SOT: A #1 Bestseller and a Top Ten Amazon reviewer
Sarah Weinman
ten reviewers, got an acknowledgement in Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI
CODE:
http://newyorker.com/talk/content/?030505ta_talk_paumgarten
(what's next, Harriet Klausner getting similar accolades? Hmmm)
Sarah
Luke Croll
Poole
backdrop. An art teacher friend of mine is retiring and I want to get her a
retirement gift. Thanks in advance. Mar
BoxHill
>backdrop. An art teacher friend of mine is retiring and I want to get her a
>retirement gift. Thanks in advance. Mar
I would strongly recommend anything by Nicholas Kilmer. He has a series set in
Boston featuring an art "consultant," I guess you could call him, and the
collector he works for. All of the books have to do with crimes involving art.
Although this is a series, it isn't absolutely necessary to read them in order,
although I would try to get one of the earlier ones first. Amazon.com has them.
there are about 5 so far.
Another good one is Jane Langton's Murder at the Gardner, also set in Boston,
and perhaps a bit more mature-lady-friendly (depending on the lady! (<G>)
Other choices:
One of Iain Pears' art history series (Not "An Instance of the Fingerpost" or
"Dream of Scipio"--although wonderful books, they aren't about art.) These are
good, but I find them less riveting than his non-art books, and definitely less
so than the suggestions above.
The Spanish author Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Flanders Panel. I didn't really
like this one, in fact I never finished it, but many appreciate it more.
In the cozier category, some of Charlotte McLeod's involve art theft. (The ones
with Sarah and Max, not the ones with Professor Peter Shandy.) The art element
is fairly minor in these, though.
Janet
//Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a snare:
//Bedlam has many Mansions: have a care:
//Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:
//You think your self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.
Mary Reagan
There's also Aaron Elkin's Chris Norgren series. There are three that I know
of A Deceptive Clarity, A Glancing Light, and Old Scores.
Mary
Jr@Ease
Lawrence Block. The Burglar who Painted Like Mondrian.
It has an artist in the title and in the plot.
John P
Mark Billingham
Mark
mrfea...@aol.ccom
>
>Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist as a
>backdrop. An art teacher friend of mine is retiring and I want to get her a
>retirement gift. Thanks in advance. Mar
>
>
There are several options for that. Aaron Elkins wrote a short series whose
main character is a curator at a Seattle art museum. There are two or three
books in that series -- I'm not at home so I don't have the titles. Also,
Marcia Muller wrote a couple about a woman who's a security expert for an art
museum. (Titles are, I think, There Hangs The Knife and Dark Star.)
Iain Pears has a couple of books that fit the bill too, I think -- Mark Alan
Miller will remember the titles.
Mary
mrfea...@aol.ccom
That's them! I couldn't think of the titles, but I enjoyed those.
Mary (F)
Bookwryter
Jackson Hole, Wyo. Not exactly what you are looking for, but sort of close. The
Bluejay Shaman was the first one. I believe the protag's name is Alix Thorson
(this name may be slightly misspelled, but you can go to google and put a
search on for Lise's name and get the full story). -- Gary
Annie C
"Jr@Ease" <JrAt...@pkhNOSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:u1rvav48lijb5od4j...@4ax.com...
> Poole wrote:
>
> >Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist as a
> >backdrop. An art teacher friend of mine is retiring and I want to get
her a
> >retirement gift. Thanks in advance. Mar
> >
With A Gem Like Flame:A Novel of Venice & A Lost Masterpiece
(by David Adams Cleveland)
Good reviews, about missing Rafael 'Leopardi Madonna'.
The Iain Pears 'Rome Art Theft Squad' books,
aka.Jonathan Argyll /Flavio diStefano series
list at http://booksnbytes.com/authors/pears_iain.html
Cleanbreak (by Val McDermid)
Kate Brannigan series book involves a stolen Monet.
Acqua Alta (by Donna Leon)
Art theft in Venice.
Historical fiction:, both gorgeously written, both involve Vermeer:
Girl In Hyacinth Blue (by Susan Vreeland)
Girl With A Pearl Earring (byTracy Chevalier)
Most highly recommended.
Biographical fiction: The Passion of Artemisia (newest from Susan Vreeland)
tells the story of post-Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi's life.
Annie
Bill Deeck
news:y%Pra.1130$mD5.4...@dca1-nnrp1.news.algx.net...
In THE DA VINCI CODE by Dan Brown a murder takes place in the Louvre, with
interesting information about that museum. Also there is discussion of
several of Da Vinci's paintings. While I found the book fascinating, despite
questions being raised that the author might not have intended--and actually
solved, to some extent, a couple of the ciphers--the content might offend or
possibly outrage some people with strongly held religious views.
