Review - To Slip the Bonds of Earth

 Amanda Flower is the author of "An Amish Candy Shop" mysteries, "An Amish Matchmaker" mysteries, "Farm to Table" mysteries, "Emily Dickinson" mysteries, and "Magical Bookshop" plus "Magic Garden" mysteries which I've reviewed.  She is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over thirty-five mystery novels. She currently writes for Penguin-Random House (Berkley), Kensington, Hallmark Publishing, Crooked Lane Books, and Sourcebooks.  

Of course using an actual historical figure is a high wire act but practically nobody remembers the sister of the Wright Brothers and that is what appealed to me about this book.

Author: Amanda Flower

Copyright: Mar 2024 (Kensington Books) 282 pgs

Series: 1st in Katharine Wright Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Cozy Mystery

Main Character: Katharine Wright, sister to the Wright brothers and school teacher 

Setting: 1903, Dayton Ohio

Obtained Through: Publisher via Netgalley for honest review

Book Blurb:  "December 1903: While Wilbur and Orville Wright’s flying machine is quite literally taking off in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with its historic fifty-seven second flight, their sister Katharine is back home in Dayton, Ohio, running the bicycle shop, teaching Latin, and looking after the family. A Latin teacher and suffragette, Katharine is fiercely independent, intellectual, and the only Wright sibling to finish college. But at twenty-nine, she’s frustrated by the gender inequality in academia and is looking for a new challenge. She never suspects it will be sleuthing…

Returning home to Dayton, Orville accepts an invitation to accompany Katherine to a friend’s party. Nervous about leaving their as-yet-unpatented flyer plans unattended, Wilbur decides to bring them to the festivities . . . where they are stolen right out from under his nose. As always, it’s Katharine’s job to problem solve—and in this case, crime-solve.

As she sets out to uncover the thief among their circle of friends, Katharine soon gets more than she bargained for: She finds her number one suspect dead with a [screwdriver] lodged in his chest. It seems the patent is the least of her brothers’ worries. They have a far more earthbound concern—prison. Now Katharine will have to keep her feet on the ground and put all her skills to work to make sure Wilbur and Orville are free to fly another day."

MY Thoughts:

Katharine is a mixed bag for me: she is smart and determined, but she also tends to be bossy, impulsive, and managing everybody which rubbed me the wrong way a few times.  The historical Katharine was said to be very charming and the character could have used a dose of charm to help me warm up a bit to her.  This story was a slow burn and it wasn't until around half way that I felt the story actually took off. There were a few instances where Katharine would ignore what she just learned that was a motive for murder and focus on a completely different motive. 

The plot was initially about finding the missing airplane plans filled with notes, but somehow Katharine decides that the murder and the missing plans must be connected so if she solves the murder, she will then find the plans.  That was illogical to me since there was no evidence to suggest they were related. I would have been satisfied with her just investigating the murder to clear her student without the plans being thrown in the mix.  Perhaps that is just me, though.

The climax wasn't my favorite, but the culprit reveals themself.  The wrapup was satisfactory and unusual. The writing style served the story well. 

I did appreciate the confronting of a few social problems of the era found in the town.  I also appreciated shining a spotlight on the Katharine Wright who was a tremendous celebrity in her time alongside her brothers, and perhaps eclipsed them.  The story seemed to force its way in a few instances and it made those parts awkward.

Rating: Good - A fun read. It was good -- it wasn't great. It wasn't for me, but I would recommend based on certain tastes. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

Here is a short video on Katharine Wright, it's fascinating.

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Review - The Last Templar

  The Templar Knights are a fascinating rabbit hole and there exist a multitude of theories about what happened to all their wealth after they were sytematically hunted down and eliminated by the French king. There are as many theories about why this militant monastic order of the Catholic Church seemed to wield so much power/sway over the Vatican.  Most think they held something over the church as blackmail.  This book presents an idea I hadn't ever considered as to what the leverage they held could be.

  I read one prior book by Raymound Khoury featuring a character also in this book as well:

Rasputin's Shadow (click here)

  Find out what I thought of this book by bestselling author Raymound Khoury.

