March 2011 - What are we reading?

A new month calls for a new thread. So, here it is. Enjoy!

I have been slowly making my way through The Complete Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton. Enjoyable but only with breaks for other books.

Just started Predator by Patricia Cornwell. Good so far

#1 Porua
Thanks for opening this new thread and for posting The Complete Father Brown. Reminded me that I had put aside my copy of The Innocence of Father Brown and it was time to reach into it again.
Touchstones shows these two books as the same. Are they?

Progeny by R T Kaelin (This isn't the right touchstone, and even bringing up all the possibilities doesn't get me the right one today.)

# 3 You're welcome!

They are not the same book. The Complete Father Brown comprises of all five Father Brown short story collections. The Innocence of Father Brown is the first one of these short story collections. I don't understand why the touchstones are showing them as the same book. It used to work fine in the past. Right now, I'm getting the right touchstone for The Innocence of Father Brown by the 'number:’ method.

I just finished The Reversal by Michael Connelly. Both his major characters, and half-brothers, Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller, are featured and are working together. An old case of a child murder bring them together. I enjoy reading about the places in LA featured and discussed, because I grew up there. Brings back memories. It's a good read. Keeps your attention. The Santa Monica Pier is featured and justice, of a sort, is served.

Just getting started with The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny.

Nearly finished with The Main by Trevanian, an absolutely gorgeous, bleak meditation on loneliness and keeping on. Oh, and there's a murder.

I am reading The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and it is actually better that I thought it would be.

I have only a few pages left of Monsieur Pamplemousse on probation, but I am a little disappointed. Monsieur Pamplemousse, amusing though he is, doesn't have the same magic as the author's Paddington series. And I feel the end came while I was still waiting for a plot.

Just started Gideon's Sword by Doug Preston & Lincoln Child. As a fan of the Pendergast series, I rate this book much, much lower. There's a lot wrong with it and I've tried to be positive, but it's a wreck. Shame. They did so well with P and didn't try to duplicate that success. It's like the difference between real russet mashed potatoes and what you get out of a box of Spud Buds.

I finished On What Grounds and wasn't too interested.
I've started The Murder Room and am finding James' writing more to my taste.

I'm reading "Fadeaway Girl" by Martha Grimes. Just finished "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest", and will be starting "Death of a Chimney Sweep" by M.C. Beaton. Love that Hamish Macbeth.

#8 I love Trevanian's books, and enjoyed The Main, although your description of it is much more poetic than was mine. I'm going to go back and re-read it, just because of you. :-)

#13, Have you read Beaton's Death of a Glutton?
What Fun!

I'm reading Nine Lives by Bernice Rubens. Not really sure if it's considered a mystery. More of a black comedy, which is how it's billed. We are following a serial killer as he dispatches psychotherapists throughout England and watching the police inspector trying to catch him. But really the book is more about the psychology and the (very dark) humor of the situation than any "will he be caught?" aspect.

>14 millhold: Aw, shucks.

I've been working my way through his catalog. Next up (providing I can locate a copy), The Summer of Katya.

Plan to start second in Simon Beckett's David Hunter series, Written in Bone.
Still working on The Poison Tree.

I could get so much more reading done if I didn't have to sleep....................

If anyone is interested in a quirky, fun murder mystery, The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy by Michael Orenduff is a good pick. I don't usually go in for the amateur detective and I haven't read the others in the series but do have The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras in my TBR, but I absolutely had a good time reading this book. It was a nice break from serial killers.

#11 Tell me it isn't true, sigh, won't race to read it now.

Have begun Operation Mincemeat which is a more complete chronology of the events comprising The Man Who Never Was by Ewen Montagu and which is based on documents recently given the author by Ewen Montagu's son. Fascinating - another example of the truth being stranger than fiction - and certainly just as entertaining.

I've just finished Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Idrisason. It was excellent, and takes place in Iceland. This is the 5th book I have read in this series, and I am very much enjoying the series. Highly recommended!

Just picked up The Blue Corn Murders, which is a continuation of the original culinary series by Virginia Rich. Looking forward to seeing how it goes: The Cooking School Murders was the title that originally began my long-time love with cozy mysteries.

ugh. finished Gideon's Sword yesterday and had to start a palate cleanser to clear it out of my brain. after writing a scathing review, of course. So disappointed.

I am now reading the sublimely excellent Dr. Haggard's Disease one of the few McGraths I haven't read.

