November, 2021 ~ What are you reading?

New month. New thread.

Started The Terrorists, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, translated by Joan Tate. Last book in the Martin Beck series!

Continuing on with Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series, The Other Woman. Strange Touchstone on this one.

>3 Roycrofter: You can change it. Click on "others" next to the touchstone next to/under the message when you are adding/editing a message and select the correct book from the list. :)

>4 AnnieMod: Thanks for that. Worked for the title, but not the author.

>5 Roycrofter: Author names are touchstoned using double square brackets. See example in the sidebar to the right of your edit window.

>6 ScoLgo: Thanks, got that. Daniel Silva. OK, works!

>5 Roycrofter: There is also a bug in Talk - the author of the default touchstone is always added as an author touchstone even if the actual touchstone goes elsewhere in the post. That's why it is still on the list together with Silva.

Pleased to report that I've found a new author whom I'm enjoying. I used the Literature Map to look for authors similar to Julia Spencer-Fleming, and it showed Emily Littlejohn. I tried Inherit the Bones and enjoyed it, so I moved on to A Season to Lie and am now in the third one, Lost Lake. The books are police procedurals, featuring a detective in small-town Colorado who is pregnant in the first book, a new mom in the second, etc. I enjoyed the stories as well as the writing.

The Map also suggested Joanne Dobson,so I picked up Quieter than Sleep, but I haven't started it yet.

Recently started The Moving Target by Ross MacDonald - definitely representative of the time it was written, but also like those time period pieces as well

My most recent crime read was A Corruption of Blood, by Ambrose Parry. This was the third book in a series set in 1850s Edinburgh. Chris Brookmyre co-writes the series with his wife, Dr Marisa Haetzman, who is a consultant anaesthetist.

Next up in crime will be The Plague Court Murders, by Carter Dickson, a pen name of John Dickson Carr. American Mystery Classics has opted to publish this title under the JDC name rather than the pen name. It is the first in the Sir Henry Merrivale series.

Just finished The Man who Died Twice by Richard Osman, the second in the Thursday Murder Club series. Loved this as much as the first. Maybe a little British in it's references, but the mystery is fun and the heart of it is universal.
Now onto A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn the 4th in her Veronica Speedwell books. Starting off well, and the main plot seems to be based on a small isle of England. I always enjoy those type of mysteries.

>9 Jim53: Mind if I ask where to find the Literature Map? I know I've seen it, but probably accidentally--I can't seem to find the route today.

Started At First Light by Barbara Nickless.

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. The latest Renee Ballard/Harry Bosch book.

>13 gmathis: Pretty sure that Jim53 was referring to this site.

>16 AHS-Wolfy: Aha! Thanks! I forgot it wasn't within the LT realm.

Started Quiller Balalaika by Adam Hall, the final installment of this series that I began reading in 1966.

>17 gmathis: Thanks for this tip. Thesite was new to me but I shall now explore it.

Currently reading Bullet Train, by Kotaro Isaka (translated by Sam Malissa).

Finished At First Light by Barbara Nickless. OK read.

Switched from the train to a plane: now reading Falling, by T. J. Newman.

Sandra Dallas isn't generally classified as a mystery author, but that's certainly what's happening in Tallgrass, set in WWII-era Colorado near a Japanese internment camp.

Started The Burning Room by Micheal Connelly, but with some trepidation after reading the reviews on LT.

Just finished A dangerous collaboration by Deanna Raybourn which I really enjoyed. 4th in her Veronica Speedwell books and possibly my favourite so far.

As I'm still in a historical mystery frame of mind, have moved onto Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas 5th in the Lady Sherlock series. Wasn't sure about this series at first, but I have been converted by the great writing and really good mystery skills.

Last night, I finished Naked in Death, the first of Robb's 'In Death' series. Not bad, although I could have done without the detailed sex scenes. I also figured the killer pretty early on, but getting there was still a worthwhile journey - and I liked the main character. There was a bit of head-hopping in the narrative, which is never a favorite thing with me. I can handle it better if there are chapter breaks to help facilitate the changing viewpoints, which in this book would sometimes occur from one paragraph to the next. Ugh. Despite these minor quibbles, I enjoyed the story and plan to read further in the series, (up to 54 books now?!? - wow! Robb/Roberts sure is prolific!).

>26 ScoLgo: The first is not the best one by far (not the worst one either - later in the series there are some which are... almost bad) - partially because later books can rely on just hints or quick notes on the secondary characters so less time is lost on that so there is more time for the mystery. :) The sex scenes are there to stay although they get tamer as the books progress - still somewhat detailed though (although you can always skip them - nothing else interesting happens while they are going on so you won't miss anything). Add 10 or so novellas (and these tend to be fun so you if you have a chance, they are worth reading as well). :)

>27 AnnieMod: Thanks for that! Yes, the sex scenes were easy to skip. I'm not bothered by them in any prurient way - I just rarely find detailed descriptions of sexual acts will do much to propel a narrative; I'm personally more interested in the mystery aspects than the romance angle.

I actually borrowed (via Overdrive) the first five volumes in an e-book omnibus so will likely jump right into Glory in Death tonight or tomorrow.

Now reading A Noise Downstairs, by Linwood Barclay.

>28 ScoLgo: Nora Roberts is a romance writer after all - these are expected there and they are the point of the narrative for some readers. So when she switched genres, she could not just drop them altogether. I started reading them as science fiction/futuristic mysteries expecting to read a few and get tired of them (while I read romances occasionally, it is not one of "my" genres) and here I am, (not so) patiently waiting for #54... :) They may have annoying elements (some of them are even cute early on but 50+ books later, they can get annoying) but they work as mysteries and the world rules are consistent between the books (so you do not get deus ex machina solutions where we were just not told how something works in the world (or where the solution should not be able work because of previous books)). This is one of my comfort series. Have fun!

I finished Northern Irish noir writer Stuart Neville's latest novel, The House of Ashes. This book is not really what most of us think of when we see the phrase "crime fiction." It's about the horrifying abuse of women by cruel and manipulative men, in twin stories taking place 60 years apart. As such, it's a gripping book and very well written, but just be sure to have a look at a synopsis or two before deciding to read it.

Added Third Girl by Agatha Christie to my reading rotation.

Finished Third Girl by Agatha Christie. Still like it.

Up next: A Christmas Visitor one of Anne Perry's holiday novellas.

NEW THREAD: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337166