August 2020 ~ What are you reading?

Still reading Thin Air by Lisa Gray.

Getting ready to dive into The Jack Harvey Novels, an omnibus containing Ian Rankin's Jack Harvey works: Witch Hunt, Bleeding Hearts, and Blood Hunt.

Not sure true crime fits in this group, but I just finished The Last Stone by Mark Bowden the story of a masterpiece of criminal investigation. Two barely teenag girls, 12 and 10 disappeared from a mall near Washington, DC in 1975. No one knew what happened to them and their bodies were not found. 38 years later a cold case squad stumbled upon a clue. The clue led to a suspect. Even though he was already in jail and had new reason to cooperate, two years of interrogation managed to piece together enough of the crime to convict him of murder although much of what happened was still unclear. Fascinating but ultimately horrifying.

Trying to finish out a series. I'm reading Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson. Only one more book left in the series.

Just finished The Detective Wore Silk Drawers, a Sgt Cribb mystery by Peter Lovesey.

The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

I finished Naked She Died by Don Tracy. This is the second book in Tracy's "Giff Speer" series from the early 1960s. Giff Speer is a tough WW2 vet who is a member of the U.S. Army's super secret undercover MP unit. The murder of the adult daughter of a longtime Army sergeant in charge of providing the physical training for the astronauts of American's new space program sends Speer to Fort Beauregard in southwest Louisiana to find out who killed her and why. More murders follow, and corruption on the base is rampant. But what's the connection between it all? Speer, is, of course, the man for the job. A fun diversion and a pretty good tale for the genre. Well written enough, and mostly devoid of cliche. This was written in 1962, and I enjoyed reading my 1st edition Pocket Books pulp paperback.

An Unhappy Medium by Dawn Eastman
c. 2016
4 *

Clyde Fortune is a former cop who has moved back to her hometown of Crystal Haven, Michigan, on the Lake Michigan shore. She and her boyfriend Mac, a local police detective, Clyde's nephew Seth and two dogs live down the street from Clyde's parents and Aunt Vi. Clyde and her nephew are preparing for Settler's Day and a Zombie Run which will benefit the animal shelter. The catch is that Clyde and most of Crystal Haven's residents are mediums of some sort or other. Clyde has the ability to find lost things and has dream premonitions. Seth can communicate with animals. Aunt Vi thinks she can communicate with animals. Clyde's mom reads tarot cards. otherwise crystal haven is a fairly normal small Midwest town. Clyde's sister Grace, at the last minute, decides to return from NYC after being absent for 15 years. Grace can see stock market numbers. The Fortune family hurriedly prepares for Grace, her husband Paul and daughter Sophie's visit. Something isn't right. Grace and Paul, out of the blue, ask Clyde and Mac to formally become Seth and Sophie's guardians, should anything happen to them. Clyde has very unsettling premonitions which she just can't seem to get a handle upon. Meanwhile the whole family participates in the zombie run. Fun was had by all until one of the zombie's turns up really dead.

I really enjoy Eastman's writing style and would love it if she would write more of this series.

Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Shakespeare's Secrets by Bonnie Braendlin
LTER
c. 2019, softcover paperback
4 *

This is the first novel By Braendlin which I've read. I received this as an early reader a couple days ago. The writing style is smooth and easy. It is a character driven mystery, delving into the thoughts and actions of even very minor characters. However, the internal dialogue is not over done. There's just enough information to move the storyline along. Ariadne Caulfield is a middle aged recent widow and a professor at the small Rutherford College in a small Florida panhandle town. Her best friend Judith Sheridan is also a professor at the college. It's the end of summer term, so there are few students or teachers on campus. After attending a local theater production of The Tempest, Ari and Judith arrive at Ari's home. A window had been broken and the back door open. Ari runs inside calling for her cat. She finds her study a total disaster with books thrown all over from the emptied bookshelves. In the middle of the floor lies the body of summer term teacher, a man she barely knows. Judith calls 911. Local sheriff Beau Hammell arrives. After interviewing Ariadne, Judith and a host of faculty and students, the sheriff is stymied. Why the break in, as nothing appeared stolen, and who killed the teacher? A thoughtfully written whodunnit.

