Wednesday, April 4, 2018

MARCH MYSTERY MADNESS WRAP UP


I managed to read all of the books that I set out to read for March Mystery Madness.  I liked them all (some more than others), even the Elizabeth George title of which I was most wary.
 

  • In a Strange City by Laura Lippmann was your standard PI novel with a nice dollop of Baltimore/Edgar Allen Poe history tossed in. It is the sixth book in an ongoing series featuring Lippman's detective Tess Monaghan who,like Lippman, is a former journalist and B-more resident.
  • The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor is a debut novel that is heavily influenced by Stephen King IMO. So expect a bit of horror with the mystery and check out Lark's and Melody's excellent reviews as well if this sounds like a book you might like! 
  • The Broken Shore by Peter Temple was good in a hard-boiled kind of way. It takes place in the aughts in Australia but definitely has its roots in classic noir detective fiction. 
  • I listened to Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd written by Alan Bradley and narrated by Jane Entwistle. This is the first time I have tried any of the Flavia de Luce mysteries on audio and it really was a fun experience. I highly recommend the audio as performed by Ms. Entwistle if you are a fan of this series. 
  • The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö was pretty cool. I would definitely class it as a procedural and I enjoyed that nuts and bolts aspect of it. I think it has aged very well considering it was first published in the 1960s. 
  • Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George did disappoint me somewhat, but I think in large part because she has written characters to whom I have really become attached. So, you know, kudos for that Liz. I have decided I will continue with at least the next book since I already own it and we'll see: the jury is still out.

I had a lot of fun reading mostly mysteries in March and will try to do this again next year.  Of the above listed, my favorite was Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd.  I love this series. It can be a bit twee and a little manic at times, but so much fun for readers who love Flavia as a character. 

12 comments:

  1. I've been interested in those Alan Bradley books (mainly because of the names, if I'm honest), so I'll have to eventually try one out.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Rob! The Flavia books are fun. Kind of like with Chandler (only in a very different way!), one reads them more for the character and atmosphere than the mystery. They are fluffy fun.

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  2. I enjoyed The Chalk Man--it was a little different from so many mysteries. I've only read the first two of Bradley's Flavia de Luca books and should catch up. Sorry that the Elizabeth George wasn't better. The Laura Lippmann with an Edgar Allan Poe sounds interesting!

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    1. Thanks for the comment jenclair! Yes,The Chalk Man was a mash up of horror, coming-of-age, and mystery! I really had fun reading all these different kinds of mysteries in March.

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  3. That's great that you finished all the books you planned to read for your March Mystery Madness. I tried three reading challenges in March and failed at all of them.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Angela! For me the key is to only do challenges where the choice of what I read is fairly open. If it is too narrow, I feel hemmed in and don't want to read anything.

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  4. I felt the same about George, I did really like The Chalk Man xxx

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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    1. Thanks for the comment Lainy! Good to know I am not alone in my frustration with the direction George has taken her characters!

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  5. I'm a Flavia fan, too. :) My copy of Bradley's latest is supposed to arrive at my library on Friday, so I'll be spending my weekend happily ensconced in the crazy world of Flavia de Luce.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Lark! I have the latest too, but haven't gotten to it yet. But I really think I will download the audio from the library since I really enjoyed Thrice The Brinded Cat in that format.

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  6. What a fun reading project for March--sounds like they were different enough from each to not feel repetitive.

    I've only read one Tess Monaghan mystery, but I really liked it, so I should get more on my TBR shelf.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Jane! This was my first Tess Monaghan but my third Laura Lippman book. Her new book Sunburn is getting lots of press too. I should see if the library has it!

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