SueK

Well, my favourite Detective is Sherlock Holmes - the whole series

I finished River of Destiny - Barbara Erskine's latest - last night and am about to start on William Ryan's second thriller, The Bloody Meadow (another one set in Stalin Russia in the 30s).

Hi Booknutt, I finished River of Destiny last night and absolutely loved it. I won't go into the plot and will wait for your reaction when you have finished it. I thought it was better than Time's Legacy, partly because it's set in an area that I love, the Sutton Hoo district in Suffolk - full of rich history. I hope you enjoy it.

HI Booknutt, I was lucky to get a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine programme last week, I didn't think it would be on the list to review as she is a very popular author but I'm reading it now and I definitely don't think you will be disappointed! I will be reviewing it on Amazon when I've finished it.

Absolutely agree with you there on Pig Island - dreadful book and made me feel grubby!! An author who I won't be picking up any more is a newcomer called Alex Grecian. His debut novel is a tome of a book called The Yard and is about the early days of Scotland Yard in the aftermath of The Ripper Murders. I don't think Mr Grecian has ever set foot in England as he plots London straight out of Mary Poppins (with cockney accents to boot) - "we does love a man with a full beard" say two prostitutes who are waiting at Euston Square Station (this station didn't exist in the late 1880s - it was still known as Gower Street and I think he confused it with the main Euston terminal). One of his main characters is a Welshman called Nevil Hammersmith who comes from a town called Collier. These sorts of gaffs are unforgiveable in my mind and maybe he should have plotted his book in New York or Chicago - it would have been more credible.

Absolutely agree, well worth the read.

I've started Barbara Erskine's new book River of Destiny and so far it is living up to her usual good quality. I've been starved of good books lately so looking forward to reading this one.

Hi Frankie, sorry I didn't make myself very clear . What I meant to say was that Kate Summerscale (who wrote Suspicions) and Mary Braddon wrote about the same family, one factual and the other fictionalised.

I gave up with Yard by Alex Grecian as it was the biggest load of rubbish. I'm balancing my need for good words with a few short stories by H E Bates.

I'm looking forward to reading her new book River of Destiny as it's based around the Deben estuary of Woodbridge in Suffolk (an area I know very well) and there's a lot of history around there. She probably had a field day writing about that area.

I've read one of her books called Lady Audley's Secret which was one of the early "thrillers" a bit like Wilkie Collins. Lady Audley's Secret was a novel that The Suspicions of Mr Whicher was based on. It's an excellent story.

I've started to read a real doorstep of a book called The Yard by Alex Grecian. It is an Amazon Vine book and revovles around the days of Scotland Yard and forensics in the late 1800s. The cover is what tempted me to get hold of the book as it looks very atomospheric but I think that is where it stops. So far, it is turgid and already too many Americanisms are showing through: like two bystanders staying "Pardon Me?" and talking about the sidewalk; and two prostitutes saying in cockney accents "We does like a bloke with a full beard" oh dear!

Thanks Chesilbeach! I have actually got the first 3 on my Kindle but hadn't read The Walkers of Dembley and as I can't find a cheaper version of that particular book, I have downloaded the above omnibus.

I'm reading a couple of Inspector Maigret books at the moment. They are quite short and very good. No messing, they get straight to the plot. After that I shall have to scour the bookshelf to see what takes my fancy - I think it may be a bit of Sherlock though!

I love the Agatha Raisin books as well, I think I 've read about 5 or 6 now. I tend to pick them between heavier reads because she makes me laugh! I think they would make a good TV series although I believe that some have been adapted for the radio with Penelope Keith as Agatha.

thanks Frankie. I must say it's very intruiging and difficult to put down!! I know I'm not reading her words but the translation is very good.

I'm presently reading Purge by Sofi Oksanen (it was a Kindle Daily Deal some time back) - really enjoying it (though enjoying may be the wrong word as it's quite a stark story.

Ha yes Roland - that basically is what the book was about. I've finished it now, an OK read but not a writer I'll particularly look out for again. One thing I gained from it though is that I think Rasputin just had a bad press and wasn't as mad/bad as people made out. I've started Devil's Beat now about a case of hysteria in the woods of a Nottinghamshire town in 1910 ...... quite interesting so far.

I'm reading a new book called Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison which is a story based around the 2 daughters of Rasputin who are invited to live with the Tsar and family after their father's death in the hope that Rasputin's favourite daughter, Masha, can carry on the work that he left off in the healing of the Tsarevich. It's a good concept as they live in their own worlds because the boy is confined to his room so much due to his illness, and she tells him tales of her father which keeps him entertained. My own concern about the book is that a relationship develops between the two which I find uncomfortable seeing as he is just 14 and she is 18 but it's another platform to expose the famous story of which we already know the ending!

Just finished reading the Dark Echo by F G Cottam. It's a good ghost story but I've read better. I'm starting on a kindle book next (especially as I have a long train journey tomorrow and don't want to be saddled with books) - The Girl who came Home (Titanic novel). After that I've got to get stuck into some books to review as I'm waaaaay behind. Note to self: stay out of libraries!!!!!

I've noticed that the Kindle pre-order price is £11.99

I love My Cousin Rachel - I thought it was better in some ways than Rebecca - I wrote a few words about it on the Fiction thread. I'm reading Dark Echo by F G Cottam at present. I fancied an eerie ghost story and having recently read Brodmaw Bay by him, I thought I would have a go at another of his books. So far so good.

Hmm, it will be interesting if this turns up on Amazon Vine to review ......

oh dear me! What a cad!!

I'm sorry to say I've not picked up a Harry Potter book but I do like the sound of this. I thrive on petty squabbles in villages I will wait for it to drop in price or pick up from the library.