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THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

We met February 15th to discuss Ruth Rendell's (pronounced Rendl) From Doon With Love. We are in agreement that it will not be our favorite and most of us will not read others in this series. Nancy assures us that they do get better and we will grow to know and like Wexford and Burden. But, with so many books to read, I probably won't be revisiting Ruth Rendell.
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We are all looking forward to our mystery theater outing next week in Waxahachie. We'll all become 1920 flappers and actors in Murder at the Four Deuces. What fun!!
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Our selection for March is Jar City. We've decided to travel via books in 2010 and this one takes us to Reykjavik, Iceland.
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B&N Synopsis:
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From Gold Dagger Award--winning author Arnaldur Indridason comes a Reykjavík thriller introducing Inspector ErlendurWhen a lonely old man is found dead in his Reykjavík flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Inspector Erlendur discovers that many years ago the victim was accused, but not convicted, of an unsolved crime, a rape. Did the old man's past come back to haunt him? As Erlendur reopens this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man.
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Copies of the book are available at B&N and B&N.com. We'll be meeting March 15th at 10:00 a.m. Please feel free to drop in to see what we are all about even if you do not have a chance to read the book. Perhaps you'll want to read our next one and become a regular member.
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Jane

Fiction Book Club

The selection for February is Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history -- the Salem witch trials.

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What makes this book especially interesting is that Katherine Howe is completing a Ph.D. in American and New England Studies and is a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem witch trials, and Elizabeth Howe, who did not. The idea for this novel developed while Howe was studying for her doctoral qualifying exams and walking her dog through the woods between Marblehead and Salem.

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This is a work of fiction, but you will feel caught between two periods, the 21st Century with Connie Goodwin and the 1690s with Deliverance Dane. I couldn't put it down!

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I hope you can be with us for the discussion of this book on February 11th at 7:30 p.m. in the B&N Cafe.

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Jane

THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

We had a great discussion on the 18th of Louise Penny's Still Life. We all liked it and many of us have or will read more in her series of Three Pines. Lunch at the bistro and browsing through Myrna's bookstore would be an ideal afternoon for all of us. Too bad it's not a real town!
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Our selection for February 15th is Ruth Rendell's From Doon With Death.
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Synopsis
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"From Doon With Death is Ruth Rendell's first novel in her highly popular Chief Inspector Wexford series. No one believed Mr. Parsons' fears for his missing wife. Until two days later, she was discovered in the woods, her face swollen and her clothes damply clinging to her lifeless body. With no useful witnesses and a victim known only for her mundane life, Chief Inspector Wexford has only one clue — a lipstick found at the scene. To find the killer, Wexford must first discover a motive. Because what he can't understand, is how such an unassuming woman became the victim of such a passionate and violent crime."
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I hope that you will pick up a copy at B&N and join us at 10:00 a.m. February 15th in the B&N Cafe.
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Jane

THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

We had a wonderful meeting December 21st and enjoyed one another and discussing Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries In the Nick of Time. Susie brought a hummingbird cake for all to share.

Our selection for January is Still Life (Armand Gamache Series #1) by Louise Penny. This first mystery, Still Life, was the winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.

The New York Times - Marilyn Stasio
… like her neighbors in the picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines, the dear old thing had hidden depths, courtesy of an author whose deceptively simple style masks the complex patterns of a well-devised plot - rather like the subtle designs of Jane’s "primitive" pictures. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, who is as bemused as we are by life in Three Pines, has the wit and insight to look well beyond its idyllic surface.

When you've finished the novel you'll want to visit Three Pines. Please join us January 18th at 10:00 a.m. in the B&N Cafe.

Jane

Third Monday Detectives

A two story mystery. Train enthusiast Francis Humphreys took his last breath while relatives and neighbors visited downstairs. But if everyone was downstairs, who could have stolen into Uncle Francis's study, killed him, and escaped? Mrs. Jeffries will have to lend her downstairs common sense to this upstairs murder mystery.
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Our selection for December is Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries In the Nick of Time.
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"Everyone's awed by Inspector Witherspoon's Scotland Yard successes, but they don't know about his secret weapon. Her name is Mrs. Jeffries, and she keeps house for the Inspector - and keeps him on his toes. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, her polished detection skills are up to the task. Because as she knows all too well, a crimesolver's work is never done. "
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We have so much fun together discussing mysteries that we decided to meet in December! Please join us December 21st (the first day of Winter, but it's always warm and welcoming in B&N) at 10:00 a.m. in the Cafe.
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Jane

Fiction Book Club

I am excited to announce our selection for January - Stieg Larsson's brilliantly plotted and beautifully written

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THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

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An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel. Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

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This one is non-stop action with an ending you will not see coming.

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I've read this one and the second in this series of three (the third will not reach the U.S. until July, 2010), so, if you want to hear more about this selection, look me up or see Eric in music when you're in the store.

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Our discussion is set for January 14th, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. in the B&N Cafe. This is a book and a discussion you will not want to miss!

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Jane