Mystery/Thriller Summer Book Discussions

At least half mystery novels violate the law
that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable.
Raymond Chandler

The thriller is the most popular literary genre
of the 20th century.
Ken Follett


This summer we did some book discussions. I have been asked over the years to do summer book discussions, and this year I finally said okay, let's give it a go. We met every other Tuesday at 4pm, a group ranging from two to fifteen folks got together to discuss two of my favorite genres....mysteries and/or thrillers.  I thought it would be fun to read an author's first book, or the first book in a series of books. (And of course, some books that I had already read.)

We kicked it off the end of June with Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon. This is the first book of a fabulous series set in Venice. Inspector Guido Brunetti, the vice-commissario of police, has to solve the case of who killed the Maestro? Seems there are several suspects. In the end, it will come down to what is the right thing to do? We loved the setting of Venice,  the interaction between Brunetti with his family and his fellow police people. Leon gives you feeling you are there with the characters, and there in Venice. Leon's description of Venice made us all want to go. (We also loved the food described in the book.)  We could sense that Brunetti was going to be an even more interesting character as the series progresses. The best part of this discussion for me? That the folks there said they enjoyed this series so much they were going to continue on with it.

Next up was The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva. (I know, your surprised I have a Silva book included) This was Mr. Silva's first book and the one that got me hooked on his books. Set in England during WWII, the book is fiction, but it is based on real events. How does British Intelligence (MI5) confuse Nazi Germany about their D-Day plans when it seems they know about them? They also thought they had captured all the German Abwehr agents in England, but there seems to be some sleeper agents ready to be activated in England. One of those agents is determined to get the information to Germany no matter the body count.
We talked about Churchill and how he used people to achieve the safety of England: his friendship with history professor Alfred Vicary to convince him to work for MI5,  match his wits with the Nazis and hopefully keep MI5 one step ahead of them: U.S. Navel Officer Peter Jordan, because of his poor judge of character, ends up being blackmailed and used to spy. We enjoyed the twists and turns in the book. It was a page turner...many said they finished it in two days because they had to know how it ended. Big question for the group? Just WHO was the Unlikely Spy? We all had different answers and every time a different character was mentioned by someone, we would all think about it and realize.....
One of our members, who rarely reads this genre, liked it and had her other book club read this book too~~she told me they raved about it.
For those who were new to Mr. Silva, he now has several new fans.

Dennis LeHane has one of my favorite duos in a mystery series, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro. Set in Dorchester, Mass, we get to meet these two private detectives in A Drink Before the War~~the kickoff to this terrific series. Great discussion on how an investigation into a missing cleaning woman led to involvement with prostitution, blackmail, gang-warfare, corruption and murder. We chatted about Kenzie and Gennaro, their cast of friends, how some of the things the two uncovered affected some of us and LeHane's writing style. For me, Le Hane reminds me of the noir style of writing:  hard-boiled, cynical, snarky characters surrounded by smokey shades of grey. (Think Raymond Chandler) One great comment by one of our group was "This doesn't happen in real life!"  This led to another great discussion on what is real life and what isn't.
If you watched the move, Gone, Baby, Gone, you have met Kenzie and Gennaro. This movie was based on book four of the series.

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. As you can guess, this one was the hit of the summer book discussions. Over fifteen people showed up. The discussion was about how popular the trilogy has become. Set in Sweden, we meet Mikael Blomkvist. He has just finished being the defendent in a high profile trail...where he was found guilty. When he is offered the job of finding Harriert Vanger, who disappeared forty years ago, well, he has nothing else to do...We agreed that while the names took some getting used to, the style of Larsson writing was intelligent and some said it was the best book they had read in the last five years. The character who was the groups favorite was without a doubt was Lisbeth Salander, who Blomkvist hires to help him on the case. Salander is brilliant, a computer genius,  antisocial and has a lot of emotional baggage. We loved her. Mikael Blomkvist was a good secondary--not that that was Larsson's intent. Blomkvist, never realizing what Salander felt for him, made some of us want to shake him and say "wake up!" The book has many twists and underlining plots, family secrets and discovering what did happen to Harriet Vanger~~all made for a great discussion. I had warned some readers that they needed to get past the first 100 pages before the book took off. I assured them that the payoff would make it all worth while.  I promised we would do book two in the late fall and book three in the late winter...if I can get the copies.