Richard Burke-Ward
"Poole" <po...@interaccess.com> wrote:
Dead Sleep, by Greg Iles. Scary, and good. Involves oil portraits of
dead people.
richard
--
Richard BW
(for email, remove 'removespam' amd 'nospam')
Ali
>From: "Poole"
>Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist as a
>backdrop. An art teacher friend of mine is retiring and I want to get her a
>retirement gift.
Danuta Reah's 'BLEAK WATER' is exactly what you are looking for. It made Jan
Mags best of 2002 :-
Bleak Water by Danuta Reah (HarperCollins UK)
Eliza Eliot is the curator of a new art gallery, opened on the banks of a
rundown canal that cuts through the deprived northern England city of
Sheffield. Despite its off-the-beaten-track location, Eliza has high hopes for
this space (and her career), fueled by her opportunity to show the latest works
by wunderkind Daniel Flynn, her former lover, who has finished a series of
reworkings of Flemish painter Pieter Brueghel's The Triumph of Death. However,
her excitement is tempered by sad memories of a four-year-old murder, and by
the more recent car-accident death of Eliza's friend Maggie. Soon, more bodies
turn up, the victims showing sinister links to the visceral madness portrayed
in Brueghel's art. Are these the acts of a random psychopath, or can the modern
murders be connected to the tragedy of four years ago? Reah offers here a
complex, character-driven narrative that peeks into the dark side of human
nature. Distinctive secondary players abound, from a drug addicted (and sexual
thrill-seeking) policewoman who's trying to cope both with the investigation
and her own demons, to her supposedly straight-laced boss soon (also tempted by
the pleasures of the flesh). Throw in a dead prostitute, teenagers in peril, a
prisoner incarcerated for pedophilia and a backstory from Madrid's bohemian
side, and you have a haunting, multi-viewpoint tale by an author who
understands that people's psyches are multi-leveled, and that no one is ever
really innocent.--Ali Karim
Jennifer Jordan
wrote:
"Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist
as a backdrop. An art teacher friend of mine is retiring and I want
to get her a retirement gift. Thanks in advance. Mar
"
DON'T read the Death Artist by Jonathan Santlofer.
Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
Jen
Sarah Weinman
>DON'T read the Death Artist by Jonathan Santlofer.
>Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
>
>Jen
Cool guy though.
Sarah
Mark Alan Miller
>
> I would strongly recommend anything by Nicholas Kilmer. He has a series
set in
> Boston featuring an art "consultant," I guess you could call him, and the
> collector he works for. All of the books have to do with crimes involving
art.
> Although this is a series, it isn't absolutely necessary to read them in
order,
> although I would try to get one of the earlier ones first. Amazon.com has
them.
> there are about 5 so far.
I think very highly of this series. Kilmer knows his art and his stories
are always quite original. These deserve to be better known.
> Another good one is Jane Langton's Murder at the Gardner, also set in
Boston,
> and perhaps a bit more mature-lady-friendly (depending on the lady! (<G>)
I like Jane Langton's work, but this is not one of the best in the series,
IMO.
> One of Iain Pears' art history series (Not "An Instance of the
Fingerpost" or
> "Dream of Scipio"--although wonderful books, they aren't about art.) These
are
> good, but I find them less riveting than his non-art books, and definitely
less
> so than the suggestions above.
I LOVE these books. They are utterly charming, and Pears also knows his art
inside and out, being an art historian by training. They are quite
different from his non-art books, which is one of the things I find
astonishing about Pears. You'd never guess they were by the same person.
The art squad books are frothy and witty and just plain fun.
> The Spanish author Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Flanders Panel. I didn't
really
> like this one, in fact I never finished it, but many appreciate it more.
I'm with you. This book annoyed the hell out of me. I just don't get
Perez-Reverte's acclaim at all, as I find his books contrived, slow, and
often rather silly.
> In the cozier category, some of Charlotte McLeod's involve art theft. (The
ones
> with Sarah and Max, not the ones with Professor Peter Shandy.) The art
element
> is fairly minor in these, though.
These are very light. Not only is the art element minor, but it isn't even
very convincing.
I can also recommend those of Aaron Elkins's books that deal with art. The
Chris Norgren series is quite nice, but Loot is simply terrific, possibly
the best book Elkins has written to date. It's about the recovery of
artwork looted by the Nazis. Very exciting and beautifully plotted. It
should be readily available as it was published just a couple of years ago.
Out of print, but worth a look if you happen to run into them are a number
of art-related mysteries by Michael Innes. There are about six or seven of
these out of Innes's prodigious output.
Mark Alan Miller
Mark Alan Miller
"Bookwryter" <bookw...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030430121725...@mb-m28.aol.com...
Much as I like Lise's books, the art aspect doesn't usually amount to all
that much. That Alix owns a gallery gets her into situations that sometimes
involve artists, but there is little detail about the art or art history,
and most of the art discussed sounds like tourist souvenir art of little
distinction. The best in the series is also the most recent, Blue Wolf. It
is excellent.
