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If you're planning to read a mystery and would like to read along with others, please post in this thread to find people to join in! Reads of author biographies etc are also welcome.

A few of us have been reading the Jill Paton Walsh sequels to the Lord Peter Wimsey books which we read last year as buddy reads.

We're currently discussing the second sequel, A Presumption of Death, and planning to go on to the third one, The Attenbury Emeralds, and then we will probably also do the fourth book.

There has also been a suggestion of doing a buddy read of the second Michael Innes Appleby book, Hamlet, Revenge! after Wimsey.

Please say if you are interested in joining in any of these.

Yes, all of them :) We also read the first two Nigel Blake novels and I am happy to continue that series. We have a few to go first, but I would also like to suggest Christianna Brand in the future and I am keen to continue Ngaio Marsh.

If the Christianna Brand is Heads You Lose I am keen to do that one. :)

Series that I'm intending to get on with reading are the Bobby Owen ones that I've been downloading when they were free (but I need to sort out the reading order) and Angela Marchmont (I've read the first two)

I'll have to catch up with the Jill Paton Walsh later unless I can get hold of the next book soon.

I will definitely carry on and read the JPW The Attenbury Emeralds. I also will join in Hamlet, Revenge!. I'm hoping that further books in the Bobby Owen series turn up as group reads

I'd definitely be in for the Hamlet, Revenge! read

I'm a definite for Wimsey, a maybe for Innes and Marsh, and have downloaded the first three Angela Marchmont without reading any, so would like an impetus to read them.

I wasn't crazy about the first Marsh but read one of the later books years ago and liked it so I shouldn't give up so quickly. And I suppose the same applies to Innes based on others' opinions.

Sandy wrote: "I wasn't crazy about the first Marsh but read one of the later books years ago and liked it so I shouldn't give up so quickly. . ..."

I think I prefer the later ones as well, Sandy. I remember a while ago starting one of her books and not liking it at all. I hadn't looked at where it fell in the order of the books and now realise it was one of the earlier ones. I think her style changed over time.

Mentioned it before, but yes, I’m interested in the Hamlet, Revenge! read.

Carol, Heads You Lose, it is :)

I recently downloaded Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days .

Wondered whether anyone would be interested in reading that as a buddy read in the future?

For anyone who might be interested in joining in the Wimsey reads, a buddy read of The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh will be starting in mid March. This was my favourite out of the sequels first time round...

Susan wrote: "I recently downloaded Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days .

Wondered whether anyone would be interested in r..."

I'm interested, Susan - I'd been meaning to read her autobiography after a few people recommended it, but this one sounds very interesting too.

OK, obviously, we don't want to overload everyone! So, for the record, we have as possible buddy reads: the next 2 Jill Paton Walsh novels, Hamlet Revenge, Heads You Lose by Christianna Brand and Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days. That will probably be enough to go on with for a while. :)

Yes, sounds like plenty for now! :)

Some good reading coming up - I am looking forward to all of those.

I've just started rereading The Attenbury Emeralds and am really enjoying it - i'll put the thread for this one up next weekend. :)

I am about half way through. Should be done by next week.

I've just put up the threads for The Attenbury Emeralds - here is the link to the general thread:

/topic/show/...

Must admit I'm only about halfway through my reread - I've been distracted by another book, but am enjoying it.

I've just put up the threads for The Late Scholar - this is the link for the general thread:

/topic/show/...

I am going to open a thread for our next buddy read, Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days in a couple of weeks.

I am going to open the thread for Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days now. Even if people have not read the book, there is much to discuss, so feel free to join in!

Is anyone up for another buddy read in the next few weeks? We have mentioned Hamlet, Revenge! and Heads You Lose - or maybe another Nicholas Blake book?

I would prefer to read Hamlet, Revenge! to continue the series. I don't really want to start another new series at the moment

I would also be up for Hamlet, Revenge!, have been waiting for this buddy read

I’d be up for Hamlet, Revenge! too if I can get through my other group read commitments by then (I have two and a half to read yet for June).

Maybe we could do Hamlet, Revenge in July? That gives everyone three weeks to clear the reading decks.

Works for me!

Susan wrote: "Maybe we could do Hamlet, Revenge in July? That gives everyone three weeks to clear the reading decks."

That would work for me too!

I do want to do Heads You Lose and, I think, both me and Judy (at least) read the first couple of Nicholas Blake books, so maybe we can do the Christianna Brand after that and then the next Blake.

That makes it Hamlet, Revenge in July, then Heads You Lose in August and There's Trouble Brewing (3rd Blake after A Question of Proof and Thou Shell of Death) in September. Unless we all read quickly :)

Sounds good to me. :) I'll wait a few days in July for the main group reads to get started and then put up the threads for Hamlet, Revenge.

Good idea, Judy :)

I'm in for Hamlet in July. I didn't participate in the first two Blake books, so I'll see where I am in September ... seems far away now.

I see why I didn't participate in the Blake reads - they aren't available in my library systems. I did buy one on kindle recently so I'll jump in if you get that far (don't remember which it is right now). The Brand one is available, so I'm on for August.

Nicholas Blake created a great series, but I am not sure how easily available his books are in the US. His most famous is probably The Beast Must Die, which often comes up in lists of the best GA mysteries.

Susan wrote: "Nicholas Blake created a great series, but I am not sure how easily available his books are in the US. His most famous is probably The Beast Must Die, which often comes up in lists of..."

That's the one I bought as a kindle deal. So if the buddies continue to #4 I'll join in.

Unless we have stand alones, perhaps we should stick with the above three series. Otherwise, we'll be just adding to our huge number of series we never finish :)

Susan wrote: "That makes it Hamlet, Revenge in July, then Heads You Lose in August and There's Trouble Brewing (3rd Blake after A Question of Proof and Thou Shell of Death) in Septe..."

oh, wow, two of my all-time fave authors. Have re-read them numerous times, not joining in, but BOY you have some lovely plots and characters ahead of you!

HAMLET, REVENGE! 1937 is a complete hoot, one of those spectacularly unbelievable-but-wonderful The-Rich-and-Important-at-A-Great-House complete with murder and loads of mayhem, AND a bizarre staging of, yes, HAMLET. it's my fave Innes, and that's saying something, he's a wonderful writer.

SHELL OF DEATH is my fave of Blake's, I read all of his twenty years ago, so maybe I *will* join in for the Blake reread... that way I get to revisit the first two again and then "read with". hmmmm. maybe..

whoops, Three out of Three of my fave authors!!! missed the ref. to Brand and HEADS YOU LOSE. geesh. IMO it's not her best Cockie story, but still good, here's a bit of my review:

"A 40ish spinster with a nasty tongue is found dead in a ditch, her head cut off, having recently quarreled with pretty nearly everybody she knew at The Big House near a small village. Beautifully wrought timetable plot mixed with “lunatic at large�� overtones, focused on a wealthy household filled with suspects."

I have read them all but Hamlet, Revenge! but I am always happy to re-read Blake and Brand. They are two of my fave GA authors.

I would join in on hamlet revenge which I think I have on one of my devices somewhere. Should I try to read #1 first or just jump straight in with this?

Ace, I have only read the first one, so I can't say whether they are stand alones or not. Perhaps someone else can advise you?

Susan wrote: "Ace, I have only read the first one, so I can't say whether they are stand alones or not. Perhaps someone else can advise you?"

HAMLET, REVENGE! 1937 is #2 Inspector Appleby (there are over thirty in the series), but it was early days in Innes career, you can jump right in to HAMLET as neither the character nor the series is very far along as yet. His first book DEATH AT THE PRESIDENT'S LODGING aka SEVEN SUSPECTS, 1936, is a very closed cast puzzle story, very slow, interesting and enjoyable if you like supra-erudite academic mysteries. But HAMLET is fun, and funny too, he grows a lot as a writer with his #2. #1 is good, #2 is superb. um, imo, only... (grin)

I struggled a little with the first book, Abbey, so good to know that book 2 improves.

Thanks Susan and Abbey, I'll start with #2.

My copy of Hamlet, Revenge has now arrived - looking forward to our discussion in July!

Good to hear, Judy.

Is anyone else planning on joining in with Hamlet, Revenge? I am about a third of the way in and enjoying it very much.