--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EDD00001 Date: 09/08/97 From: FRED RUNK Time: 05:10pm \/To: JAN MURPHY (Read 2 times) Subj: ping and what's in yo -=>While in the White Hart, Jan Murphy explained to Fred Runk that<=- > MS> I am currently working my way through First Cases 2. > > Not familiar with this one. Is it a collection of short > works? JM> JM> _First Cases_ and _First Cases 2_ are anthologies. The 'theme' is JM> that the stories feature the first appearances of the JM> detectives in question. I haven't had the time to read JM> them yet, so I don't know if this is "first" in the sense JM> of "first publication" or "first" as in series story JM> chronology. The title sort of suggests the first case the detective handled, which doesn't have to be the first published. They do sound interesting though, regardless of "who's on first." FINISHED: Greg Bear. PSYCHLONE CR: Robert Silverberg, BEYOND THE SAFE ZONE, 488/565, short story coll. CR: Marcel Proust, SWANN'S WAY, 124/462. CR: Stephanie Barron, JANE AND THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR, 60/318 Email: fredr@gci-net.com ... An armed society is a frightened society. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place 1:300/704.2 (1:300/704.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EDM00000 Date: 09/14/97 From: MICHAEL SIMONTON Time: 11:35pm \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 3 times) Subj: ping and what's in your Fred, FR>-=>While in the White Hart, Michael Simonton explained to Fred Runk at<=- FR>MS> Fred, FR>MS> I am currently working my way through First Cases 2. Being a >MS> newbie in mystery reading, I'm really getting a crash course in >MS> mystery stories. :) FR>Not familiar with this one. Is it a collection of short works? It's a collection of short non-pi works. The first one in the series was pi works. Each story is the first appearance of a particular series character in short story form. I am enjoying the set of books. Mock Mock ___ * UniQWK v4.1 * The Windows Mail Reader -+- OLMS 2.53 UNREG --- * Origin: Paradise Lost BBS, Shoreline, Wa. (206) 365-7435 (1:343/236) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EDM00001 Date: 09/14/97 From: FRED RUNK Time: 09:19am \/To: ALL (Read 3 times) Subj: Information I purchased and began to read _The Vintage Book of Classic Crime_, edited by Michael Dibdin. The table of contents reads like a Mystery Hall of Fame, from Poe to PD James to Chandler, from Checkhov to Symons to Singer to Kafka. It sounded great until I began to read the book and discovered that there wasn't a complete story in the book--nothing but extracts from larger works. I am very disappointed as I had not expected this. If I had known it was a collection of extracts, I wouldn't have purchased it. I can't find anything that spells this out, although I suspect the publisher could point to the back cover where the blurb mentions "the stories, essays, and novel excerpts in this volume..." I saw that but thought it meant the excerpts were of the novels, which wasn't a problem. Oh well, chalk it up to experience. I will just view anything published by Vintage with some suspicion from now on. FINISHED: Robert Silverberg, BEYOND THE SAFE ZONE, short story coll. CR: Michael Dibden, "Serious Business" in THE VINTAGE BOOK OF CLASSIC CRIME, ed. by Michael Dibdin, 1/432 CR: Marcel Proust, SWANN'S WAY, 138/462. CR: Stephanie Barron, JANE & THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR, 162/318 Email: fredr@gci-net.com ... "A frightened human is an observant human." - Gnoza - ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Fred's Place 1:300/704.2 (1:300/704.2) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EDX00000 Date: 09/27/97 From: ROBERT WHITE Time: 10:46am \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 2 times) Subj: Current reads -=> Quoting Fred Runk to All <=- FR> I purchased and began to read _The Vintage Book of Classic Crime_, FR> edited by Michael Dibdin. The table of contents reads like a Mystery FR> FINISHED: Robert Silverberg, BEYOND THE SAFE ZONE, short story coll. FR> CR: Michael Dibden, "Serious Business" in THE VINTAGE BOOK OF CLASSIC FR> CRIME, ed. by Michael Dibdin, 1/432 FR> CR: Marcel Proust, SWANN'S WAY, 138/462. FR> CR: Stephanie Barron, JANE & THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR, Hello Fred, Glad to see that someone is making the effort to keep this echo alive. I have been going flat out with my normal work and some volunteer work this summer & have only been able to lurk over my favorite echos. I have been trying to read a bit every night before I go to sleep, and have been going through a few books this summer. Among the better ones are: 'The Holy Thief' by Ellis Peters. I'm coming to the end of the Brother Cadfael series, I think there is one more book in this series, and I have enjoyed everyone of them. Peters was criticized over the years for not being historically accurate in some of her depiction of life in the 12th century, but I guess you'd have to be something of an expert on Medieval England to really spot the mistakes. I've never caught Brother C dispensing an aspirin, or of anybody dying from a burst of automatic weapons fire. I find the books believable and in character, without getting so caught up in obscure terminology as to make it a drag to read. The sub-plot of the war between King Stephen and his cousin Empress Maude for the crown of England is particularly fascinating, I want to search out a history of the time to see how it all turns out. 