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Sandy wrote: "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.

Lov..."

Lol

I would love and Anne Cleeves/Shetland read in the new year-I've read the first couple and really enjoyed them.

OK, and possibly the Snowblind series at some point. I can see that Ragnar Jónasson also has the Hulda series (The Darkness, etc) but only 3 books, so I will add the longer Dark Iceland series to my list.

One question - Henning Mankell has a prequel to the Kurt Wallender series, The Pyramid. Always an issue - do a series in order of publishing or chronology. Do we want to include it?

I am happy we have enough now to be able to plan ahead for next year. Many thanks everyone.

The Pyramid seems to be a collection of stories, so my feeling is we drop it when we get that far, but I happy to go with the majority feeling, should anyone have a view on this!

I'd love to read Anne Cleeves' Shetland books too.

Susan wrote: "The Pyramid seems to be a collection of stories, so my feeling is we drop it when we get that far, but I happy to go with the majority feeling, should anyone have a view on this!"

Agree we should leave it till later on, maybe it could just be an optional extra in between 8 and 10 for those who are really keen on that particular series?

Pamela wrote: "Susan wrote: "The Pyramid seems to be a collection of stories, so my feeling is we drop it when we get that far, but I happy to go with the majority feeling, should anyone have a view on this!"

Ag..."

Yes, this would be my suggestion, save it for fans of the series who want more - in my reading experience, that’s what prequels generally are, shorts that didn’t get a lot of attention because they weren’t complete books. But once a series gets a following, fans usually want everything they can get hold of with favorite characters.

Great.

RC - perfect, and I believe you will be joining in the Poirot/Marple challenge too, which is great news.

Updated and re-vamped buddy list:

October/November
Everybody Always 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)

March/April
Cecile is Dead by Georges Simenon (Maigret #22)
Appleby Talks Again (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 15) by Michael Innes
Brother Cadfael’s Penance (Cadfael #20) by Ellis Peters (Last Book)
N or M? (Tommy and Tuppence #3) by Agatha Christie
Smoke and Mirrors (Brighton Mysteries #2) by Elly Griffiths

April/May
The Attending Truth (Bobby Owen #30) by E R Punshon
Harm’s Way (Sloan and Crosby #11) by Catherine Aird
Cop Killer (Martin Beck #9) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
The Curse of the Giant Hogweed by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #5)
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #1)

May/June
Signed, Picpus aka To Any Lengths/Maigret and the Fortune Teller by Georges Simenon (Maigret #23)
Hostage to Fortune (Bradecote and Catchpoll #4) by Sarah Hawkswood
The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #4)
The Lamp of the Wicked (Merrily Watkins #5) by Phil Rickman
Mrs Pargeter’s Plot (Mrs Pargeter #5) by Simon Brett

June/July
Strange Ending (Bobby Owen #31) by E R Punshon
Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis (Falco #10)
Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon (Brunetti #10)
March Violets by Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther #1)
Gently Does It (Inspector George Gently #1) by Alan Hunter

July/August
Felicie aka Maigret and the Toy Village by Georges Simenon (Maigret #24)
Death on a Quiet Day aka Appleby Plays Chicken (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 16) by Michael Innes
By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence #4) by Agatha Christie
The Blood Card (Brighton Mysteries #3) by Elly Griffiths
River of Darkness (#1 John Madden) by Rennie Airth

Hope that helps you all plan well in advance!!!

Wow! I know what I will be reading months from now. Thanks Susan.

It will come round surprisingly quickly, Sandy.

Thank you Susan!

Thanks Susan, great job! Lots of great reads to look forward to.

On the subject of Scottish mysteries, anyone else read the Peter May Lewis series-The Black House is the first and I heard great things about it on a recent tour of Lewis. There are 4 of them in the "trilogy" so far-if there was interest we could perhaps follow Shetland series with that?

Frances wrote: "On the subject of Scottish mysteries, anyone else read the Peter May Lewis series-The Black House is the first and I heard great things about it on a recent tour of Lewis. There are..."

I have it but haven't read it. I have read some of his Enzo McLeod series.

I've read all of his Chinese mysteries and the Shetland series, but so far none of the Enzo files.

I haven't read the Peter May series. The fourth is a kindle deal of the day today - must be a sign, Frances!

