Whodunit Book Club - November 29, 2016

It's hard to believe, but tonight's meeting is the last bookclub for 2016.  It was a great year of camaraderie and, at times, lively discussion (both on topic and off).

The novel we discussed this evening was "Gone" by Randy Wayne White.  The reaction to this book was varied, but the final score by Whodunit members was 6.4 out of a possible 10 points, with half of the members present saying they would read another book by this author.

The first in a series featuring fishing guide Hannah Smith, the book was said to be 'predictable' and 'a quick and light read'.  We discussed how it seemed obvious that the novel was written with a male perspective even though the protagonist was female.

Most members said that they quite liked Hannah, a thirty-one year old fishing guide/private investigator.  She seemed resourceful and confident in some respects, though she had little self-confidence in other aspects of her life.  She is hired to find a missing heiress with whom she identifies on some level.  The woman, Olivia Seasons, was presumed to have been manipulated/taken by a vicious predator, Ricky Meeks.  He has a history for preying on rich yet emotionally vulnerable women.

Because the reader knows from the outset what has happened to Olivia Seasons, this book is not really a mystery.  It is a crime thriller describing the methods Hannah takes to bring Olivia home.

The setting of Florida's Gulf Coast was well rendered due to the fact that this is where the author lives and works.  The peripheral characters were interesting and it was suggested more than once that it would have been interesting to know more about them.

The author, Randy Wayne White has successfully authored a quite lengthy series (24 titles) featuring biologist/intelligence agent Doc Ford.  The Doc Ford character played a very minor role in "Gone" and it was hinted at that he might be a 'romantic interest' for Hannah's character.

My personal review of "Gone" can be found on my blog: Fictionophile.

About the author

Randy Wayne White is an American writer of crime fiction and non-fiction adventure tales. He has written best-selling novels and has received awards for his fiction and a television documentary.  He is best known for his series of crime novels featuring the retired NSA agent Doc Ford, a marine biologist living on the Gulf Coast of southern Florida. A resident of Southwest Florida since 1972, he currently lives on Pine Island, Florida, where he is active in South Florida civic affairs and with the restaurant Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grill on nearby Sanibel Island.


The lucky winners of the book giveaways for the month of November are:
1. Marilyn
2. Jean
3. Margaret
4. Lynn
5. Marlene

Our next Whodunit meeting will be held on January 31, 2017 when we will discuss "A siege of bitterns" by Steve Burrows.

Whodunit Book Club - September 26, 2016

Thanks to Marlene for writing this post as I was absent from the September meeting. 

Nine members met to discuss Thin Ice by Nick Wilkshire, a police procedural set in Ottawa and revolving around the murder investigation of a rookie hockey player, recently signed by the Ottawa Raftsmen.

The publisher describes it this way:

Hockey is a dangerous game, but it's what happens off the ice that can get you killed. Curtis Ritchie is the only news in town when Ottawa takes the young hockey sensation first overall in the annual spring draft. But on the eve of Ritchie's rookie season, the media frenzy over the signing and the controversial trades that secured the young star are eclipsed by news of his murder. As Ottawa Major Crimes Unit investigator Jack Smith reassembles Ritchie's life, he is surprised by how much it differs from the fledgling star's clean-cut image. A long list of suspects soon emerges, any one of whom had good reasons to want Ritchie dead. But there's something else about the young phenom - a secret so profound that its revelation to the wrong person could only have meant Ritchie's end.

The book earned a score of 6.7 out of 10. All those present said they enjoyed reading the book, which they found to be well-written, while the quintessential Canadian setting of Ottawa and the professional hockey business added to the appeal. Although the main character, Jack Smith, came across as immature, particularly in his relationships with women, his partnership with David Marshall, the older, somewhat jaded senior investigator in the Major Crimes Unit shows promise for development in further books in the Capital Crime Series. For this reason, all but one of the attendees said they would read another book in this particular series.

Some comments about the book included:

·       Although a classic police procedural, the repetitive listing of evidence detracted from the readability.

·       Jack’s character lacked depth. Perhaps it will become more developed in future books?

·       Too many secondary characters.

·       The cover shows people skating on the canal but the story takes place in the early fall.

The lucky winners of book prizes for September were: Carmella, Marilyn, Jean, Nancy, and Gaye. Pam announced that, for at least the next few months, book prizes will include a copy of the next month’s selection.

The book for October is The Trap by Melanie Raabe, translated from German by Imogen Taylor.

