Harbingers of Fear

[DAEDLUS]

I am a Fan of The Luke Thanet Books and would like to know what Harbingers of Fear is about. It is a Book written before the Thanet books but by the sme Author, I have no luck when putting the Title in Google

[Rosetta]

I put Dorothy Simpson into Amazon and it said Harbingers of Fear was printed in hardback in 1977, so I would quess it does precede the INspector Thanet stories

[oddboddy]

Only just noticed this as its first time on this section Ive read this thinking it would be as good as her others as i'm a big fan of her books. Dont waste your time bothering to track it down, its nothing at all like her other books. I struggled to get to the end hoping it would get better- it didn't. I cant even recall what it was about only vaguely but I do remember it was dull, boring and one of the worst books i'd ever read. Only my opinion of course but if you like Thanet like I do its nothing at all like those.

[DAEDLUS]

Thankyou oddbody and I am glad there ios another Thanet Fan about, I read thbe last book acouple of years ago and have been trying to see if there is another Author who has created another Detective like Thanet with no success sadly, I wish someone would televise them, I would definitely watch but can't think who would play Thanet, Merry Christmas

[oddboddy]

Well I like those sort too and my particular favourites apart from Dorothy Simpson are
June Thompson Ann Grainger Caroline Graham Elizabeth George Jill McGown Ruth Rendell (the Wexford series) Martha Grimes (Richard Jury) I also like Anthea Fraser
Ngaio Marsh and Georgette Heyers mystery ones though she didnt write many.

[DAEDLUS]

Oddbody of that lot I have only read Ann Grangers books although I did try to read books by Caroline Graham and Georgette Heyer but couldn't get very far. I also read books by Betty Rowlands, and Simon Brett and I read a book called Deepe Coofyn but can't remember who wrote it but am going to read others by her.

[oddboddy]

I love Betty Rowlands. I collect hardback by certain authors
and she is one i'd like to get more of. Caroline Graham it depends which you read. I had one bought me and loved it,
I'd enjoyed quite a few then read 2 I really didnt like at all.
Martha Grimes/Eliz George take a bit of getting into to appreciate them. Bit long winded at first. Worth sticking with though. June Thompson would probably suit you best as shes alot like Dorothy Simpson in style. She's written a fair few too so you'd not run out for a while.
I dont know Deep Coofyne but if you find out who wrote it i'll look out for it.
Happy New Year

[DAEDLUS]

Janet Laurence wrote Deepe Coffyn, her Sleuth is a Cook called Sarina Lisle, In Deepe Coffyn she does the Cooking for a Symposium on Histrical Food for the Historical Food Society and the Chairman who is her Cousin gets Murdered. I have only read Betty Rowlands Mel Craig books but tend to only read Paperback Books and have only seen her Suki Reynolds books in Hardback although I have got one which I haven't read yet but I will do once I get rid of books I don't want and have more room. I will deffinitely try the books you suggest as I love Crime Fiction.

[oddboddy]

I will look out for that. Im going library Monday so maybe they'll have something. Michael Underwood does a series of a female sleuth too, his other books tend to be more thriller than mystery but that series is good. It might be Rosa Epton but im not too sure if thats his or someone elses as I read so many. I'll look it up. I am going to catalogue all my books after new year so any others of the same type i'll let you know. I keep buying ones ive already got. Its odd but i've found most authors write a series of good books then do one thats totally different and rubbish like that Harbingers of fear. Paula Gosling writes great thrillers then she did one that was like slapstick comedy it was awful. Agatha Christie did it too. Maybe they run out of ideas or just want to try something new instead of sticking to what people want.

[DAEDLUS]

I know what you mean, Caroline Graham who created Inspector Barnaby wrote a book which was called "Murdewr At Maddingly Grange" I tried to like it but couldn't get on with it and it is in my Book Case perhaps I should try and finnish it. I am an Agatha Christie Fan and I agree some of her non-series books are awful but some people like them on the website, I particularly don't like "Murder is Easy and "Sparkling Cyanide but I like "And Then There Were None", "Man In The Brown Suit" and "Towards Zero"

[oddboddy]

I didnt like Maddingley Grange one much either. I think I had two goes at it before I finished it. Agatha Christie I like
the ones best that have no detective like Why Didnt They Ask Evans, 10 Little ******* (Not PC nowadays so I think they changed title) I like Poirot/Marple but Im not keen on her Tommy Tuppence ones. Ive just started re-reading hers as I ran out of something to read and decided to re-read old ones on my bookcase. She's easy to predict though just look for the one person who couldn't possibly have done it and its always them lol.
Do you like Wexford series by Ruth Rendell, they are very Thanet like. Mind you I dont like her other books at all.

[DAEDLUS]

I am sorry you don't like the Tommy and Tuppence Books, I am a big Agatha Christie fan and the Tommy and Tuppence books are amongst my favourites. I tried to read a Ruth Rendle book once but didn't get very far, I like the series but felt the later books got less cozy which isd what I like about Agatha Christie books aswell as the Thanet books and the Mel Craig books. Have you ever read P. D. James Adam Dalgliesh books? I have only read 2 as I have had them since joining a book Club briefly until I realised it wasn't worth it.

