What woman of mystery are you reading now?

Hi! I'm new to the group.

Currently, I'm reading Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh, and quite enjoying it. I've only read a few of Marsh's books so far. From the few books of hers that I've read, I like this one the best. It's a good Christmas mystery, with a touch of gothic, a touch of cozy, even a touch of whimsy, and a very interesting cast of would-be villians and murderers.

I just started Stage Fright by Gillian Linscott, an Edwardian mystery. I haven't read anything by this author before and there is very little information on LT. I bought a lot of mysteries at a library book sale and I'm trying to work my way through them.

Your Ngaio Marsh sounds like an excellent choice for this time of year.

Just bought Black Water Rising by Attica Locke, so I'm thinking I might try it next!

Welcome to the group, bookwoman247!

In addition to loving Louise Penny, I've recently found Nicola Upson. Her amateur sleuth is based on the real-life writer, Josephine Tey. I highly recommend Upson's books.

I am reading currently Joanna Challis and her mystery series about Daphne du Maurier..I'm on the third in the series The Villa of Death and I love this series.

>4 pointercat:..I am getting ready to start reading that series as soon as I finish the next book I plan to read..Glad to see you recommend them as I was debating whether to read them or return them to the library..I'll think I'll stick with them.

I forgot to mention that I've recently started reading somd of the Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters. I'm completely hooked on this addictive series now, but will be trying not to read them all at once, so I can savor them!

>5 lilkim714:...Let me know if you like her and we'll get the Nicola Upson word out.

I just finished An Expert in Murder a few weeks ago. I'd read the second in that series earlier. I loved An Expert in Murder- I'm surprised more people aren't reading the series.

I'm currently starting Jacqueline Winspear's latest Maisie Dobbs novel, Elegy for Eddie. Also on deck is P.D. James's The Private Patient.

I just finished A Day for Dying by Dorothy Simpson and enjoyed it. I will be on the lookout for others in the Inspector Thanet series.

>8 lahochstetler: I love Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series! I just finished reading the fourth in the series, Messenger of Truth. (I actually read the first four in a row.)

I just read Linda Barnes a trouble of fools and i think i'll be checking out her other titles, one of the more plausible mysteries i've read so far this year.

Judge Deborah Knott in Three-day City by Margaret Maron

>11 GO.GOLIATH: I quite enjoyed the Linda Barnes' books, although reality does get stretched in some. Enjoy!

Hello All, this is my first posting in the group (although I've been hanging around the LT forums for some years now).

I recently read Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn, which does tend to slide towards romance and forget about the msytery on occasion. I did enjoy the romance side of it all (Lady Julia Grey is a great indulgence of mine, I feel like I should be eating bon bons while reading these books), and it was a shame that the mystery was sidelined, because it was actually really rather good.

And now I'm reading The Beekeeper's Apprentice, which I'm enjoying mightily. I was thinking of going on to Maisie Dobbs (I've got the second to hand somewhere) but a friend just returned Death Comes to Pemberley which she enjoyed so I might read that next. (Most reviews have been a bit iffy, but I love the concept.)

>13 wookiebender: I grew increasingly disappointed with Deanna Raybourn - too romancy. I think her first was her best.

Oh Deanna Raybourn is definitely romancy. But sometimes that's what I want, so she fills a niche in my reading quite nicely. I just wouldn't recommend her to anyone desiring a mystery read. :)

I did go on to read Death Comes to Pemberley and apart from some cheeky sparkle early on, it's definitely no Jane Austen. It was actually quite plodding, which isn't the PD James I've read previously (not a lot, true, but I was still surprised). I think it's going to have to fall into the "disappointing" basket for me.

It was curious that James was quite preoccupied with the servants and the lower classes, something that Austen never really discussed. Or at any rate, not at that level. I didn't find it fascinating to read about, but I thought it was interesting that James found that more interesting than the upper class chatter. And we get much more from Darcy's point of view than in Pride and Prejudice, he's more the major character than Lizzie is.

And a major plot hole (? or at any rate something quite unexplained): MINOR SPOILER ALERT why was Lydia never called to the witness stand? Surely she could verify and explain a thing or two (or five). Women were allowed to testify, as we got the innkeeper's wife. But, apart from a shrieking hysterical scene to kick the whole thing off, and the occasional annoying scene as she demonstrates her brattish ways, she's really sidelined when she should have been much more involved.

