Friends of Mystery Book Groups

Meetings During COVID-19

Until the COVID-19 crisis passes, we are meeting via Zoom.

Meetings take place the third Wednesday of each month at 2:00 p.m.
All are welcome.

Friends of Mystery sponsors a long-running book group that originally met at Murder by the Book, a mystery bookstore on Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland. When the store closed, the book group continued its meetings at the nearby Belmont Library at 1038 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd. (39th Ave.) between SE Belmont and Hawthorne.

This book group meets the third Wednesday of each month (except December) at 2:00 pm, then adjourns for an early supper at a nearby restaurant. Once a year, all members suggest books for the following eleven months (we treat December differently), then we vote to select the next year’s roster and volunteer individually for convening each of the meetings. Membership is open, and all you have to do is read the book for that month, show up, and let everyone know what you thought of it. First, everyone contributes their thoughts, then there’s usually some followup discussion.

To be added to the email list for this group, please send a note to cluelass@cluelass.com. For other questions, contact Martha at Mragland@efn.org.

Our next book discussion will be our special holiday meet-up, live and in person!

Date: Dec 14, 2022: Not a Creature Was Purring by Krista Davis [Debbie McDuffee]
New meeting time: 2:00 pm
Place: Grace Memorial parish hall, NE 16th at Weidler. Cookies optional.

In 2023, we will continue on Zoom for our regular meetings.

2023 Reading List

  • Jan 18, 2023: Malice by Keigo Higashino [Mary Miskowiec]
  • Feb 15, 2023: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley [Kathie Newby]
  • Mar 15, 2023: Silverview by John Le Carré [Carolyn Lane]
  • Apr 19, 2023: The Secret History by Donna Tartt [Eileen Rella]
  • May 17, 2023: Celine by Peter Heller [Geri Ethan]
  • Jun 21, 2023: Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara [Kate Derie]
  • Jul 19, 2023: Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron [Geri Ethan]
  • Aug 16, 2023: State of Terror by Louise Penny & Hillary Clinton [Susan Foster]
  • Sep 20, 2023: The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin [Laura Taylor]
  • Oct 18, 2023: Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva [Petra Bahr]
  • Nov 15, 2023: Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham [Kathie Newby]

Questions?

For the first group, contact Martha at Mragland@efn.org. To be added to the email list, contact Kate Derie at cluelass@cluelass.com.

For the second group, contact Jean at jean@mbtb.com.

Previous Readings

Past Reading Lists

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Bloody Thursdays

Our 2023-2024 Season opens with a panel of former law enforcement officers who write crime. In November, welcome Daniel Nieh, then James Byrne in January, Susan Elie MacNeal in March. We close the season in May with Elle Marr and Valerie Geary.

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