#23- Can't remember much about it, but recall that I liked the book- Name sticks in my head.

I've started Envy the Night by Michael Koryta.

I'm reading Speak to Our Desires by Brenda W. Clough right now, which I got trough Early Reviewers here. I'm not quite sure if I like it, so far it's rather cliche and not in a good way. I'll give it to the end of chapter 1, though.

I'm going to start The Flaming Luau of Death

Sun Storm by Asa Larsson. how great is Martinsson? i love her character.

Just started Written in Bone by Simon Beckett--2nd in the David Hudson forensic mystery series.

Just about halfway through The Treatment by Mo Hayder. Very good, very disturbing and very hard to put down.

Finished Operation Mincemeat. Great book - thoroughly researched and documented and filled with new (to me at least) information about what must have been the most significant act of deception of World War II.

I am currently reading the first in the Mitch Rapp series Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn.

I am reading Bone by Bone (still) and Velocity by Dean Koontz

@ 32, Ron, I remember seeing documentary about it a long time ago. It was fascinating and I was amazed that such a secret could be kept. I'll have to pick up the book, Operation Mincemeat. Thanks for the mention.

Forgot to mention that I started Chocolat by Joanne Harris last night. Delightful, and I so want to France and live above a shop just like Vianne's.

I have just started reading an e-book version of The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer. I have read it before but didn't have it in Tree-book form so it is ages since I read it. It is one of her better ones with outlandish characters and funny dialogue.

I read that one too. I really like books by this author and have every one I can find that has been translated into English. The latest one in Hypothermia. You might like it too.

Re-read the classic spy thriller, The Thirty-Nine Steps. Enjoyed it once again. My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/63886806

Or my 75 Books Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/106099

I am currently reading Velocity by Dean Koontz and An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin and Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods. I have some kind or reading disease. I don't read just one.

>40 tabitha6: tabitha6
I'm afraid there's no cure for that disease.

>39 Porua: Porua
Nice review of The Thirty-Nine Steps. I must read it again sometime.

Just now I'm reading The Dragon Man by Garry Disher, the first in his Inspector Challis series..... Looks like developing into an interesting police-procedural.

Picked up my first crime read for the month: Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely. A nice palate cleanser for the angsty bookgroup read I just finished.

I'm reading A Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert and very much like it, as I do all of the China Bayles mysteries.

Have begun and am enjoying The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Although I have vague memories of hearing of this mystery before, until LT I had not heard of Mr. Collins - so happy to have access to this site.

Re-reading Die Trying by Lee Child.

Also working on Nollapeli ("The Zero Game") by Brad Meltzer. Thus far it seems a much better read than the first Meltzer I read (Kohtalon kirja, "The Book of Fate"). It has already had a few nice twists and I'm not even half way through...

# 41 Thanks! I really enjoyed my re-read of The Thirty-Nine Steps. It was just what I needed right now.

Porua - have you read any more of the John Buchan books? I just finished Greenmantle and enjoyed it more than the first, I think! Very different feel, more of an adventure story with a very exciting end. Dated, of course, but fun.

Going to start Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman.

I just downloaded Baltimore Blues. I never read Lippman, have you?

I'm reading Breach of Trust (wrong touchstone) by David Ellis. Great book so far.

I've only read one, What the Dead Know. I read that a month or so ago and it was pretty good.

started A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

#47 We had Greenmantle read to us when I was at school and I loved it. I've read it a couple of times since then and still think that it is John Buchan's best book.

However, far be it for me to suggest making his books more politically correct but I now get a bit annoyed by his racist attitudes. I realise that is the way we were then but I can't help it. Perhaps I have been brainwashed by the PC brigade.

Started A Most Wanted Man by John LeCarre.

# 47 No haven’t read any more books by John Buchan yet. I’ll have to check out more books from his Richard Hannay series. Greenmantle is the second one after The Thirty-Nine Steps, I believe. Thanks for the rec.!

A Lily of the Field by John Lawton. Love this guy's books!

Numeropeli (Think of a Number) by John Verdon. So far, so good. Reasonably mysterious and interesting even though I'm not so crazy about the protagonist's traumatic past. So far they've not given any details but as it concerns his dead 4-year-old son (no this is not a spoiler as it is referred to fairly early in the book) I'm really worried... ever since I had children of my own I've been totally allergic to any kind of references about children dying OR parents of small children dying.
Believe me, sometimes this makes reading thrillers (or any sort of fiction) _very_ difficult. However, anything bad happening to small children gives me nightmares so I'm treading _very_ carefully with this book and I dearly hope Verdon will NOT go into details about what happened to this little boy. However, as there are many authors who seem to think that psychological credibility can only be attained through a detailed story about all the things that make a suitable Traumatic Past, I'm prepared for the worst...

