Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[Uncle Robin]

Nearly finished with Rafferty & Llewellyn 1-4 boxset by Geraldine Evans. I picked this up cheapish from Kobo quite some time ago. It took some getting into, but the character development and the relationship growth of the leads made reading all 4 worthwhile. The plotting and structure of the mysteries is not bad either. 3.75/5 I see Amazon has 5-8 and 9-12 as boxsets, so I might do another mini-binge after a break

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

3.75/ Now for another boxset, The Complete Phule’s Company

I have them all in paper and remember them as being hilarious.
I am getting ready to start 1637: No Peace Beyond the Line. This is the sequel to 1636: Commander Cantrell In The West Indies.
Apache

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Good and original, but the good wasn't original, and the original wasn't good. 3/5

A review that Dr. Johnson would have appreciated.

[Uncle Robin]

Another boxset from Kobo now, Fenway Stevenson 1-3 by Paul Austin Ardoin. Halfway through book one, I'm liking it a lot.

[Bookstooge]

Just started auxiliary london 2039 tonight by Ritcher. I just wish I could remember who recommended it to me.

[Uncle Robin]

Nearly finished the second book in the Fenway Stevenson boxset, and it's a study in contrasts. The characterization is interesting, the lead in particular is fascinating and engaging, but when it comes to actual detection of crimes, I would rather have Hastings and Watson working together drunk than the team of 'investigators' in this series so far.

[astrangerhere]

At Issybird's mention in another discussion, I got Georges Simenon's The Man Who Watched Trains Go By and am enjoying it quite a bit. It has very much the feel of a Wilkie Collins novel where you are watching your very unreliable and narrator descend into madness. Enjoying it quite a lot. I had no idea when I picked it up that it took place during Christmas and New Year's.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Free Non-fiction 2011 from Baen Books. Another freebie, a collection of non-fiction articles that were at Baen.com.

Interesting. A wide variety of essays. Some stuff I disagree with, but always from someone with some expertise in the subject.

Next up: The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler. (A recent purchase.)

[Uncle Robin]

Into the third Fenway Stevenson book and taken right of the narrative by a very annoying typo - what in the name of Hades is a "galub jamun"? Something Ghandi (sic) ate, perhaps? If you're going to italicize the names of Indian foods, at least get it right, or have an editor who will.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

At Issybird's mention in another discussion, I got Georges Simenon's The Man Who Watched Trains Go By and am enjoying it quite a bit. It has very much the feel of a Wilkie Collins novel where you are watching your very unreliable and narrator descend into madness. Enjoying it quite a lot. I had no idea when I picked it up that it took place during Christmas and New Year's.

Hmmm. That's been sitting in my Calibre for a while now. I enjoy the occasional Maigret, but this was non-series so I had put it on the back burner. Might just be time to push it up the list. Especially over the holidays. Thanks.

[Uncle Robin]

3/5 for the Fenway Stevenson boxset. The character interactions and development were rather good, but the detecting bits were often risible. I'm not a studious investigator and generally don't try to work out whodunnit, but in all three of these books, the culprit was blindingly obvious 1/3 of the way through. Blindingly obvious to all except the highly-trained professional investigators in the books, apparently.

[issybird]

I’m listening to Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. My attention was caught by a stellar review in the WaPo for the second book in the series and when I checked, a bunch of my GR friends absolutely loved this.

Well. I keep plodding along, but so far, I hate it. The device is a book within a book, the interior book is supposed to be about one of the greatest fictional detectives of all times. It’s terrible. Set in 1955 England, the anachronisms keep on coming. The story itself is a series of info dumps and stock characters. So I think there has to be a payoff in terms of the relevance of this dreadful detective novel to the framing story, hence all the love, but how long do I have to put in? At this point, there has to be one heck of a payoff and one that accounts for the sheer awfulness of the novel within the novel. I’m having my doubts.

Has anyone here read it? Should I keep going? Or stop throwing good listening time after bad?

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by issybird

I’m listening to Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. My attention was caught by a stellar review in the WaPo for the second book in the series and when I checked, a bunch of my GR friends absolutely loved this.

Well. I keep plodding along, but so far, I hate it. The device is a book within a book, the interior book is supposed to be about one of the greatest fictional detectives of all times. It’s terrible. Set in 1955 England, the anachronisms keep on coming. The story itself is a series of info dumps and stock characters. So I think there has to be a payoff in terms of the relevance of this dreadful detective novel to the framing story, hence all the love, but how long do I have to put in? At this point, there has to be one heck of a payoff and one that accounts for the sheer awfulness of the novel within the novel. I’m having my doubts.

Has anyone here read it? Should I keep going? Or stop throwing good listening time after bad?

I bailed out on this one after 2 or 3 chapters. Not worth my reading time.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I bailed out on this one after 2 or 3 chapters. Not worth my reading time.

Not just me, then. I was just surprised, after the WaPo review and all those four and five star ratings at GR.

Any other takes on this?

[cc_in_oh]

I kind of liked Magpie Murders. It's the only Horowitz title I've read but I was a big fan of Foyle's War and IIRC he was also involved in creating Midsomer Murders?