Mark Alan Miller
Mark Alan Miller
<mrfea...@aol.ccom> wrote in message
news:aASra.2594$95....@www.newsranger.com...
>
> Iain Pears has a couple of books that fit the bill too, I think -- Mark
Alan
> Miller will remember the titles.
Welllll, not all of them. There is The Bernini Bust, and Giotto's Hand.
And Death and Restoration. Those three I remember, but there are two or
three more.
Mark Alan Miller
Mary Reagan
(in message <IH%ra.586$Sm1.96...@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com>):
> I can also recommend those of Aaron Elkins's books that deal with art. The
> Chris Norgren series is quite nice, but Loot is simply terrific, possibly
> the best book Elkins has written to date. It's about the recovery of
> artwork looted by the Nazis. Very exciting and beautifully plotted. It
> should be readily available as it was published just a couple of years ago.
>
>
> Mark Alan Miller
>
Oh I can't believe I forgot about Loot in my list of Aaron Elkins books. It
was great. I agree with all the good things Mark had to say about them.
Mary
Mary Reagan
(in message <hve0bvko6b068bv90...@4ax.com>):
There are also the Vicky Bliss books by Elizabeth Peters. Not as hard core
art world as the Chris Norgren series by Aaron Elkins, but I did manage to
learn quite a bit from some of them, especially the earlier ones.
Mary
A R Pickett
news:y%Pra.1130$mD5.4...@dca1-nnrp1.news.algx.net...
Ngaio Marsh's protagonist Roderick Allyn marries an artist - Agatha Troy.
At least one of the books features Troy as protagonist, with an occasional
assist from her husband. It's titled "A Cloud of Constables" or something
similar. The plot centers on art forgery and related issues.
Marsh's books are in a classic, old fashioned vein. I have always enjoyed
them.
--
A R Pickett aka Woodstock
"He that loves reading has everything within his reach."
William Godwin
Remove lower case "e" to respond
>
>
Bookwryter
is excellent.
Mark Alan Miller
Agreed. I couldn't think of the title when I posted earlier. -- Gary
Kat Richardson
If you want to make her laugh, I really recommend the Adam McCleet books by
the late, hilarious Rick Hanson. Adam is an ex-cop turned sculptor, living
in the Pacific Northwest, who keeps getting pulled into bizarre mysteries.
The third book, Still Life, revolves around a Southwestern US art and
murals. They are very funny, but still support good and often gritty
mysteries.
And how can these guys not mention Black Rubber Dress and the rest of Lauren
Henderson's Sam Jones novels? Sam is also a sculptor, British,
iconoclastic, tartish, outrageous and gutsy. A real kick in the pants, if
she goes for the wild side.
Of course, Iain Pears is a must, if she hasn't read them, already. Wonderful
stuff revolving around a squad of Art Theft and Forgery experts. Start with
the first book, The Raphael Affair, if you can. IIRC, Pears is, himself, an
art historian, as is the central male character in his books. These are
classy and classic investigation tales in which the art is important, not
merely a McGuffin.
--
Kat Richardson
Nearly any political speech can be replayed by pushing a button on the
washroom hand-dryer.
http://www.eskimo.com/~strange
HnukyDory
....
John Harvey's In A True Light
is definitely one I can personally recommend, others I'd just be listing
without having read them.
MrE
HnukyDory
Two more..
Connelly's A Darkness More Than Night finds the murders clues tied up in a
Bosch (not Harry but his namesake who I'm not about to attempt to spell)
painting and The Burglar Who Painted Like Mondrian speaks for itself.
MrE
Ann Cornellier
A R Pickett wrote:
> Ngaio Marsh's protagonist Roderick Allyn marries an artist - Agatha Troy.
> At least one of the books features Troy as protagonist, with an occasional
> assist from her husband. It's titled "A Cloud of Constables" or something
> similar. The plot centers on art forgery and related issues.
A Clutch of Constables, I think. I always enjoyed her books too, Woodstock, but
I'm afraid to reread them as I think I'd find them dated. There was quite a
dose of class snobbery in them -- wasn't Alleyn's sergeant named Fox, and he was
called B'rer Fox?
There's also Ghirlandaio's Daughter, by John Spencier Hill.
Ann in Ottawa
Mark Alan Miller
"Kat Richardson" <null....@lycos.com> wrote in message
news:7B4sa.686939$L1.198987@sccrnsc02...
>
> And how can these guys not mention Black Rubber Dress and the rest of
Lauren
> Henderson's Sam Jones novels? Sam is also a sculptor, British,
> iconoclastic, tartish, outrageous and gutsy. A real kick in the pants, if
> she goes for the wild side.
Oh, dear, how could I have forgotten these. Hysterically funny, and very
knowing about the art world. Not all of the plots center around art, but a
couple of them do. Maybe not the sort of thing I'd buy for a retiree unless
I knew their tastes, as the books have plenty of casual drug use and sex.
