Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Had a great start to the year reading wise though I am sure things will slow down since I am starting to work more.

Here are my January reads:

Top Read

Pyres
Derek Nikitas
A very impressive debut novel. The action was tense, the characters (especially the females) were well drawn and memorable, and the small sprinkling of Swedish folklore throughout the plot was well integrated and never overdone. A worthy Edgar nominee for best novel of 2008.

Good Reads

Funeral in Berlin
Len Deighton
Published in 1964, I found this deftly plotted cold war suspense tale to be an enjoyable read.

The Last Werewolf
Glen Duncan
While the prose style was a bit exaggerated for my taste and some of the sexual interludes could have excised, I did ultimately end up enjoying both the plot and the characters in this story about the last living werewolf. I listened to the audio version and the first person narration of the book was handled very well by, a new to me narrator, Robin Sachs.

White Nights
Ann Cleeves
An enjoyable read but not quite as good as the previous book in the series Raven Black. The highlights of this book for me were the Shetland Island setting and the author's insight into how insular communities work and are affected by crime. I found the ending to be a bit abrupt though and perhaps not in keeping with the pace of the rest of the book.

Walking the Perfect Square
Reed Farrel Coleman
Set mostly in 1978 New York City this book introduces Moe Prager a former NYC policeman who has been invalided out of the force with a bad knee. The author is one of my favorite Bouchercon panelists and I was a bit worried that his work would not live up to my expectations but I ended up really enjoying it and look forward to continuing on with the series.

One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game
John Feinstein
I found this to be a mostly enjoyable listen. Feinstein recounts his early career as a sportswriter, how he came to write Season on the Brink, and how its success led to his other books on various sports. The book needed better editing though. There were a couple of rather big errors early on and Dan Dakich's name was mispronounced throughout the audio. The narration was done by David De Vries.

Ghost Hero
S.J. Rozan
Much better than the previous book in the series. A quick, light read and while I did have a couple of problems with the plotting I really enjoyed having both Bill and Lydia working together and on the same page.

Valediction
Robert B. Parker
Spencer is a bit out of sorts during this book and the body count seemed particularly high but I found it to be an enjoyable listen. So far, after eleven books, I have not yet felt that the series has lost steam. The audio was read by Michael Prichard with his usual workmanlike style.

Dark Summer
Jon Cleary
Another fine entry in this consistently good series featuring a Sydney police inspector. I especially enjoy how the author weaves in Australian culture and politics into the plots without being heavy-handed.

The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America
Michael Ruhlman
I thought this book did a great job of showing how intense being a student at the CIA is. The writer started out trying just to observe but quickly got caught up in the first skills class and decided he really wanted to be a real cook.

OK Read

Scavenger Reef
Laurence Shames
I really enjoyed the two previous books that I have listened to by this author but this one was a bit of a chore to get through. The premise of a lost at sea artist from Key West whose work soars in value sounded good but quite a lot of the book was rather depressing. The narration was done by Richard Ferrone who did his usual excellent job.

THE LAST WEREWOLF looks interesting!

Sandi - good month! I enjoyed The Last Werewolf on audio too, I listened to it last August. I think you might like it Melodie.
It was good to visit again with Bill and Lydia in Ghost Hero - now I am ready for another "Bill" book. It seems like they should come out almost together when one POV is published. ;)

Sandi wrote: Scavenger Reef
Laurence Shames
I really enjoyed the two previous books that I have listened to by this author but this one was a bit of a chore to get through. The premise of a lost at sea artist from Key West whose work soars in value sounded good but quite a lot of the book was rather depressing.

This one was more serious than the previous books and that's not his strength IMO.

Daniel wrote: " Scavenger Reef
Laurence Shames
I really enjoyed the two previous books that I have listened to by this author but this one was a bit of a chore to get through ...

This one was more serious than the previous books and that's not his strength IMO"

I agree with you. The book had some pretty heavy themes running through it and just did not quite come together.