Mystery March - Part 2

We are reading lots of mysteries this month, here are just a few that some of us have read so far:



There is still plenty of March left so I'm sure we can read plenty more!

I just completed Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn, and like Majkia earlier, I found this to be a little more of a historical romance than a mystery.

I'm reading In the Woods by Tana French. Can't imagine why I've let this one languish so long. It's really keeping me engaged.

Just finished the magical cozy mystery Secondhand Spirits by, Juliet Blackwell I really enjoyed this first of a series and will definitley continue on with it. I listened to this on audio and thought the narration by, Xe Sands was well done!

Now starting another cozy and first in a series Death of a Gossip by, M.C. Beaton

I've written a review of a first mystery, featuring an out gay LAPD homicide detective (!), called The DVD Murders, It's in my thread...post #191.

I'll hold off advocating for it until I read some more in the series. At least I'm game to do that, which is more than most books I pick up!

I finally started my Mystery March book, Beat the Reaper and just that fast I found myself another top-notch crime writer and the guy is tough as razor blades but funny as hell. This is how it opens:
"So I'm on my way to work and I stop to watch a pigeon fight a rat in the snow, and some f*ckhead tries to mug me! Naturally there's a gun."
I love this stuff!
Sadly, this might be the only crime/mystery book I'll get to. Bummer, but at least this one is a doozy!

I finished Bloodlines by Susan Conant it turned out to be less mystery and more about puppy mills. I only gave it 3 stars.

I am now reading Fall into Death by Emily Toll. I thought it was the first of the series but it is number 3. I have not read any books by this author before. I am on page 20 and so far so good.

This hasn't been that great of a reading month for me, in terms of quantity, but I have enjoyed the 5 mysteries I've read so far.

--Agony of the Leaves by Laura Childs
--Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy
--Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
--Dead Tease by Victoria Houston
--Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews

Next up, I think, the new Abigail Adams mystery by Barbara Hamilton, called Sup with the Devil.

Since my last report, I've read:

Beastly Things by Donna Leon
Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst
The Hangman by Louise Penny
Dead Angler by Victoria Houston

That's a grand total of 11 mysteries this month to date. Reviews are on my thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/132610

My Mysteries for March so far.

The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Don't look back by Karin Fossum
Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill
The Toff on Board by John Creasey
No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie
Nowhere to Run by C.J. Box
Unspoken by Mari Jungstedt
Double for the Toff by John Creasey
Off Season by Phillip R. Craig

Did I mention I finished Disco for the Departed? It was another excellent Dr. Siri outing in Colin Cotterill's series, and my review's on the book page for it.

What next? Death Comes to Pemberley, I think, and the next Dr. Siri.

I've only read the first Dr. Siri, but I'm hooked! So I'm glad to hear that you think they remain excellent, jnwelch. Did you like the second book, cindysprocket? And which challenge did you add it to? (Although I doubt that I'll be able to finish it in time for a shared read this month, but just in case.)

Just started Still Life by Louise Penny. Let's see what all the fuss is about...

Cindy - I read Thirty-three Teeth, the second in the series, which is just as good as the first. I added it to challenge #6.

Second day of my vacation and second mystery finished!
So far, this month:

Killer Plot
Dire Threads
Out Of The Deep I Cry♫
Killer Weekend
Agony of the Leaves
Affairs of Steak

Sadly, no mysteries read yet for me, but there's still time this month to get one in! Crossing my fingers!

Finished my second Mystery March title, The Beekeeper's Apprentice. An excellent book, I shall be continuing with the series.

And have now started what has to be my third and final Mystery March title: Death Comes to Pemberley. Then I must get on with some of my serious reads!

I just finished The Night Following by Morag Joss. Although not a straight forward mystery in any sense, I did chose to read it now because of Mystery March. It turned out to be a story of psychological suspense.

I have also started One Under by Graham Hurley which is the 7th book in his police precedural series.

12 countrylife and 14 crazymamie. I also enjoyed Thirty-three Teeth. too hard for me to keep up with all of the challenges though. Will be looking forward to the rest of the series.

@ 13 - mijkia, I wasn't impressed with Still Life at all. I've been told that the series improves.....but, after reading Still Life I'm not at all interested in continuing with the series.

I don't understand the fuss either.

Finished another....Tempest in the Tea Leaves

Just finished Still Life by Louise Penny. I loved the village, loved the characters she drew so well, the mystery was meh, and I hated that female Agent.

I also found the constant jumping around from head to head changing POV very annoying.

I might try the second book, just because I really loved Three Pines. We'll see.

I'm reading The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket. I have less than 100 pages to go. The big mystery -- what's in the sugar bowl?!

I'm feeling a little burned out on mysteries at the moment, but I've read two more since I last posted:

14. The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O’Connell (second in the series)
15. Murder, With Peacocks by Donna Andrews (a much beloved reread)

Oh, I liked Murder, With Peacocks too! A lovely piece of silliness. Wasn't so impressed with the others of the series I've read, sadly.

I finished Death Comes to Pemberley and while I mostly liked it, it certainly was no Jane Austen.

And that's it for Mystery March for me! Thanks for running it, Judy!

You are very welcome, Tania.

I finished One Under this evening, it was a very well done police procedural, and it's great to see this series still going strong after 7 books.

I am now going to squeeze in my ER book A Winter Kill by Vicki Delany. It's basically a novella, being only 111 pages long. After that I have one more that I would like to read before the month is over. Didn't think I'd ever say this, but I will be glad to give mysteries a rest and read something else during April. Of course, I know I will be ready to jump back in again for May's Murder and Mayhem!

I read The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair. It's a debut novel by a Canadian author and I quite enjoyed it. It's the story of young lad who turns up dead . The story takes place in Havana, Cuba. It was an interesting mystery and an interesting location too. I look forward to book by Peggy Blair.

I've just started Dark Vineyard, second in series by Martin Walker, set deep in the French countryside.

This series shares with Camilleri's Sicilian series a warm setting and a delight in good regional food and drink, which makes for pleasant reading for any who are interested in food and quite a contrast in temperature, landscape and cuisine from the various popular Scandinavian mysteries at present. But it lacks the humour of Camilleri's writing, judging from the one and a bit books I've read so far.

Of course, I did terrible reading crime/mystery books this month, which I expected, although I did read one and it was a dandy: Beat the Reaper, check out my review. If you have the stomach for it, it's a Must Read.
I do not think April will be much better, due to the fact the David Copperfield Group read is that month.

Judy- Thanks for hosting! You did a great job!

I managed 3-ish mysteries for March:
* Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson, which was by far the highlight.
* The Affair by Lee Child, which really is more of a thriller series but this one in particular had a strong murder mystery component.
* Margarita Nights by Phyllis Smallman, which disappointed as a poor woman's Stephanie Plum.

I am disappointed not to have managed more, but between finishing 1Q84 and starting my tutored read of Shakespeare's Sonnets this month, I've been a little distracted.

I've started Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson and so far it's intriguing.

I just found out about this, but luckily mysteries are my favorite genre, so I've already been reading some this month.

1. Death Comes to Pemberly
2. Death in the City of Light (true crime)
3. Midnight in Austenland
4. The Twisted Thread
5. Before I Go to Sleep
6. Turn of Mind
I am definitely grabbing an Agatha Christie off my shelf when I get home from work in honor of this month!

Here's what I have so far this month for mysteries:

1. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
2. Thirty-Three Teeth - Colin Cotterill
3. Still Life - Louise Penny
4. A Share in Death - Deborah Crombie
5. Don't Look Back - Karin Fossum

The great thing is that I used this month's theme to try out mystery writers that were new to me, so except for Colin Coterrill, who I discovered last month thanks to Richard's great review, the other four were new finds. I am currently reading the third book in the Dr. Siri series Disco for the Departed - gotta love that Dr. Siri!! I would still love to squeeze in a Raymond Chandler, one of my all time favorite authors, but we'll see. Thanks, Judy for hosting!

* Joe - I really liked Before I Go to Sleep.

Dissolution has vanished. I suspect a light-fingered member of my extended household snaffled it, as he's learning to love mysteries.

Ashes to Dust made me mad. It will not be read this month.

A Real Basket Case isn't at all bad, but I really don't care that much.

Anarchy and Old Dogs, the fourth Dr. Siri, is (of course) rockin' along at a delightful clip. I love these books as much as I detested the other series he's started.

>33 Crazymamie: Good to know, Mamie, thanks. Seasonsoflove (>32 seasonsoflove:) also really liked Before I Go to Sleep, and passed on to me her library copy.

Mysteries for March: so far, finished

1 Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger (fiction -- 2nd in Cork O'Connor series)
2 Red Bones by Ann Cleves (3rd in Shetland Quartet)
3 Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
4 When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum
5 The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner (AUDIO)
6 The Gods of Gotham by Lindsay Faye
7 The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths (AUDIO)

Currently reading:
Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger (3rd in Cork O'Connor series)
The Likeness by Tana French (E-BOOK)
Bag of Bones by Stephen King (AUDIO -- I guess more horror than mystery, but mysterious in a way)

My current books will probably finish out the month for me. Though I do have the whole rest of the week . . . ;)

Mysteries for March for me:

1. Silent in the Grave - Deanna Raybourn
2. Death at the President's Lodging - Michael Innes
3. The Last Kashmiri Rose - Barbara Cleverly
4. Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear
5. Still Life - Louise Penny

I'm currently reading Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd an ER book I won. I hope I'll finish it before the end of March.