Whodunit Book Club meeting May 31, 2016

Due to the fact that there was no Whodunit meeting in April we had two whole months to read this month's novel.   Sadly, not many of the twelve people in attendance enjoyed it...
The average score out of a possible 10 points was: 3.16 with almost all saying they would not read another novel by this author!

The novel under discussion?

Most Whodunit members had high hopes for this one and almost all were happy with the Toronto setting.  A debut novel by Canadian Elisabeth de Mariaffi, "The Devil you Know" turned out to be a disappointing read and it is surprising that this novel has been shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Prize at this year's East Coast Literary Awards.  

Can they be talking about the same book???

The Goodreads description of the book:

Debut novel about a rookie reporter, whose memories of the murder of her childhood best friend bring danger—and a stalker—right to her doorstep.

The year is 1993. Rookie crime beat reporter Evie Jones is haunted by the unsolved murder of her best friend Lianne Gagnon who was killed in 1982, back when both girls were eleven. The suspected killer, a repeat offender named Robert Cameron, was never arrested, leaving Lianne’s case cold. 

Now twenty-one and living alone for the first time, Evie is obsessively drawn to finding out what really happened to Lianne. She leans on another childhood friend, David Patton, for help—but every clue they uncover seems to lead to an unimaginable conclusion. As she gets closer and closer to the truth, Evie becomes convinced that the killer is still at large—and that he’s coming back for her.

What Whodunit thought:

• The protagonist, Evie, was not someone that the reader could relate to.  She was a disturbed young woman with unresolved feelings about her friend's murder.  We wondered how such a scatterbrained, inexperienced reporter was put on one of the most important stories at her paper.  We wondered if perhaps her 'stalker' was a mere figment of her imagination...
• The plot was incohesive and disjointed.  With many stray tangents that were not followed up on, and many real people mentioned, it was almost as if the author tried to cram too much into her narrative, thus weakening the whole.  A plot of unrealized potential.
• The ending left many loose ends and left an overall feeling of dissatisfaction and disappointment.

There were some positive comments about the writing, in particular some of the more suspenseful scenes. It was said that the novel attempted to create a snapshot of the volatile and unsettling time of the infamous Paul Bernardo case and how it affected the general public.

The novel we will discuss at our next meeting of Whodunit on Tuesday, June, 28, 2016:

"Alex" by Pierre Lemaitre

New members welcome!

The lucky winners of new reading material this month?

1. Marilyn

2. Charlaine

3. Carmella

4. Jane

Whodunit Book Club - February 23, 2016

The group was excited to welcome a new member this evening!  There were eleven bodies present at the meeting, but two others voted on the book in absentia.

The title we discussed was "The Forgotten Girls" by Sara Blaedel.  This novel is the seventh title in a Danish mystery series featuring policewoman Louise Rick.
Usually Whodunit reads the first novel in a series so this was a bit of a departure for us.
The novel was received well.  Out of a possible 10 points "The Forgotten Girls" garnered a healthy score of 7.5 with many members saying they would read another book in the series. Interestingly though, most said that they would read future novels in the series but would not likely go back and read the previous novels.

The club felt that the novel would have benefited from a map depicting some settings of the novel and their relationship to each other.

Adjectives used to describe this novel included: dark, graphic, disturbing, gruesome and intense.  Typical Nordic Noir!

The novel featured Lousie Rick, an officer on a newly created Missing Persons task force with the Danish police.  Formerly a homicide detective, Louise has brought her many years of experience with her to her new role.  She meets her new partner, Eik (pronounced Ache) who turns out to be a worthy foil to her after a somewhat rocky start...

Women have been disappearing near a forest situated near where Louise was brought up.  Her familiarity with the area aids in the investigation.

The novel delves into atrocities committed against inmates of a mental health institution, and the attendant malpractice and corruption that involved.  There was mention of Utica cribs and other horrible means of restraint.

Some Whodunit members found that subject matter very disturbing and found they could not 'warm' to the characters - whilst others found the characters sympathetic due to their damaged pasts.   Some felt the novel was hard to get into - perhaps because they did not feel that the translation from the Danish language was a smooth one, leaving some aspects of the novel unexplained.

Most agreed that the mystery/plot of the novel was good, though some were dissatisfied with the ending.  There was a surprise at the end which some readers enjoyed.

This month's lucky winners of giveaway books were:
1. Charlaine
2. Laird
3. Marilyn
4. Carmella

Our next Whodunit Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 29th, 2016 when we will discuss the novel "Pretty Girls" by Karin Slaughter.