Scott Turow is probably one of my favorite legal thriller writers. Years ago, I read Presumed Innocent and enjoyed it...full of political corruption, betrayal, courtroom drama and of course, murder, what was there not to like? I thought since Turow had come out with a sequel to it, Innocent, (twenty years later) if would be fun to reread it and then catch up with the characters in the sequel. The group were surprised with how they got hooked right away. We talked about the insight he gave into the justice system and how using the present tenth made us feel we were right there watching what was going on. One group member said they felt like yelling "look out!" during one section of the book. The best part? We all agreed that we were shocked and surprised by the ending. (Well, not me because I had read it before.)  Seemed nobody expected the ending to be what it was at all while reading the book, and when they found out  who the murderer was, they were shocked. 
I will say that the movie based on the book, starring Harrison Ford, is terrific too.

We finished up the summer book discussion with Nemesis by Jo Nesbo. This was another great series many in the group became hooked on. Who robbed a bank, shot the cashierand just disappeared into thin air? Outside of trying to remember the characters and keeping the names straight, it was a great read. Norwegian Detective Harry Hole takes us on a whirlwind of a  ride from Norway to Brazil, as he tries to find the killer....and prove himself innocent in the mysterious death of someone he knew. There were multi-layered plots that did end up connecting toward the end. The big part of the discussion was the comparison between this book and the Larsson book. Several felt this book was better then Larssons and look forward to continuing to solve murders with Harry Hole.
Unfortunately this was book three in the series. The first two books were being translated into English and there weren't sufficient copies for me to get for the group. Nobody thought they had missed anything from not having read the first two.
**When Nesbo isn't busy writing books, he plays in the Norweigian rock band, Di Derre.

One question about the two European authors, Larsson and Nesbo, was the concern that anything was lost in translating the books from Swedish and Norwegian to English? From everything I read about both of them, the answer seems to be no. The translators seem to have done a superb job of translating both books.

We had some great discussions with these books. In fact, we had such a great time, many in the group requested we continue the mystery/thriller book discussions...and we will.
If you are looking for a new series, check some of these out. Want to read a popular author's first book, here you go with some good ones. Any one of them I would highly recommend. 

Up next will be The Poet by Michael Connelly on October 19th at 4pm.This was Connelly's first book and it was one that you couldn't put down....

IT'S SUMMER!!

‘Cause it’s summer

Summer time is here
Yes, it’s summer
My time of year
Summer by War

Ah, summertime. The pace of life slows down, lazing around feels good, hanging outside at the end of the day feels delightful…and reading is the best way to end the day. Ah, summer! Okay maybe all this doesn’t really happen, but I do hope you find time to end your day reading a book!!

Some highly recommended books for your summer reading follow:

One of the best non-fiction books I read this winter was Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton. This is a terrific account of a U.S. Special Forces Unit fighting alongside Afghans in the mountains against the Taliban. The contingent of US soldiers sent over had their first surprise when they discovered they had to ride horses, and almost none of them had been on ever been on a horse. It seemed these horses were descendents of the horses Genghis Khan Army had ridden out of Uzbekistan. A great written account of the triumphs, misery, courage and horror of war with, surprisingly, some humor. (You will forget you're reading non-fiction.)

One of my favorite legal thriller writers is Scott Turow. His latest book is Innocent which is a (20 year) sequel to Presumed Innocent, one of my all time favorite legal books. (Which was made into a pretty good movie.) Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto are once again pitted against each other to determine did Sabich kill his wife…or didn’t he? Turow makes you pay attention and think while you read his books; his characters drive the storyline very nicely and I haven’t found anyone who does a courtroom scene better….and yes, that includes John Grisham.

We said a sad goodbye to Robert B. Parker this year and his wonderful characters: Spenser, Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. As much as I liked his mysteries, I loved his westerns; Brimstone; Resolution; Appaloosa... and a personal favorite, Gunman’s Rhapsody. As luck would have it, one of Parker’s last novels is a western, Blue-Eyed Devil: the Virgil Cole/Everett Hitch. This is one I am looking forward to.

