April 2017-What are you reading?

Finished A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny. I really enjoyed this one. Next up is the third Inspector Gamache book, The Cruelest Month.

>1 seitherin: :) Glad you are liking them! BTW, I saw in March's thread some discussion about whether to read them in order. I think this is a series that benefits greatly from being read in order.

I finished Treasure Hunt, #16 in the Inspector Montalbano series. As usual, I enjoyed it but I thought that the mystery was not up to Camilleri's earlier books so gave it 3*.

New author for me, writes a series of historical fiction novels featuring an early-days anatomist with an unlikely woman assistant...both amateurs of course. Island of Bones is the third of 5 or 6, but I don't think it matters to start midstream. So far parts of it are charming, but it is a bit long-winded and the hero is a jerk a lot of the time so this might be the only one I read.

>2 leslie.98: Having finished the first two books, I'm inclined to agree with you about reading order. I've only go the first four in my stack so I will take a break after that to catch up on some of the other books in my TBR. I have some Christies I need to get to.

>ColinMichaelFelix

I am very familiar with David Baldacci's books. If you check my library you will find about 11 of his books including all of the Camel Club books. IMHO Memory Man is one of his best and I have heard that the sequel to it The Last Mile is even better (looking at the list I see there is even another one in the Amos Decker series The Fix).

I like all of Baldacci's series except for one - The King/Maxwell series which is not well done at all in my opinion.

I have located a copy of Connelly's Lincoln Lawyer to start that series... I have seen the movie and I hope it has extras in the book to make it interesting. I also latched onto a copy of The Black Echo to start the Harry Bosch series by Connelly.

I think I have found a very good author in Connelly and I will follow both series in order

Added Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson to my reading rotation.

Finished The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. Loved it. The first three books in the series definitely need to be read in order because the backstory works out that way. I'm about to start the fourth book, A Rule Against Murder.

Aunt Dimity Digs In by Nancy Atherton
2 1/2 ⭐

I haven't read many Aunt Dimity mysteries. They are a bit cute, a lot prosaic and a touch dull. This is a series that reminds me of a grown up Nancy Drew mystery. No deaths, no violence and just a calm little everyday village mystery to solve. Lori Shepherd is a new mother of twins and she lives in the deceased Aunt Dimity's cottage outside the English village of Finch. Lori has run herself ragged trying to be the perfect textbook mother to her twin boys. She is at her wits end and in need of help. She is rescued by Francesca Schiaparelli, a perfect nanny. Nothing much happens in Finch, until Peggy Kitchen, owner of the local Emporium goes on the rampage. She is planning a Harvest Festival and requires the use of the old schoolhouse. However, the local Vicar has loaned it to an archaeologist who is working on a local dig of ancient artifacts. Rumor is that he won't be gone in time for the festival. There is a theft of an old pamphlet from the vicar's home. A ghostly monk is scaring the locals and there may even be sightings of aliens from outer space. Lori and Aunt Dimity, ghostly communicating via an old blue journal, have to straighten out the gossip and rumors which are threatening the peace of the village of Finch. It was a cute albeit a bit dull story. Not enough action for my taste.

I am just starting my next Michael Connelly book... the first of the Harry Bosch series The Black Echo

Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday by Nancy Atherton
3⭐

Not bad for a simple non-murder mystery. Lori Sheperd has just learned that her best friend Emma's husband Derek is a real English earl, estranged from his family. Derek has been called back to his childhood home. Emma asks Lori to accompany them. But, as luck would have it, Lori's husband Bill has also been summoned to the estate, as unbeknownst to Lori, Bill is a lawyer to Derek's father, the current earl. Intrigue abounds. Topiaries are burned, poison pen letters are written, horses are throwing riders, old family relationships are renewed, and newer relationships face rough water. Lori, doesn't head to the estate alone with Bill, she also brings Dimity, her homestead's ghost. A cute short read. Nothing deep, cardboard characters, generic settings, and simple plots.

Finished A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Liked it only a hair less than the first three books in the series. Taking a break from Inspector Gamache for a bit, but I did buy the next book in the series.

Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin by Nancy Atherton
3 ⭐s

Lori Sheperd, mother of 5 yr old twins, wife of lawyer Bill, and owner of Aunt Dimity's English cottage, volunteers at the hospital. She takes books to patients, especially to patients who appear to have no one who cares. Such a patient was Miss Lizzie Beacham, a retired legal secretary. Lori enjoyed her visits with Miss Beacham. And one day, Lori arrived at the hospital to find that Miss Beacham had died an hour earlier. Lori finds herself in charge of finding Miss Beacham's brother Kenneth. Lori finds many surprises and meets the many people in Miss Beacham's life. A sweet little story of a quiet albeit mysterious life.

