I am reading Mortal Prey by John Sandford.   This is book 13 of the Prey series.   I have really enjoyed reading this series so far.  I have wanted to read them for quite some time but have put it off until I had them all.  Now that they are all here I am making my way through them faster then I thought I would. 

Ivy, I love John Sandford's books.  So much so, I've been replacing my paperbacks with hardback copies of the series.

Margy

LeeAnne, I was looking at your WL earlier today and noticed a LOT of books on there I could put a sticky on! LOLI will definitely keep you in mind....but remember I have a 600 book TBR so some of these things I get now may not get read for over a year or more...so you probably will have gotten it through regular channels by then.

Cheryl

Ha!  No worries!  If you think of me, marvelous.  I have a huge stack to read as well.

BTW, I just finished "Raven Black" and it was excellent.  Lots of twists and turns but I never felt cheated by the author.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and I'm already 60 pages into "Stalking Susan" by Julie Kramer.  It promises to befluffy and brainless fun.

LeeAnn are you keeping Raven Black?  I have it on my WL I'll be more than happy to take it off your hands...lol.

Aw, Geri, I'm a FIFO kinda gal and it has already been snapped up.  I really should get in the habit of checking the WL's of a few Mystery/Thriller buddies before I post books to my bookshelf.  Sorry. :(  (On a happier note, you'll really enjoy it when you get a copy if you like thoughty mysteries set in isolated communities!)

Geri, if it's still on your WL when I get around to Raven Black I promise I'll post it to you. I'm mostly a FIFO kinda gal too, but once in awhile I get a wild hair.... :-D

Cheryl

I'm reading Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich.  It's good, just as funny as the others.

Greedy Bones by Carolyn Haines. This is the ninth in the Southern Belle (Sarah Booth Delaney) mystery series.

Read "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" - excellent. What a shame that the author is deceased. Also finished Cherry Bomb by J.A. Konrath which I just HAD to read after Fuzzy Navel! Now I'm reading a HF mystery entitled "The Black Tower" by Louis Bayard and really enjoying it. Since our move, I didn't have much time to read, and now, when I get the chance, I'm gobbling up some of my books so as to make room for others!!!

I finished Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson.  I liked it in the beginning, thought it dragged out in the middle and picked up in the end.  I thought I would like this author a lot more than I did.  I picked up The Maze by Catherine Coulter.  Its the second book in the FBI series.  Not sure I love this series yet.  This book will help decide if I will continue with it.  Just trying to get through my older stuff.

Jeanne: Glad to hear the "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was excellent.  I have been thinking about that one.   I read the Black Tower.  I really liked that book.  I love a good historical fiction.  I read a brief summary of the new Phillipa Gregory book and the Black Tower story came to mind.  I am wondering if its about the same mystery.

LeAnne: Love to hear how you like Stalking Susan.  It keeps catching my eye because of the name. :)

Susan

Susan, I'm nearly done with "Stalking Susan" so I can't tell you definitively what I think but I can tell you this.  The book reads like a first novel.  The author spends a lot of time making statements and then immediately explains them as though the reader is in fourth grade or something.  For instance, at one point she writes that Riley (main character) sneaks to the green room for a nap and then writes, "In the media business, the green room is the small room off the studio where guests wait".  Um...duh.  Even if I didn't actually know that, there are more subtle ways of letting the reader glean the information.  Also, I am 300 pages into a nearly 400 page mystery and things are only just now beginning to ramp up so the author really needs to cut some back story and get to the action of she is going to keep her readers interested.  She has a couple of storylines going and they don't really do much by way of moving the story forward. Not yet, anyhow.

Having said all that, I haven't thrown the book across the room and the main character is very likable.  The author's voice intrudes way to much (in my opinion) and that interferes with my real enjoyment of the book.  If the final 80 pages are satisfying, I will give the author a second chance with her second book, "Missing Mark" but if she just sort of gasps to the finish line, I'll probably pass. 

How's that for a ringing endorsement? LOL!  I'll check back later with my verdict! :)  (BTW, I picked up the book because I have two very dear friends named Susan and I thought the title was amusing.)

Margaret:

Four of the books in the Prey series that I have yet to read are in hardcover.  If you would like them as I finish them I would be willing to make sure they go to you.

LeeAnne, I see that Stalking Susan was a finalist for a couple of mystery awards...sounds like you wouldn't necessarily agree? I have had so many disagreements with whoever decides Edgars, Agathas, etc etc that I now pay very little attention to what they select. I also noted that book is set in Minneapolis so I suppose I'll have to at least try it at some point.

