MysteryMax Reads in 2021 - Mysteries First

Here's wishing everyone a 2021 that is better than 2020!

My name is Martha, but friends call me Max. I live in Vermont, on the side of a mountain - without cell phone coverage. It makes me feel like I'm on an alternate Earth! This will be my 10th year in the challenge. I'm basically a 'dog' person, but our dog died several years ago, and we now have a ginger cat that the dog brought home one day. Fortunately, Cato (the cat) worshiped our dog and now thinks he's a dog as well. The kids are grown and away. My husband is grown and away, as well - he's Canadian and stuck on that side of the border due to border closure. I'm forming a long list of food I want him to cook for me, and chores that need doing that I can't do. When the border is open we go back and forth, and Ottawa is our Canadian spot.

I'd like to think I read everything - but in all honesty, it's mysteries first! Last year's format didn't work well so I'm trying something new this year. I'll post a picture for each month as we get to it, rather than all at first. I found it too hard this year to post in the month's column and then again at the bottom where people could see comments. We'll see how it goes!

January


I'd like to do some binge reading of Rex Stout and Erle Stanley Gardner

1. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich (Bingo)
2. A Body Surrounded by Water by Eric Wright (Bingo - Classical Element) (MysteryCAT)
3. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
4. Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh
5. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich (RandomCAT - made me laugh)
6. The Lake Frome Monster by Arthur W. Upfield (Bingo - So Hemisphere) (AlphaKIT - M)
7. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
8. The Promise and the Dream by David Margolick (Bingo - History) (Genre - Non-Fiction)
9. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
10.The Case of the Silent Partner by Erle Stanley Gardner (AlphaKIT - P)
11. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
12. The Quiet American by Graham Green (Bingo - Impulse Read)
13. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
14. Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich
15. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
16. Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich

Books Added:
1. The Promise and the Dream The Untold Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy
2. The Arctic Fury
3. The Lake Frome Monster
4. WaxWork
5. Swing, Swing Together
6. The Cop Cookbook This one went walkabout in the post. I was worried I'd never get it.

January wrap-up,:
Books read:16
Non-fiction read: 1
Books added: 6
Best read: The Quiet American
Comments:
I'd planned to binge on Gardner (did read one) and Stout, but since I'd started the Evanovich series in December I decided to finish it first.

Touchstones don't appear to be working again.

February


1. The Double Game by Dan Fesperman Bingo #12 - New to you author
2. Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
3. Lemon in the Basket by Charlotte Armstrong RandomCAT - Fruit & Veggies
4. Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovih
5. Carte Blanche by Jeffry Deaver
8. The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece by Erle Stanley Gardner
9. Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich
10. Fortune and Glory by Janet Evanovich
11. The Heart of a Man : A Naval Pilot's Vietnam Diary by Frank Calhoun Elkins Bingo - less than 200 pages.
12. The Case of the Rolling Bones by Erle Stanley Gardner
13, I Had a Hammer : The Hank Aaron Story by Hank Aaron Genre - Biography, and Bingo - Art & recreation.
14. The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais fills AlphaKIT for the letter T also fills Bingo for time.
15. Kiss Me, Deadly by Mickey Spillane
16. The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan
17. The Best of James Herriot by James Herriot

February wrap-up
Books read: 17
Non-fiction: 3
Books added: 6
Best read: The Double Game

March


1. Oddity by Eli Brown ER book, fills two Bingo slots - one word title and contains magic.
2. The Third Bullet by John Dickson Carr fills the MysteryKit for March.
3. Full Black by Brad Thor fills the GenreKit for March.
4. The Case of the Restless Redhead by Erle Stanley Gardner Fills the letter R for March AlphaKit. Also fills Bingo - title that describes me
5. Upon a Dark Night by Peter Lovesey Fills the letter U for March AlphaKit.
6. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming Fits my GenreCAT for the month - Surprise and Bingo for type of building.
7. Moonraker by Ian Fleming
8. The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall
9. The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister Fills Bingo 11 as it was sent to me by my daughter and Bingo 21 as it really describes the Arctic.
10. Do or Die by Barbara Fradkin

March wrap-up:
Books Read: 10
Non-Fiction: 0
Books Added: 6
Best Read: The Case of the Restless Redhead

April


1. 58 Minutes by Walter Wager Fills AlphaKit for April - W
2. The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
3. The Good Thief's Guide to Paris by Chris Ewan
4. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn Fills AlphaKit for April - A, fills Bingo for place I'd like to visit (Grasse, France), and love story (Charlie and Finn) and senior citizen protagonist (Eve when she's older) and GenreCAT for April -Literary.
5. The Good Thief's Guide to Berlin by Chris Ewan
6. The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot by Colin Cotterill Fits April's MysteryKIT for a senior detective.
7. Castle in the Air by Donald Westlake Fills Bingo -Book you'd recommend.
8. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
9. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

April wrap-up:
Books read: 9
Non Fiction: 0
Books added: 2
Most Enjoyed: Battle Ground
Comment: My trip to Texas when my brother died and editing the first round of galley proofs of my book kept me pretty busy and it's reflected in the number of books read.

May



1. Maigret and the Man on the Bench by Georges Simenon Fills MysteryKit for May - European detective
2. The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands by Erle Stanley Gardner Fills May AlphaKit - the letter I
3. The Night the Gods Smiled by Eric Wright - fills May AlphaKit - the letter N
4. The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni An excellent spy story.
5. Smoke Detector by Eric Wright
6. A Travesty by Donald Westlake
7. Nobody's Perfect by Donald Westlake
8. Maigret Sets a Trap by Georges Simenon
9. Birthday, Deathday by Hugh Pentecost
10. Professor Van Dusen The Thinking Machine by Jacques Futrelle
11. The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni
12. Blues for the Prince by Bart Spicer

May wrap up:
Books read: 12
Non-fiction: 0
Books added: 1
Most enjoyed: The Eighth Sister
Comments: total computer failure and lack of internet made this month frustration.

