What are you reading in 2019?

OK, I guess I get to start the new year off-1 book read so far in this category: Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington. A debut novel, a "thriller", not too bad but not fantastic.

I've already read 2 this year:

Death of a Witch, no. 24 in M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series 4★s
And an oldie, first published in 1929, Margery Allingham's The Crime at Black Dudley 4.5★s.

I've not read much by Allingham, so far, but what I've read, I like. I intend to target a few more of the oldies this year, I think there are quite a few out there I've not yet tried, (or in some cases, not even heard of - Cyril Hare, whom I first read last November, being a case in point).

Two from me too! I gave them both 4★

The Black Book by Ian Rankin

An early Rankin but he never fails to delight. There was so much I loved about this one including the emergence of both DS Siobhan Clarke and Big Ger Cafferty as major characters. I smiled every time he mentioned DI Flower by his nickname "Little Weed" obviously named for the little weed who grows between two flowerpots housing "Bill and Ben, Flowerpot Men", an old television program for toddlers. That should keep Flower from getting too uppity.

I discovered I have at least three things in common with Rebus, a disdain for Elvis, a love of The Stones, and we both come from places named Dundonald - his part of Cardenden in Fife, mine in Northern Ireland. Love that!

and

Shatter the bones by Stuart MacBride

A noir mystery from Aberdeen, gritty and filled with ribald humour, not recommended for those with tender sensitivities. A small child and her mother, both stars of a tv reality show, have been abducted and held for ransom to which the public are only too eager to contribute. The police are ineffective and waste a lot of time arguing, pulling rank, pandering to public opinion, and going after red herrings. There is plenty of action here demanding attention because MacBride doesn't waste time with contemplation or filler. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

>2 Sergeirocks: I love the Hamish Macbeth series. They never fail to entertain. I enjoy Margery Allingham too but they are so hard to find. My local library doesn't hold any.

>4 VivienneR: I can access ebooks through my local library - I have found this a brilliant source for Allingham's books.

>5 Sergeirocks: You are so fortunate. At my library there are only two Allingham e-books stocked, both have holds and neither are Albert Campion stories. I've made some suggestions but that can take months, if ever. I can't really complain because for a small town library it is a fantastic resource.

Reading my way through Dorothy L. Sayers. Just finished Five Red Herrings. A bit disappointed. She was have way too much fun with this one. Transliterations of Scottish accents, Cockney accents, miscommunications between Scottish and Cockney accents, a man with a lisp etc.

I really enjoyed this one-kept me guessing-Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

>8 ted74ca: Glad to hear that, I have it on the shelf. I really enjoyed I See You by the same author.

Having read and liked several of Scott Mariani's Ben Hope thrillers, I decided to read the series in order, beginning with The Alchemist's Secret (aka The Fulcanelli Manuscript) 4★s.

Been quite a while since I read one by this author:
Shadows in Bronze - Lindsey Davis 4.5★s

Just finished Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie.
A more complex plot than is usual for Christie, but the puzzle is just as entertaining. One by one I put a number of the characters in the guilty category but still got it wrong. I love how Hastings falls in love with every pretty face he meets.

Another of my favourite series: Simon Beckett's Dr David Hunter series, about a forensic anthropologist. Book no. 5, The Restless Dead, 5★s.

No. 25 in M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series - Death of a Valentine 4.5★s - zooming my way through this series.

I am sure I'd read something by Ken Bruen before, but if I did it was pre my LibraryThing days. Just finished The Killing of the Tinkers, and grim and gritty as it is, I really liked it. Now I have to try to find the first in this series...

One of the current day Campion books - Mr. Campion's Farewell by Mike Ripley. I enjoyed it, Ripley has done a good job of keeping true to Margery Allingham's style and characterisation, 4★s. Action all takes place in 1969.

I'm slowly working my way through this series, and quite enjoying it: The Bone Garden by Kate Ellis

>17 ted74ca: We're just about to start a group read/discussion on the 1st book in this series, The Merchant's House, (http://www.librarything.com/groups/bookdiscussionthemer).

I picked up an excellent mystery set in western Ireland. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan is, I suppose, a police procedural in that the main character is a police detective. This is a first book by McTiernan but another is supposed to be released soon and I will certainly be reading it.

>19 gypsysmom:. I just requested that book from our library-amazed they had it- so I'll see if I like it too.

Finished Perfect Sins by Jo Bannister. Still not sure how I feel about this series...

>19 gypsysmom: I'm always game for an Irish mystery, this one goes on the wishlist!