I've started A Potion for a Widow by Caroline Roe, which is one of the Isaac of Girona medieval mysteries--set in 1350's Spain. So far it's okay. I liked the series a lot more at the beginning.

Cheryl

Lee Anne,

I enjoyed your review!  That book sounds terrible.  I was hoping to use the book as a joke gift for a couple of friends that were in a book club with me.  I was going to jokingly insist that we start a new book club and voila!  present them each with Stalking Susan.   Its all about me, me, me kind of thing.   I wanted the gift to be the joke not the actual story in the book. :"  Well, that just won't do.  

Susan

Right now I'm reading Killer Riff by Sheryl J. Anderson and next up is Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen, the third in her Her Spyness series.

Well, I finished "Stalking Susan" and, meh, it was okay.  Nothing horrible but nothing to shout about either.  I won't be adding the second book to my list. (Cheryl, the book was definitely not award worthy!)

I'm listening to Michael Connolly's (sp?) The Overlook.  I like the narrator.  I want to slap the main character.

I'm reading Victoria Thompson's Murder on Gramercy Park.  I thoroughly enjoy this series.

I also have a copy of Marked by P.C. Cast. waiting in the wings when I finish the others.

Susan, Let me know if you find out more about the new Philippa Gregory Book. If it is the same mystery as the Black Tower, I may have to get it!  Thanks for that heads up!

I have started reading the Lynsay Sands Argeneau series, I am on the 1st book (A Quick Bite) and so far it is really good!  This is only my second foray into the vampire genre....the Sookie Stackhouse series sucked (pun intended) me right in!  Altho, I think the last one in that series made an odd turn, but that's just me.  I will have to read the next one when it comes out to know if I will continue with her series, for some reason once I get hooked on a series I just can't seem to stop.....take the Kay Scarpetta series for example.

I finished Patricia Carlon's Crime of Silence.   It was a really taught, psychological mystery - for one the blurb weas correct - it's extremely Hitchcockian.  Also - I didn't realize it was written in 1965 until I was half way through it felt pretty modern.  I have to say I did see the ending coming a mile away, though.

I also finished another Hamish McBeth (or, as we call him in my house, Hamish McScottish Play) - Death of an Outsider.  Very enjoyable, but the mystery in this one was a little weak.

I've started (read 2 chapters) of The Last Templar by Michael Jecks, which is my "second chance" book for the Mystery Challenge and I've tucked that in my purse to read on breaks at work. So far I actually like it....I think part of the problem with the book I read in the past (which was the third or fourth one in the series) was that I didn't get the history of the characters. IMO it's always best to start at the beginning, but at that time I wasn't so strict about it. Anyway, we shall see...I have a backup book with me just in case. LOL

Cheryl

Started reading Ruling Passion by Reginald Hill. This is my last book of the challenge - giving an author a second chance. So far this book is a pretty good mystery and is holding my attention, however, I don't think that I will be reading more of his books in the future - but who knows. Sometimes I can be quite fickle in my choices.

I mentioned before ( in another thread) that it doesn't look like I will do the bonus reading for the challenge - too busy and too many other books to read!

Cheryl, I'm glad that you are somewhat enjoying The Last Templar. I have it on my TBR list but haven't gotten to it yet. Like you, I want to read it first before any of his other books, to get the proper history.

I finished listening to Michael Connolley's "The Overlook"  It was an ok story.  I enjoyed it.  I'll start listening to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Morrell.  I tried reading it, but as I've said before, I'm a lazy reader and this was just too wordy for me.  But I thought I might like listening to it.  We'll see.

I tried reading Michael Jecks series, but couldn't do it.  I think it goes back to that lazy reader thing.  lol

I'm at home with a sick kid today so hopefully I'll get some reading donw.

Read Homicide in Hardcover by Carlisle, not bad, the story improved as it went along, I did figured out who the killer, but not until near the end. Enjoyed the little tidbits about book restoration. Also read Fellowship of Fear by Elkins, considering  that it was published in 1982 and focused on a KGB spy plot it didn't feel as dated as I was expecting. I was impressed with the author's writing style, without using a lot of words or descriptions he still created a clear picture of the protagonist and a tense atmosphere. Again I had pretty well figured out who the culprit was before the ending. I'm planning to read more by both authors.