Author: Raymound Khoury

Copyright: Jan, 2006 (Berkley) 554 pgs

Series: 1st in Templar Thriller Series

Sensuality: Adult topics, some violence with slight detail, PG-13+

Mystery Sub-genre: Thriller

Main Character: Tess Chaykin, archaelogist 

Setting: Contemporary. New York and international

Obtained Through: Library

 Book Blurb:  "In 1291, a young Templar knight flees the fallen holy land in a hail of fire and flashing sword, setting out to sea with a mysterious chest entrusted to him by the Order's dying grand master. The ship vanishes without a trace.

In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights stage a bloody raid on the Metropolitan Museum of Art during an exhibit of Vatican treasures. Emerging with a strange geared device, they disappear into the night.

The investigation that follows draws archaeologist Tess Chaykin and FBI agent Sean Reilly into the dark, hidden history of the crusading knights—and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers—as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars."

MY Thoughts:  

This book has a unique idea as an answer to what the Templars had in their possession to use as leverage against the church and it's a creative idea I never would have considered, but is plausible.  Now this very premise will open the book up to criticism before it is even read because the concept that the christian church has had something to hide, and still does, for the sake of a "what if" story will enrage some.  I found it unusual and a great story idea.

The primary main character is archaeologist Tess Chaykin and she was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when many jeweled and expensive artifacts were stolen and, although terrified, she is struck by one robber who was only there to steal one geared object: an ancient Templar decoder.  The secondary main character, FBI agent Sean Reilly, believes Tess maybe onto a key to the whole robbery.  A third character, the villain, is a Catholic Church agent and will stop at literally nothing to keep Tess and Agent Reilly from the truth.  Another key character is a mentor of Tess's who is obsessed with the Templars.   And thus begins this tale of secret codes and Templar vs Catholic Church intrigue brought into modern day.

Many chapters are from the point of view of "The Last Templar", a Knight held by the church for years, tortured and starved to find out where is the item held over the church's head. Those chapters are particularly gripping and bring the trajedy of the historic Templars vividly alive.

The climax occurs during a storm at sea of "biblical" proportions. Apparently the author is a screenwriter for Hollywood and it shows in this very scary and high stakes climax.  Excellent job-kudos.  My only complaint is I would have liked a little more resolution regarding Tess and Reilly, though.

This book is well written and the Templar plot just plausible enough to make a gripping tale.  Throw in a little attraction between Tess and Reilly for some added conflict.  It is fairly fast paced with some periods of less activity to build upon the story and characters.  I found it very entertaining and a thrill ride.

I'm contemplating reading the follow up book: The Templar Salvation

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Review - A Grave Robbery

 This is one of my favorite historical mystery series and even though I have missed two books out of the nine, I always come back to this series.

1. A Curious Beginning (click here) 

3. A Treacherous Curse (click here) 

4. A Dangerous Collaboration (click here) 

5. A Murderous Relation (click here) 

6. An Unexpected Peril (click here) 

7. An Impossible Imposter (click here) 

Author: Deanna Rayburn

Copyright: Mar 2024 (Berkley) 334 pgs

Series: 9th in Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

Sensuality: Adult topics, no gore

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Veronica Speedwell, an amateur entomologist 

Setting: 1889, London England

Obtained Through: Publisher via Netgalley for honest review

 Book Blurb:  "Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why? 

Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?"

MY Thoughts:  

Veronica is irrepresible, determined/stubborn, whip-smart, sharp tongued, a huricane, and a hoot.  Stoker (Mr. Ravelstoke Templeton-Vane) is Veronica's reclusive and cranky love and sleuthing partner who looks like a pirate but has a vulnerable heart.  They have settled into their couple status and their feelings for each other which has some tender moments.  

Fearless journalist J.J. Butterworth, the British version of Nellie Bly, joins the team again.  Detective Mornaday, often complaining and put-upon, is the only policeman they trust and though he is having a personal rough time, he jumps into the investigation.  A new addition is a golden Marmoset monkey who adores Stoker-but Rose, daughter of their benefactor, likes to dress up the monkey and put bows in her hair, which provides comedic relief throughout.  And this book has laugh-out-loud moments.

The plot is to find out the identity of this poor girl, which becomes a hunt for justice for her.  Both quests take the team on a journey with several twists.  I'm not a fast reader, but I read this quickly (for me) since I was so captivated by the story.  