Mark Alan Miller
Kat Richardson
Yeah, that would be my reservation, but, not knowing the lady in question, I
would not know how acceptable those points would be. Who knows? Maybe she
was, herself, a wild bohemian in her youth and might find them amusing as
Montmarte on a Friday night in 1890.
HnukyDory
>> unless I knew their tastes, as the books have plenty of casual drug use
>> and sex.
Think of the 20's. Old folk were bright young things once too y'know.....
MrE
Hurricane7
Patricia
"Richard Burke-Ward" <removespam...@btinternet.comnospam> wrote in
message
news:removespamrichard.bw-...@newstrial.btopenworld.com...
FeAudrey
>news:y%Pra.1130$mD5.4...@dca1-nnrp1.news.algx.net...
>> Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist as a
>> backdrop.
>
In article <F92sa.97$5v.22...@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com>,
WOODeS...@PReODIGY.NET says...
>
>
>Ngaio Marsh's protagonist Roderick Allyn marries an artist - Agatha Troy.
In that general period and style, there is also Michael Innes' "Charles
Honeybath" (also an artist, originally a character in one of his "John
Appleby" books).
--
Visit my Iron Age Pages for technical and fun stuff (holiday specials, too)!
http://pages.prodigy.net/feaudrey
JLS411
In article <F92sa.97$5v.22...@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com>, "A R Pickett"
<WOODeS...@PReODIGY.NET> wrote:
<< Ngaio Marsh's protagonist Roderick Allyn marries an artist - Agatha Troy.
At least one of the books features Troy as protagonist, with an occasional
assist from her husband. It's titled "A Cloud of Constables" or something
similar. The plot centers on art forgery and related issues.
Marsh's books are in a classic, old fashioned vein. I have always enjoyed
them. >>
"A Clutch of Constables." There's also an earlier Marsh book, "Artists in
Crime," which takes place at an artists' colony.
Jenni, also a Marsh fan
Jenni :-)
"I guess you could say we broke up because of artistic differences. He saw
himself as alive - and I saw him dead."
-- "Chicago"
A R Pickett
> A R Pickett wrote:
>
> > Ngaio Marsh's protagonist Roderick Allyn marries an artist - Agatha
Troy.
> > At least one of the books features Troy as protagonist, with an
occasional
> > assist from her husband. It's titled "A Cloud of Constables" or
something
> > similar. The plot centers on art forgery and related issues.
>
> A Clutch of Constables, I think. I always enjoyed her books too,
Woodstock, but
> I'm afraid to reread them as I think I'd find them dated. There was quite
a
> dose of class snobbery in them -- wasn't Alleyn's sergeant named Fox, and
he was
> called B'rer Fox?
I suppose they are dated, in a way, but somehow I'm able to accept the
characteristics of the time they were written. Roderick Allyn was a second
son, as I recall, and therefore would not inherit. so (gasp!) he had to
work for a living! And Marsh portrayed the relationship between Allyn and
Fox as based on genuine respect and even affection. At least the way I
read them. The "b'rer Fox" was a nickname used by one friend to another,
the way I saw it, anyway.
Carol Schwaderer Dickinson
>
> Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist as a
> retirement gift. Thanks in advance. Mar
Art is a very broard subject. I notice most answers involved paintings.
Along that line Peter J. Heck's "Mysterious Strangler" featuring Mark
Twain.
Also Earlene Fowler's "Dove in the Window". The whole series is slightly
related to art. The main character is curator of a museum, and all the
books are themed around quilt titles altough quilts barely feature in
some of them.
Donna Andrew's "Murder with Puffins" features an artist and "Revenge of
the Wrought Iron Flamingos" features iron sculptures.
Monica Ferris' series is set in a Needlecraft shop, features the craft
as part of the mystery, and always includes patterns.
Kate Gallison's "Grave Misgivings" deals with a type of stone carving.
Carol
mrfea...@aol.ccom
Yeah, you really can't deny that your average grandma's had some sex at some
point...
Mary
BoxHill
>>
>> I would strongly recommend anything by Nicholas Kilmer. He has a series
>set in
>> Boston featuring an art "consultant," I guess you could call him, and the
>> collector he works for. All of the books have to do with crimes involving
>art.
>> Although this is a series, it isn't absolutely necessary to read them in
>order,
>> although I would try to get one of the earlier ones first. Amazon.com has
>them.
>> there are about 5 so far.
>
>I think very highly of this series. Kilmer knows his art and his stories
>are always quite original. These deserve to be better known.
>
Yes, yes, yes! I'm glad to see someone else here of the same opinion. All you
RAMmers should go directly to your local library and ask them to order Kilmer's
books!
>I like Jane Langton's work, but this is not one of the best in the series,
>IMO.
