What are you currently reading?

[QualityBookReviews]

An open discussion on what everyone is currently reading. Make recommendations to others, discuss what is new, hot, bestsellers, anything and everything related to books and the authors.

[Suzanne]

Recent reading:
Qiu Xiaolong - DEATH OF A RED HEROINE - I really enjoyed this. In addition to a likable detective, the glimpse into life in today's China and numerous quotations from Chinese poetry added much interest. He's written about six books, so they are now on my list.

Jon Loomis - FIRE SEASON - Jon, you can't write fast enough for me. Great sensibilities.

Alan Furst - DARK STAR - This one has a Jewish journalist from the Soviet Union in France and Germany just before the start of WWII. Always riveting is how you see history through an interesting character's eyes.

Matt Beynon Rees - A GRAVE IN GAZA - as good as COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM.

Steve Hamilton - A COLD DAY IN PARADISE - Good storytelling. In the first person. Tone is similar to Archer Mayor's.

Currently reading Quentin Bates' COLD COMFORT, the second of his Officer Gunnhildur series -
a middle-aged, somewhat overweight, down-to-earth police detective. The woman is very smooth at
interviewing suspects.

Next up is Mark Billingham's latest, THE DEMANDS. Love that Thorne.

I read a lot of international mysteries/police procedurals and have noticed a strange thing.
In most countries, when the police come to call, the person visited (even if a bad guy) offers
refreshments. This never happens in the US, Russia, or South Africa. I don't know exactly what to make of this observation. Any ideas?

[I. J. Parker]

Quentin Bates?  New to me.  Must keep him in mind.  It sounds Icelandic.?

[Suzanne]

Iceland is correct.

[Colman]

Murder Book - Richard Rayner,   "neo-neo-Noir" and "unputdownable" apparently. We'll see

[I. J. Parker]

Peter Robinson, BAD BOY.   Well, Robinson is pretty good, but he does preach a bit. This novel startled me because the British gun laws are incredibly strict, so that possession of a fire arm by a young woman in her parents' house which is brought to police attention by her worried mother caused a violent police raid that killed her father and led into a shocking tale of violence as it spun out of control.  The preaching comes in when Banks, the protagonist, deals with his own daughter who certainly had responsibility for some of the events. 

[Richard Krauss]

 I was surprised by the British gun laws highlighted in Bad Boy as well. Banks is such a good character I missed him in the first half of the story--although his daughter's ordeal kept me reading.

[Suzanne]

Banks earlier had the same tone when his son wanted to be a rock musician.

Makes you wonder how old Robinson's children are...

[Richard Krauss]

Started Cinnamon Kiss by Walter Mosley today.

[Karen from AustCrime]

Currently working my way through The Crime Factory's Hard Case Crime short story collection (noir / local authors). Very good and available on Amazon... :)

Next up The Sacrificial Man by Ruth Dugdall which I'm really looking forward to I must admit

[iabanon]

Currently re-reading the Da-da-de-da-da Code by Robert Rankin while waiting for my ordered copy of the Last Temptation by Val McDermid to come through. The I'll order the next in line to the tony Hill series and grab another Ranking novel. 

[Tim Scanlon]

I've just finished reading Zoe Sharp's First Drop, it was really good. http://tysonadams.com/2012/11/27/book-review-first-drop-by-zoe-sharp/

My next read is Emily Kimelman's second book Death in the Dark. Her first was a fantastic mystery, so I'm looking forward to this one.

[David DeLee]

Sean Chercover's collection of short stories EIGHT LIES (ABOUT THE TRUTH). Enjoying them quite a bit.