Ms Rayburn digs up some of the most interesting historical tidbits and in this outing she introduces us to a funeral train which carries the coffin and mourners to the gravesite for internment.  The London Necropolis Railway was the name of the system real life train.  In this book we have an underground version, which provides a great creepy setting for a few scenes.  Fantastic job for a really macabre and chilling backdrop.  Also the world of physically accurate wax models, Anatomical Venuses, for medical training adds to the disturbing and even surreal atmosphere of the investigation.

The climatic killer confrontation was wonderfully tense and hair-raising.  I have to give kudos for every climax in this series has been unique and exciting.  Besides the creativity of a murder victim embalmed as a wax figure!  The wrap up sees things resolved satisfactorily on most every thread.

Now for a note on the writing style. Not only does Ms. Rayburn write historical fiction with accuracy but she inflects the style of speaking without loosing the reader.  I'm not one to rapsidize on beautiful sentences or turns of phrase, but she adds to the time period and Veronica's character with her writing style.

I have read most of the books in this series and I felt this was one of the top three so far.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Mystery Movie Review - Argylle

 Argylle (pronounced Are-Gile). As part of the marketing for this movie, an espionage book series has begun under the pen name Elly Conway (the author in the movie).  I reviewed the book (click here).  In July 2021, it was announced that Argylle was intended to be first of a series of at least three films.

Movie Blurb: "Elly Conway, an introverted spy novelist who seldom leaves her home, is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books get a little too close to the activities of a sinister underground syndicate. When Aiden, a spy, shows up to save her (he claims) from being kidnapped or killed (maybe both), Elly and her beloved cat Alfie are plunged into a covert world where nothing, and no one, is what it seems."

What's It About?:  This is a spoof on the spy genre of movies with plenty of laughs and near soap opera twists with a few over the top scenes (I'm thinking of the ice skating scene).  It is reminiscent of James Bond and Jason Bourne with a touch of Maxwell Smart thrown in for laughs.  

Taglines:

Once you know the secret don't let the cat out of the bag. (refers to the ultimate twist in the story--shhh)

The greater the spy, the bigger the lie.

____________________________

PG-13 , 2h 19m

Director Matthew Vaughn

Writer Jason Fuchs

Starring:

Henry Cavill as Argylle

Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway

Sam Rockwell as Aidan Wilde

Samuel L. Jackson as Alfie

Bryan Cranston as Director Ritter

Dua Lipa as Lagrange

Ariana DeBose as Keira

The cast features two Oscar winners (Sam Rockwell and Ariana DeBose) and three Oscar nominees (Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston, and Richard E. Grant)

Reviews:

Critics Consensus generally poor

Argylle gets some mileage out of its silly, energetic spin on the spy thriller, but ultimately wears out its welcome with a convoluted plot and overlong runtime. 

Audience Says

Argylle is an entertaining spy comedy with over-the-top action and plenty of surprises, although the fun starts to run out toward the end of its overlong runtime.

"Simultaneously cleverly complex and gleefully shallow, this slick, twisty spy movie borrows bits and pieces from earlier movies but links them together in a surprising and entertaining way." Jeffrey Anderson of Common Sense Media

"It's best to not take this film too seriously and allow yourself to enjoy the ridiculous ride. "Argylle" is a fast-paced, witty, and action-packed spy comedy that's well worth seeing on the big screen." Susan Kamyab of AWFJ.org

"Argylle ultimately buckles under the weight of its own ambition, and the end result is a messy, overlong (if entertaining) romp." Lauren Coates of Chicago Reader

"It probably should have been 30 minutes shorter, but it's fun." Lael Loewenstein of FilmWeek (KPCC-NPR Los Angeles).

Trivia:

Matthew Vaughn cast Henry Cavill because "he needed someone who was born to play James Bond - which Henry is - and then nick him before Bond's studio did." Cavill was in fact a finalist to play Bond in Casino Royale (2006), but was rejected for being too young (he was then 22).

The very last scene, just as the credits begin, is a scene from the actual book and is teased it will be the next movie.  

Alfie the Cat is played by Chip, owned by Matthew Vaughn's wife Claudia Schiffer. Alfie the cat is a Scottish Fold breed.

Henry Cavill is allergic to cats.