Whodunit Book Club - September 29, 2015

We had an interesting discussion this evening as we reminisced about our own individual 'first time' attending Whodunit Book Club.    The club was founded in January of 1998, so members had joined at various times and thus had varied memories of their first meeting.  Most members come for the social interaction with fellow mystery readers.  They liked that Whodunit enables them to try new authors that they would not have tried on their own.  The club attendance varies from month to month, with numbers ranging from 10 to 24 on any one given evening.

The novel we discussed this evening was the first in a series set in London, England, featuring Frieda Klein, a psychoanalyst.  "Blue Monday" by Nicci French generated many diverse opinions, though the majority really liked the novel.  Our average score was 7.25 points out of 10 -  with ten out of the thirteen members present saying that wanted to read more novels in the series.

There were many positive comments about the book.  Most agreed it was a fast-paced thriller, that it was thought-provoking, and contained some canny twists and at least one 'gobsmacking' revelation.

Members who did not enjoy the novel thought that Frieda's character acted very non-professionally and that the twin angle was more than a little bit creepy.

We marveled at the way that the writing couple of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French made writing novels together seem so easy with their seamless narrative.

Nicci French is the married couple: Nicci Gerrard & Sean French

 I have written a review of the novel "Blue Monday" on my blog Fictionophile (in case anyone is interested in my personal observations)

The winners of the book giveaways this month were very lucky indeed as there were some very new ARCs on offer.  The winners of the 5 prizes were:
1. Carolyn
2. Margaret  (who declined the win and we drew again)
3. Jane
4. Cathy
5. Heather
6. Carmella 

The novel we will discuss at our next meeting on October 27th will be "Once upon a lie" by Maggie Barbieri.  Hope to see you there! 

Whodunit Book Club - August 25, 2015

After a two month break (there was no meeting in July), 13 members attended the August meeting of the Whodunit Mystery Book Club.

This month we discussed the novel "The Drop Zone" by Bob Kroll.

 

Opinions about the novel were varied.  A positive for us because the discussion is always livelier and more interesting when that is the case.  As is our usual practice, the members each rated the novel out of a possible 10 points stating whether or not they would read another book by the author.  With thirteen votes the average rating was  

6 1/4 points with six members saying they would read another title by Bob Kroll.

“The Drop Zone” introduces T. J. Peterson.  A police detective in an unnamed urban municipality in Eastern Canada.  Peterson has lost his wife, his daughter, his faith in God and his fellow man – and quite possibly… his job.    His wife he lost to a traffic accident while she was with another man.  His daughter is a teenage runaway who torments him with silent video calls of a derelict room furnished with an unmade bed and empty syringes.

Peterson, burnt out and hungover, is tasked with solving the brutal murder of a Catholic priest.  His investigations lead him to the dark and depraved world of teenage prostitution and sex trafficking.

The subject matter was dark and most considered it to be a 'noir' novel.

Although some thought it a fast-paced and interesting novel with a likable protagonist, others thought less of it.  The members who gave it low marks seemed to find that the protagonist was too flawed - a cliche who wallowed in his misery.

While some thought the ending clear and 'tied up', others didn't understand the ending and found it obscure. 

Although the setting was unnamed, and the fact that artistic license was taken by the author, we acknowledged that the novel was loosely set in our home city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The author's vivid descriptions ensured that there remained a frisson of recognition for certain places described.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lucky winners of book giveaways:

1. Marilyn

2. Nancy

3. Carmella

4. Carolyn

5. Cathy

Members will meet again on September 29th when we will discuss "Blue Monday" by Nicci French.

Whodunit Book Club - May 26, 2015

A dozen loyal Whodunit members attended the May meeting.  The novel under discussion this month was "The devotion of Suspect X" by Keigo Higashino.  This is the first novel we've discussed as a group that was set in Japan.

 We always rate the novel we are discussing out of a possible 10 points.  "The devotion of Suspect X" garnered a score of 7.75 with 8 out of 12 members stating they would read another book by this author.
 

Curiously it was the members with little or no expectations that rated the book the highest.  Most members stated that the plot was ingenious and that they were surprised and amazed by the ending.   This was not a 'Whodunit' per say.  It was a howdunit. A multi-layered puzzle created by the very clever author.

The novel contained one after another brilliant and unforeseen twists that appealed to many.  It was commented that there was little character development and a rather choppy flow to the narrative - but we speculated that this might have been caused by the translation from Japanese to English.
The protagonist Ishigami was a mathematician and his character was dispassionate about most things with his heart entirely taken up with mathematics and his obsession, his beautiful neighbour, Yasuko. 
Ishigami was a solitary man who had little if any social life.  His genius set him apart from society.  As Oscar Lavent said, “There's a fine line between genius and insanity".

Some members said that they were disappointed that the novel did not give a more detailed description of Japanese society.  One member said that the novel portrayed an interesting snapshot of society.  Perhaps that was to show that no matter where we live some things remain constant.  Love, hate, abuse, despair, loneliness, homelessness, poverty etc.

This novel is highly regarded in the author's native Japan garnering numerous awards, including the 134th Naoki Prize, which is a highly regarded award. The novel also won the 6th Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize, which is one of the most prestigious awards in the mystery novels category in Japan. 2006 Honkaku Mystery Best 10 and Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2006, annual mystery fiction guide books published in Japan, ranked the novel as the number one!
The English translation was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award for Best Novel and the 2012 Barry Award for Best First Novel.

Read my personal review on my blog: Fictionophile

********************************************
Congratulations go out to the winners of this month's book giveaways:
1. Marilyn
2. Gaye
3. Heather
4. Marlene

The next Whodunit Book Club meeting will be held on June 30th - when we will discuss the stand-alone historical novel "The last Dickens" by Matthew Pearl.
There will be NO meeting in July.

"Whodunit Book Club" March 31, 2015

There was animated and lively discussion tonight at Whodunit.  As usual, not all of the discussion was on topic - but enjoyable all the same.
Fourteen members attended to discuss the novel "Walt" by Canadian author Russell Wangersky.

When we went around the circle and voted out of a possible ten points, there was little agreement.  Three members voted an even 5/10 while the others voted either very low or very high.  The result was a score of 6/10.  Only six members stated they would read another work by Russell Wangersky and some expressed an interest in reading his short stories.

Some of the negative comments were: slow, disjointed, dry, different, ambiguous.
Positive comments included: well-written, creepy, descriptive, understated, memorable.
Readers wondered why Alisha, one of Walt's stalking victims, did not have her locks changed, or why the police did not advise her to do so.

"Walt" was advertised as a psychological thriller.   Some readers greatly disagreed with this assessment, while others thought it was 'spot on'.  Set in St. John's, Newfoundland the novel is the story of Walt, a grocery store janitor, who has deep insight into his fellow man through the grocery lists they abandon.  A solitary individual who has creepily disturbing habits...

My personal opinion of the novel was favourable.  It was simple but deceptively deep.  My review can be found on my blog: Fictionophile.

The lucky winners of the book giveaways this month were:

1. Brian

2. Gaye

3. Kim

4. Heather

5. Nancy

 

 Next month's Whodunit selection is: "Three graves full" by Jamie Mason.  We meet again on Tuesday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m.

Whodunit Meeting February 24, 2015

It was nice to see everyone who attended Whodunit tonight.  The wintery weather was a topic of conversation among the twelve in attendance - at least for the first few minutes. 

Tonight we discussed the stand-alone novel "The perfect ghost" by Linda Barnes.

The story was about one member of a ghost-writing team.   Her partner, Teddy, has recently died in a tragic car accident.  Emily, the remaining partner is attempting to fulfill obligations to a publisher by completing the biography of a famous actor/director.   She has always been the 'writer'.  Teddy had been the public face of the pair.  He did the interviews, the socializing, the public relations.  Now all those aspects of the job were hers as well...

As is our usual custom we rated the novel out of a possible ten points.  Sadly the group's average rating was a mere 4.6 points!

Touted as a novel of suspense, "The perfect ghost" was a prime example of unrealized potential.  A good premise, a great setting, an attractive cover, yet the novel was not generally liked.

The reasons for our opinion:  The protagonist was a flat, unlikeable, unemphatic character whom we really didn't care about.  Since she narrated the entire book (with the exception of the interview sequences), that was a critical failing.  Emily, the ghost writer of the title, was self-deprecating, and supposedly mentally ill... or was she?   She turned out to be narcissistic and manipulative.

The Cape Cod setting was well portrayed and described.  In fact the author handled the setting better than the characters.  The characterizations were lacking depth and made the reader unable to invest much interest in them.

The twists were appreciated by some, but many found them to be thrown in the novel with little build up to maximize tension.  Therefore they felt anti-climatic.

All the members who read it seemed disappointed.  Many lost interest long before the end...


Tonight the lucky winners of the book giveaways were:
1. Kim
2. Jane
3. Carmella
4. Brian

Next month - on March 31st - we will discuss "Walt" by Russell Wangersky

Comments are welcomed.  Any Whodunit members who could not attend tonight's meeting, as well as those who did attend and want to add their opinions, please submit a comment.

Whodunit Book Club Meeting March 25, 2014

Thirteen Whodunit members attended March's meeting where we discussed "The Crossing Places" by Elly Griffiths.

Elly Griffiths

This novel is the first in a series of six novels (so far) and it garnered our highest ever score!  The average score by thirteen voters rated "The Crossing Places" 9.076 out of a possible ten points with twelve of the thirteen saying they would go on to read other novels in this series.  (In fact several had already done so!) 

Members claimed the writing and the characterization was addictive leaving the reader wanting MORE of the same.

Because we almost unanimously loved the book, the discussion was less lively than in other meetings with less debate and more smiles and head-nodding.   Readers loved the character development in the novel -- especially that of Ruth Galloway who is a strong and clever female protagonist, with human fallibilities and a good sense of humor.  Other characters were also well developed and distinct from one another. 

The setting was vividly portrayed so that you could almost feel the cold and damp of the Norfolk marsh.  The fact that the protagonist is an archaeologist was a nice touch with references to archaeology written in an interesting way which was not boring to the reader.

The writing was admired for its spare language which described people, places and actions in a way which painted a vivid picture for the reader while keeping the verbosity to a minimum.  The prologue hooks the reader and doesn't let go until the end - which is the epitome of what we Whodunit members call a ''page turner".  The action was fast paced and there was a masterful balance of serious scenes, humour and personal anecdotes.  The use of red herrings was deployed, but in a way that tied into the plot in a sensible and not gratutious way.

High recommended by the Whodunit Book Club.  Well done Elly Griffiths!

Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk, England

The lucky winners of book giveaways this month were:
1. Nancy
2. Marlene
3. Jean
4. Lynne
5. Marilyn

During tonight's discussion several members expressed an interest in the website "Fantastic Fiction" as it is a valuable and reliable resource for readers who want to follow series fiction.

Next month (April 29th) we will discuss the German mystery novel "Snow White must die" by Nele Neuhaus.

Whodunit Book Club Feb. 25, 2014

Fourteen friends met for book club on this frigid February evening.
A special evening for Whodunit as we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the club's meeting in our present location.  Quite a record for a book club!
The book discussed this evening was "Starvation Lake" by Bryan Gruley.
A debut novel in what is now a series of three titles, the clubs rating out of ten was 6.8 points with half the persons in attendance stating they wanted to read more novels by this author.

Set in northern Michigan, the novel's protagonist Gus Carpenter is a talented hockey goalie. Though Gus walked under a shadow. He was blamed for the town's hockey team losing the state championship game back when he was a teenager.  Since then the town's team hasn't come close and Gus is the scapegoat they blame as a jinx.  After that fiasco he left home for Detroit and a career in journalism.  That too went 'belly-up' and he returned home to Starvation Lake to get himself back on his feet.  Now he works on the small town newspaper as editor.

Ten years ago his former hockey coach went through the ice on his snowmobile.  When the snowmobile is washed up at a different lake than the one where the accident occurred there is rampant speculation of underground tunnels and finally murder.  Gus and his paper set out to investigate this, the town's biggest news in a decade.  The investigation leads to unearthing some dark and dirty secrets which hit close to home.

For a first novel, there were many positive comments such as:
Many of the characters were likeable
Believable premise
Vivid depictions of small town life
Lots of hockey scenes
The author's passion for hockey comes through the narrative

On the negative side:
Starts slow
Too many hockey scenes with too much detail about the game
Too much repetition

The central character of Gus was portrayed as naive and immature.  He seemed self-absorbed.  He let one occurrence in his past colour his whole life. The town compounded his guilt by dwelling on his failure.  They dwelled on him because he did the only bad thing in the town that wasn't a 'secret'.  They couldn't talk about what was really at the root of the 'town rot'.

Some characters were pitiful favorites like Gus's friend Soupy.
An overall favorite character was Sheriff Dingus Aho.

One of the least favorite characters was the paper's receptionist Tilly.

Gus's mother was disliked by some readers, while others thought her to have made the best of a deplorable situation.

By the end of the novel, (which held a surprise for many Whodunit members), Gus had matured somewhat which bodes well for future novels in the series.

