Tag / Richard Osman

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Book 56 (of 52) – We Chase Shadows

We Chase Shadows – Richard Osman

When a bodyguard for a low-level drug kingpin is found murdered outside his villa in Italy with an odd threat stuffed in his pocket, the We Solve Murders crew is called in to investigate.  As more bodies pile up, they set off on another global journey, from Italy to Spain, Sweeden, and the US before settling back in England to find out who is behind the murders and why.

We Chase Shadows is Richard Osman’s second entry in his new We Solve Murders series.  This was another lighthearted, yet engaging mystery and I’ll be waiting for what comes next.

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Streaking Authors

Every other year or so, we take a fresh look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  I thought it would be interesting to mix it up a bit and, instead of looking at the overall total, to instead look at the authors I have read continuously for the longest period of time.  So, without further ado, it’s time to take a look at which authors have the longest streak of consecutive years read.

Ten

Jeffery Deaver – Thanks mostly to his Lincoln Rhyme series, Deaver put together a streak of ten years with at least one book read by me starting in 2015 with The Vanished Man and ending in 2024 with Fatal Intrusion, his first collaboration with Isabella Maldonado.  After a one-year absence, corresponding with my completing the Rhyme series, he returned in 2026 to hopefully start a new streak.

Nine

Riley Sager – Sager burst onto the scene in 2017 with his first novel, Final Girls.  Every year since, he has put out a new book and I have read it, continuing through last year’s With a Vengeance.  He can extend his streak and tie Deaver for the longest if the library can deliver his latest in the next two months or so.

Karin Slaughter – Another current streak, Slaughter first came across my notice in 2018 thanks to Pretty Girls.  Due in part to her Will Trent and Grant County series, she has showed up at least once every year since, including Girl, Forgotten, which I completed earlier this year.

Eight

Richard Castle – The ghost writer for Richard Castle, the character portrayed by Nathan Fillion in Castle, made appearances in eight straight years, thanks to the novels that were supposedly written in the show, starting in 2010 with Heat Wave and culminating in 2017 with A Bloody Storm.

Six

Sarah Pekkanen – Starting in 2020, with her writing partner Green Hendricks, Pekkanen started her streak with The Wife Between Us.  Her streak outlived the partnership, continuing through last year with The Locked Ward.

Five

Nancy Holder – Thanks to her television show tie-in work, Nancy Holder was able to string together a streak of five years, starting in 1998 with Halloween Rain, based on the adventures of Bully the Vampire Slayer, and finishing in 2002 with The Burning, a collaboration with Jeff Mariotte.

Stephen King – My history with King is long but contains many frequent breaks.  His longest streak, which is current through the end of the year, started in 2021 with Later and runs through last year, when I completed his latest, Never Flinch.

Mary Kubica – The local author first came to my attention in 2015 with The Good Girl.  She appeared at least once annually through 2019, when I completed When the Lights Go Out.

Rebecca Forster – Forster was a constant presence as I worked through her Witness series, beginning in 2021 with Silent Witness and completing last year with Lost Witness.

Alex Finlay – Finlay first landed on my Kindle in 2022, thanks to Every Last Fear.  His streak continues on, thank to this year’s The Anniversary.

Richard Osman – His Thursday Murder Club series has helped him put together a streak of five years, starting in 2022 with The Thursday Murder Club and continuing through 2026 with The Impossible Fortune.

Elin Hilderbrand – We wrap up with Hilderbrand, who also has a current five-year streak going into 2027.  She started in 2022 with The Hotel Nantucket and continued this year with Winter in Paradise.

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Book 4 (of 52) – The Impossible Fortune

Richard Osman – The Impossible Fortune

After a quiet year as Elizabeth mourns the loss of her husband, the Thursday Murder Club reconvenes when the best man from Joyce’s daughter’s wedding goes missing.  With over a quarter of a billion pounds at stake, can the crew of pensioners find out who is trying to kill him before the money disappears?

Richard Osman returns with The Impossible Fortune, the latest entry in his Thursday Murder Club series and a nominee for Favorite Mystery & Thriller in last year’s Goodreads Choice Awards.  It has been two years since I read the previous entry, but it felt like no time had passed at all and that I was meeting up with old friends.  I’m not sure what is next from him, but I look forward to whatever it is.

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Prolific Authors – Five Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the ten authors I’ve read two times, an increase of three from two years ago.

Serpent’s Storm – Amber Benson

Amber Benson

The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star checks in with the five entries in her Calliope Reaper-Jones fantasy series.

Dan Brown

Brown, who became a publishing superstar with the release of The DaVinci Code in 2003, has a new Robert Langdon book due out later this year.

Diane Carey

First read in 1991, she was a stalwart of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel line, which accounted for four of her five entries.

The Night Shift – Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay

Five books in four years, including Parents Weekend from earlier this year, have pushed Finlay up this list.

Jeff Mariotte

The former WildStorm VP and DC editor stands pat with his entries from the Buffy and Angel series of novels.

Kimberly McCreight

A New York Times bestselling author thanks to her debut novel, Reconstructing Amelia, she has been a steady presence since 2013.

Yvonne Navarro

All five of the Chicago native’s works that I’ve read revisit the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe.

We Solve Murders – Richard Osman

Richard Osman

An English television presenter, Osman turned his efforts to fiction in 2020 with The Thursday Murder Club, which I came across in 2022.

