Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Had a pretty good month of August.

Top Reads

The Debba
Avner Mandelman
I found this to be quite the absorbing read though very different. From the first page I was swept up into the story even though the main character was not the most appealing and the plot, at times, seemed most unlikely.

A Small Town in Germany
John le Carré
Tension filled cold war thriller set in Bonn during the late sixties. Started a bit slowly but, during the last quarter of the book, all the plot threads blended together for a really well done ending. I listened to the audio version read by one of my favorite narrators Simon Prebble.

Heresy
Sharan Newman
Catherine and a few friends end up at the Council of Reims to help Astrolabe fight an accusation of both murder and heresy. This was another fascinating entry in this historical series. Newman is a master of creating characters you believe in and weaving historical details (especially religious beliefs and their effects) into fairly plausible mystery plots.

Midnight Fugue
Reginald Hill
Another great entry in the Dalziel & Pascoe series. The action takes place over the course of one very eventful day. I love how Hill always keeps this series fresh and worth reading.

Good Reads

Fortress in the Eye of Time
C.J. Cherryh
One of those books I am a little on the fence on. Lots of great concepts and characters but the story was very dense and sometimes the writing style was a bit impenetrable. Not a fast read and I am not really sure I want to work so hard to read a fantasy book.

The Damage Done
Hilary Davidson
This was nominated for an Anthony Award for best first crime novel and I found it very readable with just the right amount of suspense and family angst. The ending did get a little complicated for my tastes but all the threads were brought together nicely and the main character was, for the most part, smart and engaging.

Snow Angels
James Thompson
Nominated for both the Edgar and Anthony for best first mystery this book had a story line as dark and bleak as its setting, the Lapland area in Finland during the run up to Christmas when there is no real daylight. The plot was a somewhat over done and the crime scene descriptions a bit too gruesome but the characters and the insights into Finnish culture made this well worth my reading time.

1941 -- The Greatest Year In Sports: Two Baseball Legends, Two Boxing Champs, and the Unstoppable Thoroughbred Who Made History in the Shadow of War
Mike Vaccaro
A very well done mix of sports and history. I especially enjoyed the horse racing parts and found the boxing sections illuminating since I knew nothing of the Louis/Conn fight. I also appreciated the explanation of the peace time draft and how it affected both stars and regular citizens alike.

Death of an Old Girl
Elizabeth Lemarchand
A classic style British mystery with a girl's school setting. First book in the Inspector Pollard series.

The Wilder Life
Wendy McClure
While I've never had the compulsion to recreate the world of the Little House books I was a pretty big fan of the series so, for the most part, I enjoyed this audio. The parts where the author traveled to the various Little House sites were my favorites and I also enjoyed learning more about Rose Wilder Lane. The book was a bit too long, though, and some things the author found fascinating did little for me. The audio version reader, Teri Clark Linden, did a good job.

Basketball Junkie
Chris Herren
I read and really enjoyed Fall River Dreams: A Team's Quest for Glory, A Town's Search for Its Soul so decided to pick up this book to learn the rest of the story. A very honest look at how addictions can completely take over a life.

Lady, Lady, I Did It!
Ed McBain
The bulls of the 87th Precinct are called in to investigate a mass shooting at a bookstore. Published in 1961, this was a very readable entry in this classic police procedural series.

A Fatal Grace
Louise Penny
Murder invades Three Pines again and Inspector Gamache is summoned to solve the crime. Lots of wonderful characters though the actual mystery was a bit on the surreal side. Listened to the audio version read by Ralph Cosham

underwhelming read

Poacher's Son
Paul Doiron
While the Maine setting and game warden occupation of the lead character sounded promising, I did not care for this book at all. The MC was a young, whiny, officious jerk and the plot was pretty uninspired. I listened to the audio and the reader, John Bedford Lloyd, was as bad as the book. Not sure how this was nominated for both the Edgar and Anthony for best first mystery.

I haven't read an 87th Precinct book in years!! I should look and see if I have any around here somewhere.

Nice variety for a good month, Sandi!
I had wondered about The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie - I was and am a Little House fan too!
Sandi wrote: "The Wilder Life Wendy McClure
While I've never had the compulsion to recreate the world of the Little House books I was a pretty big fan of the series so, for the most part, I enjoyed this audio. "

You again have such a great variety of reads! I've eyed Snow Angels, but appreciate your descriptive terms of "dark", "bleak" and "gruesome" - all of which lead me to believe I'll skip this one.

LOL Marcy and Sandi - I may wish I hadn't, but the description sent me to look for Snow Angels in the library!
Marcy wrote: "You again have such a great variety of reads! I've eyed Snow Angels, but appreciate your descriptive terms of "dark", "bleak" and "gruesome" - all of which lead me to believe I'll skip this one."