Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Hi Everyone.

Had a much better month of reading. Here are my May reads:

Top Reads

The Devil's Alternative
Frederick Forsyth
Excellent cold war thriller with a huge cast and numerous exciting and tense plot lines that come together seamlessly in the end.

The Shut Eye
Belinda Bauer
After serial killers, psychics are probably my least favorite plot device so I was prepared to be underwhelmed by this book. While it was not my favorite by this author, I found the plot compelling and the writing as stellar as usual.

Good Reads

Three Stations
Martin Cruz Smith
While this series overall is great, this book is probably one of the weakest. The two plots were both pretty slight but at least the characters were as interesting as ever. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by one of my favorites Ron McLarty.

The Bad Quarto
Jill Paton Walsh
This is one of my favorite academic mystery series but it looks like it will be the final installment. I enjoy the main character who is a sensible nurse at one of the colleges in Cambridge and the plot was pretty well done.

Virgin Heat
Laurence Shames
Another fun mix of Key West hijinks and New York mobsters. Listened to the audio version but the narration by Jem Matzan was not the best and I had to increase the narration speed which I never usually do.

The Dame
Richard Stark
Part time actor and robber Alan Grofield gets involved in another fun caper in Puerto Rico. Listened to the audio version which was well read by R. C. Bray.

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Casey Cep
The true crime part of this book was the least interesting but I did enjoy the look at Harper Lee. Listened to the audio version which was read by the always good Hilary Huber.

Neon Prey
John Sandford
Lucas along with his US Marshall pals are on the case. Fast paced though the plot was a bit limited. Listened to the audio version narrated by Richard Ferrone.

OK Read

Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock
One of those books that probably would have been much better as a magazine article or shorter book. I thought the first half was pretty good and it was refreshing to read about a rock critic that actually likes all rock including classic rock, but the last third I just endured (especially an entire chapter on Phish).

Nice list Sandi! The Devil's Alternative sounds good!
I was also glad for the Harper Lee details in Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee.