Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Tell us about a book that was so thought provoking or upsetting that you still can't get it out of your mind.

Right now, it's Exit West, which I just finished up and just can't convey well enough how beautiful it was in depicting migration and the transient human experience.

If we're talking upsetting in a bad sense, I read Hex last year and it almost turned me off of reading any male authors in the horror genre entirely (I know it's not all of them, but it's like when a dog bites you and you're suddenly afraid of all dogs). There was just a ton of sexual violence in very poor taste.

Kari wrote: "Right now, it's Exit West, which I just finished up and just can't convey well enough how beautiful it was in depicting migration and the transient human experience.

If we're talki..."

I just commented on your post about favorite reads for May. I wondered if you "loved" or thought Exit West "interesting." I can't say I loved it but it is thought provoking.

Sheri wrote: "Kari wrote: "Right now, it's Exit West, which I just finished up and just can't convey well enough how beautiful it was in depicting migration and the transient human experience.

I..."

I genuinely loved it (and thought it was interesting!); I felt it was very moving without being saccharine or preachy. (Still can't that line, "Time makes migrants of us all," out of my head.) But Hamid is one of my favorite authors and I'm a big fan of his style. I know others who don't vibe with it as well. I'm glad you found it thought-provoking, though!

One that stuck with me for the longest time was Criminal Conversation by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain). The ending was such a stunner, it still haunts me.

The book that I found upsetting and I had trouble finishing is Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris.

Behind Closed Doors brought out too many memories of my childhood.

Quillracer wrote: "One that stuck with me for the longest time was Criminal Conversation by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain). The ending was such a stunner, it still haunts me."

What's the ending. It's driving me crazy to know.

Jenny wrote: "The book that I found upsetting and I had trouble finishing is Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris.

Behind Closed Doors brought out too many memories of my childhood."

Oh gosh. Might not want to read that one.

Sheri wrote: "Quillracer wrote: "One that stuck with me for the longest time was Criminal Conversation by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain). The ending was such a stunner, it still haunts me."

What's the ending. It's dri..."

Sheri, this book won the following awards

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery & Thriller & for Debut Goodreads Author (2016)

Behind Closed Doors also won number one on the best seller list for 2016.

However, for me I cry for hours - after reading this book.

Sheri wrote: "Quillracer wrote: "One that stuck with me for the longest time was Criminal Conversation by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain). The ending was such a stunner, it still haunts me."

What's the ending. It's driving me crazy to know.

The story is about a woman, a teacher (if I recall correctly) and the wife of a DA, who has fling with a man she meets on vacation. Shortly after returning to the city, they cross paths again and resume the affair.
The man is being monitored by the DA's office and some other law enforcement agencies. Each is recording his conversations, but none of them catch everything, so each has a piece of the puzzle but none have the whole picture.

I'm hesitant to reveal the ending here - don't want to spoil it for others who might want to read it. Contact me privately and I'll spill my guts.

But truthfully, you have to read the story to get the full impact of the climax. I'm convinced that Ed McBain (or Evan Hunter - the name he used for this book) was one of the greatest writers of the last century. He wrote over 100 books and I've read over half of them and there wasn't a bad one in the bunch.

Jenny wrote: "The book that I found upsetting and I had trouble finishing is Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris.

Behind Closed Doors brought out too many memories of my childhood."

Oh wow, sorry Jenny! 😥 I did listen to the audiobook and it was really excellent. None of B.A. Paris's other books came close to that caliber of story.

I recently finished this audiobook: Garage Sale Stalker by Suzi Weinert. It's a long audiobook and I enjoyed it. However, what was disturbing was the child abuse in the mystery. I think this is a cozy so it was a bit upsetting.

The other book that was so thought provoking was another audiobook: Call Me God: The Untold Story of the DC Sniper Investigation by Jim Clemente, Tim Clemente, and Peter McDonnell. This was a non-fiction account detailing how the FBI experts were able to track down the DC snipers. It also included statements from surviving victims or from the families of those who did not survive. It brought me to tears hearing all of this, having lived in the county where the first and 6 other shootings occurred. I listened to this audio straight through in one sitting.

Gosh all these sounds like good reading even if they are upsetting.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult -- amazingly thought-provoking, eye-opening, and extremely timely (even though it's four years old)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...