Just finished The secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
International political intrigue and murder, laced with a hint of romance, set mostly in Lord Caterham's country home of Chimneys. Written in 1925 before Christie reached her prime, this is still a very enjoyable golden age mystery

I'm falling a bit behind, :), finished 3 books recently:

1. Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie. Recently made into a TV series, 'Grantchester', and set in the '50s, the star of the piece is Canon Sidney Chambers, who takes to sleuthing like a duck to water. I found the book a slightly easier read than Chesterton's 'Father Brown' stories. 4★s.

2. The Isis Covenant by James Douglas. I was unaware that this was second in a series when I picked it up, but it read as well as if it were a standalone. The main protagonist is an art recovery specialist with a touch of James Bond about him! I enjoyed it. 4★s.

3. A Shock to the System by Simon Brett. Not one of Brett's many series, this standalone is a difficult one to describe... Graham Marshall accidentally kills a vagrant, and getting away with it decides to eliminate a few human obstacles to his own happiness. A strange read, but I kept wanting to turn those pages. 4.5★s

Just finished the tenth Flavia de Luce mystery The Golden Tresses of the Dead. Witty and delightful as always. I'm a bit alarmed that Alan Bradley says he is at the end of his contract and he doesn't know if he'll write more. Here's hoping Flavia convinces him otherwise.

>24 gypsysmom: No more Flavia would be very sad.

From one of my favourites: Set in Darkness - Ian Rankin 5★s

Saying a fond farewell to Jimmy Perez-finished the last of Ann Cleeve's Shetland series today: Wild Fire. Good read, as always.

>27 ted74ca: I still have this one to look forward to.

>27 ted74ca: It's always sad when a favourite series comes to an end. I haven't started it yet because I've watched the tv series twice and now I'm trying to forget the plots before I start reading.

The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey, 3.5★s.

Just finished Ian Rankin's latest Rebus novel-In A House of Lies. As always, I liked it.

Just finished the Quick Read (published for World Book Night 2016) Too Good to be True by Ann Cleeves. This is a short from the Jimmy Perez series. 5★s.

I read Cold is the Grave by Peter Robinson who lives in Canada but is originally from Yorkshire. One of these days I'll get caught up on the series now that the tv series is long over and I've forgotten the plots.

An author previously unknown to me - Peter Chambers 1924-2006 - but I liked the Chandleresque PI style, A Miniature Murder Mystery 4.5★s

Episode 26 in M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series, Death of a Sweep (aka Death of a Chimney Sweep). This one felt rushed and unloved to me, so only earned 3.5★s where the rest of the series has always been at least 4★s.

Historical Mystery set in Saxon England, Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne. This first in the Sister Fidelma detective series takes place during the Synod of Whitby in 664AD; I found it historically very interesting, and as a mystery very readable. 4.5★s from me.

Just finished The Guards by Ken Bruen and thought it good.

An oldie - The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, first in the Tommy and Tuppence series, kept me guessing 'til the end, 4★s.

Another Christie book - Dead Man's Folly 3.5★s. This one was a Poirot mystery.

A new author to me - Danielle Ramsay (Scottish). Rather liked this book set in Whitley Bay, a seaside town in the North-East of England (I know the place quite well), Blood Reckoning is no. 4 in a series featuring Police Detective Jack Brady. It is a bit gory in places, but I'm not letting this put me off reading more in the series. 4★s from me.

Another Margery Allingham 'Campion' book - Look to the Lady 4.5★s.

Another oldie (reading a lot of them for a 'Century's worth of mysteries' challenge) - Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer 4.5★s

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Impossible to review this psychological mystery because I've no idea where to start without spoiling some part of it. It's a real page-turner and uses a plot that I haven't come across before in all my years of reading mysteries. I love getting a nice surprise like that. 4.5 stars - maybe it should be a 5 but I'll keep that in hand for Michaelides next book, which I hope is soon.

>43 VivienneR:. That sound rather intriguing! Just requested it from our library-I'm 175th in the waiting list, so it must be a popular read. I think I'll enjoy it-probably next year!

I am new to this group.
Now reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Conan Doyle.
I have watched the movie many times.
Gaslight is on TV now. I have never read the book but I think I will add it to my TBR list.

>44 ted74ca: I was pretty lucky and placed a hold on it while it was still at the "on order" stage so I missed the long waiting list. It's even longer for the e-book.