One member, Carmella,  declared that this club meeting was a "Who won it" rather than a "Whodunit" as there were six lucky winners of book giveaways.
1. Jean
2. Shauna
3. Carmella
4. Marilyn
5. Nancy
6. Heather

The Whodunit Book Club will meet next on Tuesday March 25th when we will discuss
 "Crossing places" by Elly Griffith.

Whodunit Book Club January 28, 2014

Thirteen members braved the frigid January temperatures to attend January's book club meeting.   The temperature was a great segue to our title this month which was set in the harsh winter of 1867.
We discussed "The tenderness of wolves" by Stef Penney.

A debut novel and winner of the prestigious Book of the Year "Costa Award" in 2006, this month's selection spurred much lively discussion.  Our group rated it 7 out of a possible 10 points.

Favorable comments:

• Vivid, wonderfully crafted descriptive passages.  (perhaps attributed to the fact that the author is also a screenwriter)
• Interesting, complex and tenacious characters in a dramatic environment.
• Historical accounts of life led by Scottish immigrants and the Hudson Bay Company were compelling. 
• Well researched and well-written.

Unfavorable comments:

• Overly long with some story lines not relevant to the overall plot.
• Too many characters to form a cohesive whole.
• Geography research was at times unbelievable.
• Plot seems to unravel near the end and loses focus

General comments:
Not a page turner (not necessarily a bad thing...)
Not a mystery in the traditional sense - more a human interest story
Remarkable descriptions considering it was written by someone who has never been to Canada
Each character seemed like an outcast in her/his own way
Favorite characters were Mrs. Ross, William Parker and Donald Moody
Title perhaps refers to William Parker as much as it does to wolves
Indian characters were treated favorably throughout the narrative
Harsh conditions and corruption of the time period were well portrayed

Congratulations to this month's winners of the book giveaways:

1. Carmella
2. Marilyn
3. Jane
4. Jean
5. Nancy

February's selection for Whodunit:
"Starvation Lake" by Bryan Gruley

Whodunit Book Club Nov. 26, 2013

Our last book club gathering of 2013 took place on a dark and drizzly November night.  A relatively small group of thirteen attended this month's Whodunit meeting.

We discussed Edward Conlon's debut novel "Red on Red".

"In "Red on Red," Conlon's fictional detectives shift between investigating the suicide of a Mexican immigrant and defusing a drug war. A complicating factor is that Meehan has been planted by Internal Affairs to report on Esposito.  When Meehan comes to respect Esposito more than himself, he is faced with a moral dilemma.   Esposito attacks the day and the job enthusiastically, while Meehan drags himself to work."  The book described the alliances and loyalties, the emotional tolls, the temptations, the shades of gray inherent to police work.

Every month we canvass the members to rate the novel under discussion out of a possible ten points.  "Red on Red" earned a very low score of 4.1

Could this be because we are a predominantly female group and this was essentially a man's book?  Perhaps.

Those members who gave it the lowest rating described the novel as verbose and over-long.  They found the characters apathetic and they didn't engage with the narrative of the plot.

Members who gave it the highest ratings stated that the writing was intelligent and insightful.  Esposito was a favorite character despite his lack of moral fiber.  He was a colourful charmer who enthusiastically played the system and got results.  Nick Meehan on the other hand was a middle-aged burn out with little self-respect who was essentially alone in the world.  "Nick had equal aversions to going to work and coming home".  Some Whodunit members compared the novel to a Greek tragedy.

New York was an essential character in the novel.  Conlon writes of his city with unblinkered affection.  He writes "This city was the world".   A multicultural, bustling, impersonal, dirty, crime-ridden, artsy and yet beautiful metropolis which bears witness to millions of human dramas daily.

The novel was not a mystery as such. It was more a detailed expose on the drudgery and all-consuming nature of police work in a large metropolis.  The toll the work plays on their values and their family relationships.

The title "Red on Red" refers to the act of enemies killing enemies.  In this case 'perp on perp' murder.  Essentially when the garbage takes itself out.   Only police officers who are jaded by the crime and depravity they see constantly could identify with the phrase.

Edward Conlon is a NYPD police officer who comes from a family of police officers.  He speaks about his novel to David Goodwillie in this June 2011 online interview.

 This month's lucky winners of free books were:
1. Carolyn
2. Heather
3. Shawna
4. Nancy
5. Margaret

There will be no Whodunit meeting in December.
We reconvene on January 28th, 2014 when we will discuss the novel
"The tenderness of wolves" by Stef Penney.