'Dead Crazy' by Nancy Pickard. This is a Jenny Cain mystery, and Pickard is on a bit of a soapbox on mental illness and the current trend of emptying the 'non-violent' inmates out of the asylums and letting them fend for themselves on the streets of major cities. Her social lobbying doesn't get in the way of the story and she describes the problem well if she doesn't really come up with any real solutions. 'Zombies of the Gene Pool' by Sharon McCrumb. I read her earlier volume 'Bimbos of the Death Sun' the prefaces this book and found it so-so. It was more on the weird world of SF fans and their conventions, with the mystery as such taking a distinct second place. 'Gene Pool' is similar with the murder almost an incidental part of the story about 3/4 of the through the book. McCrumb does seem to know what she is talking about regarding fandom and SF fanzines, and as I occasionally stray across the line into that genre I appreciated the references and background, but I'd not recommend it to any real mystery fan. The pop-lit press up here in Canada has been hyping Kathy Reich's first book 'Deja Dead' as being the best thing since Patricia Cornwell. I haven't read the book yet, so I'll hold my judgement; but the more a book is hyped, sually the less I like it - the John Grisham syndrome, need I say more? Has anybody out there read this book yet and want to offer an opinion? 'Act of Betrayal' by Edna Buchanan. Another of my current favorite authors. Her mysteries are set in Miami and I'm really surprised the the Miami Chamber of Commerce hasn't put out a contract on Buchanan with the Cuban Mafia.She professes to still love Miami and couldn't think about living elsewhere, but the steady stream of random and not-so-random violence coupled with the epidemic social problems sure makes me glad I live elsewhere. I had some business near Miami a couple of years ago, and the 24 hours I spent there was the longest month I've ever had. Another of my current favs: Steve Martini and his series of mysteries featuring a lawyer named Paul Madriani. I just finished 'Prime Witness' and loved it as much as the rest of this series. I've read them out of order, and that is a mistake with this series as so many of characters are continuing nd have important sub-plots. I think one of the reasons that I like this series so much is it reminds me of the Perry Mason mysteries that I grew up reading. Martini's books have similar surprise endings and great courtroom action. That's about all I have time and memory for right now. Bob 8-{) --- Blue Wave/Max v2.20 * Origin: TechTalk; Calgary, Alberta. (403)280-4938 (1:134/40) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EDZ00000 Date: 09/29/97 From: FRED RUNK Time: 04:25pm \/To: ROBERT WHITE (Read 1 times) Subj: Current reads -=>While in the White Hart, Robert White explained to Fred Runk that<=- RW> Glad to see that someone is making the effort to keep this echo alive. RW> I have been going flat out with my normal work and some volunteer work RW> this summer & have only been able to lurk over my favorite echos. Yeah, that's been my problem also--lots of work and little time for reading, anything. RW> I have been trying to read a bit every night before I go to sleep, and RW> have been going through a few books this summer. Among the better ones RW> are: RW> 'The Holy Thief' by Ellis Peters. I'm coming to the end of the RW> Brother Cadfael series, I think there is one more book in this series, RW> and I have enjoyed everyone of them. Peters was criticized over the RW> years for not being historically accurate in some of her depiction of RW> life in the 12th century, but I guess you'd have to be something of an RW> expert on Medieval England to really spot the mistakes. I've never RW> caught Brother C dispensing an aspirin, or of anybody dying from a RW> burst of automatic weapons fire. I find the books believable and in RW> character, without getting so caught up in obscure terminology as to RW> make it a drag to read. The sub-plot of the war between King Stephen RW> and his cousin Empress Maude for the crown of England is particularly RW> fascinating, I want to search out a history of the time to see how it RW> all turns out. I've enjoyed the ones I've read so far, which I think is most of them. I don't think I've read that one, though. I also like the atmosphere. I'm not that familiar with that era, so I can't really say how authentic the works were. I heard some comments that the depiction of the civil war wasn't quite accurate, but, as I said, I'm no expert. I just enjoyed the tales. I didn't like the PBS Mystery! series because I just can't see Jacoby as Brother Cadfael. He's a great actor, loved him in I CLAUDIUS many years ago and in other works, but he isn't convincing as a rough-and-tough mercenary from the 12th century. RW> 'Zombies of the Gene Pool' by Sharon McCrumb. I read her earlier RW> volume 'Bimbos of the Death Sun' the prefaces this book and found it RW> so-so. It was more on the weird world of SF fans and their conventions, RW> with the mystery as such taking a distinct second place. 