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Jackie wrote: "Susan wrote:

We have Who Killed the Curate? as a GA Christmas buddy read (thanks to Sandy for checking US availability).

I read this not too long ago and found it a hoot - I will happily re-rea..."
Same here - it was delightful!

Wow, you’ve been busy! Thanks so much for organizing all this and keeping us up to date - I look forward to a lot of enjoyable reading through the rest of 2024 (and into the New Year!) Hard to think of January when it’s so hot and muggy…but I like to think of cold weather right now! ;o)

I read the first Gently awhile back and have been meaning to continue.

Thank you for posting the remainder of 2024. I've filled in my reading calendar and added the books to my GR shelves.

A bit of Spring (or Summer!) Cleaning is always helpful :)

That list for the rest of the year looks great, Susan, many thanks. Also some tempting new series coming up. I read the first couple of Brian Flynns ages ago, I think, and have been vaguely meaning to get back to that series for ages, so it will be fun to read more of that one. I've also been meaning to try Gently since seeing the TV series, although the books are set in Norfolk, not up north, so should be very different. :)

I read the first 10 of the Allan Hunter Gentley books as a box set. (Was it The Book People? who used to come round the offices where everything was in book sets of 10?) Obviously I gave them away, so if and when you get to 11 I will join in.

Ah, I mix those box sets, Jill. Also, all the books that used to come through the post. When I was at school I remember getting books about countries of the world, biographies and book of the month. My reading was so eclectic as you never got a choice, so I just read whatever arrived as I was so excited to get the parcel!

Susan wrote: "With Georgette Heyer coming to a close and some other series finishing, we have been discussing some possible 'new' series. Some we are thinking of adding are:

Brighton Mysteries by Elly Griffiths..."

I like Rennie Airth and John Madden. Although he took so long between Books #1 and 2 that I had to go back to re-read River of Darkness. Whoops. I'm still reading it. But have picked up several of the succeeding books.

Sandy wrote: "I read the first Gently awhile back and have been meaning to continue."

I didn't enjoy it very much. Actually, I am probably still reading it. Not crazy about it anyway.

Judy wrote: "That list for the rest of the year looks great, Susan, many thanks. Also some tempting new series coming up. I read the first couple of Brian Flynns ages ago, I think, and have been vaguely meaning..."

I'm enjoying The Billiard Room Mystery. Still reading it though.

Jan, I'm never sure whether your 'still reading it' comments just mean you gave up, which is fair enough.

Susan wrote: "Jan, I'm never sure whether your 'still reading it' comments just mean you gave up, which is fair enough."

It usually means that I've lost track of where it is - either on the kindle or in my house.

Updated Buddy Reads:

September/October
Maigret aka Maigret Returns by Georges Simenon (Maigret #19)
Ordeal by Fire ( Bradecote and Catchpoll #2) by Sarah Hawkswood
The Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #2)
A Crown of Lights (Merrily Watkins #3) by Phil Rickman
Mrs, Pargeter's Package (Mrs Pargeter #3) by Simon Brett

October/November
Everybody Also Tells (Bobby Owen #27) by E R Punshon
A Dying Light in Corduba by Lindsey Davis (Falco #8)
Lamentation by C.J. Sansom (Shardlake #6)
Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon (Brunetti #8)

November/December
The Cellars of the Majestic (aka Maigret and the Hotel Majestic) by Georges Simenon (Maigret #20)
Appleby Talking (aka Dead Man's Shoes) (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 14) by Michael Innes
The Holy Thief (Cadfael #19) by Ellis Peters
Partners in Crime (Tommy and Tuppence #2) by Agatha Christie
The Zig Zag Girl (Brighton Mysteries #1) by Elly Griffiths

December/January
The Golden Dagger (Bobby Owen #28) by E R Punshon
Who Killed the Curate? by Joan Coggin (Lady Lupin #1)
Last Respects (Sloan and Crosby #10) by Catherine Aird
The Locked Room (Martin Beck #8) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
The Immaculate Deception by Iain Pears (Jonathan Argyll #7)
Something the Cat Dragged In by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #4)