Whodunit October 29, 2013

Twenty-one book lovers attended the October meeting of Whodunit.  It was great to see some familiar faces that we haven't seen in a while. 

Gaye entertained the group with tales and photos of her trip to Albany, N.Y. where she met many of our favourite authors at Bouchercon.

The novel under discussion this evening was "A Duty to the Dead" by Charles Todd.  Charles Todd is a pen name used by the American authors Caroline and Charles Todd, a mother-son writing team.  Some members of the club found this to be 'creepy', while others commented on the seamless narrative which made it difficult to discern the contributions of each author.

As is our usual custom, we went around the circle and rated the book out of a possible ten points.  With scores as low as 4 and as high as 10, this novel ended up with an average of 7.68 with fourteen members stating they would read another title in this series (which now numbers five titles with a sixth due to be published in early 2014).


Set during the first World War this historical mystery had a clear sense of time and place with descriptions that enabled the reader to 'see' and feel the setting.  It was obvious to the reader that the novel was well researched.  One member said it was like a modern version of a gothic mystery.
The protagonist Bess Crawford is a nurse who attends the war wounded.  Of an upper-middle-class upbringing, Bess was a gentlewomen and could have chosen an easier life, but her grit and determination made her an admirable character.  She befriends a dying British soldier while nursing and makes him a promise to deliver a message back to his family.  She is injured in the sinking of the hospital ship Britannic, and returns home to England to recover.  Whilst there, she makes good on her "Duty to the dead" and delivers his message.

The book spoke to the far-reaching effect that war has upon both the military and civilians.  

While some thought the mystery predictable, others enjoyed the characterization and setting so much that they thought this aspect was of less importance.
Members wondered at the ineptitude of the London police who would let a teenage murderer return home to Kent with his family...
Some found the narrative 'slow' while others did not.  Some found the ending to be a brilliant resolution while others thought it was all tied up to quickly at the very end of the novel.

Universal was the liking for the protagonist Bess, the empathy felt for the half-brother Peregrine and the animosity for the matriarch of the Graham family.

Lucky winners of the book giveaways this month were:
1. Jean
2. Marilyn
3. Heather
4. Cathy D.

At November's Whodunit meeting we will discuss the novel " Red on Red" by Edward Conlon.

Whodunit Book Club meeting March 26, 2013

You can tell spring is almost here when you arrive at the monthly Whodunit meeting before sunset.  Though there is still snow on the ground, our thoughts have turned towards longer days and warmer temperatures.  A fairly small group attended this evening's meeting in which we were pleased to welcome some new members.

This evening we discussed the novel "The Walker on the Cape" by Mike Martin.  A Newfoundland native, Mike Martin now lives in Ottawa but returns to his home province annually.  The cover of the novel is very attractive with a photo of the Grand Bank lighthouse figured prominently.

As is our usual custom, we rated the novel out of a possible 10 points.  Of the sixteen voters present, the average vote was 6.5.   Opinions were very disparate with some votes as high as 9 and some as low as 3.  Detractors found the novel very simplistic and unsophisticated.  Many were critical of the way the dialogue did not flow naturally. Most agreed the novel could have done with some more editing and the use of a few vigilant proofreaders. Detractors found the few loose ends in the plot to be tied up too neatly with little effort or discomfort.  Even Windflower's corrupt boss was eliminated as a problem early on in the story.  If he had stayed longer, Windflower would have had someone to battle against, thus making the plot more interesting.  In short, the plot had potential but was under-developed. 

Detractors and fans alike all seemed to like the setting of the novel which was for the most part well described.  Most liked the RCMP Sgt. Winston Windflower.  They enjoyed his upstanding character and his morning ritual adherence to his native 'smudging' ceremony.

Fans of the novel found it to be a nice change of pace.  They relished the 'cosy' aspects of the novel.  There was no gratuitous violence, no tension or jeopardy,   The small community of Grand Bank was a prime example of small communities anywhere. Readers liked Windflower's love interest and appreciated their relationship enough that they would like to read about it in further novels. However, those looking for passion would not find it in this book as the two didn't so much as kiss.  It was joked that the mention of Windflower changing his sheets in preparation for her visit was about as steamy as it got...

All in all, "The Walker on the Cape" was considered a 'light' read with the crime coming secondary to the everyday life of the characters.

The winners of this month's book give-away were:
1. Carolyn
2. Lynne
3. Carmella
4. Nancy R.

Next month we will discuss the legal thriller "Defending Jacob" by William Landay.