Reading Monte Carlo by Stephen Sheppard, a low-simmering spy novel. Interesting with an understated tension that creeps up on you, then erupts sometimes, only to go back to slumbering again.

Gave up on a Man Most Wanted. Half way through Death at Bishop's Keep Really enjoying this. Did not realize this was the first in the series. Will keep her in mind for the future.

I love Death at Bishop's Keep and the sequels. Don't know if you realized it, but Robin Paige is the writing name of Susan Wittig Albert and her husband.

Susan herself has published several other mystery series under her own name: the contemporary China Bayles series, the Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales featuring Beatrix Potter as she's making the move to the country and her animals, and her latest series The Darling Dahlias, which is set in the US during the Great Depression. All three are different type of books, but very enjoyable.

I'm going to be starting Aftermath by Peter Turnbull.

I finished The Murder Room and loved it. I'll be continuing with more Adam Dalgliesh.
I'm starting an Amanda Cross, The Theban Mysteries.

Finished The Moonstone which I enjoyed. It has a bit everything one might want in a mystery, a little terror, some romance, a lot of uncertainty and suspense and a great deal that's amusing. It is, however, not a book for the impatient -- if I were not reading it on a kindle, I would have been tempted, several times, to fling it across the room in exasperation.

Have begun another of Walter Mosley's books, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. It's a collection of vignettes in the life of Socrates Fortlow - sure to be another admirable Mosley character - different, though, in that he is not doing detective work.

#56> ever since I had children of my own I've been totally allergic to any kind of references about children dying OR parents of small children dying

Talvitar, I'm with you on this. Never worried me before I had kids, now I can be reduced to tears by a child character stubbing his/her toe. A lot of thrillers can be a very weepy read for me now. (I tend to avoid them, or at least, dislike them, however.)

Almost finished Farewell, My Lovely! Have to say I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I trust Phillip Marlowe to work it out for me. And to keep me amused while he does.

Finished The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Very good as all her others. This one has left a little cliffhanger and has me wondering...

Starting Bury Your Dead, which is the latest (but hopefully not the last!!!) book in this Three Pines series by Penny.

Finished Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige. Nice cozy read and will keep this series in mind for the future.
Now, on to my ER book A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block.

am working my way through the early Elvis Cole novels (again) and finished Voodoo River today. For something different I started The Monster of Florence in an effort to read some of the books I've had for ages.

I am reading Death Minus Zero by John Baker. This is the second in his series featuring Sam Turner a PI from York. I really liked the first book and so far, am enjoying this one as well.

I also started Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham. This is my first book by her, she wrote a series featuring Albert Campion in the 1930's.

I'm loving the Maisie Dobb series right now. I just finished Pardonable Lies, then it dawned on me that Birds of a Feather was borrowed from the library, and I never finished it, so I am reading that now.

I recently re-read A-U of the Alphabet series by Sue Grafton and really enjoyed them.

Just finished The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh. It was okay, not stunning and has inspired me to re-read all Dorothy Sayers' fiction again in chronological order.

So last night I started re-reading Whose Body? and am thrilled to be reading about Peter, Bunter, Charles, the Dowager Duchess, etc.

I just started The Brethren by John Grisham last night.

>69 karenmarie: That was my reaction to The Attenbury Emeralds, too. Good for you for re-reading the series.

I'm getting my act together to finish The Third Girl, and have started Jar City, a Mark recommendation.

Finished Farewell, My Lovely - as usual with hardboiled detective stories, I'm quite lost with the plot. Marlowe seems to be able to tease all sorts of nuances from monosyllabic bad guys, even while being knocked unconscious on a regular basis. But it all came together nicely, Marlowe explained it all to me, and I did have fun reading it, regardless of my plot confusion.

Had a Very Annoying Day at work yesterday, so bought myself the new Thursday Next book on the way home, One of Our Thursdays Is Missing. Good silly fun and lots of chortles, as I expect from Thursday.

Finished reading Transfer of Power the other day and now I have started reading The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais.

