YOU JUST MADE MY NIGHT!

That’s what I’m going to read next! I’m excited

Today I finished reading Ngaio Marsh’s complete oeuvre. I feel like I should do something with the knowledge and opinions I have picked up other than thinking “Nice call back to A Man Lies Dead” when a glove button is found in the paddock in Last Ditch. I can advise that if anyone else wants to do it, either slot Money in the Morgue (which was finished by someone else from Marsh’s notes and a few chapters, per the afterword) after Died in the Wool or just skip it. I read it last and I was often thinking “Rory would never!” and maybe I wouldn’t after only 13 books instead of 32. I am now intensely curious about whether any of the unfinished ms made it into the final book unchanged.

So if anyone knows of a graduate program in Murder Mysteries I could apply to with my no-academic-background-in-literature-of-any-kind, let me know.

But now, T Kingfisher awaits!

You can believe I ordered that about five seconds after seeing it ... I'm in the middle of another book right now, but will start the Kingfisher right after.

I have most? all? of Ngaio Marsh's stuff in paperback and can't decide if I want to keep it, or if I just want to get ebook copies of the ones I really like.

I pre-ordered so it just showed up on my reader. I love when that happens

Except two more books I forgot I had pre-ordered have showed up on my reader this morning and I still have the new Mag of F&SF to read - the pressure of the TBR pile, electronic version, mounts!

Always a difficult question with paperbacks, Dana. They (murder mysteries in general, although my mom did have a shelf full of Agatha Christies for a long time) were always fodder for the used book stores for me, which is where I usually got them in the first place so that made sense. I now have shiny matching covers in a folder on my reader, though, which is weirdly satisfying.

I whipped through Paladin's Strength in pretty much record time; it was enjoyable - and brought in more of the paladins from the earlier book. I still prefer Swordheart and the Clockwork Boys to the paladin books in that world, but it's T. Kingfisher, so an auto-buy (still not enough gnoles, though).

The gnoles are the best. A gnole is the best? You know what I mean.

I only realized a chapter or two in that what I thought I remembered being in the Saint of Steel series was actually Swordheart, but I figure actually remembering anything from the first book was not necessary for this one. I do want to go back and read Paladin's Grace, now, though - I remember liking it although very little else. And reread Swordheart. And maybe the whole Clocktaurs series. It's a shared universe, right? But separated in time, although I forget what is earlier and what is later. Or maybe I am wrong about that entirely. Is Defensive Baking in that universe or is it separate?

Anyway, this was a good one. Many fine qualities. T. Kingfisher is an autobuy for me as well.

They are in the same universe; I have little idea what the timeline is ... I just sort of go along for the ride. Paladin's Strength has some bit that I found amusing ... YMMV.

I feel like I figured some of the timeline out at some point but I don't remember how or why.