I'm about to start my ER win A Winter Kill by Vicki Delany. Two previous mysteries by Delany took place in the area where I live and I really enjoyed them. This one is set in Ontario. It's a Rapid Read, so I'll be finished pretty quickly.

Almost finished The cold light of mourning by Elizabeth J. Duncan and I'm really enjoying it. I'm pretty sure I have the culprit picked, but it's only guesswork on my part.

Duncan is a Canadian author but the setting is in Wales so it will fit my Europe Endless challenge.

I'm just starting A Playdate With Death by Ayelet Waldman. The Mommy-Track mysteries are pretty fun reads. The amateur sleuth, Juliet Applebaum, is very relatable character.

Just now finished Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson. Love this series.

>19 kshrum:..I'm so jealous..I'm on the waiting list at the library for that one. I love that series too..I'm glad you liked it.

I forgot to mention The Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day, which I read a while back. It was set in San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake, and had several interesting plots and sub-plots.

Now I'mm reading The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly which is the first in the Joe Sandilands series, set in the waning days of the British Raj. Great stuff! So far, I'm finding it a very well-written police procedural ... well-written especially for a debut novel. I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series.

It's heartening to know there are other books by Barbara Cleverly that are enjoyable. I'm currently reading A Darker God and finding it very hard going. The writing style is annoying and the characters are very wooden. I really don't care how, why or whodunnit. Only about 50 pages left to read but I'm considering abandoning it.

#23 VivienneR: I'm sorry you're not enjoying the Barabara Cleverly book. I appreciate the warning, though! I looked at the only review that A Darker God had gotten, and though the review was positive, it did make the plot sound weak and rather cliché. I think I'll avoid the Letaeciia Talbot series, but I can still recommend the Joe Sandilands series to you.

Thanks bookwoman, I'll keep your advice in mind.

I've just finished my first Sue Grafton with A is for Alibi - it was cute but far from original. I suppose back in the day Millhone would have been considered one tough cookie (she still is, but it's less novel nowadays!)

Just finished Ran Away by Barbara Hambly. I couldn't put it down after the half-way point and once again award Ms. Hambly five stars.

Reading a terrific literary thriller about Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel murders in What Alice Knew, featuring Henry James and his siblings, by Paula Marantz Cohen.

I am reading Anatomy of Murder by Imogen Robertson and LOVE this series - Westerman and Crowther. I highly recommend it! I suggest you read them in order, the first is Instruments of Darkness - Imogen Robertson.

I agree with wookiebander re Death Comes to Pemberly. I am a major PD James fan, but it left me flat. It really wasn't even a real mystery, to my way of thinking.

I'm about 1/3 of the way into Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon. Enjoying my time with Commissario Brunetti!

I've just discovered Australian Kerry Greenwood with Murder on a Midsummer's Night. I love the spunky characters and sense of humour. Reminiscent of Naigo Marsh or Agatha Christie's cozy mysteries since Greenwood's are set in 1920s.

I'm pursuing the Gamache series with Still Life by Louise Penny.

Forgive the cross-posting.

This was my choice for Tanzania in the Commonwealth challenge. I gave it 4 stars.

Death in Zanzibar by M.M. Kaye
A great old-fashioned whodunnit in the style of Christie. The plot is a bit far-fetched but the resulting mystery is very entertaining and there is even a dash of romance. In deciding who committed the crimes, I changed my mind so often that I picked just about all the characters at one point or another. However, that just meant that I was right if only for a short time. I enjoyed the descriptions of Zanzibar, now a region of Tanzania. I loved the polite language and hammy plot of a mystery written in 1959 when people played music on a gramophone, women wore stockings even in hot climates, and the journey from London to Nairobi by air took more that 24 hours.

The author had a longing to see Zanzibar after hearing a popular song in the fifties - said to be "Stowaway" by Barbara Lyon - that has the refrain "Then I'll go sailing far - off to Zanzibar". She eventually managed to visit the island when her husband's regiment was diverted to Kenya and she joined him there. All of M.M. Kaye's books were set in places she visited or lived in as an army wife.