Just finished Ordeal by innocence by Agatha Christie. Not one of her best books, but still good. I read it years ago and the solution was just coming back to me as I reached it.

Finished The Hound of the Baskervilles. I found the movie with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce very close to the book.

>45 mnleona: The original Gaslight is a British play by Patrick Hamilton. It was called Angel Street in the US.

Hi, Leona, welcome to the group, :)

Just finished Stranger Diaries, a stand alone mystery by Elly Griffiths. Loved it.

>50 ted74ca: Haven't heard of that one. I love Elly Griffiths so I'll add that to the wishlist!

>51 VivienneR:. I think you'll like it. One of the narrators has that self deprecating, sardonic sense of humour that I really enjoy in the Ruth Galloway novels.

I don't recall who in this group mentioned Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series a while ago, but I am definitely appreciating the reminder. I'd read one of them, out of order, some years ago, but decided to go back and start at the beginning. Just finished The Dramatist today-what a harrowing ending.

I continued the Irish theme this week and very quickly read The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan. Really enjoyed it. Just hope our library purchases her second novel.

>19 gypsysmom:. I read The Ruin pretty much in one sitting and I loved it. Thanks for the suggestion!

The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton. Not that great in my opinion; I enjoyed her novel Sister more.

>53 ted74ca: I'm a big fan of Ken Bruen. Glad you liked The Dramatist.

>54 ted74ca: I have The Ruin on my wishlist, thanks to gypsysmom. Time to push it up to the top of the list.

The Franchise Affair - Josephine Tey - my favourite of hers so far. It was made into a film in 1951 starring Michael Denison and his wife Dulcie Gray; it was interesting to compare the two to see where they differed and where they followed the same path. 4.5★s.

They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer. I love these old Manor House murder mysteries, 4.5★s.

>50 ted74ca: ted74ca: I read this late last year and really enjoyed it - rated it 4.5 :)

I just finished # 4 in Elly Griffith's Magic Men mystery series The Vanishing Box. I really enjoy this series.

I've read two books from this category recently and liked both of them although they are vastly different.
Lamentation is the sixth book in the historical mystery series featuring lawyer Mathew Shardlake. In this one Henry VIII is close to death but he still pits his closest advisors and his queen (Katherine Parr) against one another over religious beliefs.
The Witch Elm is set in modern-day Dublin and involves a skeleton found in an elm in the garden of a house that has been in one family for years. The skeleton is that of a boy who disappeared ten years before and who was a classmate of several of the cousins in the family. Kept me guessing to the last.

Finished # 3 in the DI Callanach series today-Perfect Death by Helen Fields.

Last month, I read (and really liked) Dervla McTiernan's debut novel, The Ruin,but her second book is even better. Thoroughly enjoyed The Scholar.

I'm currently reading Mr Standfast, the third of John Buchan's "Richard Hannay" thrillers. It's a fun World War One espionage thriller, first published in 1919.

The Wolf at the Door a Jack Higgins thriller, 4★s from me.
President Putin orders the assassination of several English and US agents. Daniel Holley, a Yorkshireman and former IRA member, currently serving a term in Lubyanka prison, is called in to help.

Book 2 in Sharon (also known as S. J.) Bolton's Lacey Flint series - Dead Scared. 3.5★s from me for this series so far; I find Lacey a bit of a loose cannon as police detectives go.

Finished the 1st of Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid series -
A share in death.

Now listening to the audio edition of the 2nd -
All shall be well

>68 nrmay: Love Deborah Crombie. And she and I have the same date of birth!

Aftermath by Peter Robinson
Had I known that this novel was inspired by an infamous Canadian crime from the 1990s I would not have read it. It annoys me when authors create stories (and make money) from recent real life crimes where individuals are still suffering. Robinson even mentions that horrific crime on more than one occasion. For this reason I find it difficult to rate this book rationally, or even more irrationally, to think kindly of Banks. Cheap shot, Robinson.

I am new to this group and am reading Dance to Your Daddy by Gladys Mitchell. I am a great fan of GM's eccentric Dame Bradley, Psychiatrist (among other things) to the Home Office.
I am also a devotee of Margery Allingham and Mr Albert Campion and his burly bodyguard. Flowers for the Judge is next on my TBR.
I have read The Ruin and The Scholar and enjoyed them both but thought The Ruin had a much tighter plot line than The Scholar.

>71 mrspenny: Welcome to the group, :)

Another dud! And not the way I planned on starting a new month after the dud (>70 VivienneR:) at the end of May.

