Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

My best month of the year quantity wise and pretty good quality wise too. Here are my September reads:

Top Reads

Calibre
Ken Bruen
Another great outing with Sgt. Brant, one of the most original characters in crime fiction. In this book there is a serial killer on the loose whose victims all display bad manners so Brant deals with the situation as only he can. A quick read of only 182 pages but packed with more plot and better characterizations than many books three times that length.

This Love Is Not For Cowards: Salvation and Soccer in Ciudad Juárez
Robert Andrew Powell
The author weaves the traditional sports book narrative by chronicling the final year of Indios de Ciudad Juárez's tenure in the top league of Mexican soccer with the day to day survival of the residents of the city which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Very well written but hard to read in places because of the bleakness and violence.

Down Cemetery Road
Mick Herron
A really well written conspiracy type thriller that had just the right mix of suspense, paranoia, and plot twists along with some truly memorable characters.

Good Reads


Innocent Victims: Two Novellas
Minette Walters
Of the two novellas collected in this book I really enjoyed the second "The Tinder Box" quite a bit since it seemed more the author's natural style. The first, "Chickenfeed", was based on a true crime and was written for non-fluent adult readers so was a bit more straight forward. Both were well worth reading though.

My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time
Liz Jensen
An entertaining blend of time travel and romance. Loved the main character's voice which pulled me through the rather off the wall plot. Listened to the audio which was read by Rachel Bavidge who did a great job with the first person narration.

Beneath the Shadows
Sara Foster
A quite readable modern gothic suspense story. The ending was a bit too pat for my tastes and the heroine was somewhat passive but the atmosphere of the Yorkshire moors made the book worth the time.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Collection of twelve Holmes short stories. Most were very entertaining though a couple were a bit sub-par. Listened to the audio which was narrated by one of my favorites Patrick Tull.

The Hot Pink Farmhouse
David Handler
Enjoyable mystery with two likable lead characters, one a film critic and the other a Connecticut state trooper, a nicely done small town setting, and an interesting mystery that blended land development issues and family secrets.

Witches Abroad
Terry Pratchett
Another fun Discworld story featuring everyone's favorite witches. The plot incorporates various fairy tales and the road trip to the far away city had numerous laugh out load sections. Listened to the audio read by Nigel Planer who did his usual reliable job.

Bleak Spring: A Scobie Malone Novel #10
Jon Cleary
The 10th entry in this always enjoyable series featuring Scobie Malone, a Sydney homicide inspector, who solves crimes while still being an involved family man.

Good Night, My Darling
Inger Frimansson
Well written though very strange psychological suspense set in Sweden. The author built the tension throughout the narrative, which jumped back and forth between time periods, and while none of the characters were particularly sympathetic it was hard to look away.

Redemption Street
Reed Farrel Coleman
Solidly entertaining PI novel featuring former NYC beat cop turned reluctant investigator Moe Prager. I especially enjoyed the early eighties setting and appreciated that, like books actually written back then, the book was well under 300 pgs.

The Power of One
Bryce Courtenay
A sweeping coming of age saga set in South Africa during the late 1930's to the early 1950's. Young Peekay's life is certainly eventful and he encounters many fascinating characters along the way. Listened to the audio version which was masterfully read by Humphrey Bower.

Mad Mouse: A John Ceepak Mystery
Chris Grabenstein
A fun listen to wrap up the summer. Set during the Labor Day weekend at the Jersey Shore, this book had a pretty decent plot (though the ending was a bit much) but where this book really shines is with the two main characters John Ceepak and Danny Boyle. While Ceepak is somewhat too good to be true, Danny's first person narration keeps everything interesting. Listened to the audio version which was exceptionally read by Jeff Woodman.

Kennedy for the Defense
George V. Higgins
Jerry Kennedy is known as the classiest sleazy criminal lawyer in Boston and though he is trying to spend some time with his family at his vacation house his clients keep needing him to get them out of trouble. The author's trademark is his dialogue not plotting and the narrative just kind of ambles along with the various subplots working themselves out in the end.

Excellent book count, Sandi! As always the audio books sound tempting; I will add Calibre to my tbr list.

Sandi wrote: "My best month of the year quantity wise and pretty good quality wise too. Here are my September reads:"

Wow! Great list! Looks like my TBR will be growing!

Added the Ken Bruen to my list. Good month.

Sandi, you did have a good month!

Sandi, a terrific month for you.

Wow! So many here to tempt me. I remember Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman from B-Con but have yet to read their books.