Greetings all --
A mini-rules recap:  since David Dyer-Bennet, and Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet 
(the echo founders) no longer have Fidonet access, and Beth Friedman 
(longtime echo participant) is too busy to handle this echo and SF too, I 
have agreed to take over moderation of MYSTERY.  As the regulars can attest, 
this echo doesn't need much in the way of moderation, but I'm glad to keep an 
eye on things and provide basic caretaker services.  And if we ever need 
serious moderating, I'll do what's necessary to keep things running smoothly. 
 
This is the area for discussions of mystery and detective fiction.  TV and 
movie adaptations of same are also on topic, but please don't stray too far 
from books -- discussing how a particular adaptation is different from the 
original, and how it makes the story more or less satisfying, is encouraged.  
And the obvious -- be polite to other echo participants.  No personal 
attacks.  No obnoxious ads.  Don't cross-post in or out of the echo without 
permission.  If you suspect something's broken somewhere, send netmail.  
What are you reading these days?  I'll cheat and mention that Mysterious 
Press has just published BLOODHOUNDS in paperback.  This is Peter Lovesey's 
newest mystery featuring detective Peter Diamond (cf. The Last Detective, 
Diamond Solitaire, and The Summons).  It's a classic locked-room mystery 
which takes place in a mystery readers' group, and the references to other 
mysteries fly fast and furious!  
The Peter Diamond books strike a middle ground between the utter silliness of 
his series featuring Bertie, the Prince of Wales, and his serious work like 
ROUGH CIDER (my vote for his best work ever).  They are fun and humorous, but 
not as out-and-out wacky as Bertie; there are serious moments, too.  I read 
the Diamond books all out of order (when THE SUMMONS and BLOODHOUNDS came 
out, the others were out of print), and while there are some minor spoilers, 
they don't suffer too badly being read as stand-alones.  While it is probably 
better to read them in order if you can, I don't think you should let it stop 
you from enjoying them if you can't find THE LAST DETECTIVE.  
Aside from that, and THE FALSE INSPECTOR DEW (also by Lovesey), I've been 
trying to catch up with Elisabeth Peters' mysteries featuring Amelia Peabody. 
 Once again, I've gone about it sort of backwards, since I read the most 
recent handful in reverse order of publication.  I'm looking forward to the 
new one, which is still in hardcover, as I hear rumors that Ramses gets to 
take center stage for much of the book.  
Still in the "I should read these soon" pile:  everything by Laurie King; a 
whole bunch of stuff by Richard A. Lupoff; Frank M. Robinson's DEATH OF A 
MARIONETTE; and Jonathan Lethem's GUN, WITH OCCASIONAL MUSIC.  
Please check in and let everybody know what you are up to.  Fidonet does tend 
to slow down in the summertime, so sometimes it's hard to tell when things 
are just quiet and when there is a problem.  Hope you are all enjoying your 
summer reading!
--- QM v1.31 
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