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Topic: 2010 Mystery Challenge - AH, THAT NEW BOOK SMELL - #4

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Subject: 2010 Mystery Challenge - AH, THAT NEW BOOK SMELL - #4
Date Posted: 12/4/2009 7:28 AM ET
Member Since: 5/13/2009
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AH, THAT NEW-BOOK SMELL Read a new release--a mystery published either in paperback, hardcover or audio within the past year.

All discussion of books and authors on this challenge will be conducted in this topic.

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Date Posted: 1/14/2010 1:02 PM ET
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I'm doing this one first because it was the only book that was already out, I didn't have to dig thru 2 rubbermaid boxes (otherwise known as my tbr pile).  LOL.  So far I'm about 2/3 of the way thru The Riesling Retribution by Ellen Crosby.  It's the 4th or 5th book in this wine series.  This one and the last one were easy to figure out, once I knew her writing style.  I love the setting, 500 acre vineyard in Virginia.  There's not an abundance of wine information, but that's alright.  There's also a bit of US Civil War History that's always tossed in.  She could actually do with a bit more info on both the civil war and wine making.  If you like a simple book, this is a good one, in the sense that there are just a few characters to keep track of, and the setting is always the same, the vineyard.  Once in a while the main character will go to her cousin's restaurant, or the general store, or her neighbor's B&B, but that is rare, most of the story takes place right on the vineyard with the same small handful of characters.  This is not a bad thing, only this particular author really should be fleshing out these characters a whole lot more.  If you're going to focus on a key handful of people, you need to give them more character and personality, give us something to endear us to them, know what I mean? 

Anyone else doing this challenge?

Beanbean avatar
Date Posted: 1/14/2010 1:14 PM ET
Member Since: 12/19/2007
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I will be starting on this one soon.  I just reserved "No Mercy" by Lori G. Armstrong at the library and was thrilled to discover that I am first on the reservation list.  The book was only released on Tuesday (1/12) and the library system has ordered 12 or 14 copies of it but they have not been shelved yet.  Hmmm...I wonder how long it takes to get a newly released book onto the shelves.

In the meantime, I will be getting the historical mystery out of the way with Rennie Airth's "River of Darkness".

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Mary (mepom) -
Subject: U is for Undertow
Date Posted: 1/14/2010 5:33 PM ET
Member Since: 1/23/2009
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I am on the waiting list for Sue Grafton's new book. Although I am several down on the list, the library usually orders several copies of bestsellers. Mary

 

COMPLETE



Last Edited on: 5/18/10 7:37 PM ET - Total times edited: 2
Twill avatar
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Date Posted: 1/14/2010 6:45 PM ET
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I am reading U is for Undertow for this category.  I'm about halfway through and really enjoying catching up with Kinsey after a year.

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Date Posted: 1/15/2010 4:34 PM ET
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I too read U is for Undertow. I got it from Amazon before Christmas, but held off. Now I've passed it to my neighbor. I was a bit ticked though, don't know if I would post it or keep it...but  it's unpostable...one page has a light grey stripe (almost 2") in the paper, another has a "squiggle mark.". 

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Date Posted: 1/15/2010 4:51 PM ET
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Jodi, you should contact the Amazon customer service. I once had a book that arrived damaged, and they just sent me a replacement. Didn't even ask me to return the original book. Must happen fairly regularly.

caviglia avatar
Date Posted: 1/15/2010 4:57 PM ET
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I think I'm going to go with either The Manual of Detection or The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie for this one.  I'm usually years behind on new releases, so I'm looking forward to this!

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Date Posted: 1/15/2010 5:34 PM ET
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Thanks Jane, I didn't think of doing that because I've read it and now my neighbor has it. I did call, and although they originally wanted me to return it, I think she's sending another. It was kind of funny, I told her I couldn't list it here and she laughed, said she used the site too and totally understood!

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Date Posted: 1/15/2010 5:49 PM ET
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LOL! Glad to hear you had a good outcome! :)

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Date Posted: 1/22/2010 2:02 PM ET
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My book for this challenge is "Sizzle" by Julie Garwood.  I've read a few of her other books, and have always enjoyed them.

