--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00009 Date: 07/24/96 From: MAUREEN GOLDMAN Time: 08:52am \/To: SUZZE TIERNAN (Read 3 times) Subj: Scrabble On (22 Jul 96) Suzze Tiernan wrote to Maureen Goldman... ST> To keep on topic - reading any good mysteries? I just finished Michael ST> Connelly's "Black Ice" and started "Concrete Blonde" for our discussion ST> group this week. Mostly I read in bed, and my eyes have been killing me (just hooked up to Internet six weeks ago, an "unlimited time" account. Oy!). I've been reading John Wyndham's "The Chrysalids", but that's science fiction. ... "No offense, but you scare me." -Arthur --- PPoint 1.88 * Origin: Point of No Deposit, No Return (1:153/404.11) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00010 Date: 07/17/96 From: ROBERT WHITE Time: 06:07am \/To: DOROTHY REYNOLDS (Read 3 times) Subj: Mystery writer -=> Quoting DOROTHY REYNOLDS to FRED RUNK <=- DR> got a rejection, "it didn't meet their requirements, but good DR> luck with your writing," kind. DR> I've been told you aren't really a writer until you've received DR> at least three rejections. I've had four. (g). So if you've Hello Dorothy, Just a thought about where you may want to try submitting some of your writing. If you are active on the Internet, you can check out 'The Case', a weekly short mystery site. They send out a mystery in E-mail to a mailing ist every Wed. They are usually about 2 pages long and there is a prize draw for correct solutions. They are usually looking for new writers so if you have ideas for a very short story mystery or if you just want to join in reading and solving them the URL is: www.thecase.com I don't know if they pay anything or if it's just a way to get exposure and feedback. Bob 8-{) --- Blue Wave/Max v2.20 * Origin: TechTalk; Calgary, Alberta. V.34+ (1:134/40) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00011 Date: 07/17/96 From: ROBERT WHITE Time: 01:03pm \/To: DELORES E ROWE (Read 3 times) Subj: Morse -=> Quoting Delores E Rowe to Fred Runk <=- FR>Finished reading DAUGHTERS OF CAIN, the latest "Morse" mystery by FR>Overall, I would rate it a good Morse mystery, not quite as strong as the FR>last one THE WAY THROUGH THE WOODS, but definitely readable. I loved 'The Way Through the Woods' and have added 'Daughters... to my list. What I particularly liked in ...Woods was the puzzle within the mystery with Morse writing to the newspaper and the allusions that were drawn out. And Morse was a more likable character in ...Woods. Often he can be so overbearing to Lewis and have such tunnel vision in his investigating. Occasionally abusing his authority and hounding the innocent as though he was without blame or defect. Dexter does write very well and it is an enjoyable series, made more so by the TV adaptations. Bob 8-{) --- Blue Wave/Max v2.20 * Origin: TechTalk; Calgary, Alberta. V.34+ (1:134/40) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00012 Date: 07/20/96 From: ROBERT WHITE Time: 04:43pm \/To: HELEN FLEISCHER (Read 3 times) Subj: Summer reading -=> Quoting HELEN FLEISCHER to Debbie Shanker <=- Hello Helen, HF> forensic science on TLC that even had a forensic entymologist. Nothing HF> like establishing the time of death by the size and type of maggots, HF> eh? Not that I see that very often in mysteries. Wonder why? ;) The latest book by Minette Walters 'The Dark Room' uses this technique to pin down the date, if not the time, of a homicide. The book is quite good, she specializes in kind of pschological twists and plots. My emotions and eelings about the main character flipped over and over. The ending was a bit too abrupt after all the feints and bluffs in the rest of the plot, but a good satisfying read. DS> I just finished Julie Smith's New Orleans Mourning. Her Skip I like Smith's other series that is set in San Francisco better, but have enjoyed all the Skip Langdon series as well. I just finished Laurence Shames first mystery, or at least I think it is his first one. He worte or co-authored books before this one, but I don't think they were mysteries. Anyway it is call 'Florida Straight' and is a great ook. Lots of good characters, and local color of Key West and NY. Not much iolence in his books, lots of good dialog and plotting. Next in my pile is the latest Charles Paris book by Simon Brett. It is called 'Sicken and so Die'. I seem to have missed the previous one in this series, 'A Reconstructed Corpes', and will have to haunt the library and bookstores o find it. This is another of my favorite series with lots of subtle humor and great plots. I rarely can figure out the killer before the ending, but after Charles unmasks him/her all the little clues that I missed suddenly jump out. I finished 'Sicken ...' and was a little unsatisfied with it. Charles seemed to spend too much time and effort in self pity in this one, kind of turned me off. The mystery part of the plot was OK, but not as original as most in this series. Currently I'm reading 'The Music of What Happens' by John Straley. I read his first one, 'The Woman WHo MArried a Bear' a couple of years ago, after assing on it several times as the title put me off. That was a mistake as the title refers to an indian or inuit legend and is not a literal act. If you haven't read Straley yet you should give him a try. Again good characters and subtle plots that unfold ever so slowly. If you read and like Tony Hillerman, you will almost certainly like Straley. Hillerman gets a lot more caught up in he Navaho culture and mysticism, and Straley shows us life on the edge of nother frontier - in Alaska. A lot of similarities in how the two authors ntertwine the natural world, the spirit world, and human frailties. Nothing else jumps out in my mind that I've read lately, but I've added your recommendations to my BOLO list as well. BTW, has Belle Bijou been posting on here lately? I've been absent for a couple of months, due