Book Club

June Book Club: A Peculiar Combination

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Our June book club will meet on Sunday, June 26, 2 p.m. at my home to discuss Ashley Weaver’s charming A Peculiar Combination.   The zoom group will meet on Wednesday, June 29, at 7 p.m.  Please message us at store (at) auntagathas.com for a zoom link or directions.

This first in a series for Ms. Weaver follow safecracker Electra McDonnell, who works with her Uncle Mick cracking safes during WWII.  Caught red handed, they are recruited by the government and the following story is a well written adventure story with a great twist on the WWII novel.  There are a lot of them out there, but this is a great one, and Electra is a wonderful character to build a series around. read more

May Book Club Read: Slow Horses

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Join us in May for our book club read of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses, the first in his series about MI5 agents who have made some epic fails.  We’ll meet in person on Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m. or via zoom on Wednesday. May 25, at 7 p.m.   Email us at store@auntagathas.com or message us on facebook for details.

Here’s the publisher’s description of Slow Horses (now an excellent TV series): London, England: Slough House is where the washed-up MI5 spies go to while away what’s left of their failed careers. The “slow horses,” as they’re called, have all disgraced themselves in some way to get relegated here. Maybe they messed up an op badly and can’t be trusted anymore. Maybe they got in the way of an ambitious colleague and had the rug yanked out from under them. Maybe they just got too dependent on the bottle—not unusual in this line of work. One thing they all have in common, though, is they all want to be back in the action. And most of them would do anything to get there─even if it means having to collaborate with one another. read more

February and March Book Clubs

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We’ve moved our discussion of Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala to Sunday, March 20 at 2 p.m. via zoom.  Our February read will be Death on the Boardwalk by Caleb Wygal.  We’ll meet on February 13 at 2 p.m. via zoom. The publisher’s description of Death on the Boardwalk:

The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is normally an idyllic place. Until death arrives on recently widowed bookstore owner Clark Thomas’ doorstep.

When the body of a local businesswoman and environmentalist gets dumped by the back door of his shop, Clark finds himself in a unique position to investigate the crime. But should he? When it comes to murder, something else drives him he doesn’t want to admit. read more

November Book Club

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In November, our book club will meet outside – in person – on Sunday, November 14 at 2 p.m. to discuss David Hewson’s Devil’s Fjord.   Our zoom book club will meet on Wednesday, November 17 at 7 p.m.  Message us for a zoom link or the book club address.  We’ll be taking December off and will reconvene in January.

Here’s a precis from the publisher about Devil’s Fjord:

New District Sheriff Tristan Haraldsen uncovers a series of dark secrets when he investigates the disappearance of two boys in the remote Faroe Islands.

Newly-appointed District Sheriff Tristan Haraldsen and his wife Elsebeth are looking forward to a peaceful semi-retirement in the remote fishing village of Djevulsfjord on the stunningly beautiful island of Vagar. But when two boys go missing during the first whale hunt of the season, the repercussions strike at the heart of the isolated coastal community.
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September & October Book Clubs

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Join us for an in person discussion of Jonathan Santlofer’s The Last Mona Lisa on Sunday, September 19 at 2p.m. or via zoom on Wednesday, September 22, at 7 p.m.  Both books are available from our online store.  Email us for a zoom link or meeting address: store (at) auntagathas.com or message us on facebook.  Here’s a precis of The Last Mona Lisa: August, 1911: The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincent Peruggia. Exactly what happens in the two years before its recovery is a mystery. Many replicas of the Mona Lisa exist, and more than one historian has wondered if the painting now in the Louvre is a fake, switched in 1911. read more

June & July Book clubs

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In June, we’ll meet on Sunday, June 13 at 2 p.m. to discuss Peter Swanson’s Eight Perfect Murders.  This book is available for purchase on our website.  From the  publisher: Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack—which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders”—chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie’s A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin’s Death Trap, A. A. Milne’s Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox’s Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity, John D. Macdonald’s The Drowner, and Donna Tartt’s A Secret History. read more

Book Club: Thin Ice

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Paige Shelton will join our book club via zoom on Sunday, May 16, at 2 p.m.  Message us on facebook or contact us at store (at) auntagathas.com for a zoom invitation.  We’ll be reading the first book in her Alaska Wild series, Thin Ice.   The second novel, Cold Wind, is nominated for a Mary Higgins Clark Award this year!

Here’s a precis of Thin Ice, and you can read my review of Cold Wind here.

Beth Rivers is on the run – she’s doing the only thing she could think of to keep herself safe. Known to the world as thriller author Elizabeth Fairchild, she had become the subject of a fanatic’s obsession. After being held in a van for three days by her kidnapper, Levi Brooks, Beth managed to escape, and until he is captured, she’s got to get away. Cold and remote, Alaska seems tailor-made for her to hideout. read more

Book Club – January, February and March

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All are welcome to joins us at upcoming book clubs via zoom.  Message us on facebook or at store (at) auntagathas.com to receive a zoom invitation.

On Sunday, January 17, at 2 p.m. join us when we discuss Kwei Quartey’s The Missing American, the first in his series featuring P.I. Emma Djan. When her dreams of rising through the police ranks like her late father crash around her, 26-year-old Emma Djan is unsure what will become of her life in Accra. Through a sympathetic former colleague, Emma gets an interview with a private detective agency tracking down missing persons, thefts, and marital infidelities. It’s not the future she imagined, but it’s her best option. read more

Book Club read: Murderous Mistral

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Join our book club via zoom on Sunday, September 27 at 2 p.m. when we’ll discuss Cay Rademacher’s Murderous Mistral.  Anyone is welcome – to receive a zoom invite, email store (at) auntagathas.com.  The book was recommended by author G.M. Malliet.

Here’s a description, courtesy of goodreads: An atmospheric murder mystery set in the south of France.

Capitaine Roger Blanc, an investigator with the anti-corruption-unit of the French Gendarmerie, was a bit too successful in his investigations. He finds himself removed from Paris to the south of France, far away from political power. Or so it would seem. read more

February Book Club: Allen Eskens

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Join us at Seva (Westgate shopping center) on Thursday, February 20, at 6 p.m. to discuss The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens.  All are welcome!  In March we’ll be discussing The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

The publisher’s description:  College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe’s life is ever the same. read more