Just started The Cater Street Hangman. I'm not loving it, but I've never tried Anne Perry before and I understand this was her first book. Seeing as this particular series lasted for 20+ books, I'm giving it a bit more leeway than I usually do anymore and am going to finish it through in hopes that the more "romancy" side subsides a bit.

My wife is an avid mystery reader....can you recommend a writer who has a number of books...that are "clean"....no vulgarities, sex, etc...you get what I mean...I appreciate it...thanks much....I am a new member having just joined today...send me an email if you like....thanks again...Norm

nyerke@aircut.com

I just finished Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree. I enjoyed it.

#75---Anne Perry falls into what your wife is looking for. The "romancy" bit I mentioned isn't sex, it's more like girlish fantasy. From the writing that I've read so far, I don't guess it will go any further than that.

Two favorites of mine are Bruce Alexander, whose books about a magistrate and his protege take place in England in the late 18th century. And Edward Marston who writes a series about a traveling theatre group in the 15th century. Since the touchstones aren't working for this author...the first book is The Queen's Head. This series has a lot of humor to it too.

>75 joesampaul: Agatha Christie fits the bill, and the Precious Ramotswe series by Alexander McCall Smith does, too, I think.

Welcome to LT and this group!

#71 jnwelch - it's too bad, because her second foray into Sayers, A Presumption of Death worked for me on all levels. I've just finished Whose Body? and am going to start re-reading Clouds of Witness this evening.

Yes, the second one seemed better, karenmarie. Good for you for re-reading the Sayers. It has been a while since I did that, and I enjoyed it.

#75 The Three Pines series by Louise Penny. Excellent reads without all the you-know, funny stuff :)
There are 6 books so far and the 1st one is called Still Life.

>75 joesampaul: joesampaul

The Cavalier of the Apocalypse by Susanne Alleyn is the first book of an interesting series set in pre-revolutionary Paris. The historical detail seems accurate, the characters ring true and the writing flows nicely. I think this series would fit the bill for you.

I agree with both of these suggestions.

So many people mentioning books I've enjoyed or loved. Haven't re-read any Dorothy L. Sayers in a while. I enjoyed the Virginia Rich Eugenia Potter books. I've read the 27-ingredient chili con carne murders, which was the first book by Nancy Pickard and it was good, but the tone is different. I didn't enjoy the first half of the book much until I adjusted to the new voice. Last week I read Death and streudel by Dorothy and Sid Rosen, which was set in Boston in the 1930's. I thought the plot was a bit far-fetched, but the characters were pleasant. Right now I'm on my second try of Erskine Childers' Riddle of the sands and am actually enjoying it. Childers wrote one of the first espionage novels ever, but it's also about yachting and it's hard to follow if you don't sail.

Picked up the 3rd in Colin Bateman's Dan Starkey series, Turbulent Priests. Thought I'd share the first line for those not familiar with the author so that you might get a feel for his type of humour:

It started with Cliff Richard, as things often do.

I'm about halfway through Watchers of Time by Charles Todd. It is an Inspector Rutledge series book, an early one set in 1919.
So far I am enjoying it. It is the fourth of the series which I have read and my main complaint about Todd's books is that he introduces a huge number of characters and I have trouble keeping track of them, especially if they appear at the beginning but don't develop any particular significance until much later, or not at all.

edited to correct a typo

The Third Girl was a solid Dame Agatha, although I'm not a fan of the way the killer's identity was hidden.

Jar City is proving to be quite an unusual and good one.

Joe- I know some readers had problems with Jar City, but it really worked for me and the next book is even better.

Good to know about the second one, Mark. Thanks for recommending Jar City. As usual, looks like I'm going to land in your camp on this one.

Gunslinger by Stephen King, and I am really excited about it. Has anyone else read this seris?

>87 jnwelch: jnwelch and 88 msf59

I really enjoy Arnaldur Indridason's books, have read all his Reykjavik Murder Mysteries and am looking forward to the 7th in the series, Outrage, which is supposed to be available about the middle of this year.

Hi

I'm just starting 'Caught' by Harlan Coben. Looks like he's taking on a very difficult subject. Hence, it's interesting to see how much care he's taking early on to make sure that we identify with him as a good guy deserving our sympathy (giving his time to coach junior basketball, babysitting the children of his divorced wife's second marriage, etc.)

Seb

Wanted a break from Riddle of the sands, so I picked up Abigail Padgett's Strawgirl at the library book sale. I had never read any of her books before and didn't know her detective (a Child Protective Services worker) was bipolar. Very interesting.