June


1.Dandy Gilver & the Proper Treatment of Blood Stains by Catniona McPherson Really enjoyed this, but it was more the 'locked room' nature and her situation. Not sure how I'll like the series. This fits both letters of this month's AlpaKIT.
2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Oh,WOW. I didn't believe the people who said this just might be better than The Martian. They were right. Once again, Weir's human must survive only this time he has alien help. Two absolutely marvelous characters. This fits the month's sci-fiKIT.
3. Goldfinger by Ian Fleming
4. The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell
5. Lone Wolf by Sara Driscoll This fills my Bingo card for a character I could be friends with.
6. Before It's Too Late by Sara Driscoll Of all the K9 series now being published this is the one I like best.

June wrap up:
Books read: 6
Non-fiction: 0
Books added: 30
Most enjoyed: Project Hail Mary
Comments: rough month! But due to a money for books gift and an introduction to Thriftbooks, I added 30 books. Of course, that means I need to get rid of some.

July


1. Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses by Catriona McPherson

And I think I'll try to keep a Bingo card up to date, lol.

Yaaaaaay welcome back! I miss you and paruline!

I'd like to think I read everything - but in all honesty, it's mysteries first! - That is exactly how I feel. It's my go to genre whenever I can't quite figure out what to read next.

Nice to see you back. Sorry you and hubby are apart. Another mystery fan here.

>3 rabbitprincess: I miss you guys too! Hopefully this summer the border will open and the International LT girls can get together again.

>4 LittleTaiko: I'm long past the age where I read to inform, lol. I just want to enjoy and a mystery is real brain food when it's well written.

>5 dudes22: So are the Paw Sox moving this summer?

It's so good to see you back.

>8 mysterymax: - I guess it depends on if the stadium gets finished in Worchester or not. But probably. That was really a fiasco around here. The Speaker of the House here ( who was widely blamed for not doing enough to keep them) lost his bid for reelection.

>9 MissWatson: Thanks! I'm looking forward to getting some stuff on my shelf read that's not a reread. It seems I go back to favorites...also I can't remember having read them before until I get half-way through!

>10 dudes22: I can't say I'm sorry that he lost. The Paw Sox were a baseball historical team, it's sad that was thrown over for money. Can't say we'll drive all the way from VT to see them if they move.

Glad to see you here again. I too am a mysteries-first kind of reader and follow your reading closely. I hope with the vaccine soon to come, the border will be open again.

>13 VivienneR: I haven't seen my husband in 9 months. I keep telling myself I got along fine when he was deployed overseas while in the service, but Sweet Fanny Adams I'm a mite bit older now. It's not as easy getting things done on your own as it once was. When I could go to Ottawa I always had TEA with paruline and rabbit princess. We call ourselves the International LT ladies. I miss that too. And, the mystery series I'm writing takes place in Ottawa, so I feel the need to be there to do some local research! On the other hand, the US is handling the covid stuff so poorly, I'd hate to see it all migrate up there. The border is closed for a good reason.

Welcome back, I am planning on giving my series reading some extra attention in 2021, and so that will mean plenty of mysteries for me too!

Hi and welcome back! I am sorry to hear about your husband being separated from you, but hopefully things will smooth out soon. This pandemic has done a lot of damage to human relationships in many ways. I love reading mysteries too, and they are my "go-to" books for any time and place.

>14 mysterymax: I have to hope that things will be better in the spring! I am so sorry that you and hubby are separated by the border.

In the meantime I think we're overdue for a virtual tea. I'll get the ball rolling :)

Good luck with your 2021 reading!

Mysteries can be good comfort reads and we’ve needed a lot of those this year.

Welcome back. Have a great year of reading!

>21 mysterymax: I've also planned some of my reading for this year, something I don't normally do because when it comes time to read a particular book I want to read something else instead. I could have one category - impulse reads - and just let it go at that!

I left you a message about the Pawsox.

>23 mysterymax: Just replied! I hope we can all go to live games this coming summer.

From my 2020 Reads:
Describe yourself: Patience of a Spider
Describe how you feel: Not Quite Dead Enough
Describe where you currently live: Among the Shadows
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Simenon's Paris
Your favorite form of transportation is: A Train in Winter
Your favorite food is: Last of the Summer Wine
Your favorite time of day is: Time to Murder and Create
Your best friend is: The Cutie
You and your friends are: A Voice in the Night
What’s the weather like: Ice Cold
You fear: The Overnight Kidnapper
What is the best advice you have to give: Everybody Dies
Thought for the day: Maigret Has Doubts
What is life for you: Wings of the Sphinx
How you would like to die: Death at Sea
Your soul’s present condition: Between Silk and Cyanide
What was 2020 like for you? Blind Man With a Pistol
What do you want from 2021? Fortune and Glory

>24 mysterymax: - Those are cute!

>24 mysterymax: Great book titles to fill in the meme!

>21 mysterymax: Nothing wrong with impulse reads! I should do more of them myself.

Welcome back! Sorry to learn that you and your husband have been stuck on different sides of the border. That must be hard!

>28 lkernagh: It is a bit. I'm trying to pretend he's on an overseas posting. We had a few of those when he was in the military. That worked for the first six months! Now it's getting harder.

Well, I started recording my reads on LT ten years ago. I thought I'd look back. Started trying to think of the 10 books I'd enjoyed the most...couldn't - there are too many. Couldn't even say which 10 mysteries I liked the most - how do you choose between a police procedural and a private eye? Wound up making a huge list!!! Feel free to skip!