I agree, but even at less than her best she is charming and original.
>They are quite
>different from his non-art books, which is one of the things I find
>astonishing about Pears. You'd never guess they were by the same person.
Yes, that has struck me also. (Although I *like* the Jonathan/Flavia series, I
go around proselytizing for Fingerpost.)
>I'm with you. This book annoyed the hell out of me. I just don't get
>Perez-Reverte's acclaim at all, as I find his books contrived, slow, and
>often rather silly.
Yes--annoying as hell is the perfect description of the heroine and her
friends, in particular. Some day I will probably pick it up again, since I
unforunately bought it. But it won't be soon.
>These are very light. Not only is the art element minor, but it isn't even
>very convincing.
That could be said of MacLeod's entire oeuvre, but they do have their charm.
>I can also recommend those of Aaron Elkins's books that deal with art.
I've never read these, but I'm going to. They sound great.
>Out of print, but worth a look if you happen to run into them are a number
>of art-related mysteries by Michael Innes.
I love Michael Innes. Luckily I have a few of them in old Penguin paperback.
One of the things that distinguishes Kilmer and Pears from most of the others
is that they really know and love art, rather than simply using it as a plot
point or backdrop.
Janet
//Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a snare:
//Bedlam has many Mansions: have a care:
//Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:
//You think your self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.
BoxHill
painter. It has to do with equine artists like Stubbs, IIRC. He also has a
recent one in which the protagonist is an artist who works in blown glass.
Jeanne
BoxHill wrote:
> I just remembered that Dick Francis has one in which the protagonist is a
> painter. It has to do with equine artists like Stubbs, IIRC. He also has a
> recent one in which the protagonist is an artist who works in blown glass.
> Janet
In The Frame and Shattered. ITF was the first DF I ever
read as a matter of fact. Shattered was one of the best.
Jeanne
Mary Shafer
<dd...@alaska.net> wrote:
> Art is a very broard subject. I notice most answers involved paintings.
Ngaio Marsh had at least four. Artists in Crime, the one with the guy
in the Guards, the one set in the Channel Islands, and the last one,
in New Zealand.
Mary
--
Mary Shafer mil...@qnet.com
Retired aerospace research engineer
"The guy you don't see will kill you." BGEN Robin Olds, USAF
JLS411
In article <F92sa.97$5v.22...@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com>, "A R Pickett"
<WOODeS...@PReODIGY.NET> wrote:
<< Ngaio Marsh's protagonist Roderick Allyn marries an artist - Agatha Troy.
At least one of the books features Troy as protagonist, with an occasional
assist from her husband. It's titled "A Cloud of Constables" or something
similar. The plot centers on art forgery and related issues.
Marsh's books are in a classic, old fashioned vein. I have always enjoyed
them. >>
"A Clutch of Constables." There's also an earlier Marsh book, "Artists in
kat >^.^<
_Shattered_ is the one with the glass blower.
_To the Hilt_ has his protagonist painting golf courses.
Liked all three.
He (or they, if you include his wife) also used a toymaker and photographer.
kat >^.^<
in Wisconsin
"BoxHill" <box...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030502123536...@mb-m07.aol.com...
Luci Davin
evocative book
Luci
"HnukyDory" <hnuk...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030501050834...@mb-m06.aol.com...
> >>Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist
> John Harvey's In A True Light is definitely one I can personally
Jeanne
I need sleep. Read your first sentence 3 times as house
painter.. ;))
Jeanne
Jennifer Jordan
"
">DON'T read the Death Artist by Jonathan Santlofer.
">Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
">
">Jen
"
"
"Sarah
Maybe too cool for his own good. The premise was so cool - murders
that are setup to look like paintings. But, God, the writing was poop.
The protagonist female is supposed to be such a hero; I found her
annoying and idiotic. But, gosh, she wore top label clothes, so maybe
not all bad. Blech. The only strong parts were written in first person
narrative from the veil point of the killer. Third person = switching
to crap view.
Jen
Ralf Büscher
I can recommend Frances Hegarty's (the real name of Frances Fyfield) "Half
Light", which is about a picture restorer in London. When she comes to work
for a collector, the past starts to haunt her ...
I am myself an art historian and must say I have never read a better crime
novel about art. All the technical details are right and well researched,
and the whole psychology of selling, collecting and caring for paintings and
other works of art is captured really well, including the weird aspects.
Apart from that, it is simply a very good book.
Gudrun
from Germany
Sarah Weinman
dealer...
Sarah
--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
kat >^.^<
kat >^.^<
in Wisconsin
who missed the Kentucky Derby, darnit!
"Jeanne" <tay...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:3EB34CC6...@cox.net...
kat >^.^<
"vj" <websp...@booksnbytes.com> wrote in message
news:erp8bvkaedogeorae...@4ax.com...
