About Friends of Mystery

Friends of Mystery is a non-profit literary/educational organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Its purpose is to promote educational study in all realms related to mystery. Members are interested in fiction, true crime, how mysteries are solved, and many other aspects of knowledge that can be included in the term "mystery".

We sponsor a series of public meetings, called Bloody Thursdays, publish a newsletter, The Blood-Letter, give an annual award, the Spotted Owl, for the best mystery by a Pacific Northwest author. And, we also sponsor a local reading group.

Reading List

2011

April: The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke
May: U is For Undertow by Sue Grafton
June: Did Not Survive by Ann Littlewood
July: LA Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker
November: Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
December: A Holiday for Murder by Agatha Christie

2010

January: Cat on the Edge by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
February: Fer-De-Lance by Rex Stout
March: Eight Black Horses by Ed McBain
April: Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs
May: The Cat, the Quilt & the Corpse by Leann Sweeney
June: Kill Me by Stephen White
July: The Shadow Season by Tom Piccirilli
August: Blue Smoke & Murder by Elizabeth Lowell
September: The Ghost (APA: The Ghost Writer) by Robert Harris
October: The Cabinet of Curiosities- by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
November: Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott
December: Paying The Price by Madge Walls

2009

January: What's So Funny by Donald Westlake [offbeat humor]
February: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly [legal thriller]
March: 33 Teeth by Colin Cotterill [staff favorites]
April: The Seduction of Water by Carol Goodman [literary mysteries]
May: The Art of Detection by Laurie King [sherlockiana]
June: The Black Echo by Michael Connelly [hard-boiled heroes]
September: Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin
October: Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy
November: The First Horseman by John Case
December: Silent Nights by Anne Perry

2008

January: Julia Spenser-Fleming — In the Bleak Midwinter
February: Kris Nelscott — Dangerous Road
March: Candace Robb — Apothecary Rose
April: Arturo Perez Reverte — Queen of the South
May: John Sandford — Rules of Prey
June: Sarah Andrews — Bone Hunter
July: Kate Wilhelm — Desperate Measures
August: Stephanie Barron — Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor
September: Asa Larsson — The Black Path
October: Laura Lippman — What the Dead Know
November: Kathy Reichs — Grave Secret
December: MC Beaton — Kissing Christmas Goodbye

2007

August: Stuart Kaminsky — Vengeance
September: David Guterson — Snow Falling on Cedars
October: John Lescroart — Dead Irish
November (14th): Ian Sansom — Case of the Missing Books
December: Joanne Fluke — Sugar Cookie Murder

2005

Feb 16, Ian Rankin, Knots and Crosses

Mar 16, Carol Higgins Clark, Decked

April 20, Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death

May 19, Deborah Crombie, Dreaming of the Bones

June 15, Perri O'Shaunessey, Motion to Suppress

July 20, Jess Walter, Over Tumbled Graves

Readers' discussion space provided by:

Contact Julia Ingram at juliaingram@mac.com or call Murder By The Book at 503-232-9995.