The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hannah. I'm not a big fan of her resurrection of Hercule Poirot.

Trying out the Erast Fandorin series with Murder on the Leviathan, written by Boris Akunin and translated by Andrew Bromfield.

Finished Silence of the Jams by Gayle Leeson. Run of the mill cozy mystery. Nothing to distinguish it,

Started The Plymouth Cloak by Kate Sedley; part of a well-done series featuring Roger the Chapman circa 1470 or so.

An Obvious Fact: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson
★ ★ ★ ★ - 328 pages

This is "Sons of Anarchy meet Walt Longmire!" Absaroka County Sheriff Walt Longmire is supposed to b on vacation, but he's been asked to help with the investigation of an injured biker. Walt and Henry Standing Bear head to Hulett, Wyoming (near Devil's Tower) during the nearby Sturgis Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. As Walt starts to trace Bodeway Torres' last movements, he starts to uncover gun-running, neo-Nazis, and new firearms technology that both the CIA and ATF want. Throw in a few undercover agents and a bumbling biker, as well as the original Lola (for whom Henry named his convertible - and Walt's granddaughter was named for the car) and you have a delightful romp.

The mystery here was pretty obvious - hence the name of the novel. I only had two small problems with it: There were some loose ends that weren't wrapped up. Knowing how Johnson writes, though, these will probably be brought up again in a later book, so I can live with that. My other problem is that he is introducing a very large cast of secondary characters, and it is difficult to keep them all straight. That is probably my problem more than a problem with the books or the writing, though.

>17 Hope_H:

It sounds like you have read some of Craig Johnson's other novels. I don't want to reveal any spoilers for any who are working through them, but there is one loose end from 3 or 4 novels ago that I wish he would go ahead and wrap up. I keep expecting it with each new novel, and it just hangs ominously on the periphery of each new book.

Just finished The Black Echo by Michael Connelly... great book... It was a little slow at the start but this is the first book of the Bosch detective series so there was some housekeeping background to take care of. Great book, a bit of a twist at the end but I had an inkling of the resolution from the clues in the book, though the ending was a bit drawn out and anti-climatic.... however it is the first book and I am going to follow this series to the end

Now reading Snowblind, by Ragnar Jónasson, translated by Quentin Bates.

Finished a cozy that I didn't much care for - Just Add Water, the first Hetta Coffey book.

Now onto a Golden Age mystery that I am enjoying more - Death in the Dentist's Chair

Added Snow Woman by Leena Lehtolainen to my reading rotation.

>18 Dr_Flanders: I think I've read all of his novels. I had to read them in order. I think I need to go back a few books and do a few quick rereads, as he'll drop a name, but I have a hard time placing it. I agree - there are a few loose ends to wrap up.

I do think Johnson does a good job of keeping separate what happens in the novels from what happens on the TV show.

I'm currently about halfway through Lovemurder by Saul Black, the 2nd of his Valerie Hart books. If you liked the first then there's no doubt you'll enjoy this one too.

>23 Hope_H:

I agree about the TV show. I have only seen the first season of the show so far, but I liked that it was true to the books without being completely derived from them. Having read the books, there is plenty in the show to keep me interested.

I finished a "thriller" by an author I'd not read before, and thought it was pretty good, but it didn't leave me eager to read another one, not quite yet anyway. Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard

I am reading The Knife Slipped by Erle Stanley Gardner. It is not a Perry Mason novel, but a Cool and Lam novel focusing on a detective and his boss. It was written in the 1930s and rejected, but recently rescued and published by Hard Case Crime. I am about halfway through, and it is good so far.

The Missing by Jane Casey. Enjoyed it.

Echoes in Death by J. D. Robb
In Death series
4 ⭐️s

Winter in New York City and NYPSD LT. Eve Dallas and her mega rich husband Roark were on their way home from a party. A blood covered young woman wanders right in front of their car. They rush her to the hospital. She is a victim of a brutal beating and multiple rapes. Evefinds the woman's residence and finds the young woman's husband beaten and lying in a pool of blood dead. Thus begins Eve's search for a devil disguised as a human, a perpetrator of extremely vile acts. Victims, blizzards, computer hacking and a dead surgeon, whom all respected yet hated became Eve's newest homicide case. It was a good fast one day read, with a somewhat unexpected yet satisfying finale. Now I will wait for the next in this series to be published.