> vj found this in rec.arts.mystery, from "kat >^.^<"
> <trompB...@newnorth.net> :
>
> ]Well, when you think of it, who paints horses?
>
> well . . . somebody had to do all those fancy pictures in Kentucky!
>
> [saw the finish]
> i didn't realize Seattle Slough was still alive. $300,000 stud
> fees!!!
> -----------
> @vicki [SnuggleWench]
That must be where they get the horse of a different color...
kat >^.^<
chatting live NOW!!!
in Wisconsin
Annie C
Appears to be out of print, but should not be hard to find..
Welcome to RAM, Gudrun. What other mystery authors do you enjoy reading?
Annie
"Ralf Büscher" <Ralf-B...@t-online.de> wrote in message
news:b90uuc$5qq$04$1...@news.t-online.com...
Bill Davis
Did anyone recommend Dick Francis' "To the Hilt"
I've always thought that this was one of his (their) BEST books.
And the subplot of the artist painting the old/young lady was just WONDERFUL.
--
Bill Davis
NewVideo
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Jeanne
Up till then my vote went to Shattered. Then came To The
Hilt and my allegiance did a swift shift for number 1.
Which one had the, I think, architect that designed
a hot water heating system under a stone floor?? Any bells?
Liked that one too.
Jeanne
kat >^.^<
few where his protagonist is a parent.
kat >^.^<
in Wisconsin
"Jeanne" <tay...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:3EB59486...@cox.net...
Jeanne
with a passel of kids, but wasn't quite sure..
Knew the floor thing was there though *g*
Thanks! They did wonderful work far as I'm concerned. :)
Jeanne
kat >^.^<
totally enjoy (_Slayride_), but there must be more.
kat >^.^<
in Wisconsin
"Jeanne" <tay...@cox.net> wrote in message news:3EB59B10...@cox.net...
Jeanne
Cheryl Perkins wrote:
> Jeanne <tay...@cox.net> wrote:
>
> > Up till then my vote went to Shattered. Then came To The
> > Hilt and my allegiance did a swift shift for number 1.
> > Which one had the, I think, architect that designed
> > a hot water heating system under a stone floor?? Any bells?
> > Liked that one too.
>
> Decider. I've always loved Dick Francis, but I can't decide which one I
> like best.
>
> Cheryl
Shattered, To The Hilt and now that 2 out of 2 say it was Decider..
Decider. *g*
Any one of those work well for best. ;)
That's the thing, for me anyway.. I always know going in, the
odds are stacked in my favor. There are times when that's
a comforting knowledge to have. When you want/need
a comfort read that's 99% a given it's not going to let you
down. DF does that for me.
Jeanne
BoxHill
>i didn't realize Seattle Slough was still alive. $300,000 stud
>fees!!!
Seattle Slew, not Slough!
BoxHill
>fees!!!
Oh, and BTW, Slew died last year, alas. He was a great racehorse AND a great
sire.
BoxHill
>
>it was a toss-up when i typed it - i couldn't remember.
>and out here, they're both pronounced the same.
>
We used to live near a town in England called "Slough" that was usually
pronounced "Slou" as in "ouch," but without the "ch," of course. Some older
residents pronounced it "Sluff," though.
BoxHill
>someone should have told the people that did the special on racehorses
>yesterday!
I just checked, and he died May 7, 2002. Maybe the piece you saw was made
before that...He was born in 1974, so he did have nice long life for a horse.
Chicago Turk
My favorite Agatha Christie novel -- "Murder in Retrospect" -- was about the
murder of a painter.
Someone else mentioned "Artists in Crime" by Ngaio Marsh. It's also the one
where the detective - Alleyn - meets his future wife, who is a painter. A good
mystery too, from the Golden Age.
Turk
Jr@Ease
>>[saw the finish]
>>i didn't realize Seattle Slough was still alive. $300,000 stud
>>fees!!!
>
>Seattle Slew, not Slough!
>Janet
Are you taking about Seattle Sluice?
I'm confused.
Beth
Dee Marley
Don't think anyone't mentioned Margaret Maron's Fugitive Colors, one of
my very favorites....
dee
Bill Davis
>
> Shattered, To The Hilt and now that 2 out of 2 say it was Decider..
> Decider. *g*
> Any one of those work well for best. ;)
>
> That's the thing, for me anyway.. I always know going in, the
> odds are stacked in my favor. There are times when that's
> a comforting knowledge to have. When you want/need
> a comfort read that's 99% a given it's not going to let you
> down. DF does that for me.
>
> Jeanne
AMEN.
Plus, a pet peeve of mine is when violence appears in a plot - yet the
author has little understanding of the REALITY of violence.
Can't remember off the top of my head which Francis book it was where the
protagonist is a jocky/amature photographer. But when the character gets
beaten up by thugs - Francis lets us spends a couple of fascinating pages
(and the best part of 24 hours in "book time") simply describing what it
takes simply to sit up.
