In anticipation . . .
I was thinking that it is perhaps time to think about wrapping up my summer reading project of reading mysteries, but I am enjoying them so much, why stop now? Summer technically doesn't end until mid-September anyway. And maybe I'll just let it be a year long project (actually it is really just an excuse to binge on mysteries and crime novels. I'm nearing the end of a couple of mysteries and have finished a few (must still write about them), so I think it is time to choose something new to add to the reading pile. Of course it is an agonizing choice--because there are far too many really good sounding stories to choose from.
Here's what the current pile of choices looks like at the moment. It's a continuous shifting about of books to be honest. If I allow myself to really start looking through all my mysteries it will be an impossible choice. Usually I have an idea in mind ahead of time--I am looking for a particular sort of story or a particular setting or period, but I'm not quite sure what I am in the mood for at the moment. Here are a few possibilities:
A Death at the Palace by M.H. Baylis -- the draw: London setting. "London positively seethes off the page . . . marvellous."
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty -- the draw: suspense story. "Once you start you can't stop reading". I need one of those sorts of books.
Fatal Lies by Frank Tallis -- the draw: I've read the first couple of these Rheinhardt/Liebermann mysteries, love the Vienna setting and love even more all the descriptions of coffee and pastries! Why does this sound like a really good fall or winter setting however?
In the Spider's House by Sarah Diamond -- the draw: psychological thriller and story of obsession. " . . . best read with the lights on".
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes -- the draw: have heard it is unputdownable. It is perhaps not my usual fare, but . . . "Simply one of the best suspense novels I've read in a long time."
Prime Time by Liza Marklund -- the draw: I've read several of the other Annika Bengtzon novels and it is time for the next one. "Thirteen people in an isolated manor house" and one of them is found dead!
The City of Shadows by Michael Russell -- the draw: the 1930s Dublin setting is quite appealing. "A missing woman. Two mysterious murders. A city shrouded in secrets."
A Deadly Paradise by Grace Brophy -- the draw: I've read one of the Commissario Cenni mysteries and Italy as a destination sounds quite nice right now. The mystery in this novel harkens back to the dark days of WWII.
Blood Curse by Marizio de Giovanni -- the draw: another Italian setting, this time Naples (the previous book Venice!). Is this the first or second book in the series--must check that out. I keep meaning to read these books. Part of Europa Editions World Noir series.
Random Violence by Jassy Mackenzie -- the draw: set in South Africa and would count as my next 'around the world' mystery. P.I. Jade de Jong sounds like an appealing female lead, too!
Not a hard choice at all! Has anyone read any of these and can recommend one? I'm going to try and wait until I finish another mystery before picking one of these so I have a few days to let the stories percolate a little bit.