If you enjoy good westerns, here are some of the best written.

*If you haven’t read All Our Yesterdays or Double Play by Parker…give yourself a treat.

Ah, Daniel Silva! If you haven't read Daniel Silver you are missing out on one of the best spy/espionage series being written! Silva kicked this series off with The Kill Artist and introduced one of the best espionage spies to date, Gabriel Allon. The Rembrandt Affair, number 10 in this great series, comes out in July. This one is on the top of my summer reading list. I can’t wait to read it and find out what Gabriel Allon is doing…. since he was supposed to have retired….

Nelson DeMille new one is The Lion, and he brings John Corey back to tangle with old nemesis Asad Khalil, aka the Lion. Hard to believe we first met Corey in Plum Island in 2002. It’s been a wild ride with every one of his adventures since. While DeMille’s Corey series is always a thrilling ride, if you haven't read some of his early stuff, Charm School; Word of Honor; Cathedral to name a few, give them a try. Sometimes you can be surprised to see how writing styles of an author have changed.

I know Dennis Lehane is better known for his books (made into movies) Shutter Island and Mystic River; I would be remiss if I did not point out he has a great series featuring private dectectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro that is set in Boston. (The movie Gone, Baby, Gone is from this series.) Sadly, Lehane will bring this series to a close in November with the last installment, Moonlight Mile, which is a sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone. This series kicked off with A Drink Before the War, a debut that hooked me, especially because of the way Lehane writes. If you want to get hooked on a great series, you can get started on this one and be caught up by the time Moonlight Mile comes out. I am so glad to have Kenzie and Gennaro back, even if it is the last time.


Little romance for the summer?


Karen Marie Moning has a great Highlander series that has it all, love, romance, time-travel, Scotland and sex (yes, I said sex)

Starting with Beyond the Highland Mist you are off with Adrienne, a 20th century gal, who gets swept off her feet and back to 16th century Scotland by the laird known as Hawk. Nothing better than traveling back and forth through time while being in Scotland. There are seven books in this series so if you like the first, your summer reading should all set.


I love a good historical romance and when I read (many many years ago) The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, I was thrilled. Woodiwiss is considered the founding mother of historical romance and after reading this I know why. Pick up this golden oldie.....Normans, Saxons, …enemies, passion, and betrayal….it is England after all.


Sarah Addison Allen enchanted me with Garden Spells, her first book. Touch of whimsy, magic, family ties and love…she did another wonderful job with the Sugar Queen. Her latest, The Girl Who Chased the Moon is just as charming as her other two.  Any or all of these will leave you with a little smile on your face, happy you met these quirky characters of small Southern towns, and so glad you could pay a visit.





Hopefully, one of these strikes your reading fancy and you enjoy your summer!


Happy Summer! Happy Reading!

Bring on Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer!

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer!
Nat King Cole

One of the best things about summer is the longer days, warmer nights, summer breezes... and lazing around reading a book outside, under a tree, at the beach..in a hammock. All good stuff. Thinking about what books I am hoping to read this summer, which ones do I looking forward to reading...which ones am I anticipating picking up when I get home. Here are some of my choices, so far.

Physick Book of Deliverance Dane---Katherine Howe

I haven't read any of Howe's books and this one received rave reviews. I am looking forward to reading this. It's also been some time since I read a good book about the witch trials in Massachusetts, time-travel, and how the past can affect present day...how could I not?

Killer Summer---Ridley Pearson

Love Pearson. His series which featured Detective Lou Bolt and Daphne Matthews, set in Seattle, were edge of your seat thrillers. This one is the third in his newer series about Sheriff Walt Fleming, it's set in Sun Valley, Idaho. I liked the first two of this series so far. This one is not quite as edgy as the other one, but so far so good.