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

This was frustrating rather than gripping. Cass worries about her forgetfulness, that she might be showing the first signs of early onset dementia like her mother, and mystery phone calls when no one speaks. After a while I got fed up every time the bloody phone rang and at every "I forgot". Elementary writing skills laced with stilted dialogue made a monotonous read. The denouement, made through the record of hundreds of texts, was a lazy way to wrap up, to say nothing of the crazy story about how the phone (with texts) was found. And who would keep such incriminating texts? All led to a predictable conclusion.

>71 mrspenny: Welcome from me too. I'm also a fan of Gladys Mitchell. I enjoyed the Mrs Bradley series on tv, played by Diana Rigg.

Just finished Traitor's Purse by Margery Allingham, 4.25★s from me.

Thank You, >71 mrspenny: and >74 VivienneR:, for putting me on the trail of Gladys Mitchell; I am definitely going to give her books a try.

>74 VivienneR:,>75 Sergeirocks: - I have also seen the Mrs Bradley series with Diana Rigg. Her glamorous appearance doesn't accord with Gladys's description of Mrs B in the books:-)
If you are able to get your hands on a book by Christopher Fowler titled The Book of Forgotten Authors, there are short essays on Gladys and Margery Allingham. It is a highly entertaining book.
Another of my favorites is Cyril Hare.

>76 mrspenny: I have also seen the Mrs Bradley series with Diana Rigg. Her glamorous appearance doesn't accord with Gladys's description of Mrs B in the books:-)

That's true, but Diana Rigg's Mrs Bradley was more entertaining for TV.

>76 mrspenny: I read one book by Cyril Hare, which I enjoyed, and would love to read more, but his books are difficult to come by.

Many of Cyril Hare's book are available to download free from https://www.fadedpage.com

As stated on the home page: "These books are public domain in Canada (because we follow the Canadian copyright laws), but if you are in another country, you should satisfy yourself that you are not breaking the copyright laws of your own country by downloading them."

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

I read this for the first time many years ago and thought it would be interesting to read it again even though I know the solution to the mystery - it was impossible to forget. I enjoyed it just as much, maybe even more because I was able to get an idea of how Christie's ideas developed. As well, I've seen David Suchet's documentary about the Orient Express which helped visualize it better and I noticed the small, seemingly inconsequential details, like the watch hook, which really does exist, and which the victim did not use. Considering this was written in 1934 it shows considerably more talent, knowledge and style than others of the same vintage. There is no doubt Ms Christie deserves the full five stars.

>79 VivienneR: Thanks for that, but as far as I can make out Canadian copyright pertains for 50 years after an author's death, while here in the UK it stands for 70 years after the author's death, so in Hare's case (died 1958) I've to wait another 9 years, 🙁

Book 7 in Edward Marston's Elizabethan Mystery series - The Roaring Boy - 4★s from me.

>81 Sergeirocks: Oh, too bad! But just think of the riches that will be available to you in 2028.

>83 VivienneR: 👍

>77 VivienneR:, I agree - it would be impossible to portray Dame Beatrice on screen as GM describes her in the books. The mind boggles at the thought of it. One of my favourite descriptions is from The Mystery of a Butcher's Shop: "a small shrivelled birdlike woman, might have been thirty five or ninety clad in a blue and sulphur jumper like the plumage of a macaw, with an air of easy condescension usually only achieved by royalty." :-)
>78 Sergeirocks:, there are some very cheap copies of some of Cyril Hare's books on Amazon kindle store, if you read from a kindle. I have to admit that I do use the kindle from time to time.

>85 mrspenny: I read kindle versions on my iPhone.

Just finished A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths, from one of my favourite series. This one featured academic neo-fascists combined with the archaeological search for King Arthur, and Blackpool's seaside amusements forming the backdrop.

>87 VivienneR: Are you reading this series in order, Vivienne? I've just finished reading The Dark Angel (book 10) as a group read with a few members of the Mystery and Suspense Group. 5★s from me - this is one of my favourite series, too.

Yes, I've been reading in order. Now I'll be rushing toward The Dark Angel with your recommendation! I also enjoy her other series The Magic Men, set in Brighton in the 1950s. They remind me of my childhood in the UK.

>89 VivienneR: Do you have a particular favourite among the regular characters? While I find all of Griffiths' characters well-rounded, I have to say mine is Cathbad; I like the hint that there might actually be a possibility of magic out there... :)

>90 Sergeirocks: Oh, definitely Cathbad. Anyone who can wear a purple cloak with confidence deserves kudos!