Most Enjoyed Reads of the Past Ten Years
(Not listed in any order)

Non-Fiction
1. Bottom of the 33rd by Dan Berry
2. Curse of the Narrows by Laura MacDonald
3. Measuring Eternity by Martin Gorst
4. Fire on the Beach by David Wright
5. Conversations on Writing by Ursula LeGuin
6. The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo
7. Hearing Things by Angela Leighton
8. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood by Stephen Puleo
9. Gracie: A Love Story by George Burns
10. Simenon’s Paris by Georges Simenon

Fiction (non-genre):
1. The Baker’s Secret by Stephen Kiernan
2. Rose in a Storm by John Katz
3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
4. The Martian by Andy Weir
5. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
6. Fiddler’s Green by Ernest K. Gann
7. Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
8. Music of a Life by Andrea Makine
9. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
10. Two Old Women by Velma Wallis

Steampunk/Science Fiction/Fantasy:
1. Kate Griffin - Matthew Swift series
2. Jim Butcher - Harry Dresden series
3. Mark Hodder - Burton & Swinburne series
4. Mike Resnick - Weird West series
5. Felix J. Palma - Map of Time series
6. Naomi Novik - Temeraire series
7. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance Cycle series
8. Cheri Priest - Clockwork Century series
9. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter series
10. In the Cube – by Alexander David Smith

YA/JF:
1. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
2. The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater
3. Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford
4. 13 Hangmen by Art Corriveau
5. Voyages of Brian Seaworthy by Ralph Nading Hill
6. The Wainscott Weasel by Tor Seidler
7. The Last Dragon by Silvana Di Mari
8. The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Agra Deedy
9. The Desperado Who Stole Baseball by John H. Ritter
10.The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle by Catherine Webb

Continuing:

Books That Made Me Laugh:
1. Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
2. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore
3. Hot Rock by Donald Westlake
4. While Drowning in the Desert by Don Winslow
5. The Corpse Wore Pasties by Johnny Porkpie
6. Lamb by Christopher Moore
7. The Girl with the Long Green Heart by Lawrence Block
8. Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill
9. A Dog’s Life by Peter Mayle
10.Stalking the Dragon by Mike Resnick

Thriller/Spy:
1. The Informationist by Taylor Stephens
2. Runner by Patrick Lee
3. Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
4. Outlaw by Mark Sullivan
5. Ice Cold Kill by Dana Haynes
6. The Drifter by Nicholas Petrie
7. The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer
8. Sentinel by Matthew Dunn
9. Second Shot by Zoe Sharp
10. A Foreign Country by Charles Cummings

Mysteries Series
1. Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri
2. William Monk series by Anne Perry
3. Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout
4. Philip Marlowe books by Raymond Chandler
5. Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley
6. Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
7. Walt Longmore series by Craig Johnson
8. Billy Boyle WWII series by James Benn
9. Bernie Rhodenbarr series by Lawrence Block
10. Rat Pack series by Robert Randisi

Police Procedurals:
1. Rounding the Mark by Andrea Camilleri
2. Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
3. The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes
4. Maigret and the Madwoman by Georges Simenon
5. Beyond the Truth by Bruce Coffin
6. Death of a Swagman by Arthur Upfield
7. Sins of the Wolf by Anne Perry
8. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
9. Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley
10.A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey

And more:

Private Investigator Reads:
1. Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
2. The Last Cop Out by Mickey Spillane
3. In the Best Families by Rex Stout
4. The Case of the Curious Bride by Erle Stanley Gardner
5. The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen
6. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
7. Murder is my Business by Brett Halliday
8. The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow
9. Sherlock Holmes and the Ghosts of Bly by Donald Thomas
10.Stalking the Unicorn by Mike Resnick

Ten Most Enjoyed Cozy Reads:
1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Allan Bradley
2. The Ladies No 1 Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
3. The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert
4. The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle
5. Murder Your Darlings by J. J. Murphy
6. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
7. Nobody’s Secret by Michaela MacColl
8. Old Dogs by Donna Moore
9. 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie
10. Harry Lipkin, Private Eye by Barry Fantoni

Those are some impressive lists. Being bored one day last year, I looked at my top 5 by year and added them to my profile. Time to add 2020.

I do love a good list! I also like going back through reading lists from years past, and going "Wait, I read that?!" :D

Don't know why the touchstones didn't work for the first part of the list. Put them it, but they didn't show up. A message says 504 Gateway Timed Out. Don't know why, it's the same number of items as the next entry with does show up. Go figure.

First for the year is Janet Evanovich's Fearless Fourteen.

I ended 2020 binging on Stephanie Plum and this one was next and it filled a BINGO card slot. It actually isn't as much fun as the ones before it, but it had it's moments. These books are so over-the-top but since they take place in New Jersey they almost seem possible.

>35 mysterymax: I had to select "edit" and then refresh the page to get mine to show up.

>37 LadyoftheLodge: Tried that and nothing happened. Thanks for the idea, though.

I can remember when I was reading #8 in the Plum series. I was reading in bed and my husband was already asleep and I was trying not to laugh aloud and wake him. But in trying to hold it in, the bed was shaking and he wanted to know what I was laughing about because I never laugh when reading, even funny stuff. Anyway, he decided he needed to see what would make me laugh and he got hooked on the series too.

Try edit and then take one of the books out and put it in again. Sometimes that has happened to me and if I put the title and brackets in again it works. Not always.

A Body Surrounded by Water by Eric Wright fulfilled both the mysteryCAT and a Bingo square (classical element - water).

Charlie Salter is an Inspector with the Toronto police, but now he is on holiday with his family on Prince Edward Island. A string of robberies is the big criminal news, but a murder happens and Charlie gets involved. Since he isn't the local law, he isn't 'officially' involved, and we see the evolve through his eyes. I had to laugh. The book was written in 1987 and Charlie buys a mackerel from a fisherman for one dollar. When I lived in Halifax in 1968 I would buy mackerel from a fisherman that sold out of his truck for twenty-five cents.

2 January and already two book finished. You're off to a good start! Have a good new year, with great books and the reunion with your husband!

>40 mysterymax: I read that one a few years back.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Don't remember having read this one before. Lula witnesses a murder and spends most of the book trying to stay alive while she's also busy trying to learn how to BBQ. Steph is helping Ranger find the person breaking into homes he is supposed to have secured. Full of all the usual mishaps. I give these books four stars, not because they're fantastic literature, but because they never fail to make me laugh.

Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh fills a Bingo square for the word "Light" in the title. It also fills one of the months AlphaCATs for the letter "M".

I stuck with this one, the last of the Chief Superintendent Allen books and Marsh's last book. It seemed that 99% of the book was about the production of Macbeth. (The murder doesn't happen until page 141.)

My goodness, the books are flying off the shelf here. It appears you are off to a fantastic start with your reading. :)

>44 mysterymax: Ha, the Macbeth production was what I loved best about this book (and why it's my favourite Alleyn)!

>45 DeltaQueen50: Making the vow to cut WAY down on time spent on social media, and the fact that I no longer feel the need to have the news up to date has made for more reading time! Also having read last year about the effect of ambient light in the room on sleep patterns, I started using a sleep mask which improved my sleep a hundred percent. Last month I also read about the effects of blue light on your eyesight and also on your sleep patterns, so I've cut out the binging on television series (Just finished Endeavor, Morse, and Lewis) and am turning off the tv much earlier and going to bed to read. So all things coming together has meant my reading is getting back to normal. So until I have to do more editing I am reading AND writing more, and sleeping better.

>47 mysterymax: Sounds like a good plan.

>47 mysterymax: Sounds like you have made some healthy changes that are giving you the added benefit of more reading and writing time. I, too, have cut back on the news, it simply got to be too much and I needed to step away from the madness.

Another Plum saga - Sizzling Sixteen Using it to fill the RandomCAT - a book that makes you laugh.

My manuscript arrived back for editing, so the reading has slowed. My latest read was Arthur's Upfield's 'Bony' story The Lake Frome Monster. Great read. The 'monster' turned out to be a large, cantankerous camel. Bony takes a job working the Fence. Back breaking work at times when the wind blows tons of sand and bush into the fence, but Bony is on the hunt for a killer.

>51 mysterymax: - Is there a lot of editing?

> 52 Ha! Out of 286 double spaced pages, there were exactly 10 that did not need at least one change. I have a MASSIVE problem with commas. I've studied all the rules, but for some reason I want commas where they don't belong, and see no need for them where they do belong. So I'm guessing that well over 90% were commas to go in or come out. A few other things - moving a paragraph, rewriting a few bits and pieces... Otherwise the main thing was deciding when her suggestion for a word or phrase was better than mine and when it wasn't in my 'voice'. I'm hoping to send it back on Tuesday. I'll stay away from it until late on Monday and then give it a final read.

#17 on the Plum saga - Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

I'm enjoying reading them close together. Sometimes it's so long between books in a series you forget a lot.

Finished The Promise and the Dream: The Untold Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Didn't plan it, but I finished it just before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The most amazing part was to see how RFK evolved. I admit I cried in places. I was one of the people who felt, at the time, that he was America's best hope. I often wonder now how his presidency might have changed the country.

>55 mysterymax: Great timing on that read!

>53 mysterymax: Fortunately that's what editors are for, to remember the pesky comma rules (or know where to look them up) ;)

>56 rabbitprincess: Aiming for June publication!

The Case of Silent Partner by Erle Stanley Gardner was my next read. Once again I am surprised at the difference between Perry Mason books and the television series I remember. The Mason of the books is so much better.

In this one Mason is confronted with possibly having a guilty client. He is also faced with dealing with a new police lieutenant who is razor sharp.

>58 mysterymax: I'm glad you made the comment concerning the book vs. the TV show (of which I'm wasn't a fan). I will have to try one of his books.

>58 mysterymax: Raymond Burr is too slow and large and pompous compared to the Perry Mason in the books.

>60 pamelad: While that may be, I can't picture anyone else portraying him after watching those old black & whites so much. I was familiar with Raymond Burr as Ironside before I ever saw the old Perry Masons. I'd already read almost every copy of the Perry Mason books our library owned before I saw the TV series.

>59 Tess_W: I wasn't a tried and true fan of the tv series although I did often watch it. I was so surprised when I read my first Perry Mason book. He is so different, the relationship with Della is different, everything! Give one a try!

>60 pamelad: It's strange how the choice of actors and the closeness to the original book/script affects a show. I might never have read a Perry Mason book because of the show..and then there's Foyle's War which is probably 100% better than it might have been because of the actors. And look at all the new Agatha Christie movies. Why a screen writer would think they should/could improve on a book that's been reprinted over and over and over is beyond me.

>61 thornton37814: I loved Burr as Ironside! One thing that has surprised me in the books is that even though Mason is a lawyer, many of the books have the case solved before the case even gets to court. And as I remember the tv shows (although I haven't seen in at least 30 years) was that a lot of the show was done in court.

Finished Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich another Stephanie Plum book. It's been so long since I first read these that either I have forgotten them, or I collected some of the books but never got around to reading them! This one had a much more serious bad guy than most. as usual.

>63 mysterymax: Loved Foyle's War TV series. I did not know there was a book!

>63 mysterymax: They've changed the tone as well as the plots. I don't expect bleakness from an Agatha Christie film, and prefer the Poirot tv series with David Suchet, but even these get bleaker as Poirot becomes angrier in the later series.

>66 Tess_W: I'm not sure there is a book, so it was a poor example. I've just often thought that Horowitz is such a prolific writer (he wrote the Foyle series) but I think FW was the tremendous show because of the actors.

>67 pamelad: So few movies stay true to the book. I remember the 1965 Flight of the Phoenix. It followed the book almost word for word. It was a great film. Then they remade it in 2004. I was really looking forward to it, but they'd changed so much it was almost unrecognizable. Hate it when that happens.

Looked through the bookshelves for a book that wasn't a mystery! Settled on The Quiet American by Graham Greene. I think it was one of those books you think you've read, but never actually have. A quiet reminder of how pointless war is.

I like it when the movie uses the dialog from the book as well as the action. But when it comes to Perry Mason I like both the TV series and the books. It may be because I like courtroom scenes!

>70 mysterymax: And now to the films. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1958 film changes the ending, but Phillip Noyce's 2002 film follows Greene's book much more closely and captures the tone. Michael Caine is excellent as the cynical British journalist.

>72 pamelad: MB! A movie bullet! I will try and find the 2002 film. Many thanks for the 'reviews'.

Finished Takedown Twenty Stephanie is facing more serious takedowns in the last couple of books. This time even Ranger is in danger.

>70 mysterymax: I really loved The Quiet American.

>72 pamelad: Thanks for the reminder about the Michael Caine film - I meant to watch that after I finished the book and then never got around to it.

Got my revisions in to my editor, cleaned up the kitchen for my new/old stove which is due today, and decided to end the month with a Stephanie Plum binge. Top Secret Twenty-One , Tricky Twenty-Two and Turbo Twenty-Three . Twenty-Two was the one where the car gets filled with live geese (a fraternity prank) and Twenty-Three was the one with the man frozen in the ice cream truck and covered with chocolate and nuts. Great light reading to end another month of only having a cat for company.

Hurray new stove! Also, now I want ice cream :)

>58 mysterymax: I'm weighing in on Perry Mason. I am very tempted to try one of the books now. I love the tv show, my favorite part is always toward the end, when Hamilton Burger usually loses it in court.

>77 rabbitprincess: All these months of confinement have made you susceptible to suggestion! It's too cold to go out for ice cream, but we have a place that makes their own and it is fantastic. You really do need to make a trip to Vermont when this is all over.

My stove was having a lot of problems with the thermostat. (it basically was no longer set-able.) (my word, just made it up!) Luckily a friend had just purchased a professional oven and was willing to bestow his old one (which still works fine) on me.

>78 lsh63: I hope you enjoy them! Anxious to hear what you think!

>78 lsh63: I'm just going to drop in to say that the 1930s and 1940s Perry Mason books are a lot better than the 1950s and 1960s.

>81 NinieB: Thank you, duly noted. There are a ton of them!

Began February with a spy novel. The Double Game by Dan Fesperman rates It's a cleverly written homage to all espionage novels. Our hero, Bill Cage, grew up with a father who not only worked in the secret service but was a collector of spy novels. After interviewing a retired spy, Bill is led on a chase throughout Europe with clues from spy novels that now fit real life. Not only is the premise and its execution good, but there is an appendix in the back that is the most complete I have seen of spy novels. Worth having on your bookshelf for that alone.

>83 mysterymax: - Sounds interesting. I see that one of his other books won the 2019 Barry Award for Thriller. Might need to put both of them on my BB list.

>83 mysterymax: An index to spy novels? I need to look at this...

First part of the appendix is by author and the authors who worked in intelligence are in boldface, next they are listed by date beginning with James Fenimore Cooper's Spy in 1821 and ending in 2007. Enough BBs to last several years!

Lemon in the Basket is by Charlotte Armstrong. She is to suspense what Agatha Christie is to mystery. I hadn't read one by her before. It was suspenseful. I wanted to look near the end to see what had happened and who was still alive. I couldn't see how it could turn out the way it needed to, but it did. It involved the Tyler family and a foreign prince who is just a boy. Good read!

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovih. Don't know what I'll do for laughs when I finish the series.

Got my Covid shot this morning.

>90 mysterymax: Good on you! Getting mine in 1.5 hours!

>90 mysterymax: Yay! I'm so glad :)

>91 LadyoftheLodge: Hope you're feeling okay. >92 rabbitprincess: Feeling okay so far, but my shoulder is sore!

Filling February's MysteryKit is a James Bond pastiche called Carte Blanche by Jeffry Deaver. I'll have to go back and re-read a Fleming book to see how it compares, but ignoring that part, it was a good adventure. Gave it

The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece by Erle Stanley Gardner was one of the earlier Perry Mason books. I had the wrong person pegged as the killer. Missed several clues. Ended with the case in court and Mason once again getting ahead of Burger.

Finished off my re-read of the Stephanie Plum series with Twisted Twenty-Six and Fortune and Glory which is also called Tantalizing Twenty-Seven. These two books are actually part one and part two of a story. Stephanie's grandmother has always had a gem of insight which often goes unnoticed. I think she nails it this time. Steph's dad is bemoaning how people have started killing complete strangers and wonders how they can do that. Grandma explains...they have a crack in their soul.

>93 mysterymax: Same here! The shot did not hurt at all, and the clinic was extremely well organized. Everyone there was friendly to us seniors! I am feeling okay, but my shoulder was really sore Thursday night.

>96 mysterymax: - I'm up to number 24 in the series and it's good to know that 26 & 27 kind of go together. Hopefully I'll remember that when I get to them and I'll read them together instead of letting time go by in between.

>95 mysterymax: Glad to see you enjoying the old Perry Mason books.

>99 thornton37814: I am! Many thanks to you. I've been reading them randomly, but have decided to try and read them in order to be able to see any change in the style or characters. I do enjoy them and I can do one in an afternoon or evening.

The Heart of a Man : A Naval Pilot's Vietnam Diary is a short diary (from May 1966 to October 1966 when he was killed in action) of a young navy pilot from North Carolina. In an epilogue, he wife writes: "Yet finding any justifiable reason for Frank's death remains problematic for me. It seems worthwhile only for its confirmation of his belief in himself, in his courage to die for what he perceived as national duty. But his death did not help anyone else."

>101 mysterymax: What a great quote!

>102 Tess_W: The diary was short, less than 200 pages because he left in May and was killed in October. The beginning pages show his concern about what he was doing and the worry he had that civilians might be hurt by his actions, but by late August and through September he watched other pilots die and was just trying to make it home. He was actually supposed to go home before he was killed, but the tour was extended.

I only gave The Case of the Rolling Bones . Perry Mason was good, of course, but so many of the characters had two or three names they went by and it was difficult to keep them straight (maybe because I was reading in the evening?). Also the murder seemed related to another murder, but there was also the situation of the crooked dice, which I couldn't tie in. It was probably just me, but I had a hard time with it.

I Had a Hammer : The Hank Aaron Story by Hank Aaron with Lonnie Wheeler is a compelling read. It's as much about civil rights as it is about baseball. Aaron tells his own story, Wheeler provides context, and players and others provide quotes about Aaron and different situations. It's readable, interesting, and important. It also fits the GenreCAT for the month (biography) and fills a Bingo spot for art & recreation.

The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais started off a little slow and I was wondering if I could get involved with the characters enough to continue. Glad that I stuck with it because it is very good. The two minute rule is that if you are going to rob a bank you need to leave the bank in no more than two minutes.

>106 mysterymax: - I like Robert Crais's books. This is one of his stand-alones, but I also enjoy his Elvis Cole series. There's some humor along with the mystery.

>107 dudes22: I like the Cole series as well. That's what prompted me to get this one. I liked it too, was hoping all would turn out in the end. And it did.

Kiss Me, Deadly by Mickey Spillane would have been a four star read, but the ending made me make it a read. I actually read it again when I finished trying to find the clue to the ending. I found a weak clue to the big boss so that didn't surprise me, but I couldn't figure out who the woman at the end was. As far as I could see everyone who was a part of the case was accounted for. I knew at the time that the blonde in the river would be part of the case, but I couldn't find anything pointing to the woman who took her place. Does anyone remember this book? Can you explain it to me?

This fills the AlphaKit for the letter K.

The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan is the first in the Good Thief's Guide series. I reread it to help with an article I was writing and now must reread the entire series. Charlie Howard is a crime writer and he visits cities for research for his novels, and while he's there he pulls off a heist or two. That would be good except too often he turns up a dead body.

>110 mysterymax: I haven‘t heard about this series before, but I really like the idea!

>110 mysterymax: Let us know when the article is published!

Finally finished The Best of James Herriot - all 500+ pages of it! Loved every page. It's a beautiful book, with lovely drawings and side bar notes about animals and life. It's a collection of stories from all five of his books and is really like reading all five.

Starting off March with the ER book Oddity by Eli Brown.

Interesting premise (think of a Warehouse 13 story for kids without much historical information about the oddity), It sits on the border between junior fiction and young adult. The fantasy side of it and some of the violence puts it in the YA genre, but I've found lately that good YA novels are more sophisticated in the writing than this, which makes it hover on the JF side. The character development was slow in the beginning and I didn't feel really into the characters until Part 2. I had hoped for more meat than this offers. Not a tale for the younger junior fiction readers.

A quick summary: It's a time when certain objects have special powers. A young girl get caught up in the efforts of powerful people trying to get ahold of them.

MysteryKit for March is locked room puzzles, so I read The Third Bullet by John Dickson Carr. I find these difficult to figure out and this was no exception. The key is in understanding that you are starting off with a false premise, and that not just one person is lying...they all are. My brain is still muddled trying to figure out how it got solved.

The GenreKit this month was for an action book, so I read Brad Thor's novel Full Black. Here's the scarey part. The book was written in 2011. There is a plan to destroy democracy in the US and the plan on how to do it is much too much like events we have seen unfold.

>115 mysterymax: - I'm never good at them either. I'm like -"What? Where did that come from?"

>117 dudes22: I read an Ellery Queen locked room and I KNEW who did it but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how.

I should have know this might turn out to be my favorite Perry Mason! The Case of the Restless Redhead First the redhead is accused of stealing jewels and then she's framed for murder. Mason has to use all his cunning this time. His closing words are the best. A young inexperienced lawyer who Mason has taken under his wing finds it all more than he can handle and tells Mason he has to get back to his normal routine. Mason says" "There isn't any normal routine when you're dealing with redheads." Ahh, Perry. You know us too well.

Fills the AlphaKit for March - the letter R

Upon a Dark Night by Peter Lovesey is the 5th in the Peter Diamond series. Three incidents are on Diamonds case list. An apparent suicide of an old man who was a recluse, a German woman who appears to have fallen off a roof, and a woman found unconscious in a hospital parking lot who has lost her memory when she wakes up. My only complaint was that Diamond doesn't appear to be active on these cases (as they don't appear to be murders) until some ways into the book. Otherwise - a great read.

Fills the AlphaKit for March - the letter U

>119 mysterymax: It's been decades since I read that one, but I remember it as one of the better ones. Unfortunately I don't remember much more about the plot than the jewel theft. I think I remember a little about what Mason had Paul Drake do, but I could be confusing plots. Maybe I should track down a copy sometime.

>121 thornton37814: Loved it. The redhead was up for trial on a jewelry theft. The lawyer was an inexperienced public defender. Perry caught a bit of the trial and was convinced she was innocent. On the QT he helped the lawyer and she was acquitted. Then there was a murder and two shots had been fired. Mason is sure the redhead will be blamed so he sets out to confuse the issue.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming fits my RandomCAT for the Month of March - surprise. It was a surprise for a couple of reasons. One: I couldn't seem to find anything I wanted to read and all of a sudden (possible because I had recently watched the movie with Daniel Craig) I decided to read it. So it was a surprising choice. Second: I was surprised to see how the book had been adapted for the screen in this high tech age. Parts of the story had been omitted, or added, or changed of course but overall I'd say it was well done. I've moved on to Moonraker and am realizing how much Fleming liked card games and gambling.

Moonraker by Ian Fleming I think I liked the book better than the movie. Still exciting, but not so far fetched. Despite his normal 'abroad only' mandate, this time he's on English soil. Doesn't get the girl this time either.

>124 mysterymax: I've always enjoyed Bond books more than the movies. The movies can be on the cheesy side.

>125 VivienneR: Agreed. I just finished watching Moonraker and the only things the movie had in common with the book was the name of the bad guy, Drax, and the fact that there was a missile/rocket named Moonraker. One in the book, several in the movie. The book was far more exciting than the movie.

Next up was The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister I might have given this another half star if it wasn't for a personal dislike I have. Chapter one opens with Virginia in court in Boston charged with the murder of one of the members of the expedition. So Bingo! I know at least one person (and who) doesn't make it back.

The chapters then tend to alternate with the story of the trip and then story of the trail. Beginning this way it made the story about the trial, not about the journey. Which to me, was backwards. So I skipped the chapters about the trial and read the story of the journey to the end. Then I went back and read the trial. For me it more suspenseful this way - knowing what really happened and wondering how the trial could come to a just end.

Some people would probably feel that the back and forth fit the story very well and it wouldn't be a drawback for them. Sometimes, I admit going back and forth from one time to another might be the only way possible to tell a story, but unless that's the case I find it frustrating and annoying.

Notwithstanding all this, it is a wonderful story. Read it in whatever way suits you.

>127 mysterymax: I dislike books that go back and forth. Sometimes it can work but tricky for the writer to pull off successfully. Your reading method seems like a good way to handle it.

>127 mysterymax: Oh, that's a clever way to read that book! My mum read it and wasn't wild about it, but she read it straight through, so perhaps that accounted for it.

>127 mysterymax: - I wish I had thought of reading it that way. It was a good story but the journey section was more engrossing. I may have appreciated the trial more if it was at the end.

>128 VivienneR: >129 rabbitprincess: >130 LittleTaiko: I think the back and forth method is used in an attempt to build suspense, or to give a reason for what happens, but this story was suspenseful when read in a straight chronological way. I knew by the third chapter I could read the book the way it was written. I've used this method once before and it worked well. But it does effect the amount of enjoyment of the book; a book shouldn't be work!

Read Do or Die by Barbara Fradkin because she has won the Arthur Ellis Award twice for books about her Inspector Green of the Ottawa Police. In this Inspector Green story a graduate student is murdered in the university library. Green must wade through the rivalries and jealousies of university life.

The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri One of my favorite series. This was originally to be one of the television shows, but after the death of Camilleri it was decided to turn it into a book. Montalbano is now 60 and is surprised to turn that he is being forced to take vacation until his retirement comes up, and while he's gone the department will be torn apart. In reality it's all for show, and part of a cooperative effort with the Americans to round up a lot of big international drug deals. Being 'retired' and at odds with the force he is able to secure a position of the Halcyon as a cook, with Fazio as his assistant. It was a great story, but I missed Montalbano not being able to use his knowledge of his island and its people to solve the crime.

>132 mysterymax: I might need to look into that one. (ETA: I discovered it is already on my library e-book wish list.)

>133 mysterymax: I think I'd miss him outside his usual environs too.

I spent the last week of March/first week of April in Texas because my brother died. I was lucky in that my oldest daughter in Durham NC managed to hook up with my flight in Atlanta and come with me. So even though I was reading, I wasn't filling in LT.

What I've read:
58 Minutes by Walter Wager - the book the second Die Hard movie was made from. Good action movie, but as usual an even better book. I had it in a cover I have for mass market paperbacks as I didn't think other air passengers would feel my choice of reading was appropriate.

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King. King says you'd either love it or hate it. I did both. This fills the April RandomCat - I share this book with luvamystery.

The Good Thief's Guide to Paris by Chris Ewan - a much more involved plot than the Amsterdam book. He's really managed to get himself into hot water with a stolen painting. He doesn't usually steal art, but this time the money was good.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - I really wanted to read this and in the second chapter found it was just like The Arctic Fury with alternating chapters in the time line. What a horrible thing to do to such a good story. As I'd done with the other book, I read the 1915 chapters first and then the 1947 chapters. I guess I need to read more about a book before I order it. I shouldn't have to work to read the book. It's too bad, I can't see myself re-reading it, a thing I like to do with good books. The story is a good one. If had been written straight through I might have ranked it up with The Baker's Secret and All the Light We Cannot See. The format however keeps it out of their league.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. :( Thinking of you and your family.

Condolences to your family, MM.

Sorry for your loss, Max. Take care of yourself.

My condolences to you and your family.

I'm so sorry about your brother.

>135 mysterymax: I don't like the technique they use that alternates between two time periods, but I think you might miss out on some things by reading all of one time period first and the other later. I can't wait until publishers and authors realize that technique is not a good thing. They just need to tell the story--plain and simple.

Thank you all for your kind words. The LT community, especially our challenge group, is like an extended family - we do care about our friends, even though most of us have never met. It's quite special.

>141 thornton37814: I went back and tried to read it the way it was written, too many times things you couldn't understand why something was happening in the later time frame. Of course, that was meant to 'wet your curiosity' but I gave it up after a few challenges. The straight forward story was tense and thrilling. No gimmick was needed. Straight through it's a story I'd recommend to anyone that likes WWII stories. The way it 's written, not so much.

I'd started The Good Thief's Guide to Venice by Chris Ewan before I left for Texas. Didn't take it with me since my copy was a hardcover and I didn't want the extra weight. This was the best in the series so far. Charlie Howard has decided to give up thieving and concentrate on his writing. Naturally that doesn't work. There are twists and turns. Excellent read.

Kate Quinn's newest book The Rose Code is written in a similar manner so be forewarned. I actually liked it better than The Alice Network but I like those books that move back and forth in time.

>145 dudes22: Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to pass on it for now. There are so many books to read!

The Good Thief's Guide to Berlin by Chris Ewan is the last of thief's guide books. Disappointing in that at the end you don't know what will happen to Charlie.

The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot by Colin Cotterill I didn't enjoy this one as much as I have others in the series. It does fill the MysteryCAT for a senior detective.

Castle in the Air by Donald Westlake was a hilarious heist which is what Westlake does so perfectly. "Four groups of international heist artists team up to pull off the theft of the century - stealing an entire castle, and the treasure hidden in its walls - what could possibly go wrong?"

All Systems Red by Martha Wells If all four novellas were combined into one novel it would have gotten a higher rating. I'd love to read the rest of the story, but not buying novellas to do so. A novella is fine on its own, but not when it's really just the start of the novel. I also had the feeling that the first book was the most important and told the story and the other might be too much of the same thing.

Read all day yesterday to finish Battle Ground by Jim Butcher Couldn't put it down. An entire book about one battle. I've seen questions on reader's facebook pages about who would you want to call if you were in trouble. Hands down my answer is Harry Dresden. There was such a long gap between these last two books in the series I hoping that this wasn't the end. There are so many stories yet to be completed. In case you don't know about Harry, he's the only wizard listed in the Chicago phone book. It's a series I didn't want to read. As I told my daughter, "It's just not my thing." She persisted and I gave in. SO glad I did.

First read for May is Maigret and the Man on the Bench by Georges Simenon

Very good read - The case of the ice-cold hands by Erle Stanley Gardner Perry has a client that has all the odds and evidence stacked against her.

>147 mysterymax: I have enjoyed everything I've read by Chris Ewan including Safe House that he set on the Isle of Man where he lives. I know the isle quite well and particularly liked reading a mystery there. Must look for more.

So sorry to hear about your brother.

>154 VivienneR: I met Ewan once at a conference. Such a delightful man. the Isle of Man is one of those places that if I had a bucket list of places to visit it would be on it.

To fill May's AlphaKit for the letter N I read the first in the Charlie Salter series, The Night the Gods Smiled by Eric Wright. Interesting to see how the series started! Charlie is a Inspector in the Toronto Police Department.

Wow. Went to bed last night to read a few pages before sleeping. At 2 am I realized I was only halfway through the book and put it down. Finished it this afternoon. The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni is a gripping spy and trial story. I don't want to give anything away, but if you like spy stories don't miss this one.

>157 mysterymax: Ooh, I do enjoy spy stories, and staying up until 2 a.m. is a pretty good testimonial!

A Travesty by Donald Westlake was a bit of a departure from the other Westlake's I've read. The humor was there, but not as straightforward. It was in the twist. A man strikes his girlfriend in an argument. She starts to fall backward, slips and hits her head on a coffee table and dies. The man doesn't feel this is a case of murder, but knows it will be seen as such and goes through all sorts of actions to keep from being found out.

So -big question. Is it proper to put in here the image of my book cover? Don't want to break any rules!

>160 mysterymax: I don't know the rules but I would love to see the cover.

>160 mysterymax: Your book cover as in the book cover for a book you've written? I think it's just fine to post it here on *your* thread as long as you don't start a new thread just to advertise or post it on other people's threads. And I second Judy's sentiment - I'd love to see it, too!

Okay! Here it is. I'm excited. Don't have the actual release date yet, but they have started production and we're supposedly still on track for a June release.

Oooh, very cool! Congrats!

>164 mysterymax: Looks great, congratulations!

Very cool!

>164 mysterymax: Yaaaay!!!

It looks very stylish!

Great cover - you must be so excited!

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

>165 scaifea: >166 christina_reads: >167 dudes22: >168 rabbitprincess: >169 MissWatson: >170 DeltaQueen50: >171 VivienneR: >172 LadyoftheLodge: Thanks so much to all of you! They came up with two other cover ideas which were both great, but when I saw this one it really touched me. Sort of a throwback to the old private eye stories. I'll keep you all posted on developments. Thanks again!

>163 mysterymax: >164 mysterymax: How exciting!

Last read of the month Before It's Too Late by Sara Driscoll My favorite K9 series by far and this second one was even better that the first one. Can't wait to read more of them.

I feel so sorry for everyone out west having such a heat wave. It's been 80 and 90 here and I've felt like melting - until I remember some of you have it so much worse.

1. First read of the month was Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses by Catriona McPherson