March mysteries so far for me:

Death Comes to Pemberley - P D James
A fountain filled with blood - Julia Spencer-Fleming
Revelation - C J Sansom
The mysterious affair at Styles - Agatha Christie

and currently reading

Dark Vineyard - Martin Walker

None of these were new-to-me authors. If I have time, I'd like to read Ann Cleeves' Raven Black, Martin Edwards' The Coffin Trail or The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin, which have all been on my shelves since last summer and which are all first in a series by a new author for me.

I just finished Before I Go to Sleep and started The House at Sea's End. I love the Ruth Galloway series!

>31 jnwelch: Enjoy Joe!

>33 Crazymamie: Mamie - I stayed up way too late last night because I wanted to finish it!

>38 gennyt: genny - I loved Raven Black.

I've finished a couple more mysteries: Plunder by Mary Anna Evans and Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis. Plunder is the 7th book in a series, but the first I've read. It won't be the last. Vienna Blood was OK, but it was longer than it needed to be.

#32 - Becca, you have inspired me to also try and squeeze an Agatha Christie in this month. I've had an audio version of Dead Man's Folly sitting on my I-Pod for some time, will try to get to it.

March Mysteries so far - still a few days left!

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill
Sherlock Holmes in Orbit by Mike Resnick
Stalin's Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith
The Man Who Changed His Name by Eric Wright

Only Stalin's Ghost was a disappointment.

#41' Dead Man 's Folly is a great one! I chose The Mysterious Mr. Quinn because its one I don't remember the solutions too and haven't reread a lot.

Before I Go to Sleep, which I got courtesy of Becca, was a fun, Hitchcockian hall of mirrors.

I'm now turning to the next Dr. Siri, Anarchy and Old Dogs.

My March mysteries were:

Thirty-Three Teeth Colin Cotterill
When Will There Be Good News Kate Atkinson
Speaking in Tongues Jeffery Deaver
In the Woods Tana French

Only French is a new author to me. I was already fond of the others. I will probably start the second Matthew Shardlake novel, Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom, tonight, but it is unlikely that I'll finish it by the end of the month.

I completed Lazybones by Mark Billingham and this was another real page-turner in his DI Tom Thorne series. I was listening to Agatha Christies' Dead Man's Folly and had reached chapter six or so but somehow I erased or lost it off my I-Pod. I will have to download it from the library again some time and finish it.

I think this will complete my Mystery March. I want to thank everyone who participated and we all deserve a cheer for getting so many mysteries and thrillers off of our shelves. I'm looking forward to a break from mysteries, but I will be back for Mark's Month of Mayhem and Murder in May. See you there!

Finished my last mystery for Mystery March: The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd. It was really different and I really enjoyed it! I loved how she wrote it.

Just a heads up to everyone with a Kindle: Maids of Misfortune, a Victorian San Francisco Mystery by M. Louisa Locke, is available for free today! I read her short story Dandy Detects, set in the same universe, and I loved it! I expect Maids of Misfortune to be just as good.

Thanks for the heads-up, Samantha_kathy. I've not read that series, but it's worth a try for free with such a good recommendation from you.

I finished my last book for Mystery March-The Mysterious Mr. Quinn by Agatha Christie. This was a re-read, but this is not one of Christie's that I tend to re-read a lot, so that was really fun.

I'm excited for May! If I had my dream way, every month would be a Mystery month ;)

Mysteries I finished in March:

Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis
A Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Second Violin by John Lawton
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
Sweet and Lowdown by Lise McClendon

Great fun.

Woohoo! I managed to finish one more mystery: Dire Threads. I picked it up and put it down a couple of times, but it grew on me!

Thanks, Judy for being such a wonderful hostess. It was fun to wallow in mysteries for a month and I'm looking forward to doing it again in May. I'll still read a few mysteries in March, but far, far fewer. I think SF&F will take over.

Just detailing my reads for March Mystery Month:

Silent in the Grave Deanna Raybourn
Death at the President's Lodging Michael Innes
The Last Kashmiri Rose Barbara Cleverly
Maisie Dobbs Jacqueline Winspear
Still Life Louise Penny
Solitary House Lynn Shepherd

It's been a great challenge for me!

Here is my month's tally for Mystery March

Murder of a Royal Pain - Denise Swanson
Finding Clarity - Laura Novak
Lord Peter - Dorothy Sayers
Glory in Death - J. D. Robb
The Cruellest Month - Louise Penney
The Coroner's Lunch - Colin Cotterill
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley
Petty Treason - Madeleine Robins
Entangled - Barbara Ellen Brink

Thanks, Judy, for setting it up!

Foucault's pendulum
Finished reading: 16 March 2012



Some books are hyped, and in the process each aspect gets blown up beyond recognition. I should have known better, that is, to stay away from best-sellers, like this. It's all puff.