I've read a couple of Kate Ellis's mysteries before, but not any from this series. The 1st in her Wesley Peterson series: The Merchant's House. A bit too easy to figure out, but enjoyable.

Back to Roderick Alleyn with Spinsters in Jeopardy, by Ngaio Marsh.

Having finished LoveMurder I've now started on Black Widow by Chris Brookmyre. It's the 7th in his Jack Parlabane series.

Finally finished the scifi book I was reading and added A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine aka Ruth Rendell into my reading rotation.

I finished Ararat by Christopher Golden which is a very good horror/thriller. Really enjoyed it. I've also made a good start on Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry. I really love the Joe Ledger books. Solid thrillers with just the right amount of sci-fi/supernatural tinge. Great characters.

Recently finished Murder Included, by Joanna Cannan aka A Taste of Murder aka Poisonous Relations.

Currently reading Innocent Graves (Inspector Banks Book 8), by Peter Robinson.

Oh I really like A Fatal Inversion. It's pretty fab.

I'm reading Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz, and enjoying it so far.

About three-quarters of the way through Love Story, With Murders, by Harry Bingham, the second in the Fiona Griffiths series.

I have just read my first Lee Child novel, The Killing Floor, having decided to start at the beginning of the Jack Reacher saga. However I was staggered by the body count and wonder if I am up to reading this series!
Can anyone tell me if this level of violence is typical? I did appreciate that the book was very well written.

I don't usually like having 2 mysteries going at the same time, but my audiobook is The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter, and my paper book is Icarus by Deon Meyer. Both are excellent so far!

Yup, Reacher makes a pretty big pile of corpses in each book. Some more than others, but yeah, the hits just keep on comin'.

>39 Maura49:, >41 Bookmarque: Agreed. :-) I love the series, but those hits do keep on comin'.

I'm reading the latest book in Ann Cleeves' Shetland series, Cold Earth. I love this series.

# 39 Maura49
Recently I bought a used copy of The Killing Floor but haven't read it yet. I was planning on reading the series. I don't mind violence but the sheer number of books in the series is giving me second thoughts.

Finished Snow Woman by Leena Lehtolainen. Next up is The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny.

#44 Pollux
This discussion is making me think about the range of Crime Fiction that contributors to this thread read. I seem to be midway between readers of 'cozies', (which I find to be too bland for my tastes) and the more extreme end of, for example Scandi-Noir. I know that this prejudice causes me to miss out on some great writers but I'm afraid that the violent extremes are not for me.
I do appreciate the many writers that LT readers introduce me to and I do try some of them out, but, regretfully I don't think that the Lee Child stories are for me. Next up is Ann Cleeves whose Shetland series I have seen on TV.

I just finished Darktown, which starts slowly, with a bit of an infodump, but develops quite nicely.

>47 Jim53:

Darktown is sitting on my shelf right now waiting to be read. I am happy to hear that you liked it.

>39 Maura49: Yes it is violent and sometimes it seems gratuitous and also Lee Child does not grow the character of Reacher. I read a story when he was supposed to about 18... still kicked the snot out of the mob in New York and also got the girl... different setting same character

I think the books would be ok if you read one every other month but I could not stomach a steady diet of these books... got boring aftre a while.

I have finished The Ivory Grin & The Dreadful Lemon Sky…

Finishing Murder Between the Lines, which has been every bit as good as the first from Radha Vatsal.

Like a couple of others here this month, I just finished The Black Echo, the first of Michael Connelly's "Harry Bosch" series. I found it quite enjoyable, all in all.

am 70 or so pages into Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen and it's shaping up to be as crazy as usual.

Finished The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Inspector Gamache has become a favorite.

I'm reading the third Travis McGee, A Purple Place for Dying, and enjoying it.

>54 seitherin: and they get better as they go!

I'm reading Behind Her Eyes. It shows some promise, but the jury is still out.

I am reading Bust by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. I am reading it because I am slowly working my way through the Hard Case Crime books, but honestly I am not crazy about this one. There just aren't many likable characters.

Jim53 - I read it recently and think it's a love it or hate it book. It does pull you along though.

Breaking into the Promise Falls trilogy, starting with Broken Promise, by Linwood Barclay. I like how he's developed this little world over the years, with characters from some of his other books being name-checked here (e.g., the Cutters from Too Close to Home).

>56 Jim53: I've already got the next one on my Kindle. Can't wait to finish one of the books in my reading rotation so I can start it.