I nearly cheered out loud at the end of the sequence.
Worth a hundred scenes (in books AND movies) where the "hero" gets
pummeled by multiple thugs, then spends the following scenes/chapters
acting like being visited by real violence is nothing more than a minor
annoyance.
Finally, I thought, an author who's BEEN seriously hurt physically
(clearly an occupational hazard for the championship jockey) writing about
what it's REALLY like.
Jeanne
Bill Davis wrote:
Yes Yes Yes!!!! I'm very guy when it comes to my taste..or possible lack of
taste when it comes to movies... Not that
guys don't have taste..wait. Let me try this again... ;)
Pummeling good. Things blowing up good. Kick ass fight
scenes good.
But kick ass fight scenes where you Known darn good and well
said guy sure as hell wouldn't be getting off the floor after
the First roundhouse to the head, much less the 22nd..drive
me insane. Having the crap kicked out of a person is bound
to hurt. Allot. For days.
Same thing with books. When the hero gets nailed by x number
of, hero nailers, he darn well should feel like crap for a page or two. Have a
bruise or 12 to show for it. COMPLAIN.
Can't remember which one it was, but the jockey broke a bone
and wouldn't have it set. He explained the rational behind not doing so. The
amount of pain that would be involved, how severe it would be, how long it
would last and why it was
the best course of action, as in the long run it would heal
faster, with less muscle atrophy and he'd be back in action
much sooner. After the 3 to 7 days of pure hell. Then it would
just be damn uncomfortable. *g*
We got to experience, said days from hell and felt like DF
knew exactly what he was talking about with them. He didn't
cheat the reader nor the scenario written.
Really love that about his/their writing. :))
Jeanne
Alison
wrote:
>
>>
>> Shattered, To The Hilt and now that 2 out of 2 say it was Decider..
>> Decider. *g*
>> Any one of those work well for best. ;)
>>
>> That's the thing, for me anyway.. I always know going in, the
>> odds are stacked in my favor. There are times when that's
>> a comforting knowledge to have. When you want/need
>> a comfort read that's 99% a given it's not going to let you
>> down. DF does that for me.
>>
>> Jeanne
>
>AMEN.
>
>Plus, a pet peeve of mine is when violence appears in a plot - yet the
>author has little understanding of the REALITY of violence.
>
>Can't remember off the top of my head which Francis book it was where the
>protagonist is a jocky/amature photographer. But when the character gets
>beaten up by thugs - Francis lets us spends a couple of fascinating pages
>(and the best part of 24 hours in "book time") simply describing what it
>takes simply to sit up.
>
>I nearly cheered out loud at the end of the sequence.
>
<snip>
Reflex - one of my favorites! (Though I think Nerve is still the top
of my list)
Alison
Ralf Büscher
I've been reading this newsgroup for a couple of years now, but I do not
always have time to keep up with it and so I have contributed only once or
twice. But I do get a lot of good ideas of what to read!
Bye,
Gudrun
Ralf Büscher
what do I enjoy reading ... dangerous question! For me, the quality of the
writing and style is nearly as important as the plot etc., so I am a great
fan of Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendell. I like the classic English Crime
Ladies like Dorothy Sayers and P. D. James and still enjoy reading Agatha
Christie. Among the more recent English writers I find Val McDermid
absolutely amazing. I used to be a fan of Minette Walters, but have not been
so happy with her last titles (the same applies to the last two books by
Elizabeth George, she completely lost her freshness). Of other British
writers, I simply adore Reginald Hill and am a great fan of Ian Rankin. And
I love Mike Ripley, he is so good! During the last years, I have started to
read American authors as well (thanks to this newsgroup) My absolute
favorite is Robert Crais, and I have now started on Elmore Leonard and Carl
Hiaasen. And I am a really big fan of Janet Evanovich ...
I am always trying out new authors, but I keep returning to my old
favorites. There are too many books and too little time to read!
Take care,
Gudrun
Zspider
> Hi, would someone please rec. a good book with an art or an artist as a
> backdrop.
*********
Did I miss it, or did I go through all those suggestions
on art mysteries/crime novels without EVER ONCE seeing a
reference to the fantastic BURNT ORANGE HERESY, by the
great Charles Willeford?
miker
BoxHill
>of my list)
>
>Alison
I think I'd nominate Nerve, Enquiry, and For Kicks as the best, although I
really enjoyed the ending in particular of Wild Horses, which I though reached
a higher level of writing. I always enjoy Dick Francis, though.
Bill Davis
> I think I'd nominate Nerve, Enquiry, and For Kicks as the best, although I
> really enjoyed the ending in particular of Wild Horses, which I though reached
> a higher level of writing. I always enjoy Dick Francis, though.
> Janet
Janet,
Wild Horses has always had a special place in my heart since I make my
living producing and directing videos.
