What books are we reading at the moment ?

[rafletcher]

Flesh House - Stuart McBride
Logan McRae book 4

Must be one of the goriest books I've read. Mostly raining.

I'm on my third Logan McRae, (Blind Eye, previously read Flesh House and 22 Dead Little Bodies).
All borrowed from my local library.
 
Now, here's the thing: I've noticed that somebody has drawn a ring round the number of page 23 in each of them. 
Is this some secret to which I am not privy? Can't wait to check out the rest of them.

.

Drawing circles around page numbers seems to be a library system habit.

[Ruthie]

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry

I only bought this book because of the cover, and it's one of the best things I've read.  Seriously. 

She's a writer who can write people, and life, and she puts the people in a place - and she can write place, too.  This book deserves to be kept on the 'classics' shelf, alongside Tolstoy and Penelope Lively and Hardy.  After reading some real dross lately it was like a glass of Perrier and some very good cheese with grapes, after a diet of nasty pizza and microwave carbonara. 

The Essex Serpent is a monster lurking under the waters of the Blackwater estuary.  As the monster breaks the water's surface change comes to the Blackwater people and they find themselves fearful and uneasy.  The presence of a newly-widowed bluestocking stirs things up even more.

Just read it.  I doubt you'll regret it.

[Vince]

Flesh House - Stuart McBride
Logan McRae book 4

Must be one of the goriest books I've read. Mostly raining.

I'm on my third Logan McRae, (Blind Eye, previously read Flesh House and 22 Dead Little Bodies).
All borrowed from my local library.
 
Now, here's the thing: I've noticed that somebody has drawn a ring round the number of page 23 in each of them. 
Is this some secret to which I am not privy? Can't wait to check out the rest of them.

Whenever I read the dialogue of DI Insch, in my head I can only hear it said by Gene Hunt.

[rafletcher]

Well I tried, I really did, but "six-four" by Hideo Yokoyama defeated me. I just couldn't get inside it.  Now onto "I'm Travelling Alone" by Samuel Bjork.  A new-to-me Norwegian writer, and so far, so good, but I'm easily pleased.

[Mr Larrington]

Now on Jonas Jonasson's Hitman Anders And The Meaning Of It All.  Promising start.  Upbeat for a Swedish author too

This Unit hereby endorses this product and/or service.  That it took me so long to finish is entirely not the fault of Mr Jonasson.  Contains many a laugh-out-loud moment and is his best yet.

Die Of Shame ~ Mark Billingham

A not-Thorne offering from Mr Billingham, though I dare say the said DI will put in a cameo appearance.  His mate Phil Hendricks, the pathologist of multiple piercings, tattoos and boyfriends, has already shown up.

Not one of his better offerings, if you ask me.  Relentlessly grim; all the main characters except the coppers are recovering addicts bearing some remarkable resemblances to some of my fellow Zeks.  The coppers are pretty two-dimensional until, as predicted, Thorne rocks up on page 391.  Alas there are only twenty pages left by then.

[T42]

Someone gave me The Girl in the Spider's Web for me barfday so I'm foot-slogging through it with no great enthusiasm. Lacks the zip and sparkle of the real Girl who... series.

Bloody Swedish krimis, I'm sick of them.

[rafletcher]

A not-Thorne offering from Mr Billingham, though I dare say the said DI will put in a cameo appearance.  His mate Phil Hendricks, the pathologist of multiple piercings, tattoos and boyfriends, has already shown up.

Not one of his better offerings, if you ask me.  Relentlessly grim; all the main characters except the coppers are recovering addicts bearing some remarkable resemblances to some of my fellow Zeks.  The coppers are pretty two-dimensional until, as predicted, Thorne rocks up on page 391.  Alas there are only twenty pages left by then.
[/quote]

I've not enjoyed any of the non-Thorne offerings thus far. And I gave up on this one too.

[Mrs Pingu]

Now on Jonas Jonasson's Hitman Anders And The Meaning Of It All.  Promising start.  Upbeat for a Swedish author too

This Unit hereby endorses this product and/or service.  That it took me so long to finish is entirely not the fault of Mr Jonasson.  Contains many a laugh-out-loud moment and is his best yet.