Another one finished from Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series-this one entitled Priest. Good read as usual.

>92 ted74ca: I just finished Priest too and thought it was great. I'm a big fan of Ken Bruen's. About the 75% mark, I put a hold on the next one in the series.

New author to me - Denzil Meyrick, born in Glasgow (1965), The Last Witness - 3.5★s.
Interesting plot, but the action jumped around a bit too much without warning; kept me on my toes!
I'm not too sure whether the book is meant to be a cozy, like M. C. Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series (many of the cop interactions were amusing, especially when featuring the secondary character, DS Scott), or Scottish Noir (some of the violent scenes were quite nasty).
This split personality aside, I'll probably give the series another airing...

Back in Edinburgh this week with # 4 in Helen Field's Turner and Callanach series, Perfect Silence. While I don't think this is a great series, it's not terrible, and I do love reading anything set in Edinburgh, so, since there is only 1 more left to read in the series, I might as well continue on...

Just finished Big Sky by Kate Atkinson the fifth in the Jackson Brodie series, which was published several years after the others. She can certainly spin a good story, several threads, great characters, all brought together at the end. I gave it five stars. It's not necessary to have read the others in the series but it helps.

Now reading Our House by Louise Candish.
Engrossing, can't figure out how this will resolve!

Agatha Christie's first Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 4★s from me.

>96 VivienneR:. I have been on the library waiting list for that book for soooo long! I really love Kate Atkinson's novels.

Just blasted my way through the 21st John Rebus book Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin. I didn't realize until the latest book came out last fall that I had missed this one so I still have one more to read and maybe Rankin will release another this fall. I get a little anxious when I don't have a Rankin book to read. In Rather Be the Devil Rebus may be retired but he's still involved in current and cold cases in Edinburgh. And Gerald Cafferty seems to have sprung back into action as the crime boss of Edinburgh so we'll have more to look forward to there.

I shouldn't have bothered finishing this one, as it was poorly paced, had truly unsympathetic characters, and the story was implausible. But I did (only because I just couldn't get to sleep last night!): I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney.

I'm reading The Three Hostages by John Buchan, the fourth novel in Buchan's "Richard Hannay" series. This entry in this classic somewhat over the top espionage series was published in 1924. These books are fun if you can overlook the strong mostly negative ethnic stereotyping of anyone not Anglo-Saxon.

>102 rocketjk: I'm currently reading a lot from that era - you have to accept them for what they are: representative of the time they were written. I think a lot of people would have literature from that era sidelined because of some of the language and references, but why do that when a sensible approach can be taken? They're good historical references to societal mores, if nothing else.
Nothing wrong with a good Buchan tale... :)

>103 Sergeirocks: Mostly, I agree, though it's important to be aware of what one is reading along those lines, even when slurs aren't coming one's way directly. It all depends on perspective, though. For example, being Jewish, I do a lot of wincing while reading Buchan. Of course, Buchan's attitudes along those lines come as no surprise to me, given his time and class, and the stories are fun and entertaining enough to make it worthwhile for me to work around those speed bumps. Some writers make it worthwhile to soak in that sort of thing, and some don't. And while I'm never for censorship, or for telling others what to read or not read, there's enough religious, ethnic and gender-based prejudice to go around in our daily lives, so I understand why people would choose to excise it from their pleasure reading.

I just finished The Butcher of Smithfield by Susanna Gregory. It is subtitled Chaloner's Third Exploit in Restoration London and I haven't read the first two but I don't think you need to. Based on this book I won't be searching them out either. I found it confusing but at the same time too easy to solve some of the mystery. There is a lot of historical information about London in 1663 so if that's your thing then you might enjoy it. I kept comparing this book to C. J. Sansom's excellent Shardlake series but felt it suffered in comparison.

Just finished the latest in Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie crime fiction series-Big Sky and really loved it.

>106 ted74ca: Kate Atkinson is right at the top of my favourite authors list. I really enjoyed Big Sky too.

I just finished The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters, with excellent plot and characters.

>107 VivienneR:. I am a big fan of Minette Walters too.

Another offering from Jack Higgins in his Sean Dillon series: Dark Justice 4★s.
And also 4★s for Dick Francis's Driving Force - set as usual in the horse-racing world, but I don't think you need to be a race-goer to enjoy his stories.

Just finished Len Deighton's The Ipcress File, first in the 'Harry Palmer' spy series. This was definitely a book of two halves... I would not be able to précis the story if asked(!), but I certainly enjoyed it, 4.5★s.

