The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Hi, all.

No sooner are July group reads started than it's time to think about August group reads.

So, what about a seasonal thriller?

Make it the season of your choice. Are you sweltering in place and want to read about a gentle Christmas time murder? Do you love baseball season and want to consider other uses for baseball bats? Or are you so far behind with your gardening, you just want to return to Easter and start over, hoping this time you don't dig up a corpse?

It's up to you, but remember that some kind of season should be integral to the story.

Let's close nominations at midnight July 10, after which I'll put up a poll.

Hey, and don't forget Nancy's Buddy Read, Reading the Movies. The next book up is Devil in a Blue Dress by the redoubtable Walter Mosley starting July 15.

Fab, that really made me laugh😂

hmm, the only one in my TBR pile that fits is Cold as Hell by Lilja Sigurðardóttir and as it's set in the endless daylight of an Icelandic summer it fits the theme.

I've enjoyed the author's other books, so I have high hopes for this one

How about “Hallowe’en Party” by Agatha Christie? It’s a Hercule Poirot mystery.

sounds like it fits the category

Roberta wrote: "How about “Hallowe’en Party” by Agatha Christie? It’s a Hercule Poirot mystery."

Sounds great!!!

CBRetriever wrote: "sounds like it fits the category"

I'd agree with that. For some of us, October is 31 days of Halloween. (Which is why I look forward to suggesting a group reads topic for the 10th month of the years :) )

dean lay wrote: "I believe I am right in saying that any novel has to either have been the first in a particular series of the others have yet to be read through the group

The reason I ask is that the last ‘Vera’ ..."

First in a series might be best. But then again, if you feel it stands alone, doesn't give away anything in previous volumes, I think we could allow it. For instance, you can read Christie's Poirot novels and, I think, never find out anything from the previous novels. Ditto Ellery Queen, Dorothy L. Sayers, and most if not all of the Golden Age writers.

How about


Rose's Last Summer by Margaret Millar

Here's a few other suggestions to spark discussion (my nomination is above - this post is merely for "entertainment purposes")

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Experiment in Springtime by Margaret Millar
The Summer of Katya by Trevanian
Open Season by C.J. Box (hmm...might be a stretch for this topic)
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg
Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara
Whale Season by N.M. Kelby

I vote for Cold as Hell.

The murderers son — Joy Ellis!

Abir Mukherjees's Death in the East. its set in the monsoons and that's my season.

Hey, RJ, could you pick just one out of those? It makes for a looooong poll list if I include all of them.

Randy wrote: "Hey, RJ, could you pick just one out of those? It makes for a looooong poll list if I include all of them."

My nomination is post #11. I put all those others up to stimulate ideas since it looked like there weren't many nominations.

Ah! Okay. Thanks, RJ.

TheBookWarren wrote: "The murderers son — Joy Ellis!"

Hey, TBW, I started making the poll and in looking at the book's description, didn't note anything mentioning a season. (See first post above for what I was intending.) Am I wrong in that?

Since I haven't heard back from TheBookWarren, I'll skip adding The Murderer's Son this time around. There may be future group reads where it will definitely fit, so keep it in mind TBW.

I hope to have the poll up today and will let everyone know when it is.