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?
- (C) The Christmas Egg Murder
- (R) The Notting Hill Mystery
- (I) The Santa Klaus Murder
- (M) The Belting Inheritance
- (S) The Arsenal Stadium Mystery
- (O) Death on the Cherwell
- (N) A Scream in Soho
- (S) Mystery in the Channel
- (N) Portrait of a Murderer
- (O) Scarweather
-
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
Cheat! Cheat! You need to pick *a* book of the month! This is what leads to millennials getting prizes for showing up.
😉
My mystery reading has been at zero for a bit but I have saved a spot for that Flynn.
The Potts is a new reprint this year isn’t it? Looks like lots of stuff for a second annual reprint of the year award …
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Yes I have 5 possible choices for ROY, which of course I will whittle down to two.
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What was it about the Alice Tilton that disappointed you? Or did you actually mean that she did not disappoint you?
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Sorry got my double negatives in a knot. But no Tilton definitely didn’t disappoint.
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