[oddboddy]

I read one PD James and didnt get into it and it put me off. Same as Sue Grafton
I only read Wexford by Rendell to be honest her others scare me to death lol The early Wexford ones are very good. Later ones got a bit deep.I dont mind reading Tommy & Tuppence just not a big fan. Ann(e?) Grainger is another one I like. I also like Sara Woods I know she's not the same style being more court orientated but I like the way Anthony Maitland 's life (her main character ) follows on in each book. I only buy 2nd hand books these days new books and book clubs are way too costly for me. I did go mad and buy the Harry Potter set new to read to my son.

[DAEDLUS]

It took med 9 months to read the First Meredith and Markby Book by Ann Granger but I perseverered and as I bought the second when I bought the first when I was wondering what to read next once I read it, enjoyed it and bought more to read some time although I didn't like it as much as when I read the Thanet books and the Mel Craig Books. I will try the Court-based books you suggest

[oddboddy]

It helps if you get them in order doesnt it as they make better reading if you follow the backgrounds I never seem to manage it though.
My friend recomended an author I will have to ask her again as she reads the same as me but all I recall was it had teddybears in the title.
Ive just started re-reading ngaio Marsh but I have to be in the right mood for her. A A Milne of Winnie the Pooh fame wrote a mystery The Red House Mystery I think it was thats very Agatha Christie like. Think its the only one he did.
I picked up Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery writers cheap thats ace if you ever see it, it lists all the authors and all their books.

[DAEDLUS]

I agree it does help if you read books in order, I didn't think it would unti I read Curtain: Poirots Last Case years before reading The Mysterious Affair At Styles and in Curtain it reveals the Gender of the Murderer in Styles so now I try to read books in order and was lucky enough to manage to read the Thanet books in order as well as the Mel Craig books and am trying to do the same with the Mitchell and Markby books by Ann Grainger and The Darina Lisle books by Janet Lawrence but have been unsuccessful with Simon Brett's Charles Parish Books or his Melita Pargetter books, which incidently are well worth reading.
I read the A A Milne Bookk you mentioned years ago and loved it but I couldn't get to grips with the Ngaio Marsh Book I have read. I do wish both the Thanet series of books and the Mel Craig series of books were televised and the Mitchell and Markby books for that matter. I hope your son looks after the Harry Potter Books you bought, It will make a nice little Nest Egg, My Family love them but they have never appealed to me, I saw the first film and it seemed to go on and on for ages.

[oddboddy]

Curtains was one of the few Poirot I didnt much take to. Not sure why though. I preferred the earlier Agatha Christies I guess. Destination Unknown was the first one I ever read of hers. I'd be hard pushed to pick an absolute favourite though.I know which one I liked least though the title escapes me might be the pale horse though i'm not sure as she wrote so many.I recently picked up a book at a car boot that gives the run down on all Christies books, why she wrote them, who she based characters on. It was quite interesting.
You are the first person I have known to have read the Red House Mystery, thats ace.
I dont watch tv much at all but some of the detectives dont always match my vision of them. I think the Morse series was good but then John Thaw is my all time favourite whatever he was in. He does fit the book though. Its nice when they do match with how you visualised them as it brings the books to life.
Did you ever get to read that Harbingers of Fear ?

[DAEDLUS]

II read The Red House Mystery years ago and some while on a car journey to Heathrow and back taking my Dad to Heathrow or bringing him back when he worked in Saudi Arabia and that was in the mid 80s, I haven't read Destination Unknown or Pale Horse yet but am looking forward to as when I read most of the Agatha Christie Books I get absorbed in them and feel I am a fly on the Wall, Thed Christie's I didn''t like so much are The Murder Of Roger Ackroyed, Lord Edgware Dies, The Big Four, Death Comes As The End, Sparkling Cyanide and Murder Is Easy and I thought The Crooked House just made me feel uncomfortable. What is the name of the book you mentioned that was about who Agatha Christie based her Characters on? as it is a book I would love to get a copy of.

[oddboddy]

I didnt like The Big Four either. I will have a hunt for that book and give you the title I packed it away somewhere intending to clear my bookshelves and I dont recall seeing it when I unpacked. Do you know this site ? http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ its really good for seeing whats new and who wrote what and if you check on the whats available for each book you can pick up some really good bargains even with postage costs.

[DAEDLUS]

Thankyou I have looked it up, I have been on the site before but only when looking up an Author I didn't realise it told you about new books, it is now in my Bookmarks and use it much more often so thankyou, Are Martha Grimes books easy to read? I have some which I haven't read yet.

[oddboddy]

I like Martha Grimes but it took me 2-3 books before I liked her if that makes any sense. First reading I kept getting a bit lost but once I'd got used to her style I became a fan of her Richard Jury ones I dont like her others though I read one not so long back and it was weird. I wouldnt say they are easy but good if you can get into them nothing like Dorothy Simpson though. I think closest to her would be June Thompson for actual style of writing. Ive known that site I sent ages and i'd only just noticed you can actual buy books from there via links to 2nd hand bookdealers I was amazed how cheap they were too. I had just thought it was
potted biographies of authors. Ive just read a play, I never read plays but I teach my lad at home and hes doing An Inspector Calls, if you havent read it, its well worth it as its only 3 acts and it has a brilliant twist at the end.