I shall add him to the list, many thanks.

The fourth (of a trilogy??) is $1 in the US. The others are $7.

I think it's an it addition to the original trilogy.

Always happy to have new books for the list - it's amazing how quickly we get through a series.

I am looking forward to starting the Elly Griffiths Brighton series next month. Is anyone else looking forward to one of our forthcoming new series?

I am but then I do like the Ruth Galloway series. I’m also looking forward to the Phillip Kerr books having only heard good things about them

Susan wrote: "I am looking forward to starting the Elly Griffiths Brighton series next month. Is anyone else looking forward to one of our forthcoming new series?"

Yes, I actually found my library has the first book, and found the next two at a used bookstore last week, so I’m set!

The one I am looking forward to is the Ann Cleeves series, Raven Black. She has been on my radar for quite awhile.

Sandy wrote: "The one I am looking forward to is the Ann Cleeves series, Raven Black. She has been on my radar for quite awhile."

I read that some years ago, and meant to read on. I liked it so much that it is a book that has stayed with me. A lot of books I have read and even after a short time I have forgotten them, but the odd one like this, has stayed in my memory.

I am currently reading the first in the Brighton mysteries.

I also read the first in the Ann Cleeves series. There are just so many series, it is impossible to keep up. I manage to follow a few series, but so many fall by the wayside.

I’m reading The Zig Zag Girl as well, liking it so far. I have not read the Ann Cleeves series before, looking forward to trying at least the first book, which I can get through my library.

I've just made a tweak to our buddy reads list to cut out the second book of Michael Innes short stories, Appleby Talks Again and replace it with a full-length novel.

A few of us are currently reading Appleby Talks and it turns out that most of the stories in it are very short, often only 3 or 4 pages long, with not much to discuss! So, after some chat in the book's thread, I've taken the follow-up off the buddy read list. This means we will now read Death on a Quiet Day (book 16 in the series) as our next Appleby title in March/April. Looking forward to that one. :)

Thanks, Judy. Short stories are difficult.

Thanks, Susan. I think there is more to discuss in the Tommy and Tuppence short stories, but in general short stories are difficult to discuss compared to full-length novels.

Just to let people know, our buddy read of Something The Cat Dragged In, next in the Peter Shandy series by Charlotte MacLeod, has been moved back a month to start in mid-January. This is to even things up slightly as we have a lot of buddy reads due to start in December. :)

That's good: I'm still reading #2 in the series so maybe I can catch up by then.

Judy wrote: "Just to let people know, our buddy read of Something The Cat Dragged In, next in the Peter Shandy series by Charlotte MacLeod, has been moved back a month to start in m..."

Thank you, like the rest of you, I seem to have a lot of group books I want to read in December, on top of my usual personal sentimental holiday rereads…this makes it easier to juggle them all! ;o)

I just purchased the kindle of The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning
, #2 in one of our challenge series, for after I finish the Lady Lupin book - I’ll go from one airheaded British aristocrat to another�;o) But I’ll be chuckling all the way, can’t ask for better than that.

I am really enjoying The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning. I know the first book had mixed opinions, but I like this series.

Susan wrote: "I am really enjoying The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning. I know the first book had mixed opinions, but I like this series."

That's good to hear, Susan - I wasn't too keen on the first book, so this makes me hopeful about the second one.

After reading the first Wimsey book, Whose Body?, a couple of years ago and the second one, Clouds of Witness, this month, the mods have decided we'll carry on with the series as buddy reads, since we have so many fans of Dorothy L. Sayers in the group.

Book three, Unnatural Death, is scheduled for April so that anyone who wants to read the first two books first has time to catch up :)

Judy wrote: "After reading the first Wimsey book, Whose Body?, a couple of years ago and the second one, Clouds of Witness, this month, the mods have decided we'll carry on with the ..."

Oh, lovely choice, thank you, I’d pulled out my battered old paperbacks of the Lord Peter books, as I’d been meaning to carry on with rereading them, it’ll be delightful with the group, I don’t think I was a member last time they were read.

I am looking forward to more Lord Peter.