'Gene Pool' is I haven't read it, but I know about it through my interest in SF. Many in the SF Fido conference who have read it consider it more of a parody of SF conventions and fans than a true mystery. RW> The pop-lit press up here in Canada has been hyping Kathy Reich's RW> first book 'Deja Dead' as being the best thing since Patricia Cornwell. RW> I haven't read the book yet, so I'll hold my judgement; but the more a RW> book is hyped, usually the less I like it - the John Grisham syndrome, RW> need I say more? Has anybody out there read this book yet and want to RW> offer an opinion? Haven't read it, so I can't comment, except to say that I also tend to avoid books that are hyped. I have yet to read anything by either Grisham or Clancy for that matter--probably am missing something, but my stack of stuff to read is huge as it is. I've been following along with Anne Peters and her "Monk" series, as well as Colin Dexter's INSPECTOR MORSE. I have bias toward police procedurals, especially Scotland Yard for some reason--Inspector Lestrade perhaps? FINISHED: Stephanie Barron, JANE & THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT SCARGRAVE MANOR CR: Gene Wolfe, STOREYS FROM THE OLD HOTEL, 62/331 CR: Marcel Proust, SWANN'S WAY, 158/462 CR: Paul Theroux, THE GREAT RAILWAY BAZAAR, 34/342 Email: fredr@gci-net.com ... An occasional whimper gratifies the gods. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: DPSystem:4285 OS2-WARPED 520-290-8418 USR V.e+ (1:300/105) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EE200000 Date: 09/30/97 From: SUZZE TIERNAN Time: 12:17pm \/To: ROBERT WHITE (Read 1 times) Subj: Current reads -=> Quoting Robert White to Fred Runk <=- RW> The pop-lit press up here in Canada has been hyping Kathy Reich's RW> first book 'Deja Dead' as being the best thing since Patricia Cornwell. RW> I haven't read the book yet, so I'll hold my judgement; but the more a RW> book is hyped, usually the less I like it - the John Grisham syndrome, RW> need I say more? Has anybody out there read this book yet and want to RW> offer an opinion? Funny, when I was in Grand Bend recently I saw 3 copies of Deja Dead - brand new! - marked $3.81 Canadian!!! And yes, I have read it and loved it! The only problem I had with it was the occasional French phrase untranslated (it takes place in Montreal). My dad was French-Canadian but I don't know a lot of it. My recent reads? Unnatural Exposure - Patricia Cornwell. I liked it, but felt there were many issues left unresolved at the end. A lead-in to the next book? Shakespeare's Champion - Charlaine Harris. This was an ARC of her newest in the Lily Bard series. Very good, I like the character a lot. I think this was better than the first which I also enjoyed. Just bought Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr. Next on my list after I finish a non-mystery Like Water for Chocolate. This is my second read of this, am reading it for a discussion group. I also recently read two other non-mysteries - the first 2 books in the Mitford series by Jan Karon. Very cozy! Not a bad thing happens in any book!!!!! ... suzze@concentric.net --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.21 * Origin: The Chessplayer's Forum (1:2410/278) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EE400000 Date: 10/02/97 From: STEVEN HORN Time: 09:59pm \/To: ROBERT WHITE (Read 1 times) Subj: Current reads Robert White (1:134/40) wrote to Fred Runk at 10:46 on 27 Sep 1997: RW> I have been trying to read a bit every night before I go to sleep, RW> and have been going through a few books this summer. Among the RW> better ones are: RW> 'The Holy Thief' by Ellis Peters. I'm coming to the end of the RW> Brother Cadfael series, I think there is one more book in this RW> series, and I have enjoyed everyone of them. Peters was criticized RW> over the years for not being historically accurate in some of her RW> depiction of life in the 12th century, but I guess you'd have to be RW> something of an expert on Medieval England to really spot the RW> mistakes. I've never caught Brother C dispensing an aspirin, or of RW> anybody dying from a burst of automatic weapons fire. I find the RW> books believable and in character, without getting so caught up in RW> obscure terminology as to make it a drag to read. The sub-plot of RW> the war between King Stephen and his cousin Empress Maud for the RW> crown of England is particularly fascinating, I want to search out RW> a history of the time to see how it all turns out. Neither Stephen nor Maud wins as Henry II becomes king in 1154. I'd hoped that Ellis Peters would get us closer to that point but then she disappointed me by passing on. As for anachronisms in her work, she wrote superb historical works under the name of Edith Pargeter so they would have been an oversight. And like you, I haven't caught any. RW> 'Zombies of the Gene Pool' by Sharon McCrumb. I read her earlier RW> volume 'Bimbos of the Death Sun' the prefaces this book and found RW> it so-so. It was more on the weird world of SF fans and their RW> conventions, with the mystery as such taking a distinct second RW> place. 