Wednesday 7 January 2015

Reading gems

One of the joys of retiring is that I love reading and I can make great use of the library services. Detective stories are one of my favourite genres. I love a sense of place or characters that I can relate to.  I like UK based stories or somewhere interesting geographically.  
Two books I currently have read are:
James Sallis Salt River. The style is very poetic with intense descriptions, and a film noir set of scenes and story lines. The main character Turner, is very like a James Lee Burke character - very anti-heroic. Rural southern US well observed.
Ross McDonald The Drowning Pool. Is very like a classic Raymond Chandler. Nicely paced and well observed early 20th Century California.  The story evolves with each conversation between the detective and the suspects. They are pithy with undertones you have to spot; but not as striped out conversations you get with a Robert B Parker novel where you get lost and lose track of the crime!

I'd love to hear of others recommendations.



3 comments:

  1. I cannot really recommend anything, but this year I really must do more reading, I had a bit of a sort out yesterday, and found more unread books, so I have about 15 to read at the moment.

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  2. As I had to pick up my husbands car in Colchester today I took my book vouchers. I only bought one book as the choice was limited. Apparently I can use Waterstones click and collect online where there is more choice. I chose Jo Nesbo's The Snowman. I love Scandinavian literature, especially crime like The Bridge. I read his Headhunters , brilliant. I wish I had more time like you. ;0)

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  3. I like the Scandinavian stuff too - read several books like Nesbo, the original Wallanders, Haken Nesser's Borkman's Point and I adored The Bridge! We have read several set in Iceland which is quite an interesting setting too. Hard luck on the poor choice - a good bookshop is hard to find these days! My husband has just joined Amazon Prime to get things delivered here (given up shopping as he cant walk far due to arthritis) and has found he can get one book free on loan FREE as part of the package! Yipee!

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