Finished Thin Air by Lisa Gray. Really enjoyed this book.

>3 jwrudn: True crime definitely belongs in this group imo, though personally I don't read much of it.

I have finally finished my multiyear quest to read/reread the Nero Wolfe series in order with Death Times Three, the final book written by Rex Stout and published posthumously by his estate. I am undecided whether to go on to try the Robert Goldsborough books... any thoughts about that are appreciated!

I have reread via audiobook Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers - I have read the Lord Peter series multiple times but this is my first time with the Ian Carmichael audiobooks. I really love listening to the (for me) Lord Peter narrate the books!

As part of the 2020 Category Challenge group's August challenge to read international mysteries, I have read A Case of Two Cities by Qiu Xiaolong, the 4th Inspector Chen book (3.5*); The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith, the 4th #1 Ladies' Detective series book (3*); and Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker, the 9th Bruno Courrèges book (3.5*). Next up is The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien by Georges Simenon, the 4th Inspector Maigret book...

During the power outage following tropical storm Isaias, I read Headaches Can Be Murder. Not bad for a debut book but I hope that the following books in the series are less 'book inside a book'... 3*

I quite enjoyed the first book in this new-to-me series: Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride

Ghost of War by George Mann
c. 2011
3 1/2 *

The Ghost, aka Gabriel Cross the rich party throwing 1929s NYC playboy, is up against a new steampunk enemy. Giant mechanical raptors, with human skin bat-like wings, are stealing people off the streets of the city. The Ghost is trying to find their lair, but is having little luck. Gabriel's friend Felix Donovan, a NYC police inspector, is also on their trail. But suddenly, the police Commissioner and a NY Senator pull Donovan off that effort, and they put Donovan on the trail of British Spy, a spy with information that could turn the 1920s Cold War between the US and Britain into an all out war. Meanwhile, the British spy is trying desperately to avert a war between the two countries. All is not as it seems, as someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes, engaging The Ghost, Donovan and the spy into a breakneck perilous search for the mastermind to put a stop to all the mayhem.

I once again enjoyed the nonstop action in the 1920s steampunk thriller. I'll need to find a copy of the next volume of the series.

Raiding my parents’ bookshelves and pulling out Shroud for a Nightingale, by P. D. James.

Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey
c. 2019
4 *

This was a very enjoyable first entry into a new series. The characters were fun and witty. The setting in the mountains of West Virginia was well thought out. I could see the mountain ridges and roads as I read it. Winnie Montgomery and her widowed Granny run an apple orchard. The orchard has fallen on tough times as the two women learn to run the place without the help of Winnie's Grandpa. But, Winnie, who is working on s business degree, has an idea for a Cider Shop at the orchard, so the orchard can stay open year round. As Winnie walks the local banker around the orchard and her explains her business proposition, they stumble across a body slumped into the cider press in the old barn. The new local sheriff and deputies have Granny as their suspected murderer, as Granny and the dead neighbor have always bickered about everything. While Winnie tries to protect her Granny's reputation, someone starts threatening and harassing Winnie. Why was the neighbor killed? A really fun quick cozy mystery.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. Not a bad read, but there were so many twists and turns, they seemed overdone.

I have been reading An April Shroud by Reginald Hill which was a very atmospheric entry in the Dalziel and Pascoe series, set in a flooded landscape. More Dalziel than Pascoe in this one but still very readable.

Another easy reading book for me this week, another thriller, but pretty good. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

I have two crime books on the go.

In audio I am listening to Partners in Crime, by Agatha Christie, narrated by Hugh Fraser.

In ebook I am reading Deep Waters, a British Library Crime Classics collection edited by Martin Edwards.