I need to re-read the first two and catch up :)

As Shedunnit did a recent episode on Christianna Brand, one of my favourite GA authors, this has inspired an impromptu buddy read of Death of Jezebel in May/June, the fourth in her Inspector Cockrill series. Everyone is welcome to join in.

“A very neat version of the ‘sealed room� mystery ... provides [Miss Brand] with excellent opportunities to indulge her sense of character and her pleasantly malicious wit, as well as her gift for posing an ingenious problem.� � Times Literary Supplement, 1949

At Elysian Hall, a grand exhibition space in post-War London, a cast has been assembled for a medieval-themed pageant show replete with knights in coloured armour, real horses and a damsel in a rickety tower on high. With death threats discovered by members of the troupe before the show, the worst comes to pass when the leading lady is thrown from the tower before the eyes of the audience by an unknown assailant � with all doors backstage also under observation. Faced with a seemingly impossible case, the wizened Inspector Cockrill and the fresh-faced Inspector Charlesworth begrudgingly join forces to uncover the killer hiding in plain sight.

First published in Britain in 1949, Brand’s exuberant novel is still regarded as one of the great masterpieces of the classic mystery genre for its fiendishly constructed puzzle, memorable setting, dumbfounding acts of misdirection and thrilling denouement.

I have updated the Buddy Read list to the end of the year. Any mistakes or queries then let me know.

Buddy Reads:

April/May
The Attending Truth (Bobby Owen #30) by E R Punshon
Harm’s Way (Sloan and Crosby #11) by Catherine Aird
Cop Killer (Martin Beck #9) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
The Curse of the Giant Hogweed by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #5)
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #1)
Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey #3) by Dorothy L Sayers

May/June
Signed, Picpus aka To Any Lengths/Maigret and the Fortune Teller by Georges Simenon (Maigret #23)
Hostage to Fortune (Bradecote and Catchpoll #4) by Sarah Hawkswood
The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #4)
Mrs Pargeter’s Plot (Mrs Pargeter #5) by Simon Brett
Death of Jezebel (#4 Inspector Cockrill) by Christianna Brand

June/July
Strange Ending (Bobby Owen #31) by E R Punshon
Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis (Falco #10)
Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon (Brunetti #10)
March Violets by Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther #1)
Gently Does It (Inspector George Gently #1) by Alan Hunter

July/August
Felicie aka Maigret and the Toy Village by Georges Simenon (Maigret #24)
The Long Farewell by Michael Innes (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 17) by Michael Innes
By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence #4) by Agatha Christie
The Blood Card (Brighton Mysteries #3) by Elly Griffiths
River of Darkness (#1 John Madden) by Rennie Airth

August/Sept
Brought to Light (Bobby Owen #32) by E R Punshon
A Dead Liberty (Sloan and Crosby #12) by Catherine Aird
The Terrorists (Martin Beck #10) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (last book)
The Corpse in Oozak’s Pond by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #6)
White Nights by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #2)

Sept/Oct
Inspector Cadaver aka Maigret’s Rival by Georges Simenon (Maigret #25)
Vale of Tears (Bradecote and Catchpoll #5) by Sarah Hawkswood
Special Assignments by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #5)
Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour (Mrs Pargeter #6) by Simon Brett
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander #1)

Oct/Nov
Dark is the Clue (Bobby Owen #33) by E R Punshon
One Virgin Too Many by Lindsey Davis (Falco #11)
Willful Behaviour by Donna Leon (Brunetti #11)
The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther #2)
Gently By the Shore (Inspector George Gently #2) by Alan Hunter

Nov/Dec
Maigret Gets Angry aka Maigret in Retirement by Georges Simenon (Maigret #26)
The Long Farewell (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 17) by Michael Innes
Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence #5) by Agatha Christie (last book)
The Vanishing Box (Brighton Mysteries #4) by Elly Griffiths
The Blood-Dimmed Tide (#2 John Madden) by Rennie Airth

Dec/Jan
The Night of Fear (#2 Hugh Collier) by Moray Dalton (Christmas buddy read)
Triple Quest (Bobby Owen #34) by E R Punshon
The Body Politic (Sloan and Crosby #13) by Catherine Aird
Vane Pursuit by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #7)
Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #3)

Thank you Susan! Lots of good books coming up.