>39 Maura49: Jack Reacher kills people. The lucky ones leave with many a broken bone. it's just the way that works. I would suggest Connelly's Bosch series or even Louise Penny's Gamache. BTW I'm currently reading Never Go Back by Lee Child and thoroughly enjoying it

Just started Mad River by John Sandford while still reading Never Go Back by Lee Child

Just finished Fear in the Sunlight by Nicola Upson. I've really enjoyed this series featuring Josephine Tey.

#62- ColinMichaelFelix - many thanks for your suggestions. I had read Connelly's The Gods of Guilt and enjoyed it, so yes, time to investigate the Harry Bosch series. I note that Louise Penny's series gets lots of praise and have added to my tbr list.

>62 ColinMichaelFelix: >64 ted74ca:

As I pointed out I got bored with the unchanging character of Reacher and the dependence of violence in Lee Child's books. But there was one scene I got a chuckle about... Reacher and his woman at the time (I forget which book it was) were in a cheap motel. He had no gun and they were hungry. He asked her for $5 and waked out the door saying he had to get a gun... She commented that guns were a lot more than $5... he replied that the $5 was for the pizza. As typical he searched out a drug haven... with bare hands only he of course took over the location... selected the gun he wanted from those available after the fight and went to the pizza parlor to get a pizza for them to eat.

I liked how when he was short of money he would rifle the wallet of any bad guy he killed or knocked out. It was cool for a few books but then after a while you just knew he would do it so the effect was less.

I'm enjoying the Travis McGee series, and now have teed up The Quick Red Fox.

>65 Maura49: Be sure to read at least the first three Louise Penny books in order since there is a definite story arc. I've read the first five and I strongly recommend continuing reading the books in order because they build, bit by bit, on what has gone before.

Really enjoyed this one-spent nearly my whole day off work reading it! My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry. Compelling read with lots of twists and surprises.

I'm reading a true crime book set in 1915 Toronto, The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray.

>70 raidergirl3:. I read that one a while ago and thought it was pretty good.

>68 seitherin: >65 Maura49: Keep in mind Perry has three series running. There is the Christmas series, the William Monk series( my personal favorite) and the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. Don't know much about the Christmas series but any of the other two make for fine reading. Reading in order doesn't matter to me, but you might the suggestion to do so enjoyable.

>66 Lynxear: Jack Reacher is definitely an acquired taste. Some, like me, readily acquire the taste and yet some do not. His manner of acquiring cash has varied in later books but that, to me, was such a minor detail it didn't bother me. But different strokes as they say.

>72 ColinMichaelFelix: I think they are reading Louise Penny, not Anne Perry. Both are good! I enjoy listening to the Perry Christmas series. They are quite short and have a character who has appeared in a small role heading somewhere for Christmas and getting caught up in a murder. As one does.

>71 ted74ca: Yes, so far it is very good. It can be tricky to write the nonfiction crime accounts without making them too fact-based. Gray writes with an easy style and I'm learning lots about Toronto in early 1900s. I'm trying to read more nonfiction, so looked up the Canadian non-fiction prizes.

#68- seitherin- Many thanks for the tip. I have just acquired the first in the series. Looking forward to my introduction to this popular author.

>75 Maura49: You're welcome. I hope you enjoy the book. I was surprised by how much I liked them.

Couldn't get into The Corpse Bridge by Stephen Booth. Gave up at about page 55.

>74 raidergirl3: Got it, my mistake. I never realized her first books ran an arc, I so never read a series in order. I guess that may be my ADD at work but reading a series in order never mattered to me

Enjoying The Murder of Mary Russell, though in these early chapters, it could be appropriately titled "The Life and Times of Clara Hudson." A great start, all the same.

Nearing the end of The Quick Red Fox, and I've already got A Deadly Shade of Gold on hand.

Joe is with those Travis McGee books!

Just finished Bust by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr. Now I am starting New Hope for the Dead by Charles Willeford, which I am excited about.

About a third of the way through The truth about the Harry Quebert affair by Joel Dicker. So far so good...

Finished A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine aka Ruth Rendall. Hated it. Could not abide the whining and self-obsession.

Next into the reading rotation is Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny.

I have listened to the audiobook of The Doorbell Rang, one of my favorite Nero Wolfe books. Too bad that Timothy Hutton doesn't do the narration!

Then I read the 2nd Hangman's Daughter book, The Dark Monk…

>81 rosalita: Thanks to you, Julia! The Travis McGees you sent are highly addictive. :-)

NEW THREAD - http://www.librarything.com/topic/256336