1. A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George (1988)—The first installment in George's well-known Inspector Lynley series, this one features a strange and vicious murder that has a village on edge. The plot summary describes it thus: "Fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were, 'I did it. And I'm not sorry." Color me intrigued!

2. The Eight by Katherine Neville (1988)—A computer expert (in 1988??) is setting out on a work-related trip to Algeria. At the behest of an antiques dealer, she will be searching for a set of priceless chess pieces. What she doesn't know is that the game pieces are a whole lot more powerful than anyone could ever imagine... 

3. Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell (1990)—Another series debut, this one introduces Cornwell's beloved medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. The forensics expert is tasked with solving the case of a brutal serial killer. Can she find the murderer before she becomes the next victim?

4. Sleeping With the Enemy by Nancy Price (1991)—I've seen the Julia Roberts movie based on this book, but I've never read it. The story concerns a woman who changes her identity to hide from her abusive husband, who will do anything to find her.

5. Booked to Die by John Dunning (1992)—In yet another series opener, Cliff Janeway—a homicide detective in Denver who was forced to turn in his badge after enacting vigilante justice on a local murderer—has opened a bookstore. When valuable volumes start to disappear and bodies start to stack up, he finds himself with a new case to work, shield or no shield.

6. The Alienist by Caleb Carr (1996)—This historical mystery takes place in 1896 New York City, where psychologist (or "alienist") Dr. Laszlo Kreizler is tasked with helping the police investigate the murder of a young man. They seek to create a criminal profile, a revolutionary idea, which takes them into the disturbing mind of a brutal killer.

7. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James (2001)—This first-in-a-series introduces Cordelia Gray, a rookie private investigator, who is hired by a wealthy man who is desperate to find the truth behind his son's suspicious suicide. 

8. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (2003)—Technically, I've read this historical mystery, but it's been a long time and I need to re-visit it before I continue on with the series. The story revolves around the titular character who, in 1929, has just opened her own detective agency. 

9. A Simple Plan by Scott Smith (2006)—When three men happen upon a wrecked plane harboring a dead pilot and four million dollars in cash, they devise a simple plan to hide their discovery and keep the money. Their plans, naturally, go awry. 

10. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (2006)—I adore Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series, so I definitely need to get going with this one. It stars Lady Julia Grey, whose husband dies suddenly in the middle of a dinner party at their home. Assuming his death is the result of natural causes, she's outraged when his private inquiry agent suggests a murder may have taken place. When he convinces her that something nefarious has gone on, Lady Julia starts looking into the murder herself.

There you are, ten older mysteries that are still sitting on my TBR list. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What are your favorite older books? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog. 

Happy TTT!

So there you have it—the first ten books I reviewed on my blog.  Have you read any of them?  What were the first ten you reviewed?  How have your reading tastes changed/not changed over the course of your book blogging career?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

On Halloween night, my husband took the kids trick-or-treating while I handed out candy at home. Since I didn't want to just sit there, I picked up the library book I had started recently - Scott Smith's The Ruins. Talk about a mistake - I jumped every time the doorbell rang. The book is that engrossing, that creepy. It's a good read; in fact, if it wasn't for the annoying ending, I would call it a great read.

The story begins with 4 friends vacationing in Cancun. After a few days soaking up the rays on the beach, they decide to join a German friend, Mathias, on a day trip to visit some ruins. Mathias' brother had followed his girlfriend archaeologist to the site, encouraging Mathias to join them by following a crude map he had drawn. So, the 5 of them, plus a Greek they just met, head off for a remote Mayan village. Strange happenings occur right off the bat - the group's taxi driver warns them the place is "no good," the locals try to run them off, and the archaeologists are nowhere in sight. Soon, the group finds itself stranded on a hillside, surrounded by armed Mayans. The hillside is eerily silent, devoid of animal, insect or human life - the only thing that's living is the vine that grows thickly all over the hill. As it becomes increasingly clear that they won't be leaving the hillside anytime soon, the group has to figure out how to survive on little food and water, and how to avoid turning on each other. As if they didn't have enough problems, the mysterious vines seem to have a life of their own...

The story is, in a word, creepy. The first half, especially, is taut, and breathtakingly suspenseful. You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough. The only thing I really didn't like about the book was the ending - the characters became wimpy and annoying, and the mystery of the vine was never solved. Should you read it? Definitely. It's an incredibly suspenseful book - just watch out for the vegetation!