Is that a sequel?

[billplumtree]

Sarah Hall, The Wolf Border.  No-one writes about Cumbria, or anywhere else for that matter, like Sarah Hall does.  Her phrasing and descriptions are completely engrossing, just a paragraph or two and you're right there with the countryside swirling all around you.  Fiction's Robert Macfarlane, in a way.  Only different.

Big  for this one from me, as for all her previous ones (although I never did quite get How to Paint a Dead Man.  Must give that another go).  Haweswater, her first, has left an indelible impression on me.

[L CC]

O, I've had that one. It was OK. (13 hours- probably most of a 200, and a few bus journeys)

I didn't know she'd done anything else.

Hmmm. Apparently Haweswater is narrated by Jilly Bond. I'm not sure I can stomach that. (Sorry Jilly).

[billplumtree]

You might try The Electric Michelangelo?

[L CC]

Narrated by Joe Jameson. We'll give it a go, ta.

[Mr Larrington]

Now on Jonas Jonasson's Hitman Anders And The Meaning Of It All.  Promising start.  Upbeat for a Swedish author too

This Unit hereby endorses this product and/or service.  That it took me so long to finish is entirely not the fault of Mr Jonasson.  Contains many a laugh-out-loud moment and is his best yet.

Is that a sequel?

No, 'tis a Thing in Its Own Right.

[Mrs Pingu]

 I see from Amazon that I have read another of that authors books. The Hitman reference was another author entirely:
The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning by Hallgrimur Helgason

[Mr Larrington]

Mr Jonasson is responsible for The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared (good) and The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden (not as good).

[Legs]

Mr Jonasson is responsible for The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared (good) and The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden (not as good).

Good to hear he's back on form.  I thought TGWSTKOS was hopelessly silly.

[eck]

Flesh House - Stuart McBride
Logan McRae book 4

Must be one of the goriest books I've read. Mostly raining.

I'm on my third Logan McRae, (Blind Eye, previously read Flesh House and 22 Dead Little Bodies).
All borrowed from my local library.
 
Now, here's the thing: I've noticed that somebody has drawn a ring round the number of page 23 in each of them. 
Is this some secret to which I am not privy? Can't wait to check out the rest of them.

.

Drawing circles around page numbers seems to be a library system habit.

Mystery solved: apparently lots of library customers write their initials inside the back cover of a book - allegedly so they can see that they've read it before. 
And one of the staff in the Finest Public Library in All of Kirriemuir reckons that ringing page number 23 is his / her unique way of noting that they've already read the book.
It concerns me more than a little that they seem to have the same taste in authors as I have. 

[Legs]

Just finished The Girl On The Train (yes, I know that was SO 2015).  Just bought me some more Stephen King (Needful Things).  I think my wife will start thinking I'm addicted to his books, à la Misery or Finders Keepers. 

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Just started Mr King's End of Watch, having just finished Gavin Extence's The Universe vs Alex Woods.

[rafletcher]

Just given up on Tim Weaver's "What remains". 600 pages is just too much to sustain for what is lightweight crime fiction IMO. And it still irritates that he refers to his car's "heaters". It's heater, singular. 

Now on to Parker Bilal's new Makana story.

[Mr Larrington]

Unless it's a Rolls-Royce with separate aircon systems for driver & passenger

[rafletcher]

Unless it's a Rolls-Royce with separate aircon systems for driver & passenger

It's an "18 year old BMW".

[Mr Larrington]

You can't trust anyone who drives a pikey old Beemer.

[ian]

You can't trust anyone who drives a pikey old Beemer.

You've met my father then.

[fuzzy]

Just given up on Tim Weaver's "What remains". 600 pages is just too much to sustain for what is lightweight crime fiction IMO. And it still irritates that he refers to his car's "heaters". It's heater, singular. 

Now on to Parker Bilal's new Makana story.

Are you sure that isn't a Glock 17 in the glove box, a sawn off under the drivers seat and an AK47 in the boot?