The "I am currently reading" thread

[metalman]

Recently read:

 

Barbara Paul - But he was already dead when I got there. The author was inspired to write this by characters saying that in the Perry Mason TV series, and decided to take it to extremes by having all six suspects visit the murder scene and disarrange it in various ways. Good.

Barbara Paul - Your eyelids are growing heavy.  Woman is hypnotised into committing a crime. As far fetched as the above but again an entertaining read.

Ruth Rendell - A sleeping life. A good Inspector Wexford mystery, though I'd worked it out way before the end for a change.

Agatha Christie - The body in the library. Miss Marple investigates exactly that.

T. P. Fielden - A quarter past dead. The third in the Judy Dimont series (see my previous post above) and again it was OK but overlong and too verbose. Think I might give up on this bloke for now.

Robert A. Heinlein - The green hills of Earth. 1950s science fiction which now seems hopelessly dated but still a nostalgic read for anyone of my vintage.

James Hadley Chase - Figure it out for yourself. Sort-of private eye Vic Malloy tackles a kidnapping, several murders and some drug smuggling. They may not be fashionable but I always find his books good page-turners.

 

Now reading: John Rhode - Vegetable Duck. It's apparently a term for a stuffed marrow, which in this case is used to bump off a woman by virtue of being laced with digitalis. Another ingenious murder method in action. I can recommend The Hanging Woman by him from my last post too, but there's not much point recommending it since you stand almost no chance of finding a copy these days.

Edited June 22, 2020 by metalman

[GavinBall]

On 01/01/2008 at 22:17, *Wallace* said:

Phillip Pullman his Dark Materials.

Oh, great one. I loved it

[feargal]

On 22/06/2020 at 10:52, taxman said:

I've just ordered The Mirror and the Light, the final installment of Hilary Mantel's Cromwell trilogy. To get me in the mood and up to speed on the characters I'm binge re-reading Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies.

I tried Wolf Hall when it came out, but packed it in pretty early (scared myself with the sheer size I think!).  However, I'm currently reading Kate Mosse  "Burning Chambers" and loving it, so I might give old Hilary another crack. 

 

I'm itching to get back to the charity shops and book swaps!  However, I've had some decent stuff from The Works for their 3 for a fiver offer, which has helped see me (and my neighbour, mum and two friends) through lockdown so far.  Thank goodness for having friends and family who are willing to share 🙂

Edited July 1, 2020 by feargal

[mikeG]

Reach for the Ground by Jeffrey Bernard.

[Rockers rule]

Treasure Island (according to Spike Milligan) 

 

Not one of his best unfortunately.

 

Think I'll leave it at that and remember Spike as he was.

 

RIP

 

[nikki-red]

I’ve just finished The Wave, by Morton Rhue.

 

Its a really dumbed down, dramatised version of events but still quite interesting.

 

Only short too, read it in a few hours.

[metalman]

Read since my last post:

 

Phoebe Atwood Taylor - Punch with care. Another sprightly mystery for Cape Cod detective Asey Mayo; good fun again, if a bit coincidence-stretching.

Dell Shannon - Root of all evil

Dell Shannon - Double bluff. Two early entries in the long series of police procedurals featuring Lt. Luis Mendoza. If you like Ed McBain's 87th precinct series, you'll like these too.

A. Fielding - The Craig poisoning mystery. Inspector Pointer investigates in his usual methodical way. OK.

Raymond Chandler - Trouble is my business. A selection of hard-boiled detectives go down a variety of mean streets. Typically Chandler really.

James Hadley Chase - You'll be lonely when you're dead. Sort-of private eye Vic Malloy investigates a millionaire's wife and finds a rapidly escalating body count instead. Pacy.

Erle Stanley Gardner - The case of the smoking chimney. Although Gardner created Perry Mason, this isn't a Mason story, but still has the same style.

 

Now reading: E. R. Punshon - Death comes to Cambers. Punshon's series copper Bobby Owen progresses from constable to head of Scotland Yard but here he's only got as far as Sergeant when he investigates the bumping off of Lady Cambers at her country house. Took me a while to get into his style, but now I'm used to it it's not bad.

[nikki-red]

Pans Labyrinth 

 

This is my favourite film. It came out in 2006 but was only adapted into a book last year.

 

I was worried it wouldn’t do the film justice but Im 3 pages in and love it already.

[mikeG]

'The Way You Look Tonight' by Richard Madeley.  Great story.

[feargal]

Absolute Proof by Peter James.  Very much in the style of The da Vinci Code, it romps merrily along getting sillier and sillier, building up to.... Nothing much.  Its another one of those books where the author seems to have no idea how to end it, and it just fizzles out.