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Birthday Books: The 2024 Edition
It is that time of year again when alas I get one year older, but I also get to eat cake, open presents, welcome new additions to my TBR pile, and generally have a day where I don’t feel like I have...
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The Leaden Bubble (1949) by H. C. Branson
Branson (full name Henry Cecil Branson) is a new-to-me author. Looking online The Leaden Bubble is the 6th out of 7 books in the John Bent series. However, I don’t think this negatively impacted my...
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The Missing Heiress (1952) by Bernice Carey
It has been over three years since I last read a novel by this author. She only wrote 9 mysteries and excluding today’s read I have read 6 of them. I thought it might be useful to provide a quick...
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The Chuckling Fingers (1941) by Mabel Seeley
It has been a couple of years since I last read anything by Mabel Seeley, as back in 2022 I reviewed The Listening House (1938). The Chuckling Fingers was the author’s fourth mystery, and it seems to...
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The Animal-Lover’s Book of Beastly Murder (1975) by Patricia Highsmith
This is my second animal themed short story collection read this year, as back in May I reviewed Guilty Creatures: A Menagerie of Mysteries (2021). However, the tone of Highsmith’s anthology is...
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My Christmas Mystery TBR Pile
Back in 2019 I posted an epic ranked list of Christmas mysteries. As and when I have found more to read, I have added these to the list, which currently features 40 books. Some years I may only have...
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Ink Ribbon Red (2024) by Alex Pavesi
Pavesi is not an author I have tried before, although I am aware of his successful mystery, Eight Detectives (2020). The blurb for Ink Ribbon Red sufficiently intrigued me, so I reserved this one at...
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Dramatic Murder (1948) by Elizabeth Anthony
After the unsettling experience of reading Patricia Highsmith’s The Animal-Lover’s Book of Beastly Murder (1975), I decided to start my Christmas mystery reading early. I went with the title that my...
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For a LIMITED TIME ONLY a new Coffee and Crime Product… the Christmas...
Got the kids’ Christmas stockings sorted? But what about your own? Or for the adult classic crime fiction fan in your life? Well don’t worry as for a limited time you can buy a Christmas stocking...
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Under Cover of Darkness: Murders in Blackout London (2024) by Amy Helen Bell
I bought this with the book token I received for my birthday. The cover is certainly an arresting and attention grabbing one. Before purchasing this book, I read a sample of the introduction, and I...
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Reprint of the Year Award 2024: The Launch
It is the first Saturday of December, which is a little later than usual, but nevertheless it means it is time to launch the 6th Reprint of the Year (ROY) award, before I consider tackling the pile of...
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2024’s Classic Crime Reprints: A List
As promised here is a list of all the classic crime novels and short stories collections that I have found that have been reprinted in 2024. It goes without saying that I will have miss some titles...
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Murder in Vienna (1956) by E. C. R. Lorac
This is my first read by Lorac, which is set outside of the UK. I don’t think this was something she did very often, so it would be interesting to hear of other mysteries she set abroad. Martin...
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Book of the Month: November 2024
I must admit November was not a strong reading month either in quantity or quality, something I alas found myself saying in my October Book of the Month post too. What is it up with my reading at the...
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The 12 Murders of Christmas: The Ultimate Killer Puzzle Book
This is an unusual book as its structure is a collection of short stories which are just about held together by an overarching narrative and some puzzles for the reader to solve. These puzzles...
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The Crime and the Crystal (1985) by Elizabeth Ferrars
This is my seventh read by Ferrars this year, yet somehow, I still have six left on my TBR pile! But at least that means I have some more to read next year. In my opinion Ferrars remains an underrated...
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Reprint of the Year Award 2024: Nomination 1
Last week I kicked off the 2024 Reprint of the Year award. If you missed that post, here is a link. It explains what the award is about and includes all the key dates for voting, as well as providing...
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Crime at Christmas: ‘The Affair of the Black Carol’ (1927) by Gwyn Evans
In what is becoming a Christmas tradition of the blog, I am reviewing another festive issue of the Union Jack magazine, this time one published on 10th December 1927. The magazine is one of six I...
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Kissing Christmas Goodbye (2007) by M. C. Beaton
I included this book in my Christmas Mystery TBR pile. You can see why with the title and the cover giving clear yuletide signals. The blurb indicates Agatha is in the midst of Christmas-day-dinner...
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Do Not Murder Before Christmas (1949) by Jack Iams
Jack Iams was the penname for Samuel H. Iams Jr (1910-1990) and yes, the surname does keep reminding me of the cat biscuit brand. Nevertheless, Iams was an American author who worked as a journalist...
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