This is the fourth spy film for Henry Cavill. The other three are: The Cold Light of Day (2012), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018).

Argylle (pronounced Are-Gile) is named after the limo driver from the first Die Hard movie.  I love this one little tidbit 😀

When Argylle is talking to the agent on the Hong Kong rooftop, he says "No time to Die". The name of a Bond movie. 

Matthew Vaughn secured the rights to The Beatles' song "Now and Then" a year before it was released. "Now and Then," is featured prominently throughout the movie. The song, which was finished in 2023 by surviving band members Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr, has its origins in 1977, when it was written and sung by late member John Lennon on a demo cassette. During the Beatles Anthology in 1995, members including guitarist George Harrison worked on the song, but couldn't get the sound quality good enough to be released. Sir Peter Jackson, fresh off the hit Disney+ series The Beatles: Get Back (2021), used cutting edge machine learning technology to make the song possible by isolating vocals by Lennon. The song was released in November 2023, three months before this movie.  **I personally thought that tied in with Paul McCartney and Wings doing "Live and Let Die" for the James Bond movie of the same title.

In October 2023, Matthew Vaughn announced his plans to create a larger spy-themed universe through his Marv Studios, with that universe being interconnected and comprising the Kingsman films, the Argylle films, and an unnamed third series. His intention was to have the new upcoming films in each series culminate in a crossover in the future.

Before Elly and Aidan leave for Saudi Arabia, Alfie (Samuel L. Jackson) tells them "Let's get you suited and booted!" The phrase 'Suited and Booted' was previously used as the marketing tagline for Kingsman 2.

Director Matthew Vaughn describes this movie as his ode to 1980s action movies like Die Hard (1988) and Lethal Weapon (1987).

Jason Fuchs, who is credited as the writer for Argylle, makes a brief appearance as the moderator for Elly Conway's book readings.

At one point, Bryce Dallas Howard's character kicks off her high heels and changes into more durable boots. This may be a tongue-in-cheek reference to one of her previous films, 'Jurassic World,' in which her character was mocked by fans for wearing high heels while trudging through a jungle.

When Elly arrives at the Savoy and sits on an armchair, there are three books that can be prominently seen on a bookshelf behind her. The most prominent book stands out starkly in red, and is titled 'Claudia Schiffer.' The director, Matthew Vaughn, is married to Claudia Schiffer.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit I haven't laughed that much in a long time.  I will also admit it could have dropped 30 minutes and been better off for it, particularly if they lost at least one twist (out of something like 11 twists) and a convoluted scene and shortened several others.  With that all said, it has an all star cast and they pulled it off in spite of those draw backs. 

I love the music and many of the camera shots were impressive. The CGI was a bit obvious in a few shots, even for me. 

With that all said, I am really looking forward to the next movie, which from the post credit teaser (click here) seems it will be based on the book with Agent Argylle's origin story.  If that's the case, it will be a good solid spy plot with action.  That teaser scene is shortly before he is recruited by the CIA.

I also have to confess that Matthew Vaughn isn't my favorite director because the Kingsmen movies were just too graphically violent for me, so I appreciated this movie not being so graphic.  Vaughn better not make the next Argylle movie graphic and violent or I'm going to be really pissed.  I recommend it, but keep in mind it is a spoof, over-the-top, and it's a little too long.

The Official Trailer

Review - Argylle

Remember the popular television show Castle about a bestselling novelist who rides along/shadows a NY city homicide detective to get inspiration for his next crime series?  Remember how actual novels were written to tie into the television show under the name Richard Castle?  Today I review the novel spinoff from the recent movie Argylle staring Henry Caville, Samuel L Jackson, Bryan Cranston, and Sam Rockwell that is the same situation as the Castle inspired novels.  The movie was conceived... and then the book became a marketing tactic or extension of the movie.  The movie concept is a popular author of spy novels, Elly Conway, is in the eye of the CIA for how plausible the plots are in her novel.  

There was some excitement for a hot minute over who was the actual author until it was revealed that Australian novelist and screenwriter Terry Hayes and British author Tammy Cohen  wrote the book under the pseudonym Elly Conway at the request of  Director Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: Secret Service).

Let's find out how the book does on its own as a spy novel.  FYI, I will be watching the movie and reviewing it shortly, but I wanted to read the book first.  It is rumored the book will be a series, but I will list it as standalone for now.

