Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

With the NBA season finally winding down I had more time to read and had a pretty good month. Here are my June reads:

Top Reads

Uncle Paul
Celia Fremlin
Expertly written and plotted, the tension built throughout the book and the characters were so realistic and well drawn.

A Feast for Crows
George R.R. Martin
It took me a little while to get back into the groove with this book since it had been so long since I had read the previous three but once I settled in I did very much enjoy most of the book. I look forward to catching up with the other characters in the next book and hope the sixth will be published sometime soon.

Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler
L. Jon Wertheim
Even though I knew nothing about pool, especially the entire subculture of pool hustling, I found this to be a very entertaining audio. Kid Delicious is a true original and even though his life is not perfect I could not help but root for him as he tried to live his dream. The narration was done by Butch Engle who was excellent.

Good Reads

Last to Fold
David Duffy
An engaging debut that was nominated for the 2012 Edgar for best first novel. A different kind of hero, a former KGB agent now running his own business finding "things for people" in the USA, kept me turning the pages even though a few coincidences sprinkled through the plot made me roll my eyes a bit.

Hidden River
Adrian McKinty
A gritty suspense tale featuring a young man from Northern Ireland who comes to the United States to look into the death of a former girlfriend. Dark and violent but not without a bit of humor. Listened to the audio read by Gerard Doyle who is the perfect match for the author's work.

Black and Blue
Ian Rankin
This book takes Rebus all the way to Aberdeen to investigate the death of an off duty oil worker though that case soon takes a back seat to a couple of serial killer plots. Rebus is at his most obsessive and his dogged pursuit of justice was a bit wearing but overall a good solid read.

Tyrant of the Mind
Priscilla Royal
A nicely written historical mystery set during the final years of King Henry III's reign. The plot kept me guessing and I enjoyed learning more about all the lead characters.

Easy Prey
John Sandford
While I would not rank this entry up with the best books in the series (too much relationship angst) it was still well worth listening to since Richard Ferrone did his usual stellar job with the narration.

Like Love
Ed McBain
Very enjoyable police procedural published back in 1962. One of the better entries in the 87th Precinct series so far.

Her Royal Spyness
Rhys Bowen
A fun light historical mystery that had interesting characters and a bit of romance. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by Katherine Kellgren who is fast becoming one of my favorites.

Pool hustling is fascinating for sure. I read a book about Minnesota Fats some years back. I had a great uncle who used to be a pretty good pool hustler.

I read quite a few of the McBain books, but I think I missed LIKE LOVE...I need to look for that one.

Good month, Sandi.

Interesting mix, Sandi. I tried to read the 82nd precinct series but had trouble finding the earlier ones so gave it up. Have to get back to Rebus.

If I didn't have so many books to get to I'd reread the Prey series. I remember when they were dark and full of nasty, crazy and obsessive serial killers, and when he was developing his relationships. He's come along way!

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Interesting mix, Sandi. I tried to read the 82nd precinct series but had trouble finding the earlier ones so gave it up. Have to get back to Rebus."

I've been able to get most of the 87th precinct books through inter-library loan so far. Of course that means quite often I have to read the large print edition. They are out on Kindle now too but I think that their price point is a bit high since the earlier books are usually less than 200 pages.

Sandi: Ahh, when our sports teams / seasons wind down, the extra reading time emerges from hibernation! One of these days I am going to start the Game of Thrones series. They are big fat books! Good month!

Ann wrote: "Sandi: Ahh, when our sports teams / seasons wind down, the extra reading time emerges from hibernation! One of these days I am going to start the Game of Thrones series. They are big fat books! Goo..."

A down side of having four sports (and viable local teams) to follow is there IS no winding down! Then there is the off the court/field/rink drama... (don't get me started!)

I'm going to have to figure out how to read and watch the games at the same time. A little easier to do with baseball than the other three.

Carol - I can read and watch football too. We don't have the regular kind of baseball access a local MLB team would add, so less games on to watch as well. The big competition for reading time for me is my smart phone! Word games and those little number flags that pop up to tempt me into opening the apps are a big distraction!
Carol/Bonadie wrote: " I'm going to have to figure out how to read and watch the games at the same time. A little easier to do with baseball than the other three. "."

Ann wrote: "The big competition for reading time for me is my smart phone! Word games and those little number flags that pop up to tempt me into opening the apps are a big distraction! ..."

I know, Ann! Ever since I bought an iPad my evenings are lost to hidden object games, Candy Crush, puzzles, Words with Friends, Family Feud and Wheel of Fortune, etc. Good thing I can listen an play apps -- while watching baseball!

I don't watch a lot of tv for several reasons, mostly my DH has sports, sports, and more sports on the tv. But that also means I can read while he watches sports, except that he tries to talk to me during the game as well, lol!! Plus I can't stand the majority of reality tv that is out there, and the comedy shows are so filled with sexual innuendo that it makes me crazy! If I hear of a good show, I usually try to catch it on Netflix, being able to watch it on my schedule, not when it airs on tv.

I am so glad I have been able to stay away from all the online games so far. I constantly get requests to play them on Facebook from one of my nieces and my nephew's wife. I know if I got started I'd get hooked.

LizH wrote: "I don't watch a lot of tv for several reasons, mostly my DH has sports, sports, and more sports on the tv. But that also means I can read while he watches sports, except that he tries to talk to me..."

Your DH sounds like mine! If it's professional sports, other than soccer or NASCAR, he'll watch it! I'll watch with him occasionally, but usually not in the summer as baseball on TV bores me to death! I also detest "reality" TV shows as there's no "reality" to them at all. In the summer I watch Rizzoli & Isles, True Blood & Longmire. That's about it, except for a couple of cooking show on the Food Network on Saturday morning.