Synopsis: Lyra Prescott, a Los Angeles film student, is closing in on graduation and unsure of her future, Lyra dives into work on her final school assignment: a documentary transformed by a twist of fate into a real-life horror film. After she unwittingly captures a shocking crime on camera, a rash of mysterious, treacherous incidents convince Lyra that she's trapped in a sinister scenario headed for a violent ending. Running scared, she turns to her best friend, Sidney Buchanan, whose connections bring dauntless and devilishly handsome FBI agent Sam Kincaid into Lyra's life.

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Date Posted: 1/22/2010 6:07 PM ET
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I'm still waiting for my copy of "No Mercy" from the library.  Getting a bit antsy, too!

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Date Posted: 2/6/2010 11:01 AM ET
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Finished "What Remains of Heaven" by C.S. Harris. This is the fifth in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. I do enjoy these books because the characters keep developing. The mysteries are pretty good and there is the HF aspect to them as well. This one leaves you with the urge to run out and get the next. It isn't a cliffhanger, but there is an insinuation of more interesting things to come!

Beanbean avatar
Date Posted: 2/6/2010 12:32 PM ET
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Oh, hey, I forgot to post here!   I finally got my copy of No Mercy and read it last week. It was pretty good.  Plenty of potential for future Mercy Gunderson books.  Overall, I give it a "B".  I think I prefer the Julie Collins books because the author uses a lot more humor.  The tragedy in No Mercy is pretty unrelenting.

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Date Posted: 3/25/2010 10:58 AM ET
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Moving this up!

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Date Posted: 3/27/2010 7:13 PM ET
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I had planned to read a wishlist book, The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, for this challenge, once I knew it was on its way. But in the meantime, I received a copy of another WL book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, and read it instead. As for The Swan Thieves, it never did show up and went lost the other day. I got word today that another copy is on its way. I hope this one shows up. Not for this challenge, but just because I want to read it.

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 4/2/2010 7:15 AM ET
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I love Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death Art Series. I just got the 4th book yesterday and started reading it. Very good!!! It is titled A Murderous Procession. I will let you all know how it is when I am done.

Alice

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Date Posted: 4/2/2010 7:24 AM ET
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Alice, My copy of A Murderous Procession came in yesterday too, but I won't get to it for awhile. Please don't tell us TOO much!;)

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 4/4/2010 6:59 AM ET
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Jeanne, I stayed up to 1 am last night finishing it. Very, very good. The mystery is simple and easy to figure out, but the overall plot, snap shot of history and characters were outstanding. I highly recommend it.

Alice

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Date Posted: 4/9/2010 5:50 PM ET
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For this challenge, I read 'How to Host a Killer Party' by Penny Warner. It is the first book in her new Party Planning Mysteries. I really enjoyed the mystery plot and the character, Presley Parker. Can't wait until her next book comes out. I also learned a lot about San Francisco and the bay area, which was very interesting.

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 4/10/2010 2:19 PM ET
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Sounds really good Connie. I wil have to put on my wish list.

Alice

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Date Posted: 4/13/2010 12:34 AM ET
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Can I join in?  I'm currently reading Heat Wave (Nikki Heat Bk 1)  by Richard Castle (obvious pen name based in the TV series).  I'm a fan of the TV show and when the book got published I figured why not try it.  A bit slow to start but I'm getting into it now.

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Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
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Date Posted: 4/13/2010 7:00 AM ET
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Hi Paula,

I read Heat Wave too. I thought it was slow also. The show is much better. I hear the main characters talking through the TV stars.  At least it is short.

Alice

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Date Posted: 4/29/2010 7:54 AM ET
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I finished the book for this category last night, Steve Hockensmith's latest Holmes on the Range mystery, A Crack in the Lens. I'm not a fan of westerns, generally, but this humorous series set in the 1890's cracks me up. While the series has been dubbed the "Holmes on the Range" series, Sherlock Holmes isn't a character--it's called that because one of the main characters, Gustav Amlingmeyer, uses Holmes' "deducifyin' methods" to solve crimes. The funny part is, he can't even read and has to have his younger brother Otto read the Sherlock Holmes stories to him. It's a great little series and if you haven't tried it, I'd recommend giving the first one (Holmes on the Range) a try!

Cheryl

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Date Posted: 4/29/2010 7:22 PM ET
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I read Town in a Blueberry Jam by B.B. Haywood on Apr. 23. It was published Feb. 2, 2010.

I just started Motherhood is Murder by Diana Orgain. It was published Mar. 2, 2010.

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