Tom Perrotta

A nice two-book jump for the American novelist and screenwriter, whose works have a tendency to wind up on screen.

William Shatner

The actor best known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek checks in with his efforts, whatever they may have been, both with his TekWar series and on two Star Trek novels.

 

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Book 10 (of 52) – We Solve Murders

We Solve Murders – Richard Osman

When three low-level influencers, all with ties to a security firm in London, are killed in a very public fashion, bodyguard Amy Wheeler, alongside her father-in-law Steve and world-famous novelist Rosie D’Antonio go on a global journey to find out who is behind the murders and why.

Richard Osman returns with We Solve Murders, the first entry in what is primed to be another series.  To be honest, I had assumed this was a new book in his Thursday Murder Club series and was well into it before noticing it was not.  Nominated for the Best Mystery & Thriller category in the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, this looks to be another lighthearted, yet engaging series. I’ll be waiting for what comes next.

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Book 1 (of 52) – The Last Devil To Die

The Last Devil To Die – Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club returns for their latest adventure.  When Stephen’s friend is murdered over some missing heroin, the gang starts investigating, trying to stay one step ahead of the police and the smugglers looking for their lost drugs.  When Stephen’s declining health keeps Elizabeth occupied, Joyce picks up the slack.  As the investigation proceeds, bodies start piling up, too many bodies for a simple shipment of heroin, which helps lead the gang to figure out who’s responsible.

Richard Osman returns with The Last Devil to Die, the fourth entry in his Thursday Murder Club series.  Nominated for the Best Mystery & Thriller category in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards, this continues to be a lighthearted, yet engaging series.  With this entry just released in September, we probably have a while until the next entry, but when it comes out, I’ll be waiting.

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52 Books in 52 Weeks – 2024 Edition

A new year is upon us, and it is time to once again set a goal of reading a book a week for the entire year, totaling 52 books in 52 weeks.

Last year, for the third straight year, I completed my goal, finishing the year with 59 books read.  Prior to that, I’d had a low point of 8 books back in 2010 and a high point of 55 books.

Since I have nothing but time again this year and am still a remote worker, I’m going to give it another go.  I’ve got plenty of new books stocked up, both in the Kindle app on my iPad and actual physical books, not to mention my handy dandy library card, so I’ve got a good pile to start with.  As a reminder, the rules I am using are:

  • You can count a book as read as long as you have completed the book in 2024 and at least 50% of that reading takes place in 2024.
  • Any book counts as long as you’re not embarrassed to count it.
  • Poetry collections do indeed count.
  • Re-reading a book is okay as long as it isn’t done this year. (Reading Twilight twice in 2024 only counts as 1 read).
  • Audiobooks also count.

My first book of the year looks like it will be The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman, the latest entry in his Thursday Murder Club series.  Here’s hoping 2024 is another good year when it comes to books.

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Prolific Authors Wrap Up

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we wrap things up with a look back at the 97 authors I’ve read more than once.

Largest Increase (since 2021)

The Silent Wife – Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter – 6
Erle Stanley Gardner – 5
Jeffrey Deaver – 4
Grady Hendrix – 4
Richard Osman – 3
Alex Finlay – 3
Taylor Jenkins Reid – 3

Largest Increase (since 2011)

The Skin Collector – Jeffery Deaver

Jeffrey Deaver – 14
Erle Stanley Gardner – 14
Richard Castle – 13
Karin Slaughter – 12
Mary Kubica – 8

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Prolific Authors – 3 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  Since I’ve far surpassed my “normal” reading output the last three yeas, I thought it would be nice to once again take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through the start of October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the 20 authors I’ve read thrice, an increase of eight over the past two years.

Kevin J. Anderson

Last read in the 20th century, he’s responsible for three of the X-Files books on my shelf.

A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman

This Swedish author has become a recent favorite, showing up once a year over the past three years, with more to come, I’m sure.

Adam Carolla

The former comedian and current right-wing nutjob managed to get me to read three of his podcast regurgitations.

Bill Carter

The former media reporter for the New York Times delivered three behind the scenes looks at the television industry, including the transition from Johnny Carson to Jay Leno and from Jay Leno to Conan O’Brien and back again.

Executive Order – Max Allan Collins

Max Allan Collins

Author of all entries of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Suzanne Collins

The woman behind a little trilogy about a young woman named Katniss who upends her entire world.

Keith R.A. DeCandido

Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and a Spider-Man novel make up his works.

Alex Finlay

A DC lawyer writing under a penname, Finlay has placed three books in my hands over the past two years.

The Guest List – Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley

Another recent fave, Foley, a New York Times best seller, has shown up annually since 2021.

Megan Goldin

The former Reuters correspondent first appeared on my radar in 2021 with her debut, The Escape Room.

Paula Hawkins

Continue reading →

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Book 7 (of 52) – The Bullet That Missed

Richard Osman – The Bullet That Missed

In the latest installment of the Thursday Murder Club series, that gang starts investigating the ten-year old murder of a television presenter.  At the same time, a money-laundering Swede tries to use Elizabeth to take out a competitor, but instead draws them both into the club.  As the investigation proceeds, bodies start piling up and the gang tries to figure out who’s responsible.

Richard Osman returns with The Bullet That Missed, the third entry in his Thursday Murder Club series.  I am not all caught up, so after three books in less than five months, we won’t be seeing his name for quite a while.  But, when that fourth book does ger released, I’ll be in line at the web-based library waiting for my turn.