Whodunit Meeting November 27, 2012

The last Whodunit meeting of 2012 was a lively gathering of eighteen diverse mystery lovers.  We all know each other fairly well by this time which makes the club discussions even more interesting.
Those who were absent were missed, but we realize that this busy time of year - on a clear and crisp November evening there are many reasons why members might miss a meeting. To those members we wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The novel discussed this evening was "Fall from Grace" by Canadian novelist Wayne Arthurson. Set in Edmonton, Alberta, the novel's protagonist is a journalist who is struggling to get his life back on track after losing everything he held dear.

Leo Desroche is assigned to cover the murder of a young native prostitute named Grace. His article starts a chain of events that leads him to a much, much bigger story, and puts his life in danger. Meanwhile he tries to re-establish relations with his family with whom he has been estranged since his own personal 'fall from grace'.

As is our usual custom we canvassed the group to vote for the novel out of ten.  Our votes reflect our reading experience overall and do not necessarily reflect directly on the plot. Other factors can influence our vote such as cover art, poor editing, etc.  It was the latter that was mentioned frequently at tonight's meeting.  The editor missed omitted words, misspelled names and added words where there should have been none.  Many readers (of which I am one) find this very off-putting.
The group's overall rating was 6.47 out of a possible 10 points.  Only five of the members in attendance said they would likely read another book by this author.

The protagonist of the novel was deeply flawed.  A flawed central character is often appealing, but we must ask ourselves "How much will we accept?"  Leo Desroche is a compulsive gambler, a dead-beat Dad, a bank-robber and a recovering addict who formerly lived on the streets.  He is an army brat who comes from a mixed race family with Cree blood on his mother's side. These two factors seems to have created issues for him growing up.

Some readers found his many flaws acceptable, others found that though he seemed very intelligent he was a narcissist who tried to blame others for his many problems.  He appeared to be a character you either love or hate. He seemed to be constantly calculating risks. The title "Fall from Grace" seemed well chosen and reflected the novel's plot.  There seemed to be too many story lines happening concurrently.  However, there were many gripping passages that showed the true potential of the author's writing.

Wayne Arthurson is a journalist in real life, so his descriptions of the busy newsroom come from first-hand knowledge. The setting was well described and accurate according to those members familiar with the Edmonton area.  The descriptions were well written with the imagery so skillfully done that the reader could vividly picture the places and feel the cold...

"Fall from Grace" won the 2012 Alberta Reader's Choice Award.
Visit Wayne Arthurson's blog "Big Time Writer? Yeah right!".

The lucky winners of this month's book giveaways were:
Cathy
Margaret
Marlene
Heather
Marilyn
Brian

There will be no Whodunit meeting in December.  The club will reconvene January 29th when we will discuss Mark Billingham's novel "Sleepy Head".

October 30, 2012 Whodunit Meeting

The Whodunit Book Club met on a dark and blustery October 30 to discuss the Reluctant Detective by P.E.I. writer, Finley Martin. Twelve members attended and one sent an assessment in absentia. The reluctant detective of the title refers to a young, recently widowed mother (Anne with an “e”) who returns to Prince Edward Island to work as a receptionist for her Uncle Billy, a private detective. When Billy dies and leaves her the agency she decides to keep it and become a detective as well. 

As we went around the circle to give our assessments of the book the comments were not favourable. They included: improbable, far-fetched, unbelievable, cartoonish and silly. We discussed the structure of the book, its short chapters and uneven pacing. Most liked the way it started by introducing a new, reluctant, detective, finding her way, but then found it veered off into improbable action thriller mode. There was some humour in the book but many readers wanted more. One person pointed out inaccuracies concerning Africa and the use of the derogatory term “natives” when referring to African people. Despite these negative comments about 5 people said they would consider reading another book if it were to become a series. The Charlottetown setting rang true and the characters around the detective, although not necessarily the detective herself, were likeable. This combination has potential for another book. It was agreed that the blurb and publicity around the book created high expectations which were not met, especially when compared to other books we have been reading lately. The average rating was 5/10.

Gaye recommended a British writer, Sophie Hannah, and a book, "The Keeper of Lost Causes" by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Congrats to the winners of the book draw: Marlene, Cathy, Carolyn and Heather.

Many thanks to Marlene for writing this post in my absence.  I did read the book and heartily agree with the above comments.  I think it very unlikely that I will read another book my this author.

 

Next month’s book is Fall from Grace by Edmonton writer Wayne Arthurson