I'm really in a mood to dig out a pile of mysteries and dive in, though that's not really anything new. I've been in a mystery/crime mood for a good part of the year. Tempted though I might be, I will stick to reading one mystery at a time, though. I've just started a new mystery by French author Claude Izner called Murder on the Eiffel Tower. Actually Claude Izner is a pen name for two sisters who are "second-hand booksellers on the banks of the Seine and experts on 19th-century Paris." I received this as a freebie through Library Thing's Early Reviewer Program. It's set during the 1889 World Exposition in Paris and features a young bookseller by the name of Victor Legris who gets caught up in murder. I'm not entirely sure what I think of it so far. It's sort of quirky, but then it's a first mystery (I understand several more have been published in France, and they are being translated into English now), and other than Georges Simenon, I've not had any experience reading French mystery or crime novels, so I can't really compare. I'd be curious to hear if anyone has read anything by Izner. I do like the historical details, though, so I will see where the story leads.
I've already decided that I have to read Tana French's In the Woods next. I meant to read it ages ago, but a few other books got in its way. Although I had already heard good things about it by several other bloggers, Ann's recent post about French's new novel and a reference to In the Woods being the "best crime novel she read last year" was enough to convince me I need to read it soon. Maybe I can just take a little peek at the first chapter? I wouldn't mind reading some more Ruth Rendell while we're at it.
And then I have a running list of new mysteries to look out for.
The Serpent and the Scorpion, Clare Langley Hawthorne. I've been waiting a while for the new Ursula Marlowe mystery. The first book introduced Ursula who is a suffragette. The series is set in Edwardian England and I can't wait until the end of the month when the next book is released. This one is set in Egypt.
Winter of Her Discontent, Kathryn Miller Haines. I can't remember where I read about this author (maybe Iliana?). Her sleuth is an aspiring actress and the books are set in the 1940s. This is a second book. I really do need to get to a bookstore and check out the new mysteries and get her previous book to read first.
Bright Hair About the Bone, Barbara Cleverly. This series features 1920s archaeologist Laetitia Talbot as an amateur sleuth. Again, I've yet to read the first (though it is in my pile!), but I'll be getting this second novel when its released. I guess I've got some catching up to do.
I've also been hearing some good things about Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a Swedish thriller, so I'll be checking this out out as well.
My trip to the bookstore is long overdue, and I think I'll spend a good chunk of my next visit browsing the mystery section. I think I am actually in the mood for a mystery (after the couple of books already lined up...) set in the Medieval period. Female protagnist preferred. Any suggestions?