Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Since it was so hot in July I barely left the house which led to lots of reading time. Here are my July reads:

Top Reads

Crime of Silence
Patricia Carlon
While not the most realistic of the books by this author that I have read this one had me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages as fast I could to find out the ending. Patricia Carlon is a master of creating tension and suspense while using a subtle and economical writing style.

The Power of the Dog
Don Winslow
A great read. The plot revolves around the war on drugs and while, at times, grimly violent the action and characters were unfortunately all too believable.

One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night
Christopher Brookmyre
A hilarious page-turner set during a class reunion that is taking place on an oil rig turned luxury resort off the coast of Scotland. No one combines the totally absurd with graphic violence better than Brookmyre.

Good Reads

The Moving Target
Ross Macdonald
Very enjoyable first book from a classic hard-boiled PI series. The plot moved along at a brisk pace and even though it was written back in 1949 it did not seem dated at all. Listened to the audio which was performed with just the right amount of grit by Tom Parker.

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
James Andrew Miller
Massive oral history of the origins of ESPN and its subsequent rise to the top of the sports entertainment world. A bit too long and loosely focused but, for a fan, a worthwhile read.

Publish and be Murdered
Ruth Dudley Edwards
Robert Amiss finally gets a job on his own at a conservative journal where he is hired as a manager charged with trying to cut costs without upsetting the staff too much. As with all the books in this series, the mystery plot takes a back seat to the over the top characters, situations, and humor.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron
Jasper Fforde
For the most part, an amusing (though quite dark at times) look at a future world that is governed by the rules of the chromatic scale. Lots of inventive world building and a wry outlook make up for a bit of an unfocused plot and lots of dangling threads that were left at the end. I listened to the audio version read by the always capable John Lee who seemed to be having quite a good time with the text.

Blanding's Castle
P.G. Wodehouse
Collection of short stories that includes six set at Blandings Castle (all of which were fun), one featuring Bobbie Wickham, and five about the Mulliners of Hollywood (funny enough but a bit too repetitive).

The Raven in the Foregate: The Twelfth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Ellis Peters
King Stephen is back on the throne of England but Brother Cadfael and company are more concerned with a local death. This is the first book in the series that I have actually read and, while I did miss Patrick Tull's narration, the mix of history and mystery along with the great characters made it an enjoyable and quick read.

Black and Blue: The Golden Arm, the Robinson Boys, and the 1966 World Series That Stunned America
Tom Adelman
Entertaining account of the 1966 baseball season and the World Series that seems to have been forgotten by all but the most ardent of baseball fans.

A Personal Devil: Magdalene la Batarde Series, Book 2
Roberta Gellis
An enjoyable audio historical mystery (read by Nadia May) set in England during the reign of King Stephen. I really liked all the characters and the plot had enough twists and turns to keep my interest.

Lacking something

The Midnight House
Alex Berenson
Not nearly as good as the previous books in the series. John Wells, super agent for the CIA, seemed to be off his game and just kind of floundered around during the entire book. The ending was a bit flat and, I thought, highly predictable too. Listened to the audio version read by George Guidall who did his usual excellent job.

The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne #1)
Mark Hodder
Sir Richard Francis Burton must cope with a myriad of strange occurrences after being commissioned as a King's Agent in an alternative England. Lots of interesting ideas and uses of historical characters but the writing was not really up to the story. Info dumps abounded (with lots of telling not showing) and quite a bit of the weird and different technology just seemed to be garnishments and not really all that integral to the plot.

Rogue Island
Bruce DeSilva
While this was a decent enough debut I was expecting a bit more since it won the Edgar for best first mystery this year. The best part of the book was the Providence setting and the various descriptions of inner workings of the state. The plot started off well but the lead character took his time putting the pieces together and the pace was bogged down by the never ending listing of the lead character's musical choices (including all of his cell phone ring tones).

Rogue Island has been on my TBR since it came out, but now I may even move it down a few notches. The cell phone rings would annoy me.

Sandi, I always enjoy your summaries. A great and busy month.

27 games won! (re Sandy Koufax) it hardly seems possible. I'm one baby boomer who didn't care about baseball in 1966 (oh how things change), but this sounds like one heck of a story.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Sandi, I always enjoy your summaries. A great and busy month.

27 games won! (re Sandy Koufax) it hardly seems possible. I'm one baby boomer who didn't care about baseball in 1966 (oh how things..."

me, too, but mostly because i usually have never heard of most of the books you read! LOL

Marcy wrote: "Rogue Island has been on my TBR since it came out, but now I may even move it down a few notches. The cell phone rings would annoy me."

It probably was not that bad but it really grated on my nerves. I also was probably overcritical because it was an award winner and had all these blurbs on the front and back cover from famous authors stating how great it was.

Carol/Bonadie wrote:

27 games won! (re Sandy Koufax) it hardly seems possible. I'm one baby boomer who didn't care about baseball in 1966"

I don't think it is possible these days. Poor Sandy pitched until his arm almost fell off (he even pitched in the All-Star game on short rest that year). Now it seems like whenever a pitcher gets a hangnail they have to come out.

Sherry wrote: "but mostly because i usually have never heard of most of the books you read! LOL"

This is always my favorite time of the month since we all read such a variety of books and I always read about books that I've never heard of too.

Ed might be interested in that baseball book! I'll have to ask him about it. I'm always happy when I can get him to turn off the TV & read!

Sandi: I am listening to Shades of Grey right now myself! I totally agree that the narrator is having a blast with the performance and voices. I am enjoying this quirky world quite a bit. After enjoying the latest Thursday Next book recently I knew I needed more Jasper Fforde! ;)
Sandi wrote: "Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron Jasper Fforde .... I listened to the audio version read by the always capable John Lee who seemed to be having quite a good time with the text. "