Bangkok 8 (Pol. Proc-Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep-Thiland-Cont) - 1st of series - John Burdett
Charlotte - She is not far enough into it for a rating but she is enjoying it so far. It was a bit hard to get into as the culture is so different. However, the more she reads, the better she likes it. It has good, subtle humor.
Corona – Ex – I loved this book! It was so interesting, I loved the way the fellow talked, so much poetry worked into his conversation, the fellow didn’t call himself a poet. I even scanned a paragraph which said something I didn’t want to forget (which I can’t remember at the moment). I was interested the whole way thru. – I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Joy – G+ - She has about 50 pages to go, but she has enjoyed it. There were nice plot twists. The first person voice is very easy to read. The insights into the Thai police force are fascinating.
Linda – G – She liked it, particularly the main character and the look into the Thai police force. She did, however, find out more about the tourist sex trade than she needed to know. The strength was the characters. The author did a good job of not portraying the police as neither strictly good nor bad guys.
LJ – VG - This was a fascinating book. It has wonderful imagery and humor. I loved the injections of Buddhist philosophy, particularly the attitude toward death. Reincarnation is an accepted fact of being, made even more interesting by Sonchai’s ability to see others past lives. But best is that the author provides a real look at Thai life and culture, not just that as seen by tourists. The story is told from Sonchai’s point of view and it really is as much, if not more, his story than a traditional police procedural. Not only is Sonchai set apart from those around him because of being of mixed blood, but because, in a country where corruption is accepted, he is arhat (meritorious) and doesn’t accept bribes or sleep with women. I found the story a little hard to follow at time, but at no time was I tempted to stop. I found the ending completely appropriate to the story. This was a mystery group read and I am very glad we chose it.
Enter a Murderer (Trad. Mys-Insp. Roderick Alleyn-England-1935) - 2nd of series - Ngaio Marsh
LindaH – DNF - I gave up about 3/4 of the way through because I just wasn't interested for some reason and I still can't figure it out. The characters were pretty interesting, but I guess the plot just didn't make me need to see what happened. I haven't read a book by her before, and I know she has written quite a few but I probably won't read any more, unless someone can recommend one to me. I will be interested in reading other people's comments about this book if anyone else read it!
LindaS – G – This was the first book she read for this month. It was fine, but she has used up her tolerance for books set in a theatre. It was good, but not her favorite.
LJ – G+ - It is a delight to read Ngaio Marsh right from the first page. It is a wonderful period; during the Industrial Revolution and between the wars. Police inspectors were highly educated; in this case an Oxford man. I always love the literary and historical references Alleyn uses in his conversations. Even for the period, however, the dialogue does seem a bit stilted to me. I am always amused by Alleyn’s irreverence and apparent facetious manner. The lack of expletives is refreshing: “Props uttered a few well-chosen and highly illuminating words. “He was” were the only two of them that were printable.” I was also amused when a character would be mentioned but you were immediately advised that character was not germane to which story. In today’s world, you would never find a detective using a journalist to do their investigative work but a confrontation between Alleyn and Bathgate was effective in legitimizing their working together. It is plot that drove the story; who did it, how and why? It is a bit frustrating knowing that the author holds back information from the reader until the final confrontation. Nonetheless, I always enjoy rereading the Golden Age authors and Marsh in particular.
Death of a Red Heroine (Pol. Proc-Inspector Chen Cao-Shanghai, China-Cont) - 1st of series - Qiu Xiaolong
Corona – G – I am glad I read the book, it was illuminating and I feel gratitude to the author for explaining a lot about the evolution and the people of China’s cynical acceptance and understanding of their government. But it was difficult reading, I felt I was listening to someone with a Chinese accent (I know he was born in China)- I didn't like that I never forgot that I was reading. And there was only one voice; several times I had to flip pages back to see who was talking. There were some distinct personalities but I needed the context of the story to recognize them. The ending was satisfying (even if I wasn’t sure he’d go with Ling).
Linda – DNF – She read about 130 pages and stopped as she felt it was just way too long. She found the political history information interesting. She didn’t like the relationship between the character and the woman.
LJ – VG+ - This book worked for me for so many reasons. Set one year after Tiananmen Square, it is a fascinating look at a changing China caught between the old politics and the new interjecting information of China from ancient times to the time of the book’s setting. There was an incredibly strong sense of place showing us the lives of people at every social stratum, mainly within the city of Shanghai. The details of everyday life brought both the story and the characters into being. The characters were so well developed, particularly Chen. Not having wanted to be a policeman there is the dichotomy of his wanting to do his job well but his love of poetry and pride when one of his poems is published. The inclusion of poetry throughout the story is so well done. But I also loved a scene where Chen went to buy a piece of jewelry for a girl friend using money he earned translating a Ruth Rendell mystery. He feels Rendell would have been pleased by his choice. The character is further enriched by the supporting characters of his partner, Yu, as you watch their relationship develop, and by others loyal to him. If I had to say there was a weak point to the story, it would probably be the plot. At the same time, I felt there had to be all the information surrounding it or, as Western reader, none of it would have made as much sense. For me, this debut book lays the foundation for the characters and the series. I will be very interested to see where Chen goes next. The book is on the longer side and a dense read but never was I tempted to put the book down. I highly recommend it.
Charlotte - She is not far enough into it for a rating but she is enjoying it so far. It was a bit hard to get into as the culture is so different. However, the more she reads, the better she likes it. It has good, subtle humor.
Corona – Ex – I loved this book! It was so interesting, I loved the way the fellow talked, so much poetry worked into his conversation, the fellow didn’t call himself a poet. I even scanned a paragraph which said something I didn’t want to forget (which I can’t remember at the moment). I was interested the whole way thru. – I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Joy – G+ - She has about 50 pages to go, but she has enjoyed it. There were nice plot twists. The first person voice is very easy to read. The insights into the Thai police force are fascinating.
Linda – G – She liked it, particularly the main character and the look into the Thai police force. She did, however, find out more about the tourist sex trade than she needed to know. The strength was the characters. The author did a good job of not portraying the police as neither strictly
good nor bad guys.
LJ – VG - This was a fascinating book. It has wonderful imagery and humor. I loved the injections of Buddhist philosophy, particularly the attitude toward death. Reincarnation is an accepted fact of being, made even more interesting by Sonchai’s ability to see others past lives. But best is that the author provides a real look at Thai life and culture, not just that as seen by tourists. The story is told from Sonchai’s point of view and it really is as much, if not more, his story than a traditional police procedural. Not only is Sonchai set apart from those around him because of being of mixed blood, but because, in a country where corruption is accepted, he is arhat (meritorious) and doesn’t accept bribes or sleep with women. I found the story a little hard to follow at time, but at no time was I tempted to stop. I found the ending completely appropriate to the story. This was a mystery group read and I am very glad we chose it.
Enter a Murderer (Trad. Mys-Insp. Roderick Alleyn-England-1935) - 2nd of series - Ngaio Marsh
LindaH – DNF - I gave up about 3/4 of the way through because I just wasn't interested for some reason and I still can't figure it out. The characters were pretty interesting, but I guess the plot just didn't make me need to see what happened. I haven't read a book by her before, and I know she has written quite a few but I probably won't read any more, unless someone can recommend one to me. I will be interested in reading other people's comments about this book if anyone else read it!
LindaS – G – This was the first book she read for this month. It was fine, but she has used up her tolerance for books set in a theatre. It was good, but not her favorite.
LJ – G+ - It is a delight to read Ngaio Marsh right from the first page. It is a wonderful period; during the Industrial Revolution and between the wars. Police inspectors were highly educated; in this case an Oxford man. I always love the literary and historical references Alleyn uses in his conversations. Even for the period, however, the dialogue does seem a bit stilted to me. I am always amused by Alleyn’s irreverence and apparent facetious manner. The lack of expletives is refreshing: “Props uttered a few well-chosen and highly illuminating words. “He was” were the only two of them that were printable.” I was also amused when a character would be mentioned but you were immediately advised that character was not germane to which story. In today’s world, you would never find a detective using a journalist to do their investigative work but a confrontation between Alleyn and Bathgate was effective in legitimizing their working together. It is plot that drove the story; who did it, how and why? It is a bit frustrating knowing that the author holds back information from the reader until the final confrontation. Nonetheless, I always enjoy rereading the Golden Age authors and Marsh in particular.
Death of a Red Heroine (Pol. Proc-Inspector Chen Cao-Shanghai, China-Cont) - 1st of series - Qiu Xiaolong
Corona – G – I am glad I read the book, it was illuminating and I feel gratitude to the author for explaining a lot about the evolution and the people of China’s cynical acceptance and understanding of their government. But it was difficult reading, I felt I was listening to someone with a Chinese accent (I know he was born in China)- I didn't like that I never forgot that I was reading. And there was only one voice; several times I had to flip pages back to see who was talking. There were some distinct personalities but I needed the context of the story to recognize them. The ending was satisfying (even if I wasn’t sure he’d go with Ling).
Linda – DNF – She read about 130 pages and stopped as she felt it was just way too long. She found the political history information interesting. She didn’t like the relationship between the character and the woman.
LJ – VG+ - This book worked for me for so many reasons. Set one year after Tiananmen Square, it is a fascinating look at a changing China caught between the old politics and the new interjecting information of China from ancient times to the time of the book’s setting. There was an incredibly strong sense of place showing us the lives of people at every social stratum, mainly within the city of Shanghai. The details of everyday life brought both the story and the characters into being. The characters were so well developed, particularly Chen. Not having wanted to be a policeman there is the dichotomy of his wanting to do his job well but his love of poetry and pride when one of his poems is published. The inclusion of poetry throughout the story is so well done. But I also loved a scene where Chen went to buy a piece of jewelry for a girl friend using money he earned translating a Ruth Rendell mystery. He feels Rendell would have been pleased by his choice. The character is further enriched by the supporting characters of his partner, Yu, as you watch their relationship develop, and by others loyal to him. If I had to say there was a weak point to the story, it would probably be the plot. At the same time, I felt there had to be all the information surrounding it or, as Western reader, none of it would have made as much sense. For me, this debut book lays the foundation for the characters and the series. I will be very interested to see where Chen goes next. The book is on the longer side and a dense read but never was I tempted to put the book down. I highly recommend it.