Author: Elly Conway

Copyright: Jan 2024 (Bantam) 384 pgs

Series: Standalone at this point

Sensuality: some violence, not graphic

Mystery Sub-genre: Espionage, spy, intrigue

Main Character: Aubrey Argylle, Parents were hippies who were killed when he was a teen, living in a shack leading tours to Budhist temple in Thailand then recruited by CIA

Setting: Modern day, Thailand Jungle, Poland, Germany, Monaco, Greece

Obtained Through: Personal purchase

 

Book Blurb:  "One Russian magnate's dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events which will take the world to the brink of chaos. Only Frances Coffey, the CIA's most legendary spymaster, can prevent it. But to do so, she needs someone special.

Enter Argylle. His life came to a crashing halt as a teenager. Since then he has been treading water, building barriers between himself and the world. Until one moment of compassion and brilliance will bring him to the attention of the most powerful woman in the secret world.

Coffey knows all about Argylle's dark past. She knows it haunts him. But she also knows it may give him the skills to join the team going up against one of the most powerful men in the world. His crash course in espionage will take him from the jungles of Thailand to the boulevards of Monaco, from the monasteries of Mount Athos to a forgotten cavern buried deep in the mountains.

It is a deathly rollercoaster ride that will either make him - or break him..."

My Thoughts:  

Aubrey Argylle is a slacker living a bare-bones existance until events show he has everything necessary to be a successful spy.  Frances Coffey, struggling to stop smoking thoughout, lives and breathes the job. She started in the file room and worked her way up to director.  This isn't a 007 lone operative situation, Aubrey has to work within a 12 person team.  Vasily Federov, soul-less Russian Oligarch characterized with "dead" eyes and a vicious calculating nature, is the world threat.  Federov is, to me at least, a Putin character that was changed just enough to not get slapped for using him.  His dead eyes and ruthlessness are in line with prior KGB cut throat who throws opponents out windows.

  The first several chapters are about how Aubrey Argylle gets recruited by the CIA, then training with the twelve member team. It is an established team with Aubrey replacing one team member who had been imprisoned a few months prior for spying against the US, so everyone's on edge.  Aubrey is a loner mostly and has a hard time learning to work as a team, and many on the team don't like nor trust Aubrey.  I liked seeing how this long-haired slacker gets recruited into the CIA and then what it took to get the team dynamic to work.

Thriller and espionage novels get a bad reputation as being all flashy plot and not much character development.  I'll grant you that this book wasn't primarily character focused, but it had enough to give Argylle some depth when it came to his childhood and his untraditional parents.  It was also enough for me to be vested in Frances Coffey as the spy-master.  Could there have been more time spent on character development, perhaps, but it might have slowed the story down too much.

This is a case of a traditionally published book with poor editing.  There were several instances of missed typos and such. If such occurances are a deal-breaker to you, don't read the book.  I noticed them but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the rest of the book.  There are occurances of European spelling usage and since an Australian and a Brit wrote it, I'll give them that.  The emphasis isn't on pretty prose either.

It has plenty of action, suspense, a twist or two, and character rivalry.  Secret codes and risky assignments keep the pacing rocketing along.  Chapters change point-of-view, but I like that style to keep it exciting.  It shows how a US versus Russia cold war never really ended with the Berlin wall coming down, only changed the nature of the cold war to a more modern version.

To some degree the legendary Russian Amber Room (called the eighth wonder of the world) is part of the plot, and it fascinated me enough to look into the history of it further.  That is a compliment to the authors that it was presented in a way that made history interesting.

Rating: Good - A fun read I found very entertaining. The errors might throw some people, but the plot and characters were well done with excellent pacing.

Here is a short video on the amazing Amber Room.

Thank you for reading this blog and please recommend to friends and family who will enjoy it.

Musings - Police Procedural, Thriller, and Intrigue

I did a prior post on the differences between Cozy, Traditional, and Amateur Sleuth novels (click here).

Now we will tackle the difference between the detective fiction, police procedurals, thrillers, and intrigue sub-categories of the mystery genre.

Some believe that all mysteries started with detective fiction in mid 1800s and everything from police procedural and thrillers to cozy mysteries has evolved from it.  Whether that is true or not, these categories have developed a lot, particularly in the last few decades.  

