So farewell, February. Some good books, some less-so-good books, some decent films, at least one terrible film and twenty-eight days running being woken at 5:30 in the morning by my elderly cat who wants… something. Food, perhaps, maybe just knowing that we’re still around and not been swallowed by the duvet… who knows? I’m not sure she does.

Oh, and it looks like the bots might have disappeared for the time being as my blog stats seem to have stabilised to something resembling their old level. Let’s see how long that lasts for…

Anyway, I mentioned a couple of films. I’ve already reviewed Scream 7, but people who want a decently-constructed (if under-clued) mystery, you could do worse than the Chris Pratt-starring Mercy, concerning an AI courtroom. Just ignore some of the dialogue and the “what is this things humans call love?” vibe from the AI judge. Far less of a mystery, the two-headed thriller Send Help is great fun with a couple of really good twists and first rate performances from Dylan O’Brien and Rachel McAdams. However, Amazon Prime viewers really should skip Bride Hard, basically Die Hard at a wedding with Rebel Wilson, which is just shockingly bad.

Oh yes, books. That’s what you’re here for:

• The Hound Of The Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes and the big doggy. You know the one…
• The Edge Of Darkness by Vaseem Khan – probably the best in Malabar House series, which is saying something, and a locked room mystery to boot.
• