Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Hi everyone,

Had a good month of reading with a mix of both new authors and old favorites. Here are my June reads:

Top Reads

The Keeper of Lost Causes
Jussi Adler-Olsen
I thought this was a very good first book about a cold case squad in Denmark. The characters were all well drawn and interesting and the suspense factor was very high. I especially liked the character of Assad and look forward to learning more about his background.

A Walk in the Dark
Gianrico Carofiglio
Excellent court room drama set in Bari, Italy. I really enjoy the main character who, while a bit cynical, will still take on cases that others avoid. Was also impressed with how much plot the author was able to squeeze into a rather short book. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by Sean Barrett who is fast becoming one of my favorites.

Good Reads

A Nail Through the Heart
Timothy Hallinan
First book in a series featuring a travel book writer set in Bangkok. For the most part, a really well written thriller though some of the subject matter was a bit hard to listen to. I thought the characters were great, the suspense and action quite good, and the setting very interesting. My only one small quibble was with a plot turn that was over obvious. The audio was ably read by Victor Bevine.

Dead Point: The Third Jack Irish Thriller. Tie-in edition
Peter Temple
While I did not rate this book quite as high as the previous two in the series, this was still a very enjoyable read. Jack Irish is a most interesting character and the plot, though perhaps a bit overcomplicated, kept me very engaged.

Finders Keepers
Stephen King
For me, this second book featuring Bill Hodges was better than the first. I liked all the returning characters, thought the two different time lines in the story were handled well, and found the ending quite suspenseful. I listened to the audio version and the narration by Will Patton was excellent.

Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith
Joe Perry
The lead guitarist of Aerosmith gives his take on his life with and without the band. Perhaps a bit long but overall pretty good. My favorite part was the look at his younger years, his family life and how he came to love music.

The Dark Winter
David Mark
First in a series featuring a large, brooding Scottish policeman based in the economically depressed city of Hull, England. This book hit so many marks that usually drive me up a wall. It was written in the present tense, had both a prologue and an epilogue, and overall just was written in an overdramatic style. However, it was a fast read, the plot, though highly implausible, kept me turning the pages, and I found the lead character, Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy, quite different than most.

The Martian
Andy Weir
Add me in to the admirers of this book. Though a bit too technical in parts, I did enjoy the main characters irreverent outlook on his situation and his resiliency in the face of overwhelming odds. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by R. C. Bray who greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

The Big Clock
Kenneth Fearing
First published in 1946 and the basis for the classic film starring Ray Milland, this was a tightly written suspenseful book with some interesting characterizations.

Invisible Prey
John Sandford
Another enjoyable book in this consistently well done series. Lucas is always a great character and this book introduced Virgil Flowers whose series I will have to start soon. The plot had a lot going on but I found all the various twists and turns quite entertaining. Listened to the audio version which was read by Richard Ferrone who really makes this series for me.

Good month Sandi.

Yes, great month, Sandi! I am hoping to get to The Martian soon too. Assad is one of my favorite things about the Dept Q series too.
As always my TBR just grew from reading your list of audiobooks!

I have one of the Dept Q books around here. Need to pull it out!

A Nail Through the Heart sounds interesting.

Great month- I have the Martian coming up soon- everyone seems to love it. I'm looking forward to it.

SO glad you have begun the Department Q series. This is one of my current favorites, and I especially love listening to it and the accents on audio.

You have some great reading ahead of you with the Virgil Flowers series!