Finished The Beauty Queen Killer by John Creasey. Taking place shortly after WWII and written in the early 50's, except for a few mentions of post war happenings, this could have taken place in the 21st century. Made for an interesting mystery.

Started Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton- Hamish McBeth is a lot of fun- I get irritated by Beaton's clueless characters eventually, and haven't read much lately but this jumped off the library new book shelf and I'm enjoying it.

<90 Tabitha 6 I've read that series by King and really enjoyed it.

I'm a couple of chapters into Over My Dead Body, my first Nero Wolfe. I like the snappy dialogue.

I've tried posting here twice today and the post doesn't show up. I'm trying once more. Tabitha 6, I've read King's Gunslinger series and liked it a lot. Hope you enjoy.

I started The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien and after a few pages decided that it wasn't for me so now I am reading Buried for Pleasure by Edmund Crispin and it seems that it is going to be a very amusing book with a number of sly little one-liners dotted about to make me laugh.

pinkozcat - I re-read all of Edmund Crispin's books two years ago. They were all amusing and "very British". Have fun!

I finished Clouds of Witness, read Unnatural Death and am halfway through The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. Sayers is such a marvelous author! I'm having fun re-reading her stuff.

I just finished Peter james: "Dead like you". Part 6 in the Roy Grace series. I loved it!

Jar City, set in Reykjavik, was well done. Dark, but good, with a persistent if impoverished central character who I'll look forward to reading about in sequels.

I am also reading the Gunslinger series. Currently I am reading book five Wolves of the Calla. The books have been enjoyable. My favorite has been book four Wizard and Glass.

Finished A Lily of the Field, one of John Lawton's Inspector Troy series. Loved it, as I have every one of these.

Started Firefly by P.T. Deutermann. I am 114 pages in and really enjoying it. I have liked the 2-3 other Deutermann's I have read, especially Darkside.

Stephen King's Under The Dome and John Saul's In The Dark Of The Night.

Finished (finally) Erskine Childers' Riddle of the sands and raced through Celia Fremlin's Spider orchid which is a suspense novel set in 70's London.

Reading my first Kathy Reichs (tho' her second), Death du Jour. Really liking it. Also, really noticing how different the character of Tempe Brennan as recreated for TV is from Reichs' original creation. I like both, but wonder why.

I am reading The Mysterious Mr. Quinn by Agatha Christie and loving every minute of it.

Just starting Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith that I won through early reviewers.

>109 Bunnicula2008: That's one of my favorites of hers, Bunnicula. Glad you're enjoying it.

# 111 The Mysterious Mr. Quinn is one of my favourites too! I read it for the first time last year and already I feel like re-reading it.

The Complaints by Ian Rankin (which was good, but I'll still whine and say I miss Rebus), The Night Season by Chelsea Cain for a walk on the lighter side, The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell, which I had mixed feelings about and don't know exactly how to rate. Past Tense by Catherine Aird was almost a vintage mystery. I read Gideon's Sword last month and have to agree with the opnions above: I was pretty disappointed.

Ready to start Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers.

Ooooh, cindysprocket, I hope you love it!

karenmarie, so far so good !

#113 I still miss Rebus too.

Just started Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott. Read the Hound of the Baskervilles before that.

Just finished The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais and starting Fade Away from Harlan Coben.

Started The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes this morning. Irene Adler is brilliant.

Just starting A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr. This is one of my favorite series.

I'm also reading A Trail of Ink. I haven't read the first two in the series, but if they're as good as this one has been so far, I'll want to go back and pick them up.

I'm reading Hypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason, and it is my 5 th book in the series. I'ved really enjoyed them all -and look forward to his new release - Outrage -which I think is supposed to out in late June.

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain. Just as effective as her Gretchen Lowell books...very scary (and very wet).

>122 vancouverdeb: I just read my first Arnaldur Indridason, Jar City. It's encouraging to hear the enthusiasm about later books in the Erlendur series.

The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey

Saw the movie 'The Lincoln Lawyer' last night. Based on Michael Connelly's novel. It was pretty good - even my wife enjoyed it. She doesn't usually like anything but the 'girly' stuff.

message 33 -- I think Flynn's Rapp series is excellent and I still believe Jack Bauer from 24 was modeled on Mitch. If you want, you can actually read Flynn's newest book, American Assassin, first since it gives us the beginning story of Rapp and how he became a trained assassin. Enjoy!

