What Did you Read Last Month?

[Karen from AustCrime]

Mine wasn't a bad month at all - no absolute duds, couple of outstandings:

The Caller, Alex Barclay

The Savage Garden, Mark Mills

Cross, Ken Bruen

Shadow Alley, Lucy Sussex

Ice Trap, Kitty Sewell

Ice Moon, Jan Costin Wagner

The Torso, Helene Tursten

The Assassin's Gallery, David L Robbins

Broken Skin, Stuart MacBride

The Man on the Balcony, Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo

Cold Day in Hell, Richard Hawke

The Laughing Policeman, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo

Murder is Never Pretty.... Even When the Corpse is a Blonde, Joe Blake

Orpheus Lost, Janette Turner Hospital


I can wax lyrical (well waffle considerably) about any of them if anyone wants to chat - or just tell me what you read.

[Christa M. Miller]

You guys are amazing, all those books in one month! I just read one - "To the Power of Three," Laura Lippman. (Yes, I AM behind the curve.) Amazing book. Just so detailed. I usually burn through books on a first read, but her style made me slow down and pay closer attention to her words. It's a keeper.

[Bill Cameron]

Vinnie's Head by Marc Lecard
The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos
The Zero by Jess Walter
Bobbie Faye's Very (very, very, very) Bad Day by Toni McGee Causey
Madeline Mann by Julia Buckley

Currently bouncing between The Hard Way by Lee Child and a friend's manuscript. On my stack are about 30 books, but from where I am sitting I can see that the new Laura Lippman is sitting on top.

[Alan Cranis]

Last month? Lessee...it was:

PRIEST by Ken Bruen
NO DOMINION by Charlie Huston
TWO-WAY SPLIT by Allan Guthrie (2nd reading -- Thanks again, Donna!)
COMPLETE WESTERN STORIES OF ELMORE LEONARD
CHRISTINE FALLS by Benjamin Black (John Banville)

And currently on the reading end-table is:

WHAT THE DEAD KNOW by Laura Lippman
THE WATCHMAN by Robert Crais
COLD GRANITE by Stuart MacBride (new author to me)
LOS ANGELES NOIR edited by Denise Hamilton

So if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to 'em.

[Karen from AustCrime]

Stuart MacBride - lucky lucky you :) I've just finished / reviewed the 3rd in the series and it's definitely now one of my favourite series of all.

[Sunnie Gill]

I read CHRSTINE FALLS too. What did you make of it, Alan?
I hope you enjoy COLD GRAINTE. MacBride was one of my finds of 2006

[Don Anderson]

QUEENPIN by Megan Abbott
CON ED by Matthew Klein
HARD MAN by Allan Guthrie
THE BETRAYERS by James Patrick Hunt
THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD by Adrian McKinty
FAST LANE by Dave Zeltserman
DIRTY SWEET by John McFettridge
and re-read THE JAMES DEANS as a refresher so I could read SOUL PATCH by Reed Farrell Coleman this month.

Currently reading SAFE AND SOUND by J.D. Rhoades.

[Kerrie]

LAST ACT OF ALL, Aline Templeton
COLLECTED STORIES, Ruth Rendell
THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, Donna Leon
HOW TO KILL YOUR HUSBAND, Kathy Lette
CHOCOLAT (Audio CD), Joanne Harris
THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB, Fergus Hume
THE FIELDS OF GRIEF, Giles Blunt
THE TORSO, Helene Tursten
DARKNESS & LIGHT, John Harvey
AGATHA RAISIN and THE POTTED GARDINER, M.C. Beaton

[Karen from AustCrime]

I really enjoyed The Torso Kerrie - how did you find it?

[Sunnie Gill]

CROOK AS ROOKWOOD - Chris Nyst.
Rating: Get your mitts on a copy and a tame Aussie to translate. 9.5
out of 10

From the man who gave us the movie Gettin Square.Crook as Rookwood is a wonderful romp in the world of New South Wales property development, politics, crime and police corruption. Lovely example of how colouful the English language can be in the hands of Australians and all round good fun.

THE HOUSE SITTER - Peter Lovesey
Rating: Good all-round contemporary whodunit. Dame Agatha would be
jealous. 9 out of 10

Someone is murdering high-profile people. First a movie director, then a
famous golfer and now the killer has indicated he's going to kill a pop
singer. Why is he targeting them and what do they have in common? And
how are they connected to the murder of a prosecution lawyer on the
beach? Many little mysteryes within the main one and red herrings galore.

NIGHT FALLS ON DAMASCUS - Frederick Highland

Rating:Set in Syria in 1930. Fascinating time. Wonderful setting. Had me
googling images of Damascus to see the places mentioned in the book. 9
out of 10

Daughter of a wealthy, influential Damascus family found murdered.
Nikolai Faroun has to investigate. Background of civil unrest and
beginnings of terrorist activities to free Syria from the French.
Nikolai finds that to solve the mystery he has to delve into Syria's
post WWI history.

AMONGST THE DEAD - Robert Gott
Rating: Historical yarn with an interesting settting. 7. out of 10
Australia's most inept Shakespearean actor turns his hand to undercover
detecting in Northern Territory.
OK plot. What saves this book from mediocrity is the setting and
featuring a little known secret army unit during WWII

A FALL FROM GRACE - Robert Barnard 5 out of 10
Rating: If you like pompous, humourless protags then this is for you.
Otherwise, give it a miss. Too many books to read without spending time
on this one.

Charlie peace moves to new town. His horrible father-in-law in tow
living nearby. Daddie is found dead, presumably accident or suicide, but
Charlie doesn't think so. Unsatisfactory resolution that is purely
theoretical.

HIDDEN DEPTHS - Ann Cleeves
Rating: Whodunit , with fascinating twist of the inner life of a lonely
police inspector. 8.5 out of 10

Young people turning up murdered floating in water surrounded by
flowers. Vera Stanhope investigats.

[Larry W. Chavis]

With school drawing to a close, there's a lot going on with state-mandated subject-area tests, exams to prepare, graduation to prepare, etc. But, I did get in -

-The Master Executioner- Loren D. Estleman
-The Mephisto Club- Tess Gerritsen
-Dèjá Dead- Kathy Reichs
-True Evil- Greg Iles
-Limitations- Scott Turow
A number of short stories, both in print and online (various collections)
And a couple of chapters of -Introduction to the Bible- John H. Hayes.

Not so much writing, alas! But, the summer cometh .....

[Lesa Holstine]

Not a bad month for me. I read:

A Painted Doom - Kate Ellis
Nightingale's Lament - Simon R. Green
Dark Room - Andrea Kane
Deadly Advice - Roberta Isleib
The Alpine Scandal - Mary Daheim
Deadly Appraisal - Jane K. Cleland
Invisible Shield - Scarlett Dean
Deadman's Switch - Barbara Seranella
The Skeleton Room - Kate Ellis
Dead Madonna - Victoria Houston
White Night - Jim Butcher

And three books that don't fit this category.

[Laura Root]

Sun Storm by Asa Larsson

The Crust on its Uppers by Derek Raymond

The Big Ask by Shane Moloney

Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino

The Broken shore by Peter Temple

The Attack by Yasmina Khadra

The Seventh Sacrament by David Hewson

The Rubber Woman by Lindsay Ashford

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Dinner Club by Saskia Noort

Three to Kill by Manchette