“ The Secrets That We Keep”

Is a storyline will grip you, and refuse to let you go. It's almost like a true-crime novel.

https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-That-We-Keep-Freedom-ebook/dp/B07TQ87JX1/ref=sr_1...

Added Trust No One by Debra Webb to my reading rotation.

>21 ted74ca: I saw an interview with the author which made it sound intriguing but I held off on trying to get a copy and, based on your comments, I think it won't be a priority.

The 14th Colony by Steve Berry
c. 2016
4 *

It's almost time for President Danny Daniels to leave the White House, as his 2 terms are over. Cotton Malone is sent by the Magellan Billet chief Stephanie Nelle to Siberia to check on the whereabouts of a missing former KBG archivist. In doing so, he comes across a plot by a former Soviet KBG agent which could at best forever change the world, or at worst start a new war. Stephanie is fired by the incoming AG, but continues working to uncover a plot that has ties to a Revolutionary War veteran's group. In typical convoluted fashion, Cotton is left to save the day with a bit of help from his former girlfriend. Suitcase nuke bombs, KBG spies, the Russian mob, the 20th Amendment, presidential succession, political sparing, Russian fighter jets, and a centuries old veteran's organization all come in to play. I found this a particularly fascinating read, considering it is a presidential election year here in the US. I found out a lot about our 20th Amendment (Presidential Succession) which I never thought about. And, of course, cotton Malone, against all odds, saves the day! A fun read.

Next up in crime for me is another ebook: Blue Lightning, by Ann Cleeves.

The Lost Order by Steve Berry
c. 2017

Another thriller finished this week and yet again, doesn't merit all the hype and rave reviews I'd seen. Not a bad read-just mediocre. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Really enjoyed this one-dated as it is-Shadow Play by Frances Fyfield

The Machiavelli Covenant by Alan Folsom. Returning after a short absence from the genre with a new (to me) author.

Raiding my mum’s Ian Rankin collection and starting In a House of Lies.

I finished and really enjoyed A Deadly Shade of Gold by John D. MacDonald. This is the fifth novel in MacDonald's classic and beloved "Travis McGee" mystery series. McGee is the classic world-weary, heart-of-gold, uber competent private eye who only gets involved in trouble when a friend is in trouble or he runs out of money. Here, it's the former, as McGee heads off to Mexico looking for information about and revenge for the killing of a friend. At the heart of the search is a collection of ancient gold figurines.

Finished Trust No One by Debra Webb. Wound up liking it OK though it was touch and go for a while.

Ghosts of Karnak by George Mann
c. 2017
3 1/2 *

1920's post steampunk New York City is being plagued by giant Enforcers. Enforcers are humans with giant metal exo-skeletons; soulless, pitiless and immensely strong. The Ghost has been trying to shut these creatures and their NYC mob boss down with help from NYPD Inspector Donovan. The Ghost has several broken ribs thanks to these things. Meanwhile Gabriel Cross is awaiting the return of his sometime girlfriend, Ginny. Ginny was supposed to be aboard the ship Centurion, returning from Egypt, when it came to port. He waited and waited, but no Ginny. Gabriel reached out to Donovan to help find Ginny. Meanwhile the Met Museum is getting ready for a huge new Egyptian exhibit. Donovan keeps coming up with homicide victims which have Egyptian cartouche and other hieroglyphs carved upon
them. If that isn't bad enough, a mob war is on the verge of exploding in the city. Lots of action and bizarre characters made this a fast fun read. The author George Mann, is also a screen writer for Dr. Who, which is apparent in the bizarre storyline!

Finished The Fields of Grief (audio) by Blunt (3.5/5) and The Deserter (print) by father and son Demille (3/5). Starting the latest Ian Rankin book.

I should probably get cracking on the crime ebook I borrowed from the library: Death Has Deep Roots, by Michael Gilbert.

NEW THREAD: https://www.librarything.com/topic/323907