MobileRead February 2017 Book Club Vote

[WT Sharpe]

February 2017 MobileRead Book Club Vote

Help us choose a book as the February 2017 eBook for the MobileRead Book Club. The poll will be open for 5 days. There will be no runoff vote unless the voting results a tie, in which case there will be a 3 day run-off poll. This is a visible poll: others can see how you voted. It is You may cast a vote for each book that appeals to you.

We will start the discussion thread for this book on February 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each:

• Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Goodreads | Overdrive
Print Length: 396 pages

Spoiler:

The song. That’s what London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho’s 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body—a sure sign that something about the man’s death was not at all natural but instead supernatural.

Body and soul—they’re also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace—one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard “Lord” Grant—otherwise known as Peter’s dear old dad.

• Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh
Goodreads | Amazon Ca / Amazon Ca (3 Book Collection) / Amazon US / Audible / Kobo Ca / OverDrive / OverDrive (3 book compilation) / OverDrive AudioBook
Print Length: 316 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

It was a bizarre pose for beautiful model Sonia Gluck--and her last. For in the draperies of her couch lay a fatal dagger, and behind her murder lies all the intrigue and acid-etched temperament of an artist's colony. Called in to investigate, Scotland Yard's Inspector Roderick Alleyn finds his own passions unexpectedly stirred by the fiesty painter Agatha Troy--brilliant artist and suspected murderess. First published in 1938.

From Amazon:

In the movies, it’s known as a “meet cute.” But for Inspector Alleyn and Miss Agatha Troy, it’s more like irritation: On the ship back to England, she finds him tedious and dull; he thinks she’s a bohemian cliché. They may be destined for romance, but there’s a murder in the way: No sooner has Alleyn settled in to his mother’s house, eager for a relaxing end to his vacation, then he gets a call that a model has been stabbed at the artists’ community down the road. And the artistic Miss Troy is one of the community’s most prominent and outspoken members.

• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Goodreads | Amazon / Audible / Kobo Ca / Overdrive
Print Length: 235 pages

Spoiler:

This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witch doctors.

• Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr
Goodreads | Amazon US / Audible / Kobo US / Overdrive
Print Length: 245 pages

Spoiler:

From Amazon:

The fascinating hero of Nevada Barr’s award-winning series—park ranger Anna Pigeon—has brought an unyielding love of nature and sense of fair play to the mystery genre. Track of the Cat is the acclaimed novel that first introduced readers to Anna, as a woman looking for peace in the wilderness—and finding murder instead…

Patrolling the remote West Texas backcountry, Anna’s first job as a national park ranger is marred by violence she thought she had left behind: the brutal death of a fellow ranger. When the cause of death is chalked up to a mountain lion attack, Anna’s rage knows no bounds. It’s up to her to save the protected cats from the politics and prejudices of the locals—and prove the kill was the work of a species far less rare…

From Goodreads:

Anna Pigeon fled the turmoil of New York to become a national park ranger, only to discover she hasn't escaped murder and violence. When a colleague is killed, claw marks on the victim's throat and paw prints around the body are too perfect to be those of an alleged killer mountain lion.

From Audible:

Publisher's Summary

From the vivid opening vista, high in craggy mountains, to the final haunting glimpse of a moonlit canyon, Nevada Barr's first mystery, Track of the Cat, instantly caught the attention of readers and reviewers. Its popularity gained it both an Agatha and an Anthony Award.
The young naturalist, Anna Pigeon, has moved to the Southwest wilderness to be a park ranger. There, her days are filled with the physical demands of working in the Guadalupe Mountains and the satisfaction of living in this splendid land. Her peace is shattered one morning, though, when she discovers the body of another ranger deep in Dog Canyon. How did the usually cautious woman die? Although at first the evidence indicates an attack by a mountain lion, Anna soon suspects that there are craftier predators afoot in the wild grasses.
Fast-paced suspense and sharply defined characters will immediately sweep you up in the force of this compelling mystery. By the end, you'll be nodding in satisfaction at the final twist and anticipating the next book in the Anna Pigeon series. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat's performance highlights Anna's savvy courage and determination to catch her prey.

• The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins
Goodreads | Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Kobo US
Print Length: 193 pages

Spoiler:

Higgins was famous for his unique use of dialogue. George Pelicanos suggested to Elmore Leonard that before he write any more crime novels, he should first read Eddie Coyle.

From Goodreads:

Eddie Coyle works for Jimmy Scalisi, supplying him with guns for a couple of bank jobs. But a cop named Foley is on to Eddie and he's leaning on him to finger Scalisi, a gang leader with a lot to hide. And then there's Dillon-a full-time bartender and part-time contract killer--pretending to be Eddie's friend. Wheeling, dealing, chasing, and stealing--that's Eddie, and he's got lots of friends.

• Holmes On the Range by Steve Hockensmith
Goodreads |
Print Length: 308 pages

Spoiler:

From Booklist:

*Starred Review* The Amlingmeyer brothers--Big Red, our narrator, and Old Red--grabbed a job at the mysterious Bar-VR Ranch to avoid a winter without food or money. One of the hands at the ranch is found with a bullet in his brain and another ends up seemingly trampled, but no one can recall a stampede. The shadowy miscreants had best watch their backs, however, as the Amlingmeyers are not your ordinary cowpokes. Old Red can't read but has been entertained trailside by Big Red's reading Sherlock Holmes stories from Harper's Weekly. Old Red thus considers himself a budding master of what he calls "deducifyin'." With Old Red as a six-gun Holmes and Big Red as a skeptical, nervous Watson, the pair ferrets out the killers and motives from a colorful cast of characters with names such as Puddin-Foot, Tall John, and Swivel-Eye. The Amlingmeyers have graced the pages of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and their initial book-length case is every bit as memorable. At times, they may remind readers of Joe Lansdale's Hap Collins and Leonard Pine with their smart mouths, penchant for trouble, and unflagging loyalty to each other. This is a great reworking of the Holmes conceit, and one suspects Hockensmith will have a steady readership as long as the Amlingmeyers are on the case. Wes Lukowsky

• The Rook (The Checquy Files #1) by Daniel O'Malley
Goodreads |
Print Length: 496 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.

Filled with characters both fascinating and fantastical, The Rook is a richly inventive, suspenseful, and often wry thriller that marks an ambitious debut from a promising young writer.

• The Dry by Jane Harper
Goodreads | Overdrive
Print Length: 352 pages

Spoiler:

A small town hides big secrets in The Dry, an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.

After getting a note demanding his presence, Federal Agent Aaron Falk arrives in his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke's steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn't tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead.

Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there's more to Luke's death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.

• The Harper's Quine by Pat McIntosh
Goodreads | Amazon US
Print Length: 308 pages

Spoiler:

A murder mystery set in 15th Century Glasgow.

From Goodreads:

"Gil is a recently qualified lawyer whose family still expect him to enter the priesthood. When he finds the body of a young woman in the new building at Glasgow Cathedral he is asked to investigate, and identifies the corpse as the runaway wife of cruel, unpleasant nobleman John Semphill. With the help of Maistre Pierre, the French master-mason, Gil must ask questions and seek a murderer in the heart of the city."

[WT Sharpe]

A remarkable month. I don't think there's a book on that list I wouldn't enjoy reading.

[CRussel]

I agree, though there is one on the list I won't read if it's chosen. Just too expensive right now, and it's not available at the library. But overall, a good list.

[CRussel]

I went ahead and voted, making my choices from ones I'd never read, or would like to re-read. And avoiding the Aaronovitch, even though I loved the book. We just read one of his this month, and I think we should have at least a couple of months of other things.

That being said, there's none on this list I wouldn't read, except for The Dry. That one's just more than I'm willing to pay for an untried author and a casual read.

[JSWolf]

The way I voted would have been different if we didn't have an open vote with a discussion.

[WT Sharpe]

I'm surprised there hasn't been more love for the Steve Hockensmith book. I'm going to have to check my list of books read and see what's next in the series. Those are kind of fun.

[Dazrin]

I would have voted for it but the waiting list is 9 people long, no way I would get it in time.

[JSWolf]

We need more love for Moon Over Soho. I would be nice to find out what happens to our hapless officer of the law when we last saw him. Let's go back to London and not to Africa.

[Alohamora]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I would have voted for it but the waiting list is 9 people long, no way I would get it in time.

That's like what I see with The Dry, 14 people waiting on 2 copies.

I was able to check out the Holmes on the Range audiobook right away, so I'll give it a listen regardless of the club vote.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

We need more love for Moon Over Soho. I would be nice to find out what happens to our hapless officer of the law when we last saw him. Let's go back to London and not to Africa.

I'm reading it now (along with a couple of other titles). If it wins, I'll be ahead of the game. If not...

Spoiler:

...at least I'll know how faceless Leslie fares by the end of the book.

[JSWolf]

Moon Over Soho is going to be the next book I read.

[CRussel]

I've already read it, and while I enjoyed it quite a bit, I don't think it's a good choice for the Book Club. We should have diversity, not simply read through a series. Just my opinion, of course, but what I like about the MobileRead Book Club is it causes me to stretch to read things I might not otherwise have chosen. I don't always enjoy them, but I usually at least try them.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The way I voted would have been different if we didn't have an open vote with a discussion.

Jon, I can only take this as meaning that you voted for a book you wouldn't have chosen because you're willing to read it. Great! That's how it's meant to work, getting people to agree on something they're all willing to read and discuss, rather than having a "my first choice or nothing" attitude.

Generally, I can group the nominations into three categories:

• Books I'd like to read
• Books I'm willing to read
• Books I won't read*

Frankly, there would be few if any books in the last category if more people showed up for the discussions especially after voting for a book. I may or may not vote for books in the second category, depending on how many books I'm already voting for and what seem like likely contenders. Ultimately and IMO, the point is to maximize participation.

*There can be several reasons for this other than inherent lack of appeal, including price, availability, or my having read it in the not-so-distant past.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

Jon, I can only take this as meaning that you voted for a book you wouldn't have chosen because you're willing to read it. Great! That's how it's meant to work, getting people to agree on something they're all willing to read and discuss, rather than having a "my first choice or nothing" attitude.

There are books in the list I will read if any of them win. But, because of the way the voting was going and how some have been talking, I voted to try to help certain books maybe win.

[CRussel]

Well, given how the voting is going, I just borrowed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency from the BC Library. Unfortunately, they don't have it in audio format, which I might have been willing to try. I may go ahead and get it from Audible. The narrator for this series is Lisette Lecat, who is South African so should be able to at least get the pronunciations correct. She's generally getting good reviews on Audible, but I really would have preferred a woman of colour reading these books.