I met up with my mystery book group this week to discuss Voices by Arnaldur Indridason, and we also had a book exchange. Before I tell you about the books I got in the exchange, I’ll tell you about Voices.

This is the third book in the Inspector Erlendur series and it takes place at an elegant hotel in Reykjavik right before Christmas. The doorman, who also happens to be the hotel Santa, is found dead in his room. Who would want to kill him?

As with the other two books I’ve read in the series the author does a great job at characterization. You really get to know the Inspector and what haunts him so. There is one bit that I didn’t like as much and that’s the secondary story line about another case the detectives are following. I felt like that took me away from the main story. Still, this is a wonderful series and I’m looking forward to the fourth book, The Draining Lake, which was recently published in the States. Anyway, here’s my review.

Now, the exchange was tons of fun. I still don’t know how I came out with more books than what I took but I won’t argue with that. Here are my goodies:

• Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam by M.C. Beaton
• The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop
• The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
• Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop
• Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer
• The King is Dead by Jim Lewis
• The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint
• The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin

I’m most excited about The Onion Girl and The Janissary Tree as I’ve read some good reviews of those books by some of my book blogger friends. I’ve not tried anything by the other authors and while most of the books are a bit different from my typical reads, I thought why not check them out.

Oh yes, and now I need to get a hold of The Butcher’s Theater by Jonathan Kellerman as that is our reading selection for January.

Guess what? I finished the First in a Series reading challenge! First, a big thank you to Joy for hosting this fun challenge.

I had a great time with this one because of course I love mysteries and this was the perfect way to discover a lot of new authors. Here are the books I read and if you click on the title it’ll take you to my review. Unfortunately I couldn’t find my reviews to What Angels Fear & Silent in the Grave — I blame that on the fact that I was moving during the summer so some things I either lost or just never got around to.

• A Thousand Bones by P.J. Parrish
• A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church
• A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
• The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
• What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris
• Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
• The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees
• The Last Enemy by Grace Brophy
• This Dame for Hire by Sandra Scoppettone
• Funeral Music by Morag Joss
• The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan
• Goodnight, Irene by Jan Burke

Some of these were not on my original list and some were mystery book group reads as well. There were a few disappointments but overall I got to read some mysteries that I had been wanting to read for a while. Will I follow up with some of these? You bet.

My favorites and the series I will continue with are those by Elizabeth George, Andrea Camilleri, C.S. Harris, Deanna Raybourn, Matt Beynon Rees, Grace Brophy, Sandra Scoppettone and Morag Joss.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be completing the 2nds Reading Challenge before the end of the year but more on that later. I chose to stick with mysteries for that challenge as well.

For those of you who don’t know, J. Kaye will be hosting both of these challenges next year. I was tempted but I think I’m going to spend more time revisiting favorite series next year. I’m hooked on so many, I need to check back with all those sleuths I enjoy.