Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Had plenty of time to read this month while watching both the Reds and the World Cup with the sound turned down. Here are my June reads:

Top Reads


When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball
Seth Davis
This was right up my alley. I was a basketball mad sixth grader in 1979 and jumped on the Indiana State bandwagon fairly early. This book helped me to appreciate Michigan State's year and how they had to really overcome quite a bit of adversity just to reach the tournament. It was great to revisit the memories of some of my favorite tournament games (especially Indiana State vs. Arkansas which is still the best game I have ever watched).


The Score: A Parker Novel
Richard Stark
Another excellent Parker adventure. Parker is the most competent character in crime fiction and the series just keeps getting better.


An Excellent Mystery: The Eleventh Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Ellis Peters
One of the better entries in the Brother Cadfael series. Listened to the audio version read by the always stellar Patrick Tull.


The Dogs of War
Frederick Forsyth
Not quite up to the standards of The Day of the Jackal or The Odessa File, but better than most modern day thrillers. Perhaps a bit too realistic (lots of descriptions of the very mundane details of procuring equipment and budgeting) and had quite the cynical outlook (which was a plus for me). The final part of the book flew by and I thought the ending was outstanding.

Good Reads


Rumpole's Last Case
John Mortimer
It's always fun to catch up with the greatest barrister of all time. Listened to the audio version read by Bill Wallis.


City of Bones
Michael Connelly
As always, smoothly written and very professional. Not quite as good as some of the earlier books in the series though.

Shadow of a tiger
Michael Collins
This is one of my favorite classic hard-boiled PI series.


Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top
Joey Kramer
Not your usual rocker's recovery memoir. Kramer recounts his breakdown and depression that stemmed from the various abusive relationships he was involved in, first with his father and then Steven Tyler.


A Quiet Flame
Philip Kerr
Not quite as good as the previous books in the series (the first three are excellent) but a good historical crime read. Much preferred the sections set in 1930's Germany than the parts set in post war Argentina. Kerr does a great job of describing the surreal atmosphere in Berlin at the time.

Murder Sunny Side Up
R. B. Dominic
Since this was written by the same authors (Emma Lathen) who wrote the Wall Street mysteries featuring John Putnam Thatcher I knew it would be well plotted with a touch of sharp humor and this did not disappoint. Set in Washington D. C. the members of a House subcommittee are trying to master the art of sleeping with their eyes open while their grandstanding chair conducts a hearing into a new egg preservation technique. Unfortunately the chair is poisoned and the next senior member (Ben Stafford, from Ohio) must take over the hearing and solve the murder.


The Black Book
Ian Rankin
I've finally started to get into this series. Nice mix of characters, setting, and criminal activity.


Blackburn: A Novel
Bradley Denton
While usually I try to steer clear of any books with the serial killer taint this was different enough that I ended up thinking it was well worth reading. More of a character study, with some extremely dark humor. I originally meant to read it back when it was first published but had forgotten about it. Was reminded by the Rap Sheet's list of underappreciated books http://therapsheet-onebook.blogspot.com/


Alice to Nowhere
Evan Green
Decent tale of suspense set in the Australian Outback in the fifties. The author did a great job of conveying how hard it is to survive, let alone thrive, the various elements (the heat, wind, and multitude of flies) of the remote Outback.


Midnight Cowboy
James Leo Herlihy
Very interesting read. The book was much different in tone than I was expecting (I have not seen the movie but knew the bare bones of the plot from various clips of the film I had seen on TV). The characters were very relatable, the various settings were very well done, and I felt it was very well written (the author's style did not overwhelm the story).


The Best Game Ever
Mark Bowden
Nice overview of the famous NFL championship game of 1958. Concentrates mainly on Raymond Berry for the Colts and Sam Huff on the Giants side. Listened to the audio read by Phil Gigante.

OK Read

The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette
Inoffensive English House party mystery that really did not do much for me.

Disappointing


The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Stieg Larsson
My least favorite of the trilogy. Thought this book was terribly paced with far too many diversions. Found myself bored with Lisbeth's trials and tribulations. Too bad because I did really like the first book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Listened to the audio read by Simon Vance who made the journey bearable.

Sandi:
You had a very full month and a nice mix of styles!

Sandi wrote: "Had plenty of time to read this month while watching both the Reds and the World Cup with the sound turned down. Here are my June reads: .."

Good month, Sandi! I've looked at the Magic/Bird book for DH before.

Wow...great reads Sandi! DH & I are planning to fly into SF on Saturday am before the con, so we'll have to check schedules and maybe get together!

>>DH & I are planning to fly into SF on Saturday am before the con, so we'll have to check schedules and maybe get together! <<

Sounds good, I can't wait to see San Francisco and meet up with everyone.

Sandi wrote: "
An Excellent Mystery: The Eleventh Chronicle of Brother Cadfael
Ellis Peters
One of the better entries in the Brother Cadfael series. Listened to the audio version read by the always stellar Patrick Tull.
.."

I love this series! I have most of them. I wish I could find something else comparable.

Re something else comparable to Cadfael-- Cathy have you read the Sister Frevisse series? They're by Margaret Frazer. The series starts with The Novice's Tale. It takes place a couple of centuries later than the Cadfael series, but she is a medeival nun investigating mysteries. I admit that I personally don't like this series as much as Cadfael, but we do have different tastes.

Shomeret wrote: "Re something else comparable to Cadfael-- Cathy have you read the Sister Frevisse series? They're by Margaret Frazer. The series starts with The Novice's Tale. It takes place a coup..."

Thanks! My library has three, but not the first...

>>I love this series! I have most of them. I wish I could find something else comparable. <<

Have you read Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series (I looked on your self and it was not listed)? It is set around the same time as Cadfael but takes place in France. Cheryl also turned me on to the Magdalene la Batarde series by Roberta Gellis which is set in 12th century England.

Thanks Shom for the Margaret Frazer suggestion. I am always on the lookout for historical mysteries.

Margaret Frazer actually has two medieval series. The second one is about a medieval player/minstrel named Joiliffe. It starts with A Play of Isaac.

The Catherine Le Vendeur series is excellent. It's one of my favorites. I didn't suggest it because it has less similarity to Cadfael than the Sister Frevisse series.

I haven't read Magdalene La Batarde, but I've been meaning to get to that series. I like Roberta Gellis as a writer.