I have loved all of Tana French's books so far-just finished The Witch Elm and it was a good read, as usual.

Read Driftnet by Lin Anderson- the 1st in her Rhona MacLeod series- and I quite liked it. However, my library system has very few of the next books in the series, and only the most recent ones.

As well as reading Edward Marston's Elizabethan Mystery series (>82 Sergeirocks:), I am also well into his Christopher Redmayne Restoration era series. Book no. 3 in the series is The Repentant Rake, 4★s from me.

I just finished The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz and really enjoyed it.

I have just finished the very dark first novel by Ian McEwan The Cement Garden next up Foe by J.M. Coetzee.

Another 'oldie' for my list: The Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer, one of her Country House Mysteries. 4★s

A Jack Higgins WWII thriller, sequel to his 'The Eagle Has Landed', The Eagle Has Flown 4★s.

I finished and adored The Woman Who Died A Lot, the seventh book in Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" series. Science fiction/alternative universe and very, very funny, these books are also definitely crime novels, and the humor (or should I say the humour) is very British.

A gripping read, by a new author: Don't Wake Up by Liz Lawler.

>106 ted74ca: I just had my hold on this book delivered to my library. I have another book on the go but I might put it aside to read Big Sky.

I read one of Val McDermid's books in her Karen Pirie series A Darker Domain. It involves two cold cases from the time of the national miners' strike. One concerns a miner who went missing during the strike and everyone assumed he had gone as a scab worker to Nottingham. Twenty-five years later his daughter is anxious to find him because her son needs a transplant and all other family members are not compatible. The other case involves a young woman who was kidnapped along with her young son and during the ransom money turnover she was killed and the son disappeared. A journalist on vacation in Italy finds a clue that may lead to his discovery. McDermid had a personal connection to the miners' strike as both of her grandfathers were miners.

Jacqueline Winspear's Among the Mad, book no. 6 in the Maisie Dobbs series, set in post WWI London. 4★s from me.

>122 Sergeirocks: I love Maisie Dobbs. Have you read Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series? I enjoy both series even though they are not alike at all.

>123 perennialreader: I'm not certain I've heard of this author before, but as my local library has a copy of Where Memories Lie, I'm going to give her a try.
Thanks for the recommendation.

Just finished book no. 7 in Alan Hunter's George Gently series, Gently with the Painters. A bit of an acquired taste, but I quite enjoy the slower pace of this series (this one was penned in 1960 - a different time...).
I'm only in the early stages of the series, I must admit, but spanning from the '50s until the current day (including 3 episodes which seem to have appeared posthumously since the advent of the TV series), I'm interested to see whether Hunter moved Gently through the decades or kept him rooted in the '50's/'60's.
4★s for this one.

>124 Sergeirocks: Deborah Crombie's series should be read in order as the characters develop throughout the series. I haven't posted any of my Crombie reads here because she is American, although (IMO) the best of the American authors who set their mysteries in the UK.

>125 Sergeirocks: I'm an Alan Hunter fan too. His books are very different from the tv series, and although Martin Shaw is excellent in the part of Gently, he is unlike the character of the books.

I didn't enjoy this second book in this series as much as I did the first, but I'll persevere: A Medal for Murder by Frances Brody.

>126 VivienneR: I haven't watched the TV series. I'm not sure I can picture Martin Shaw when I'm reading about Gently...!

>127 ted74ca: I've read all the books up to no. 10 in Brody's series. I gave them all 4 or 4.5★s.

Just finished up Kate Atkinson's latest book Big Sky. This is a Jackson Brodie mystery and I find him a very charming character. Unlike Ian Rankin's John Rebus and Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks he is not a bit curmudgeonly. I love Rankin's and Robinson's books but the detectives would be really hard to live with. Jackson, on the other hand, would be a great pal and maybe even a good lover. He so needs the love of a good woman! The cases (yes there are more than one) have to do with sexual exploitation of children and women so it's not the most cheerful subject but it all comes right in the end. I think I'm going to have to read the other Jackson Brodie books that I have missed. I think Atkinson is a great plotter.

>129 gypsysmom: Excellent assessment of Jackson Brodie. Atkinson can produce some memorable characters. Reggie Chase was originally in the third of the Jackson Brodie series When will there be good news?. It was good to see her again, this time in a very different role. I hope to reread all of the series again sometime, but there are so many unread books calling out to me.

The Funeral Boat - book no. 4 in Kate Ellis's Wesley Peterson series. I enjoy this series with its archaeological bent - 4.5★s.