Re-reading Lee Child's Tripwire.

Starting to re-read A. Christie's books as well. The first one is "Kohtalokas viikonloppu" ("The Hollow"). (hmm, I can't see to get the touchstones to function, neither name seemed to find the correct work)

Just finished A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson. It's a good who-dun-it if a little prurient (for my taste) in its depiction of a couple of scenes involving the young female and her boyfriend.

Read Harlan Coben's Hold tight

Just finished The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
It has really messed with my head.

Starting my first Dorothy Sayers book, The Unpleasantness At The Bellona Club

Turnstone by Graham Hurley

Now reading A Trail of Ink which is my ER book for March & enjoying it thus far. Have not read the others of this series but I shall now! This is set in a different time period than the books I have been reading-but still Medieval & I love the humor in it. 8^)

#132 AndieG - I hope you're enjoying it.

I just finished (and will never read again because I confirmed with this reading that I don't like it) Five Red Herrings by Dorothy Sayers.

I've just started a re-read of Have His Carcase by the same author.

#135 so far so good. What was wrong with Five Red Herrings?

#135 AndieG - There are no spoilers in the following answer, but there is a serious antipathy to FRH.

Alibis, artists, railroad timetables, missing bicycles multiplied by 6. It seemed flat to me compared with her other books, which I laugh out loud while reading. Grumpy artists, more timetables, more missing bicycles, and missing artists. Artists who are supposed to be somewhere but are somewhere else, artists who all hate the murdered man. More Scottish accents than even I can handle in one book, and a complicated murder that is very hard to suspend disbelief about.

Oh, and have I mentioned railroad timetables, alibis, artists, and missing bicycles? That should have been the subtitle. Five Red Herrings or Alibis, Artists, and Bicycles.

Honestly, it hardly even seems written by the author of Strong Poison, Clouds of Witness, etc.

Finished a re-read of Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie. One of my good, solid comfort reads that still holds up. My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/50339323

Or my 75 Books Challenge thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/106099

Just started The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais. Doesn't look like I'll be any different to the majority of people who seem to enjoy this book.

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny.

AHS-Wolfy - I love that series. At first it is pretty simplistic and Magnum PI-esque, but Elvis as a character has a very long arc through the books and that makes it stand out against a lot of books of its time and type. Plus there's Pike and he adds an element of mystery whereas Cole is very transparent. I re-read them every so often and am in the middle of Indigo Slam right now. Enjoy!

I'm currently trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the Pickle Queen in Dilly of a Death

I am glued to the pages of Blacklands by Belinda Bauer. Part mystery, part coming-of-age. Really good.

I've started Stone Quarry by S. J. Rozan.

122 - I really enjoyed Hypothermia and hope you do also!! This author is a real find,, can't wait to read more of his books!

#29 Totally agree about Martinsson. I've read all of Asa Larsson's that have been translated so far and loved all of them.

#139...I read the 1st 3 by Crais and liked them very much!!!

#140...Love the Louise Penny series. I'm on the last one Bury Your Dead. Not my most favorite one :(

Just finished A Trail of Ink - loved it! Now have to read the first 2 in the series before the 4th comes out. 8^)

In 4 days I have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. These are very addicting books!

Just finished my ER copy of One Was a Soldier. I feel very strongly both ways. Some significant irritations but some really lovely scenes.

Just started The Murder Farm by Andrea Maria Schenkel. Very interesting so far.

I'm currently reading The Price of Murder, the 10th book in the Sir John Fielding mystery series. Only one more to go! I will truly miss these characters...

I just Finished Breach of Trust, yes it was a good read.

Started They Came to Baghdad today. So far, so good. I haven't read much Christie, and whenever I do I chastise myself for not reading more.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

#75, you might look for some of the mysteries in the Heartsong Mysteries series, such as In the Dead of Winter or Death on a Deadline; they're starting to show up on clearance/cut-out racks and are absolutely clean, but well-done.

Just started One Was A Soldier, received via Early Reviewers, and am liking it better than I expected (language is a little PG-ier than I tend to choose on my own). The author and setting reminds me some of the Spencer Arrowood novels by Sharyn McCrumb.

Just finished Fifth Avenue By Christhopher Smith and reading The Snowman By Jo Nesbo . Both of which i i like and enjoyed and am enjoying.