This isn't an exhaustive breakdown and analysis but it provides a fair guideline.  These categories are defined differently depending upon who you read/talk to.  I have tried to provide plenty of examples to help illustrate these categories only to aid in understanding what you like and how to find similar novels.  

Detective Fiction to include the Private Detective and CSI,
 

Detective Fiction: For our purposes to define a slice of the bigger mystery genre: The detective (private detective or other professional that is adjacent) investigates a crime, often murder.  Includes the hard-boiled and noir fiction as well as historical detectives.  These range from not much graphic details to gore, depending upon the author.

Many of the historic detective fiction may have a titled or influential/wealthy person investigating even though they don't get paid.  That is a detail of the time period because the titled nobility weren't to "work" for a living, but they still classify as detectives sought out to investigate and use their influence. These can vary from cozy to very gritty. Examples follow:

CS Harris's Sebastion St Cyr

Charles Finch's Charles Lennox series

Andrea Penrose's Wrexford and Sloane series

Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series

Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey series

Dashiel Hammet's Sam Spade series

Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe

Jeffrey Dever's Colter Shaw series

CJ Box's Joe Picket (Game Warden) series

Police Procedural

The police procedural is focused on the official law enforcement and its procedures, including police-related topics such as forensic science, autopsies, gathering evidence, search warrants, interrogation, and adherence to legal restrictions and procedures.  They may have more graphic descriptions, swearing, and the harsher side of life shown.

While many police procedurals conceal the criminal's identity until the crime is solved in the climatic killer reveal or confrontation (the so-called whodunit), others reveal the perpetrator's identity to the audience early in the narrative for a twist and more suspense.  Examples follow:

J.D. Robb's In Death series

James Patterson's Detective Alex Cross series

Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn and Chee series

James D Doss's Charlie Moon series (early books)

Ian Rankin's Detective Inspector John Rebus series

Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series

Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series

Robert Galbraith Cormoran Strike series

Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series

P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh series

Jeffrey Dever's Lincoln Rhymes series

Thriller: Suspense, Political, Action, Psychological, Women-
in-jeopardy, Legal etc.

The thriller genre has taken off and contains many subcategories including Suspense thriller, political thriller, legal thriller, medical thriller, psychological thriller, conspiracy thriller, military thriller, and even the serial killer thriller.  Thus, it makes it difficult to provide general description that adequately includes each of these sub-genres.

The thriller umbrella often includes a race against a ticking clock--a sense of urgency, bigger stakes, and higher tension and suspense.  A "thriller" doesn't have to be non-stop action and thrills, although they can.  Thrillers are more about stopping something from happening with little time rather than finding out who already committed a murder or crime.  They can range anywhere from cozy to gritty to violent with sex.  Examples follow:

Dan Brown's novels including Robert Langdon series

Mary Higgins Clark's (Queen of Suspense) body of work. 

David Baldacci's The Camel Club series

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series (some could be intrigue as well)

Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series

James Patterson's Shadow Thrillers

Andrew Mayne's Jessica Blackwood Thrillers

Catherine Coulter's FBI Thrillers

John Grisham Legal Thrillers: The Firm etc.

Lisa Scottoline's Mistaken Identity etc.

C.G. Abbot's The Society (click here)

David Baldacci's First Family (Maxwell and King series)

Espionage and Intrigue

This is spy fiction: as in spy vs spy, discovering a spy in your midst, the world of assasins for national security, or domestic terrorist threats.  Typically this involves nations but with real world corporate espionage occuring, that has become furtile ground for novelists, too.  They can vary on violence, language and sex depending upon the author.  Examples follow:

Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series

Stella Rimington's (real life former Director General of MI5) Liz Carlyle series

Gayle Lynds' The Assassins and The Last Spymaster

Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series

David Baldacci's Will Robie series

John le Carré books

Mark Greaney's Gray Man series

Mick Herron's Slough House series

Ian Fleming's James Bond series

There you have the differences between these sub-categories of the Mystery genre.  I hope these give you clarity and aid you in finding what you enjoy so you can find more of that type.  Or, perhaps you have some new books to look into and widen your reading horizons.  That to-be-read pile is getting bigger :-)