It was Wednesday, September 17, 20014 and 8 members of the Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Club stepped up into the COA van to find Robert Parker’s famous character Spenser where he lived and worked – in Boston and Cambridge. I had been planning the field trip for more than six months, since February. In August, some of the Mystery Book Club members participated in what we called Spenser Tour #1. … Continue reading
I read the The 500 in three sittings: Thursday evening, Friday afternoon, and Friday evening. Apart from going to the Mystery book club meeting and sleeping, it was continuous. So, yep, it was a page-turner. It is a book that is similar to The Firm (Grisham) and Paranoia (Finder) but instead of the lead character becoming enmeshed in a law firm or a high tech company, it is a lobbying … Continue reading
What do you see in the famous illustration on the right: The vase or the two faces? It depends, right? So it was today as I reflected on The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, the book by Dorothy Gilman that our mystery book club read for February and that we met to discuss today. While I am a mystery book fan and a lover of thrillers and police procedurals, my wife is … Continue reading
Just read a brief review in the front of a book I received as a gift yesterday. The book is The Darkening Field by William Ryan. The review excerpt is from the Times Literary Supplement (UK): Ryan writes with narrative drive and urgency, real sense of place, and a central character who is conflicted, moral, and above all, likeable. Any one of these things is a rarity; the combination is … Continue reading
A wonderful capture of what makes Elmore Leonard’s writing “work.” All 46 books! Pay attention to presenter Martin Amis as he talks about Leonard’s style. Priceless! And as Elmore Leonard describes the influences on his writing. And how this award has re-energized him! Elmore Leonard receives the 2012 DCAL from National Book Foundation on Vimeo. From the National Book Foundation web page: New York, New York (September 19, 2012) – … Continue reading
One of my fellow mystery book lovers stunned me during our last Mystery Book Club discussion – the club I attend in Manchester, Massachusetts. He asked/exclaimed, “Why do you have to compare books?” In my mind, I’m thinking, “That’s more than half the fun of our meetings, the source of much fun, laughter, and thoughtfulness. What’s Joe’s problem?” I didn’t say that exactly, but my thoughts then and immediately afterward … Continue reading
The Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Lovers Club met today and discussed Open Season by Mayor Archer. Open Season (1988) is Mayor’s first book in his Joe Gunther series based in Brattleboro, VT. Since then Mayor has completed 23 Gunther stories. Apparently it’s open season for the former members of a jury that served on the murder trial of Kimberly Harris several years ago. One is shot and killed, another … Continue reading
Mysteries are not only great to read, they can be experienced at leisure. Earlier this month, mystery book fan and member of the Manchester Public Library Mystery Book Club, Mike O’Connor, did just that. He visited Gillette Castle on the Connecticut River, the home of the great actor, William Gillette. It was Gillette who immortalized Sherlock Holmes on the stage, and fixed the Holmes we now know in the popular mind. … Continue reading
Here is the latest trailer for the movie, Jack Reacher, scheduled for release in theaters December 21. It’s based on Lee Child’s book, One Shot, which I read last year. In fact I have read 11 of the 17 available Reacher books; I hope I can read them all before I give in to the temptation to see the film adaptation of One Shot. I’m afraid of allowing Tom Cruise … Continue reading
There are not too many mystery books where the author is writing for adults but the central character is a 13 year old boy. But The Last Child by John Hart departs from the norm in other ways as well for it is more than a mystery, it has an underlying theme. Moreover the theme is not the dangers of nuclear terrorism or corporate conspiracies (thrillers) or that crime doesn’t … Continue reading
LET'S PLAY CLUE: Was it MBC member Dick Goutal, in the garden, using the poisonous plant, Black Henbane?