to a lot of backlogged work, and then a delightful hard drive crash that left me limping along with minimal installs of the programs that I need for work jammed on a tiny 20mb HD with a few bad sectors. (How's that for a run-on sentence?) I'm still waiting to hear from Maxtor re: what they will do about my crashed 1.2gb drive, unfortunately there were some directories on the drive that I hadn't backed up in a long time and that data is gone forever. I'm starting to look at the various options of tape and removable HDs as a better way of backing up than 100+ diskettes. Bob 8-{) ...Blessed are the pessimists, for they shall make backups. --- Blue Wave/Max v2.20 * Origin: TechTalk; Calgary, Alberta. V.34+ (1:134/40) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00013 Date: 07/24/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 03:47pm \/To: DEBBIE SHANKER (Read 6 times) Subj: Holmes and Watson -=>While in the White Hart, Debbie Shanker explained to Fred Runk that<=- DS> One actor had reddish hair and the other one was DS> definitely more gray. To be honest, they really did DS> resemble each other a lot. I think the second actor (can't DS> remember his name but is the grayer of the two) seemed to DS> be in more of the episodes, so I got more comfortable with DS> his portrayal. Both did an excellent job...and I really do DS> miss Jeremy Brett. Yeah, think that's what I noticed also. Vaguely remember thinking that perhaps it had been decided to make him a bit older, more mature. Yes, I think the first one was around only for the first two years at most. I saw nothing to complain about with either portrayal. Yes, I also miss him. I wonder if someone else will be brought in to play Holmes. Perhaps it would be best to wait five years and then bring in a new Holmes and Watson. FINISHED: Ellis Peters' BROTHER CADFAEL'S PENANCE (last book in the series) Currently reading: Martha Grimes, RAINBOW'S END. ... Yahweh: Creation is light in which each life is a bright point. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00014 Date: 07/24/96 From: FRED RUNK Time: 05:45pm \/To: DELORES E ROWE (Read 3 times) Subj: Peters -=>While in the White Hart, Delores E Rowe explained to Fred Runk that<=- DER> ... When in doubt, cop an attitude. Cat philosophy. FR> How does one tell the difference? DER> DER> I guess it depends on how badly they want you to do something for DER> them! Mine uses the principle of unusual behavior to get attention. Molly is a very quiet cat, but occasionally she meows, most often when walking down the hallway. It is so surprising to hear her that it gets my attention immediately--which is of course the desired effect. DER> I just finished reading Acts & Omissions by Nancy Kopp. Legal drama DER> with murder thrown in for good measure. I guess it was OK for a first DER> novel. However, I get a little irked when an author feels compelled DER> to tell me what every character is wearing, in every scene, down to the DER> color of their socks, and the material that everything is made from!! DER> On a scale of 1 to 10, I guess I would give it a 3+. Aside from excessive description, what were its strong points? Sounds like a "first novel" problem. Just finished Ellis Peters BROTHER CADFAEL'S PENANCE and now beginning Martha Grimes' RAINBOW'S END. ... Silence means never having to say you were wrong. ___ X Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 X --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place (1:300/6.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00015 Date: 07/23/96 From: SAM WARING Time: 10:40pm \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 3 times) Subj: Daughters Of Cain On 17 Jul 96 Fred Runk said this about that to Maureen Goldman: MG>> I guess that the Twentieth Chronicle will be the last. FR> Why do you say that? Aside from being a nice round number to end a FR> series. "It's Mrs. Pargeter...she's dead, Jim." B-{)### Edith Pargeter (aka Ellis Peters) died recently. ... An elephant: a mouse built to government specifications. --- PPoint 2.00 * Origin: Shallow end of the gene pool (1:382/91.12) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00016 Date: 07/24/96 From: SUSAN BULLA Time: 11:08pm \/To: SUZZE TIERNAN (Read 3 times) Subj: Cause of death ST> DS> but thought it had a "soap opera ending". We have to get Suzze and ST> DS> Betty to read it and have a discussion about it. ST> ST> I can read it anytime - as soon as I drive the 45 minutes to my SIL's house. ST> She and her husband finished it and said I could have it. Sure. Rub it in! * JABBER v1.2 * I tried to play my shoehorn... all I got was footnotes! --- InterEcho 1.18 * Origin: * DataBoard BBS * Crowley, TX * (817)297-6222 * (1:130/916) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00017 Date: 07/24/96 From: SUSAN BULLA Time: 11:08pm \/To: SUZZE TIERNAN (Read 3 times) Subj: Private library ST> There are a few that were so good, that I want to hold on to them. (Most ST> recently The Alienist) I especially enjoyed this one, too, but it runs against character for me. I usually don't care for historical fiction. * JABBER v1.2 * A clear conscience is merely the result of bad memory. --- InterEcho 1.18 * Origin: * DataBoard BBS * Crowley, TX * (817)297-6222 * (1:130/916) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: DBY00018 Date: 07/24/96 From: SUSAN BULLA Time: 11:08pm \/To: DEBBIE SHANKER (Read 3 times) Subj: Summer reading DS> I liked the Cornwells a lot. They reminded me of the TV show Quincy, which we DS> still watch on reruns. It was one of the few times a mystery novel took that DS> sort of approach although the overall quality of the novels themselves have DS> gone downhill. Agreed. Are you old enough to remember Quincy's precursor, "Diagnosis Unknown"? * JABBER v1.2 * The mind is flat; new data pushes old stuff off the back. --- InterEcho 1.18 * Origin: * DataBoard BBS * Crowley, TX * (817)297-6222 * (1:130/916)