Three good books are all demanding my attention right now. Here’s what I’m reading:

• What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris.
  “It had been a long night, a night of brandy fumes and cigar smoke, of faro and vingt-et-un and a promise made to a sad-eyed woman – a promise that he would not kill, however much the man he had come here to meet might deserve killing.”
  Sebastian St. Cyr is a young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars and now running for his life.
• The Case of Madeleine Smith by Rick Geary.
  “How does a well-born and respectable young lady find herself under arrest for the ultimate crime?”
  A graphic novel about the scandalous secret affair in 19th century Scotland between an upperclass woman and a gentleman of lower standing ends in his murder by poison…
• Hearts and Minds by Rosy Thornton.
  “For Martha the start of a new academic year always brought a thrill of excitement: a sense, shared with the newcomers, of infinite possibilities – the ideals as yet uncompromised, the hopes as yet unqualified, the brand new stationery.”
  A novel about life in a women-only Cambridge college and the pitfalls that await its new Head of House, a man.

And, of course I have a pile of books waiting to be reviewed, read and so on. Sorry for the short post but I’m going back to the books.

Tonight my mystery book group got together to discuss Real Murders by Charlaine Harris. We had a large crowd tonight and I think we were evenly divided on those who enjoyed it and those who were expecting a better mystery. I had high expectations for this book as I’ve enjoyed some of the Sookie Stackhouse books that Harris writes but this book left me wanting. You can read more of my thoughts on this cozy mystery here.

So, this year I’ve not liked most of the books we’ve read in book group. That’s a bit odd but it happens sometimes. However, I think things will finally turn around next month. We are reading What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris. I’ve already started this book and so far I like the main character and have even been surprised by one event. I think this is definitely a good start.

In the upcoming months we’ll be reading books by Laura Lippman, Robert Crais and Billy Boyle by James R. Benn. Anyone read the Billy Boyle book? That one sounded good to me.

And, I did suggest a book to my mystery group, The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri (click on title for my review). I have to give you the backstory about this book. The first time I tried to read this book I didn’t like it at all. I even gave it away but the friend I gave it to returned it back to me and told me she liked it. Well, that was a couple of years ago and I finally picked it up again and guess what? I really, really liked this book. I’m sure I’ll have to revisit with Inspector Montalbano soon. Oh yes, and The Shape of Water is a challenge read so another one down in the First in the Series challenge. Woo-hoo.