The opening chapter is difficult to read, a perhaps deliberately oblique description of the function of Foucault's pendulum. This is soon followed by a racy description of the crusades and the origin of the order of the Knights Templar. This is probably the most interesting part of the book. This is ended by a ruse, the suggestion of a conspiracy, by a character who promptly disappears. Subsequently, the story falls flat for about 200 pages. The book would be a lot more readable, and portable, if you would tear out chapters 34 - 80. These chapters seem to have no other function than to separate the 'facts" in part 1 from the 'fiction' in part 2. From chapter 81, the story picks up with the alchemists, spinning candy floss out of the ideas introduced in the first part of the book. The mystery presented here is quite ridiculous.

Here is what I read for Mystery March. It's a bit different from my first post way back in the last thread.

The Holmes-Dracula File by Fred Saberhagen
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes by Loren D. Estleman
Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham

The last has recommended by Judy our mystery guru, of course. :-)

I finished one last mystery earlier in the week and just got around to posting my review. Seneca Falls Inheritance by Miriam Grace Monfredo was a little disappointing, particularly since it was an Agatha nominee for best first novel.

Final list for March:
If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him: Despite a slightly date and slightly heavy-handed feminist slant, this book is a very funny mystery with some great characters.
Lament for a Maker: Michael Innes at his finest. A classic; it's staying in the collection.
The Various Haunts of Men: a sort of police procedural, but full of character development, this was highly recommended to me and did not disappoint.
Death of a Fat God: a mystery sppofing opera and opera people. I loved this funny book.
Overture to Death: Inspector Alleyn at his best. 'Nuff said.
Skeleton Looking for a Closet (no touchstone) Very odd family mystery.
Death at La Fenice: another highly recommended series, this Venetian mystery with the intriguing Brunetti doesn't disappoint either, with opera and lots of subtle wit.
The Kentish Manor Murders: The fine critic and historian of detective fiction, Julian Symons, presents an homage to Sherlock Holmes. Not as good as I'd hope it would be, but still interesting.

Thanks from me too, Judy; I laways love Mystery March.

Thanks for a great Mystery March, Judy! These are the mysteries I finished last month:

1. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. 4 stars.
2. Cold Vengeance by Preston and Child. 3.75 stars.
3. The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch. 3 stars.
4. SPQR II: The Catiline Conspiracy by John Maddox Roberts. 4.5 stars.
5. SPQR II: The Catiline Conspiracy by John Maddox Roberts. 4.5 stars.
6. SPQR I: The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts. 4 stars.
7. SPQR V: Saturnalia by John Maddox Roberts. 4 stars.
8. SPQR VI: Nobody Loves a Centurion by John Maddox Roberts. 3.75 stars.
9. Petty Treason by Madieline E. Robins. 4 stars
10. Taken by Robert Crais. 4.5 stars.
11. SPQR VII: The Tribunes Curse by John Maddox Roberts.
12. Murder Most Strange by Dell Shannon. 3.75 stars
13. The Sleeping Partner by Madeleine Robins. 4.75 stars
14. SPQR VIII: The River God's Vengeance by John Maddox Roberts. 4 stars
15. The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn. 4.5 stars

Can't wait until Mystery May!

I didn't get around to posting here in March, but I did read nine mysteries for the month. Reconnected with old favorites, discovered some new ones that I look forward to continuing and got some good reccomendations from everyone here.

The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin ***
The Snack Thief by Andrea Camileri ****1/2
The Big Four by Agatha Christie ***1/2
Mind Scrambler by Chris Grabenstein ****
Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom ***1/2
Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum****
The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi***
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry ***
Cover Her Face by P. D. James ***1/2

My completed reads for Mystery March:

A Gathering of Days, A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32 by Joan Blos - 4.2 stars
A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore - 3.7
Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay - 4.2
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill - 4.7
The Lilac House by Anita Nair - 4.5
Violets of March by Sarah Jio - 3.5
March Violets by Philip Kerr - 4.1
Consumption by Kevin Patterson - 3.6

This was the first year I've participated in Mystery March and every one of my reads were winners!

My final list of mysteries for March:

Pasta Imperfect by Maddy Hunter - 2 stars
The Memorial Hall Murder by Jane Langton - 3.5 stars
The Damascened Blade by Barbara Cleverly - 3.5 stars
Bedeviled Eggs by Laura Childs - 3.5 stars
Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris - 3.5 stars
Bake Sale Murder by Leslie Meier - 3 stars
Agony of the Leaves by Laura Childs - 4 stars
Beastly Things by Donna Leon - 4 stars
Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst - 2.5 stars
The Hangman by Louise Penny - 4 stars
Dead Angler by Victoria Houston - 3.5 stars
In the Blood by Steve Robinson - 2 stars
Death by the Glass by Nadia Gordon - 1 stars
Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke - 3 stars