On the 27th June 2015, Cross Examining Crime came into being. I held back from joining the crime fiction blogging community for quite a long time, anxious that I would not have anything worth saying. I felt a bit like the new kid at school, who wanted to talk to the other children, but was worried about making a complete fool of themselves. Or even worse what if the other kids did notice you, and then decide they didn’t like you? But fortunately, my fears did not come to fruition, as it turns out that Golden Age Detective fiction bloggers are immensely nicer than school children! I was welcomed into the fold, and I also found I was able to contribute to the community in a meaningful way. Consequently, Cross Examining Crime never looked back, and ten years later it is still going, a mere 24 posts away from reaching 2000 total posts. I never thought it would get so big, nor last so long. Back in 2015, I certainly could not predict where it would take me, in particular becoming a non-fiction author.
I am not very good at celebrating my (own) achievements (I feel silly and embarrassed just typing the word) but from various quarters I have been encouraged to give it a go anyways. So, this month you can expect a number of anniversary posts. These posts will include a “Number 10” image, like the one below.
There are ten different designs, and each image includes books from different crime fiction publishers/series, old and new. Yes, all the books did come from my own bookshelves and yes it did take a while to put them all back in the right order.
In terms of what sort of posts, I will be writing, there will be some ten-themed lists, as I know we all love a good list, and I was pleased that for one of these lists I was able to collaborate with some of my fellow bloggers.
There will also be a…
COMPETITION!!!
Should I have led with that? And to really push the boat out there will be three winners, first place receiving a whopping ten prizes!! So, keep your eyes peeled for the competition entry post later this month. This post will share what these prizes are, and I also aim to do a short video for X, Instagram and Facebook to showcase them, as to run a competition on such a scale would not have been possible without the generosity of the publishing community.
If you have been wondering if I will be doing any book reviews in June, then fear not, there will plenty of those hopefully as well, many with a connection to the number 10. Whilst I could list all these titles and authors, I thought it be much more fun to create some puzzles for you instead…
Puzzle No. 1: Cross Out
Remove the duplicate letters in the grid and rearrange the remaining letters to reveal the surname of an author. She has appeared in the British Library Crime Classics series, although the title I will be reading by her this month has been reprinted elsewhere.
Puzzle No. 2: Acrofit (a.k.a. a Staircase puzzle)
Below are eight classic crime author surnames. You need to correctly add them into the grid. Once completed the letters in the pink letters will spell out another author’s surname, also from the British Library Crime Classics series. I will be re-reading a book by this author in June.
Author List
- Allingham
- Bellairs
- Cullingford
- Elvestad
- Forsythe
- Gribble
- Macdonald
- Mainwaring
Puzzle No. 3: Nine Letter Word Puzzle
Below is a 3×3 grid with a letter in each square. There are also some clues. Solve the clues by using the letters in the grid. The answer for each clue must contain the central letter, ‘M’.
5 Letters
- To be raised in an emergency
- A restriction
- ‘The English people, they have a _________ for the fresh air. The big air, it is all very well outside, where it belongs. Why admit it to the house?’ [Poirot in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd]
6 Letters
- Safe place to keep a yacht
- Fish with a spear-like nose
- Repeat, repeat, repeat
- Plant fibre used in making paper and rope
7 Letters
- Shaken, not stirred
- Small, South American monkey
- The ________, an Andy Weir novel from 2011
- The arts and the law share this word
9 Letters
This final word is a one which is connected to the plot of Agatha Christie’s At Bertram’s Hotel, the 10th Miss Marple novel. This is one of the books I aim to read this month.
Answers to all three puzzles will be published in my June Book of the Month post.
So, there you go, here is a snapshot of what will be happening on my blog in June. As you can see it is going to be pretty busy (if it all goes as planned), so I best get reading and typing!