Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Hi everyone. Had a pretty good month of reading.

Here are my April reads:

Top Read

Sharpe's Sword
Bernard Cornwell
One of the better installments in the Sharpe series. This time the battle for Salamanca provides the backdrop and Sharpe gets involved with some spying and various other intrigues. While the book is the 14th in chronological order it was actually one of the earlier ones published and the story line seemed fresher. Listened to the audio version which was read by the reliably good William Gaminara.

Good Reads

The Wandering Fire
Guy Gavriel Kay
I found this somewhat slowly paced but, this second book in the trilogy, did have quite a bit going on and moved the story forward quite nicely. Listened to the audio version which was professionally read by Simon Vance.

Scattershot
Bill Pronzini
A good straight ahead private detective tale with no frills but solid characterizations and plotting.

The Spellmans Strike Again
Lisa Lutz
While an enjoyable listen, I did not find this entry quite as over the top as the previous books. The actual PI plot lines all seemed fairly realistic though there were still plenty of comic moments and family dysfunction. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by Christina Moore who handled all the various characters voices well.

Out of the Blues
Trudy Nan Boyce
The main draws for me with this debut novel set in Atlanta were the characterizations, atmosphere, and sense of place. The plotting and realism were perhaps a bit lacking, but overall, an enjoyable read.

The Big O
Declan Burke
Crime caper set in Ireland with numerous point of view characters, dark humor, and a twisty plot. I did like the book for the most part and appreciated that it was under 300 pages but felt the author put too much emphasis on style over substance.

Heat Lightning
John Sandford
Though this book had a fairly outlandish plot I did enjoy it more than the first book in the series. I liked that the BCA crew had larger roles in this book, the action was quite well done, and thought the narration by Eric Conger was better.

The Perfect Kill
A.J. Quinnell
Not quite as good as the first book featuring Creasy, Man On Fire, this was still a well written thriller with lots of action.

Nice month, Sandi. Any month with TFF is a good one.

Good month Sandi!
You've reminded me I need to get back to Virgil Flowers!

Another interesting group of reads as always!

Great month! Such a great variety!

Ann....I'm reading Extreme Prey and even though its a Davenport book....Virgil is mentioned very early on. I think he's become quite a fan favorite!

Dawn wrote: "..I'm reading Extreme Prey and even though its a Davenport book....Virgil is mentioned very early on. I think he's become quite a fan favorite!"

Lucky you, Dawn! I'm patiently waiting for my copy to come in from the library. Everything else will get dropped when it does.