Again and again, Francis managed to master the essense of an occupation
OUTSIDE of racing. (painting, the gem trade, moviemaking, etc, etc.) in a
way that looked beneath the craft and into the nuances that make the
descriptions seem particularly real.
I've always greatly admired his books for (among MANY other qualities)
that ability.
In fact, on reflection, I think it's those amazing "life details" so
effortlessly interwoven into his stories that makes them so interesting.
Mark Alan Miller
"Dee Marley" <dma...@email.unc.edu> wrote in message
news:3EB689AC...@email.unc.edu...
>
> Don't think anyone't mentioned Margaret Maron's Fugitive Colors, one of
> my very favorites....
I'll have to look that one up, just for the great title. For those who
don't know, a fugitive color is one made with a pigment that fades over
time, usually because of exposure to light. Most pigments fade to some
degree, but the ones called fugitive are the worst. Such fading is why the
trees in many old paintings have turned blue over time, as good, permanent
yellow pigments are uncommon and expensive.
Mark Alan Miller
Ann Cornellier
> Lauren
> > Henderson's Sam Jones novels? Sam is also a sculptor, British,
> > iconoclastic, tartish, outrageous and gutsy. A real kick in the pants, if
> > she goes for the wild side.
>
> Oh, dear, how could I have forgotten these. Hysterically funny, and very
> knowing about the art world. Not all of the plots center around art, but a
> couple of them do. Maybe not the sort of thing I'd buy for a retiree unless
> I knew their tastes, as the books have plenty of casual drug use and sex.
>
> Mark Alan Miller
Now, hang on just a minute, there, buster....
Retiree in Ottawa
Ralf Büscher
I didn't know you have a birthday list! This is really very kind, but please
don't take any trouble.
Gudrun
BoxHill
Culture clash: does she really mean it, or is this just a very polite way of
saying "NO!"?
Michael Burke
<Ralf-B...@t-online.de> wrote:
>I didn't know you have a birthday list! This is really very kind, but please
>don't take any trouble.
No trouble. We just make a fuss of people on their birthdays. Just
adds a bit of a sense of community to RAM, I think. If you change
your mind, we only need to know the day and month of your birthday.
Some people tell us the year and the city where they live.
Mique
artyw
valuable piece of Art and holds it for ransom? I am not sure if it
ever has been done in reality. I think it could make for an
interesting story. Is there a villain out there who would gladly
destroy the Mona Lisa? (Probably--just look at the Museum looting in
Iraq).
Ralf Büscher
it was a polite way of saying "please don't" because my birthday simply is
not that important to me. But it is a nice custom of your newsgroup, you are
really closer than many others.
But shouldn't we be discussing more important topics than my birthday?
Things like crime, murder, books ... I started "Harm Done" by Ruth Rendell
today and immediately had to think of "Acid Row" by Minette Walters. It will
be interesting to see how far the similarities go!
Bye for now,
Gudrun
Ali
>Can anyone think of a mystery/thriller in which someone "kidnaps" a
>valuable piece of Art and holds it for ransom? I am not sure if it
>ever has been done in reality.
Hi Arty,
Well I recall Francis Dolorhyde ate a Blake painting in Harris's RED DRAGON, as
for ransoming, not sure, no doubt Block's Burglar series has one
AK
Mark Alan Miller
"artyw" <art...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fcd1f4e4.03051...@posting.google.com...
> Can anyone think of a mystery/thriller in which someone "kidnaps" a
> valuable piece of Art and holds it for ransom? I am not sure if it
> ever has been done in reality.
I has happened, at least a few times. Sometimes the only buyer for a stolen
work of art is the institution it was stolen from. It isn't really a matter
of ransom, but negotiations to "buy" back the artwork are pretty much the
same thing.
Mark Alan Miller
CarleenML
Stole the Mona Lisa by Robert Noah (based on the true story). Great little
book.
Bill Deeck
Since it has been longer ago than I care to recall that I read the novels by
Oliver Bleeck (Ross Thomas, who died too damn young), I cannot definitely
say that these novels qualify. However, Philip St. Ives was a go-between
when legal owners wanted to buy back stolen items.
Cjconrad84
Michael Burke
<Ralf-B...@t-online.de> wrote:
>it was a polite way of saying "please don't" because my birthday simply is
>not that important to me. But it is a nice custom of your newsgroup, you are
>really closer than many others.
No problem, Gudrun. It's entirely up to you.
>
>But shouldn't we be discussing more important topics than my birthday?
>Things like crime, murder, books ... I started "Harm Done" by Ruth Rendell
>today and immediately had to think of "Acid Row" by Minette Walters. It will
>be interesting to see how far the similarities go!
I'm a Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine fan, but so far I haven't read any
Minette Walters books, although I have seen a couple of TV shows based
on her books.
Mique