Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Had a good quality month.

Here are my September reads:

Top Reads

Galveston
Nic Pizzolatto
A very assured debut crime novel that was nominated for an Edgar for best first. From the first disc I was drawn into the dark and violent world of Roy Cady. Listened to the audio version read by Michael Kramer whose gravelly style was a perfect match for the story.

The Most Dangerous Thing
Laura Lippman
Another good read from one of my favorite authors. I had a bit of a slow start with this book because of time issues but once I was able to just sit and read the chapters flew by. At first I wondered about the narrative voice in a few sections but it ended up working well within the story and the characters were well developed and realistic.

Good Reads

The Yard Dog: A Mystery
Sheldon Russell
Set in Oklahoma during World War 2 this book, the first in a series, had a great sense of time and place. I also liked the lead character, Hook Runyon, a railway detective who could not join the war effort because he only has one arm. The plot and writing were a bit uneven though but overall an enjoyable read.

Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders
Peter Richmond
The author takes the reader back to the seventies when the Oakland Raiders were always among the best teams in the NFL while definitely having the most fun. Truly a unique collection of athletes, ownership, and coaching staff that will never be replicated.

Body Double
Tess Gerritsen
One of the better books in this series. I enjoyed learning more about Dr. Isles and thought the plot was twisty enough to keep me engaged to the end. Listened to the audio version which was read by Kathe Mazur.

House Rules
Mike Lawson
An enjoyable audio thriller. I really like the characters in this series (especially House Speaker John Mahoney) and the plot seemed fairly plausible for this type of book. Listened to the audio version read by Joe Barrett.

Bossypants
Tina Fey
A fun, breezy listen with a number of laughs. I was not all that familiar with Fey's work (except for the Palin impersonations) but may now try out her show 30 Rock. Tina Fey performed the audio version with great gusto and really made it entertaining.

The Sound of Thunder
Wilbur Smith
While not quite as good as the preceding book, When the Lion Feeds, lots of action, adventure, and larger than life characters made this an entertaining page turner.

I'll have to look into the Raiders book. I bought Kenny Stabler's bio, SNAKE, for Ed some years ago and read it myself. Quite the interesting times!

Sandi - Great quality indeed! I didn't realize Tina Fey did the audio reading of her Bossypants, how fun, I must get the audio version then. I was going to get it eventually anyway because I love the show - do try 30 Rock! Galveston: A Novel just hopped on my library to read list - thanks! It appears to be a fairly short audio (7+ hours unabridged, but that isn't a bad thing)

Great month, Sandi! I had to give The Most Dangerous Thing back to the library untouched, but am back on the hold list. I loved House Rules and Bossypants. Galveston looks good - I'll have to check it out!

Quite appropriate since the Pats are playing the Raiders tomorrow...

Melodie wrote: "I'll have to look into the Raiders book. I bought Kenny Stabler's bio, SNAKE, for Ed some years ago and read it myself. Quite the interesting times!"