In The Lake Of The Woods by Tim O'Brien not far in a nice little mystery is keeping my interest.

From Robert Goddard, (one of my favourite authors), Past Caring - 4.5★s.
Leo Sellick, S. African businessman living on Madeira, hires unemployed historian Martin to research the life of disgraced Edwardian politician Edwin Strafford, whose house Leo now lives in and whose memoirs Leo found there. Edwin had loved and lost Suffragette Elizabeth, without apparently knowing why - until Martin turns up a Postscript penned by Edwin which reveals the truth, including why Leo might have more than a passing curiosity in the whole affair.

The Magdalen Martyrs by Ken Bruen. Not my favourite in this series.

The Secret of Chimneys - Agatha Christie 4.5★s

Nothing like a good, creepy thriller novel by Gilly MacMillan to keep me awake too late last night: The Nanny.

Just finished the second Cormac Reilly book The Scholar by Dervla McTiernan. The copy I got from the library had two chapters of her next book which is due out in 2020. I liked The Scholar a lot and I liked learning more about Reilly and his romantic partner Dr. Emma Sweeney. Some of the gardai like Reilly's sic, Peter Fisher, and his detective colleague, Carrie O'Halloran, were also interesting. The chapters from the next book start out with Fisher so maybe we'll see some more about his home life then.

Book number 4 in the Inspector Morse series, Service of All the Dead by Colin Dexter, 4★s.

I've liked all this author's books that I've been able to find so far; just finished The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic.

I'm actually starting to find this series a tad repetitive-how many completely psychotic killers can there actually be in Edinburgh?-but it's still a decent read. Perfect Crime by Helen Fields

I just finished The Long Call by Ann Cleeves and feeling kind of underwhelmed by this new book. I love Vera, and really like Jimmy Perez, but I think it's going to take a while for me to decide about Matthew Venn.

Another oldie: No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer 4★s.

Just finished the new Deborah Crombie book A Bitter Feast. Love the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series!

>143 perennialreader: Try this: A Bitter Feast

(perennialreader, if you look at the 'Touchstones' to the right of your 'Add a message' box you'll see the book title and author followed by '(others)'. Click on 'others' and search the list for the author you want, then click on that particular title. Hope you can make sense of that, 🙂.)

>144 Sergeirocks: Thanks for your help! It didn't come up when I clicked on 'others'. Fixed it.

I finished After The Eclipse by Fran Dorricott, and wasn't overly impressed. I loathed the main character and I guessed the culprit very early on, so it was slow slogging till the end.

Just finished The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths, the latest in her Ruth Galloway series, and I loved it, as always.

>143 perennialreader:. Thanks! I hadn't realized there was a new Kincaid/James novel out; I've just requested it from our library. I love that series too.

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Quite enjoyed The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz, a Sherlock Holmes novel. He definitely can craft a good story.

I just finished Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin.
Rebus investigates a brutal murder discovered in the ancient subterranean streets of Edinburgh which mirrors an IRA execution and indicates links with a sectarian group in Northern Ireland. The victim is the son of gangster "Big Ger" Cafferty, Rebus' long-time adversary. An exciting, fast-moving plot with the Edinburgh Festival setting the background scene.

A nice medieval outing with Brother Cadfael in A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters 4★s.
This is the first book in the series and finds Cadfael with several of his fellow monks heading into Wales to obtain the bones of a saint for the advancement of their abbey. Of course it isn't long before a body turns up for Cadfael to investigate.

Another oldie, but goody - Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer 4.5★s, published 1933.

Article in The Guardian about Golden Age Detective Novels:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/nov/13/top-10-golden-age-detective-novels...

>154 rhinemaiden: Thanks, rhinemaiden, the link didn't work, but I googled. I've read the Christie, and also the Cyril Hare (I want to read more of his books if I can find them), the other ones from last century will be added to my TBR pile.

(I saw your posting over on the Mystery and Suspense group, have you seen our sister group, 'Mystery and Suspense Extra!'? We've been doing a 'Century of Mystery and Suspense Books' challenge, where we each read a book published every year since 1920.
You should check us out: http://www.librarything.com/groups/mysteryandsuspenseex )

>155 Sergeirocks: Sergeirocks... thanks for the heads up about the "mystery and suspense extra" group... I just joined it. The century challenge sounds interesting.

>156 rhinemaiden: Pleased to have you onboard. I can guarantee you'll receive a warm welcome.