January/February
The Judge’s House by Georges Simenon (Maigret #21)
Marked to Die (Bradecote and Catchpoll #3) by Sarah Hawkswood
Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #3)
The Cure of Souls (Merrily Watkins #4) by Phil Rickman
Mrs Pargeter’s Pound of Flesh (Mrs Pargeter #4) by Simon Brett

February/March
The Secret Search (Bobby Owen #29) by E R Punshon
Three Hands in the Fountain by Lindsey Davis (Falco #9)
Tombland by C.J. Sansom (Shardlake #7)
Friends in High Places by Donna Leon (Brunetti #9)

I am doing some work on the buddy books today. I was looking at the Shardlake series and it has listed:

Book 8. Ratcliff [NOT PUBLISHED]

Does anyone know whether there is any intention to publish this book, or are there only 7 books in the series?

Would appreciate it if anyone has any information on this.

Also, does anyone know of a good Scandinavian buddy read series - not too gory.

I would also like, in future, to have a Tartan noir series. There are so many great Scottish crime authors/series. I love Craig Robertson, Denise Mina and many others. Does anyone have any recommendations for a future buddy read series?

You certainly don't hang about do you Susan ? Keeps you out of mischief though - or does it?

Susan wrote: "I am doing some work on the buddy books today. I was looking at the Shardlake series and it has listed:

Book 8. Ratcliff [NOT PUBLISHED]

Does anyone know whether there is any intention to publish this book, or are there only 7 books in the series?..."

I remember seeing in one of the obituaries for the author that he had only written the first part of this book (I think it said the first 20,000 pages) because of his illness, so sadly I don't think it will be published, unless the publisher decides to publish that section somewhere, maybe in a magazine.

I haven't tried any of those Tartan noir series, Susan, but would be up for one, as long as it isn't too gory, as you also say about the Scandinavian ones.

Fabulous list of good books coming up, thank you for this! :)

Thanks so much for all you do, Susan! I’m with Judy, haven’t tried any noir, Scandinavian or tartan, so I’m afraid I can’t help. I am willing to try one - but no gore here either, please!

Susan wrote: "I am doing some work on the buddy books today. I was looking at the Shardlake series and it has listed:

Book 8. Ratcliff [NOT PUBLISHED]

Does anyone know whether there is any intention to publish..."

Gosh, I didn’t know there might have been another book, how sad.

Hilary Mantel was also working on a new novel when she died, a spin off from Pride & Prejudice. It is such a loss when an author does not have time to complete their work.

I shall do a bit of investigating then. For me, the crime fiction coming out of Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia, has been fantastic. I am not a fan of those formulaic cozy series so often seen now and it does feel as though they had a sudden golden age of their own.

I will be back with possible choices...

I have found this series:

Death on a Longship

The first book in Marsali Taylor's thrilling Shetland Sailing Mysteries series. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Val McDermid, Faith Martin, J.R. Ellis, LJ Ross and Ann Cleeves!

'... a well written, enjoyable story with a proper murder-mystery plot... Highly recommended.' Puzzle Doctor, Classic Mysteries


IT DOESN'T TAKE TOO LONG BEFORE THE 'ACCIDENTS' BEGIN...

Her big break has finally arrived and Cassie Lynch believes she has struck gold after securing a job to skipper a Viking longship for a film. Even though this does mean returning to the Shetland Islands, the place where she fled far away from as a teen.

When an unknown corpse appears onboard, Cass finds herself, her family, and her traumatic past all under intense scrutiny by the disturbingly shrewd Detective Inspector, Macrae.

Cass must uncover all of her local knowledge, her wisdom from sailing that she didn't realise she possessed and call on her glamorous French opera singer mother to clear them of all suspicion. Will she be able to stay ahead of the murderers game, and avoid becoming the next victim?
_____________________________

Also, although NOT Scotland (The Scilly Isles are definitely down South) I have read the first book in this series and is definitely not gory and has a good island setting.