Always Magic in the Air: the Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era--

Ken Emerson

I have been wanting to read this book for some time, and plan to make time this summer. I am a baby boomer and proud of it, especially when I hear the music from that time...."You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"; "Jailhouse Rock"; "On Broadway"...these take you on a trip down memory lane. this book is about the writers of those songs and I am so looking forward to putting the music on, kicking back, remembering, and losing myself in this book. Big smile for this one. (And I can already hear the music in my head.)

The Defector--Daniel Silva

I am always happy when Silva is coming out with a new book. He never lets me down. Silva's Gabriel Allon character has to be in one of the best thriller series you can read. If you read Moscow Rules, this is a continuation of that book. (I always liked his The Confessor much better than the Da Vinci Code.....and I like to tell people that all the time.) Silva takes current world happenings and incorporates them into his books. He makes the reader think. If you haven't read Silva, what are you waiting for? Give yourself a treat.


Dreamfever--Karen Marie Moning

Yes, I caught the fever! Right from the first book in this series, Bloodfever. Just what the heck is going on over there in Ireland? Are those really just shadows, or are they the Shades? Celtic fantasy takes a walk on the dark side and unless you are a sideh-seeker....you can't "see" what just might be lurking right next to you. This is the fourth book in this good fantasy/thriller series. I am looking forward to finding out what's been going on. ( I actually caught the Moning fever with her Highlander series. Fantasy, love, romance, time-travel. Hot stuff)

Magnificent Desolation--Buzz Aldrin

Can you remember what you were doing July 20, 1969? Forty years ago? Let's see, I was....okay, it doesn't really matter what I was doing. Forty years ago this July, Neil Armstrong stepped out of Apollo II and became the first man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin was right behind him. How come Armstrong got to go first? Here is Aldrin memoir of that historical event, NASA, the Apollo missions, and I am curious to find out what his recollections are of that time.

Rain Gods--James Lee Burke

Usually when I am going to crack open a Burke book, I get my sweet tea, dirty rice, crayfish sandwiches ready, and the jazz CD's cranking because we are in New Iberia, Louisiana with Dave Robicheaux. Not this time around. We are in Texas with Sheriff Hackberry Holland..book two of his new series. Okay, I will get my country CD's going, Texas Tea all set, and salsa and chips and off I go.....(word of advice.... easy with the Texas Tea^^)

A Family Man--Elinor Lipman

Little light reading with Lipman. Quirky characters, off-beat plots, and full of humor. I always enjoyed Lipman's books for those reasons and look forward to this one.

Don't forget the beach reads and romance novels...they will be in a future blog.

Just a few books on my list for summer reading.....what's on yours?

**I will state here and now that there can always be additions whenever the mood strikes me.

Relax and enjoy the beginning of summer!


Happy Reading!

Moscow Rules

I've traveled the world twice over,

Met the famous; saints and sinners,

Poets and artists, kings and queens,

Old stars and hopeful beginners,

I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned the secrets from writers and cooks,

All with one library ticket

To the wonderful world of books.

Unknown

Great quote, and I think it fits my review of this book beautifully!

Moscow Rules

Daniel Silva

Moscow Rules is the 8th book in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva. If you haven't read any of the series, let me introduce you to Gabriel Allon: one of the top agents in the Israeli-Intelligence agency, Mossad; talented, gifted, moody, but when he has to go on a mission his fellow operatives line up to work with him. His true passion is art restoration and Allon is one of the top art restorers in the world. The time, care, respect and love he gives his paintings overflows into his missions. No matter how many times Allon has told Mossad he is retired, when they need him, off he goes.

How has Russia changed since the fall of communism? Is Russia happier? Is life better? Besides Russia becoming a country of very wealthy people, how have they fared since the Cold War? Silva, who went to Moscow for his research, doesn't give that impression. Here he gives us insight on the current political climate, Russians are still anti-American, they smile at your face, but be careful turning your back. The new (rich) Russians have easy access to all of Europe and brought back to Moscow what they consider the best of Europe, but made it bigger. It is mentioned several times that Russia has to have the biggest of anything and everything in the world, the biggest this, the biggest that, so it would stand to reason that they would have the biggest arms dealer in the world.

