Book of the Month: September 2019

It’s been a busy month on the blog: 24 posts, 16 reviews, and the overall quality of the reads was pretty good – if we just ignore Strachan’s The Short Weekend and that 1973 title by Agatha Christie.

However, the problem with reading a lot of good reads, is then having to decide which book was the best one of the month. In the end I decided to cheat, just a little, and devise different “best” categories…

Best Psychological Crime Novel: The Evil Wish (1962) by Jean Potts

This is my second read by this author and it has certainly convinced me that Potts’ is an author I need to investigate further. In this tale Potts gives a compelling exploration of the killer’s mindset, contained with an edge of your seat storyline.

Best Classic Detective Novel: The Mystery of the Peacock’s Eye (1928) by Brian Flynn

This is also my second read from this writer, who in a matter of days will be getting 10 novels reprinted by the lovely Dean Street Press. If you loved puzzling mysteries with sneaky plotting and red clues then this is definitely a story for you to check out.

Best Comic Crime Novel: Cold Steal (1939) by Alice Tilton

Tilton is an old favourite and she deliver once again with this story and its interesting fusion of thriller and whodunnit components.

Best Non-fiction Read about Crime Fiction: The Hooded Gunman (2019) by John Curran.

Though in fairness it was unintentionally quite a Curran themed month, as aside from reading The Hooded Gunman, I also read his two titles on Agatha Christie’s notebooks. All three are wonderfully written and highly informative.

Finally, here are the answers for the three puzzles I posted last week:

Puzzle 1

Which Books Am I?

8. (C) The Christmas Egg Murder
9. (R) The Notting Hill Mystery
10. (I) The Santa Klaus Murder
11. (M) The Belting Inheritance
12. (S) The Arsenal Stadium Mystery
13. (O) Death on the Cherwell
14. (N) A Scream in Soho
15. (S) Mystery in the Channel
16. (N) Portrait of a Murderer
17. (O) Scarweather
18. Murder in the Museum

Puzzle 2

Puzzle 3

Kenneth Marshall – Husband – Type writer

Emily Brewster – Fellow Hotel Guest – Empty Bottle

Horace Blatt – Smuggler – Heroin

Christine Redfern – Accessory to her death – Sleeping Pills

Linda Marshall – Stepdaughter – Watch

Patrick Redfern – Murderer – Scissors

Gladys Narracott – Chambermaid at her hotel – Bath