Had a fun time with Bertie and the tin man by Peter Lovesey. It's one of the better novels I've read that takes and fictionalizes a historical person (Prince Albert Edward, later Edward VII, of England.)

I'm still happily working my way through a by-published-date re-read of Dorothy L. Sayers fiction - mostly Peter Wimsey but some other good stuff too.

I'm currently on The Nine Tailors. Great stuff.

I am reading Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham, a little dated but humorous.

Everything by Garry Disher is good,especially if you are a Melbournian, (Australian one that is)

I am just about to start on 1222 by Anne Holt - a Norwegian crime thriller. I love all these Scandinavian books. My local book shop calls it SCRIME. Haha

Just starting Cold Wind by C. J. Box - Touchstone not working. A new ER-ARC. Good so far.

I'm about halfway through A Timely Vision

Just finished The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. I really liked it. The female lead is the strongest I've encountered in fiction. She's hired to go into east Africa and locate an American girl who's been missing 4 yrs. Highly recommended.

Just over half way through Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin and I'm really enjoying it so far.

Just finished (last night) Boris Akunin's He Lover of Death. The title is a little silly, but I really enjoyed the story.

I'm reading Lawrence Block's Burglars Can't be Choosers off my TBR shelf

I've started The Secret of the Chimneys by Agatha Christie.

Just started Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston. Already there's mystery, a lost treasure, a notebook in code, and one dead body. And I'm not even 50 pages into the book.

Have started An Instance of the Fingerpost. This is my second try at it. The last was when I first bought it in 1998. Made it 2/3 of the way through last time. Hopefully I can finish now.

>172 Bookmarque: Bookmarque I was going to give up on An Instance of the Fingerpost at about the same place as you, and my sister talked me into finishing it. It's worth it - you'll see why.

that's encouraging, jnwelch, thanks. am shutting off the laptop now.

#172-174 - I started Instance when I got it a long time ago and put it down. Maybe I'll pick it up again.

I agree with jnwelch, An Instance of the Fingerpost is well worth finishing. The last section was definitely the best section, ties it all together very well, and is narrated by a character who I did not want to kill. One of my favourite recent reads.

ok...since today will be so dreary, after my 5 miles I'll just plow through a whole bunch of it. I'm getting to the end of Mr. Cola's piece...what a piece he is, too.

I'm halfway through Gaudy Night, next in my Dorothy-L-Sayers-re-read-a-thon.

Such a wonderful book.

Really enjoyed the first Joe Faraday Turnstone. Have ordered the second in the series.

Almost done listening to Caroline Leavitt's Pictures of You.

Also reading Elegy for April. So far, very good.

Recommended The Chemistry of Death to a friend and she absolutely loved it. Said she couldn't put it down and wound up staying up half the night to finish it.

I've also started One Grave Too Many by Beverly Connor. Don't think I've read her before.

Almost finished with The Toff and the Great Illusion by John Creasey. Really enjoy these older mysteries.

Wow, I didn't expect to read so much talk of An Instance of the Fingerpost here! I borrowed it on a whim from the library recently, without really knowing anything about it. I haven't started reading it yet though, as I'm trying to finish some of my other library books first (none of which are mysteries, sadly).

neither did I, but it seems to be a book worth getting through. right now I'm into Jack Prescott's narrative and I really don't like this guy either. at least Cola didn't rape anyone.

#182: Neither name is familiar to me, though I can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that someone in a historical novel set in Oxford is named Cola :P, I must see about reordering my reading list so I can get started on Instance earlier. :)

#135 Five Red Herrings is supposed to be the "ultimate" whodunnit.

It is my least favourite of Dorothy L Sayers' books.

I'm about a quarter way in to Margaret Frazer's The Novice's Tale. I'm liking it so far. I had tried two new-to-me authors recently who write medieval mysteries and found the writing style bothersome. I love medieval mysteries, so I'm happy this series is seeming like a winner.

#184 pinkozcat. Hmmph. Not my ultimate whodunnit. I would probably say The Nine Tailors for the ultimate whodunnit.

I've started a re-read of The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers (big surprise, there!) since I'm re-reading all her fiction. Not a Peter Wimsey mystery, but an epistolary murder mystery written with Robert Eustace. Absolutely hilarious and deadly serious at the same time. I'd forgotten how much I love it.

Just posted my 5-star review of The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns, a reread for me.

Just finished A Thin Dark Line by Tami Hoag. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

New thread for the month of April is here,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/113289