In Moscow Rules, Allon is sent to bring down Russian businessman Ivan Kharkov, who is the world's biggest arms dealer. He sells to the highest bidder, no matter who they are. Kharkov is very wealthy, powerful and ruthless....and plans to stay that way. If anyone gets in his way, they won't be there for long. Two newspaper reporters who attempted to investigate him and his dealings have ended up dead. Since his current clients include al-Qaeda terrorists, America and Israel are very interested in him. To accomplish their mission it is decided to use Kharkov's wife, and luckily, she is an art lover.

It is very unusual, but we have the Israelis. Americans, British and French secret agencies working together to accomplish this very intricate, delicate, dangerous mission that takes the agents all over the world, and into Moscow, where people still can disappear. It seems there really are Moscow rules, every spy and intelligence agent knows them---no matter which agency they are attached to.

In the Allon series, when all the pieces have been put together, when it's time to put everything in motion, when the players are all in place and the clock has started ticking.... the pace picks up and I don't care what time it is, I am going to get to the last page....I just need to know how it ends.

I read Silva's first book in 1996, The Unlikely Spy, and he had me hooked. This is one of my favorite books to recommend to people and when they come back and rave about it I like the fact it is still holding up. For me, Silva is one of the best espionage writers today; he has been compared to Forsyth, Ludlum and le Carre. (Okay, personally....I don't think anyone can touch le Carre, especially his early stuff.)

Daniel Silva has another page turner. I enjoyed it, couldn't put it down. After reading this, I will not be going to Moscow...ever. (I don't think Silva should go back either.) Silva usually takes current events and entwines them in his thrillers. If you haven't read Daniel Silva, give yourself a treat and pick one up. I recommend him to anyone who enjoys thrillers and they come back and rave about him.

I am looking forward to Gabriel Allon's next adventure in The Defector this summer. From what I have read and heard, it will be a continuation of Moscow Rules. Someone Allon thought was a friend, well, let's just say that things aren't always what they appear.

Different Views

The Expected One

Kathleen McGowan

"No matter how busy you may think you are,
you must find time for reading, or surrender
yourself to self-chosen ignorance."

Atwood H. Townsend.



I have always had a fascination with Mary Magdalene, her relationship with the twelve apostles, and Jesus. With that in mind I looked forward to the Da Vinci Code and I read it way back when it was THE book to read. I thought it was okay, little over the top, and the ending left me feeling like it was a rush job. Seemed that Dan Brown felt like he was done writing and plop, here is the end. I read shortly after that Daniel Silva's The Confessor and will say I enjoyed it much much better. While with The Confessor it had more originality to it, was more realistic and had an ending that brought it to a close, not just stop and leave you wondering what the heck....

I was looking for a book to read (yes, sometimes I even have to think of one) when I remembered a recent book about Mary Magdalene that had come out. This book is fiction, but the author tells us she is a decedent of Mary Magdalen and her book is an account of her life experiences, how she came to this realization, and she has chosen to share it with us via fiction.

Maureen Pascal (really McGowan) has written a book about women who have been treated unfairly by history. Mary Magdalene is one of her women, and also one who she feels strongly about. While in Jerusalem she is given a ring with an usually insignia and then she starts having visions. Strange things continue to occur, people ask her questions about "who" she is, "who" she resembles, that they have been waiting for her. Hence, the title, the Expected One. McGowan has quite a different take on Da Vinci then Brown and Silva have, but it is interesting non the less.

I want to point out that even though you know it is suppose to be about the author, it isn't done in an hokey way. (Hokey is the only word that came to mind)

I liked the book. What comes to light is the finding of the Mary Magdalene Gospels. I wish the book had been all about the Mary Magdalene Gospels and how they came to be. When the author writes from Mary Magdalene viewpoint of what transpired all those centuries ago compared to what we have come to know, I loved it. McGowan makes you feel that you are there observing what is going on, when she writes as present day the writing didn't flow as well for me.

What is great when you read a book is when it grabs your interest and leaves you wanting to read more about the subject, this is what The Expected One did for me. It left me fascinated to learn more about Mary Magdalene and her views of what occurred during her time.

I liked the book and would recommend it, especially to those of you who liked Da Vinci Code and The Confessor.

Happy Reading!