Hell Bay

THE ISLES OF SCILLY MYSTERIES # 1

‘Gripping, clever and impossible to put down' ERIN KELLY

DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After ten years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He’s tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider.

Ben plans to work in his uncle's boatyard on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of a sixteen-year-old girl is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during the two-day storm.

Everyone on the island is under suspicion. Dark secrets are about to resurface. And the murderer could strike again at any time . . .

Have you given any more consideration to the Alan Hunter series we talked about earlier?

Yes, That is going to replace the Bobby Owen series. We have six books left of that one.

We have the following series currently running:
Sloan and Crosby (not near the end)
Martin Beck (only 2 books left)
Peter Shandy (6 books left)
Bradecote and Catchpoll (only recently started)
Erast Fandorin (the same)
Merrily Watkins (the same)
Mrs Pargeter (to be followed by the Fethering series)
Falco (not near the end)
Brunetti (not near the end)
Appleby (not near the end)
Cadfael (nearly finished)
Maigret (very long running)
Brighton Mysteries (just started)
Tommy and Tuppence (a handful of books)

So, two or three series nearly at their close and it's amazing how quickly they complete.

Apart from the Gently books, we have possible series:

Bernie Gunther
John Madden by Rennie Airth
Anthony Bathurst - Brian Flynn

I do like to have a few on the back burner though, to slot in where necessary as it can be a job juggling them and I like a good range of different series so people have a choice.

Ok. Thanks, so I won’t go back to them yet.

I haven't read them before. Looking forward to giving them a try, Jill.

Just listening to the third Merrily Watkins book - I LOVE this series, thank you again for suggesting them.

Just checked Amazon, availability is a big part of whether I take part. Death on a Longship is $4.99 on kindle us, $12.61 paperback on Amazon. Star ratings go up over 11-book series, a good sign.

Hell Bay Sounds good to me, but GR takes me to a German page for whole series, and when I try to go to Amazon to check prices, of course it’s the German page, and I can’t find it in English, or a price. Maybe sandy could check? I’m sure she’s less a Luddite than I!

Hell Bay is $3.49 used paperback on Abe books, ship from 🇬🇧. Makes me wonder if it’s available in 🇺🇸?

I like Rennie Airth.

Another one I like is Barry Maitland. He has a series of 13 featuring Kathy Kolla and David Brock.

Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: Hell Bay is $3.49 used paperback on Abe books, ship from 🇬🇧. Makes me wonder if it’s available in 🇺🇸?"

From what I find none of the Hell Bay series are available on kindle in the US."

Sandy wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: Hell Bay is $3.49 used paperback on Abe books, ship from 🇬🇧. Makes me wonder if it’s available in 🇺🇸?"

From what I find none of the Hell Bay series..."

Thanks, Sandy, that’s what it looked like to me.

Snowblind (book 1 - 99p today)

Could be a good choice for a new Scandinavian set buddy read?

FIRST IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES

OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD

A murder takes place in the isolated Icelandic town of Siglufjörður, where an avalanche has cut off all communication and the unrelenting snow threatens rookie police officer Ari Thór Arason first investigation�

'A modern Icelandic take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom�' Ian Rankin

'Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty' Peter James

'Seductive � Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully' Ann Cleeves

________________

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village in Northern Iceland, where no one locks their doors � accessible only via a small mountain tunnel.

Ari Thór Arason: a rookie policeman on his first posting, far from his girlfriend in Reykjavik � with a past that he's unable to leave behind.

When a young woman is found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer falls to his death in the local theatre, Ari is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one, and secrets and lies are a way of life.

An avalanche and unremitting snowstorms close the mountain pass, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push Ari over the edge, as curtains begin to twitch, and his investigation becomes increasingly complex, chilling and personal. Past plays tag with the present and the claustrophobic tension mounts, while Ari is thrust ever deeper into his own darkness � blinded by snow, and with a killer on the loose.

Taut and terrifying, Snowblind is a startling debut from an extraordinary new talent, taking Nordic Noir to soaring new heights.

I've read this and it wasn't gory.

Shame about Hell Bay.

Jan, I've never heard of Barry Maitland, but not on kindle in the UK.

