi Julie, suffering from the same illness. There are good videos on you tube about reader’s block. I found them very helpful.

I never thought to look it up on YouTube! I'll try. I've read plenty of articles about it over the last few years, and some are mildly helpful.

Reading blocks are the bugger. I find that reading rarely brings me the pure pleasure it used to bring, so I adjusted my expectations and persisted. Plus, I almost never sit down and read a book in one sitting anymore. It's 10 minutes here and there. But that's not a recipe for anyone's success except mine. :)

Hey, Julie, you asked about the Rowling mystery somewhere in another thread - I really enjoyed it.

I just learned that the Times fired Marilyn Stasio. I never much cared for Stasio,but I have no idea why they fired her after so many decades of writing. She isn’t happy about it. Listening to the podcast I had the impression Pamela Paul was a decent person but she sounds really ruthless now.

I have very mixed feelings about the Times (assuming Alan is referring to the NYT), after the past 4 horrid years with Trump & Co. Peter Baker, Mike Schmidt, and Maggie Haberman, heretofore all excellent reporters, pretty much sold their journalistic souls so as to get up close and personal with the MAGA circus. The OpEd's were infuriating. I couldn't believe the people they were giving voice to. There was a heap of infighting at the Times, too, and they weren't shy about hanging out their dirty laundry on Twitter. The Books section is a mere shadow of what it used to be. After many years, I canceled my subscription and signed up with the Washington Post. I'm conflicted because the Times does have some stellar reporters, especially in-depth articles in Science and Finance.

The Guardian seems to be the last major paper with any kind of Books coverage.

Authors on the Best Mysteries of 2021 - submitted to PBS Masterpiece by bestselling mystery writers.

This is VERY good and made the 2021 100 Notable Books list from the NYT.

https://www.amazon.com/Razorblade-Tears-Novel-S-Cosby-ebook/dp/B08FGVMHNG/

>60 kwlwarren: I remember his Blacktop Wasteland was very popular here. I'm going to have to check him out. I could use a nice, quick read.

Rachel Maddow was raving about State of Terror, the political thriller Hillary Clinton wrote with Louise Penny. She had Hillary on last night to talk about it. Hillary said she has been good friends with Penny for quite a while and that the book was borne from the pandemic. I put a library hold on it.

One of the Penny novels is set at the Manoir Hovey (https://www.manoirhovey.com/en) in the Eastern Townships south of Montreal. The lake hotel is not named as such but it is the setting.

Jim and I stayed there for a week in 2017 having no idea of the Penny connection. A week before we arrived, Hillary Clinton visited so staff were all excited still.

I enjoyed the first three or four Penny mysteries but the series played out for me. Not motivated to return, Hillary notwithstanding.