My latest read can be posted in this category, I think, though there is an element of the supernatural combined with the crime fiction aspect. I really liked The Whisper Man by Alex North.

Book 2 in the Mirabelle Bevan historical mystery series by Scottish author Sara Sheridan - London Calling - 4★s. The background to the series is 1950s Brighton, England.

Never a disappointing book in this long running series: Many Rivers to Cross by Peter Robinson. (I know he lives part of the time in Toronto, Canada now, but I'll still include him as a British author.)

>160 ted74ca: I'd certainly consider Robinson a British author.

Finished a fun, but clever read today: The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz.

A good, old-fashioned thriller, set in the Arctic Circle - Night Without End - Alistair MacLean 4.5★s.

Found a treasure at the flea market today... An English Murder by Cyril Hare, first published in 1951. Described as "a Golden Age classic set on Christmas Eve." Can't wait to read it!

>164 rhinemaiden: I read that book last year, gave it 4★s. Now I'm on the lookout for more by him.

I am well into the book Ian Rankin put out last year In a House of Lies. As I started it I realized that I had not heard he had published anything since then so I checked his website and he hasn't written anything new this year but one of his very first books Westwind has been reissued. I have scoured every book sale and used book store looking for this book without success so now I think I'll have to pick up the reissue. Rankin said he polished it up a bit so it should be even better than the original.

I've only previously read The Lewis trilogy by Peter May and loved those, but I was disappointed with a stand alone novel The Man With No Face that I found at our local library. It's apparently a re-publication of a novel he wrote nearly 40 years ago, but I found it rather blah and uninteresting.

I take my e reader to work each day in the hope I might get long enough of a break (or any break at all-I work in health care) to get some reading done. Finally finished Beautiful Liars by Isabel Ashdown, but wasn't very impressed.

John le Carré's The Russia House, 4.5★s.

I finished Death of a Mystery Writer by the famed English whodunit author, Robert Barnard. The book was published as Unruly Son in England. Well known whodunit author Oliver Fairleigh-Stubbs is a tyrant and a bully to his wife, his three grown children and everyone else he has dealings with and runs into. Given the title of the book, we are not surprised when he gets bumped off. The only problem for inspector Idwal Meredith is that the most likely suspect couldn't have done it. Or could he? This book is a load of fun for fans of the genre, well paced and plotted with mostly believable characters and a good dash of humor thrown in. Barnard wrote one additional mystery with Meredith on the case, At Death's Door, which I think I'll read sooner rather than later.

>170 rocketjk: An author I've not heard of; I shall have to give him a try.

>171 Sergeirocks: Sergeirocks and >170 rocketjk: rocketjk: I have read a few books by Robert Barnard - my favourite so far is A Scandal in Belgravia.

Monk's Hood, book 3 in Ellis Peters' Cadfael series, 4.5★s.

I read a mystery set in mediaval York but I can't praise it too highly. The Apothecary Rose is by Candace Robb and is the first in a series but I won't be searching the rest out. I usually like historical mysteries but this one just didn't have enough of a mystery to it to keep my interest. The details about the city of York and the role of the church were interesting though.

Finally decided to try the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. Finished the first one this week and quite liked it-waiting for the next one at our library now.

Another oldie for me, published in 1934: Crime at Christmas by C. H. B. Kitchin 3.5★s.

At a local flea market, I ran across book one of a delightful three book series: Death at Buckingham Palace by C.C. Benison. I liked it so much, I ordered book 2 Death at Sandringham House and book 3 Death at Windsor Castle. The sleuth to Her Majesty, is Jane Bee, a chambermaid at Buckingham Palace. Highly recommended for a light, cozy read.

>177 rhinemaiden: Once you've finished those you should try his Father Christmas books. The first book is Twelve Drummers Drumming and they go back down the list of the items in the Partridge in a Pear Tree song. Unfortunately his publisher didn't renew the contract for those books after Ten Lords A-Leaping but they are still quite well done. Benison lives in my home town of Winnipeg and last year he came out with a modern mystery called Paul is Dead which I haven't had a chance to read yet but I heard him do a reading from it.

>178 gypsysmom: thanks for the heads up on his second series, I'll look for it ... how interesting that he's a home town author for you and you've heard him do a reading.

I've been ill for the last month, better now, but just catching up.

>155 Sergeirocks: Thanks for the tip about the Mystery and Suspense Extra group. I'm off to have a look.

Another year gone and loads of books read.

Best Wishes for the New Year to you all, 😀.