I've just noticed that the next Michael Innes book, The Long Farewell, is listed twice, in July and November - I think this is my fault because I moved this series around a while back to get rid of short story collections!

I'm actually wondering if it's worth carrying on with Innes at the moment as I think I was the only person who posted on the previous title. Please could anyone who wants to carry on with them post to say so? Otherwise perhaps we should pause those reads for now.

OK, let me know. I took out Merrily Watkins as it was just me reading them too. I can remove them if needed.

Will do, Susan, thank you.

Thanks for the update, Susan

Welcome. I am planning to open the May reads today, as I know midweek can get busy. Hope that's OK with everyone. All threads will stay open anyway.

early is always good, Susan, and thank you for all your work!

Thank you, Susan! Looking forward to the new discussions.

Due to a lack of participation, we have changed some of the buddy reads.
The Long Farewell by Michael Innes (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 17) by Michael Innes (July/August) and
The Long Farewell (The Inspector Appleby Mysteries Book 17) by Michael Innes (Nov/Dec) have been removed as have all Maigret books past mid-May:
Felicie aka Maigret and the Toy Village by Georges Simenon (Maigret #24)
Inspector Cadaver aka Maigret’s Rival by Georges Simenon (Maigret #25)
Maigret Gets Angry aka Maigret in Retirement by Georges Simenon (Maigret #26)

I will jiggle and re-balance the list and re-post.

Also, group question: do we want to have a challenge next year? Should we just continue with the Poirot/Marple books, or would you like us to think of something new?

Comments please!

New buddy read list:

Buddy Reads:
April/May
The Attending Truth (Bobby Owen #30) by E R Punshon
Harm’s Way (Sloan and Crosby #11) by Catherine Aird
Cop Killer (Martin Beck #9) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
The Curse of the Giant Hogweed by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #5)
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #1)
Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey #3) by Dorothy L Sayers

May/June
Signed, Picpus aka To Any Lengths/Maigret and the Fortune Teller by Georges Simenon (Maigret #23)
Hostage to Fortune (Bradecote and Catchpoll #4) by Sarah Hawkswood
The Death of Achilles by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #4)
Mrs Pargeter’s Plot (Mrs Pargeter #5) by Simon Brett
Death of Jezebel (#4 Inspector Cockrill) by Christianna Brand

June/July
Strange Ending (Bobby Owen #31) by E R Punshon
Two for the Lions by Lindsey Davis (Falco #10)
Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon (Brunetti #10)
Gently Does It (Inspector George Gently #1) by Alan Hunter

July/August

By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Tommy and Tuppence #4) by Agatha Christie
The Blood Card (Brighton Mysteries #3) by Elly Griffiths
River of Darkness (#1 John Madden) by Rennie Airth
March Violets by Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther #1)


August/Sept
Brought to Light (Bobby Owen #32) by E R Punshon
A Dead Liberty (Sloan and Crosby #12) by Catherine Aird
The Terrorists (Martin Beck #10) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (last book)
The Corpse in Oozak’s Pond by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #6)
White Nights by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #2)

Sept/Oct
Vale of Tears (Bradecote and Catchpoll #5) by Sarah Hawkswood
Special Assignments by Boris Akunin (Erast Fandorin #5)
Mrs Pargeter’s Point of Honour (Mrs Pargeter #6) by Simon Brett
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander #1)

Oct/Nov
Dark is the Clue (Bobby Owen #33) by E R Punshon
One Virgin Too Many by Lindsey Davis (Falco #11)
Willful Behaviour by Donna Leon (Brunetti #11)
Gently By the Shore (Inspector George Gently #2) by Alan Hunter

Nov/Dec
Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence #5) by Agatha Christie (last book)
The Vanishing Box (Brighton Mysteries #4) by Elly Griffiths
The Blood-Dimmed Tide (#2 John Madden) by Rennie Airth
The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr (Bernie Gunther #2)

Dec/Jan
The Night of Fear (#2 Hugh Collier) by Moray Dalton (Christmas buddy read)
Triple Quest (Bobby Owen #34) by E R Punshon
The Body Politic (Sloan and Crosby #13) by Catherine Aird
Vane Pursuit by Charlotte MacLeod (Professor Shandy #7)
Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (Shetland #3)