'Gene Pool' is similar with the murder almost an incidental RW> part of the story about 3/4 of the through the book. McCrumb does RW> seem to know what she is talking about regarding fandom and SF RW> fanzines, and as I occasionally stray across the line into that RW> genre I appreciated the references and background, but I'd not RW> recommend it to any real mystery fan. The best McCrumb books I've read are the ones set in Appalachia -- She Walks These Hills, The Rosewood Casket, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter and one other which has Peggy-O in the title. All evocative and delights to read. What I'm now waiting for is the latest Inspector Morse book. I want to read what "E" stands for. Take care, Steven Horn (shorn@yknet.yk.ca) Moderator CAN_SYSLAW --- timEd/386 1.10+ * Origin: Yukon Mail, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (1:3409/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EE500000 Date: 10/04/97 From: JAN WERTZ Time: 12:56am \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Murder in the House (of Representatives)00:56:1610/04/97 I have just about finished Margaret Truman's latest murder mystery. This one is better than her last book about the stolen Carvagio paintings. In this one there is the Russian Mafia paired with the old hard line Communists and a self-centered bottom line before anything else Capitalist. Talk about an unholy Troika! And those are just a few of the characters in this little drama. Others include the CIA, FBI, and other 'alphabet soup' agencies. It's also a good way to learn where to go for a good dinner if you ever happen to visit Washington DC. It's not as complex as some of her earlier novels, but it is a good read. Being the daughter of a president might have gotten her first manuscript in the publisher's door, but it wouldn't have gotten her published... certainly not more than once. Enjoy. Jan :)) --- Platinum Xpress/Win/Wildcat5! v2.0 * Origin: Mr Zip "Home of Aunt Gabby Echo" (1:123/17) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EEC00000 Date: 10/07/97 From: SUZZE TIERNAN Time: 12:22pm \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Current reads -=> Quoting Suzze Tiernan to Robert White <=- -=> Quoting Robert White to Fred Runk <=- RW> The pop-lit press up here in Canada has been hyping Kathy Reich's RW> first book 'Deja Dead' as being the best thing since Patricia Cornwell. RW> I haven't read the book yet, so I'll hold my judgement; but the more a RW> book is hyped, usually the less I like it - the John Grisham syndrome, RW> need I say more? Has anybody out there read this book yet and want to RW> offer an opinion? ST> ST> Funny, when I was in Grand Bend recently I saw 3 copies of Deja Dead - ST> brand new! - marked $3.81 Canadian!!! And yes, I have read it and ST> loved it! The only problem I had with it was the occasional French ST> phrase untranslated (it takes place in Montreal). My dad was ST> French-Canadian but I don't know a lot of it. ST> ST> My recent reads? ST> ST> Unnatural Exposure - Patricia Cornwell. I liked it, but felt there ST> were many issues left unresolved at the end. A lead-in to the next ST> book? ST> Shakespeare's Champion - Charlaine Harris. This was an ARC of her ST> newest in the Lily Bard series. Very good, I like the character a lot. ST> I think this was better than the first which I also enjoyed. ST> ST> Just bought Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr. Next on my list after I ST> finish a non-mystery Like Water for Chocolate. This is my second read ST> of this, am reading it for a discussion group. ST> ST> I also recently read two other non-mysteries - the first 2 books in ST> the Mitford series by Jan Karon. Very cozy! Not a bad thing happens in ST> any book!!!!! ST> I am re-sending this as I am surprised I have not received any replies to it. I think Fidonet has some holes in it!!! ... suzze@concentric.net --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.21 * Origin: The Chessplayer's Forum (1:2410/278) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EED00000 Date: 10/08/97 From: IRV KOCH Time: 10:00pm \/To: SUZZE TIERNAN (Read 1 times) Subj: Current reads ST> ST> I am re-sending this as I am surprised I have not received any replies ST> to it. I think Fidonet has some holes in it!!! It's always had holes. However traffic in this echo is near zero without allowing for that. It's dropped all over; the echos that had low volume to start with are now near zero. --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Ice Fire 423-267-3789 (1:362/629)