The Icelandic series books range from $6 to $12 in the US.

I was listening to a podcast with Ragnar Jónasson (he was on the Simon Mayo podcast) and he is an Agatha Christie expert and likes Anthony Horowitz, so sounds like an all-round good guy and not someone into gory stuff.

Anyone interested? I would really like to replace the Beck series with another Scandinavian series.

As for Tartan Noir, how about Ann Cleeves as a possibility in the future?

There is the Shetland series. First book is Raven Black

It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunters eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when police insist on opening the investigation a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors, whilst a killer lives on in their midst. Raven Black is a haunting, beautifully crafted crime story, and establishes Ann Cleeves as a rising talent in psychological crime writing.

I would love to read the Shetland series but only in the new year

I’ve read the Shetland series quite recently and I think it would be a good one for this group. The writing is excellent and there’s a great sense of place.

I’ve started quite a few Nordic Noir series - I really like them but can’t remember which were most gory (except Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series which is excellent but definitely is a bit bloodthirsty!) Ragnar Jónasson has more than one series so might be a good choice - I’ve read the first four of the Dark Iceland and enjoyed them.

Maybe also Henning Mankell as the Wallander series is considered a successor to Martin Beck - I’ve only read the first one Faceless Killers. I also enjoyed Kjell Eriksson the Ann Lindell series. Both of these have quite a few in the series, there are some good newer authors but they only have 3 or 4 books out so far.

Good idea, Pamela. Henning Mankell would be interesting. Like you, I have only read one or two.

Neer, our buddy read is set for this year. I am thinking ahead.

So, possibly Henning Mankell and Ann Cleeves? Both pretty classic.

I think Jo Nesbo would be too gruesome for many in the group, but I have liked his books, Pamela. I love Stuart Macbride too, but he is a little too bloodthirsty sometimes. I hate doing it, but sometimes I have to skip bits!

Susan wrote: "I was listening to a podcast with Ragnar Jónasson (he was on the Simon Mayo podcast) and he is an Agatha Christie expert and likes Anthony Horowitz, so sounds like an all-round goo..."

I see Snowblind is $9.99 Kindle US $6.99 paperback, so available here. I think it helps, as Pamela suggests, if they’ve been around for awhile, this book, for instance is from 2010, don’t know which series you had in mind, this was first on GR list. My library has this, along with Henning Mankell, and of course, Ann Cleeves. I’ve not read any of them, I’d try at least the first.

Pamela wrote: "I’ve read the Shetland series quite recently and I think it would be a good one for this group. The writing is excellent and there’s a great sense of place.

I’ve started quite a few Nordic Noir se..."

That might have been my problem, I started with Jo Nesbo years ago when it was all the rage - DNF for me, well, actually barely started�

Neer wrote: "I would love to read the Shetland series but only in the new year"

Same here, new year to start any new series, please!

Susan wrote: "Good idea, Pamela. Henning Mankell would be interesting. Like you, I have only read one or two.

Neer, our buddy read is set for this year. I am thinking ahead.

So, possibly Henning Mankell and An..."

Thanks Susan, these two sound interesting

Susan in NC wrote: "My library has this, along with Henning Mankiller�"

Haha, very apt typo, I’m guessing predictive text with a sense of humour�

Great work Pamela. Definitely interested in both of these.

Pamela wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "My library has this, along with Henning Mankiller�"

Haha, very apt typo, I’m guessing predictive text with a sense of humour�"

Oh, brother - sorry, yes, this latest iteration of autocorrect is crap - comes up with words that don’t even fit the conversation or make sense!

Ann Cleeves has been on my TBR "forever". The Icelandic setting is interesting ( I have been there twice; quite a dramatic country) but I would want the books to be available from my library.

Loved the spell check fill in after Henning!

Susan in NC wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "My library has this, along with Henning Mankiller�"

Haha, very apt typo, I’m guessing predictive text with a sense of humour�"

Oh, brother - sorry, yes, this la..."

Thanks for your suggestions, Pamela, both of those sound interesting.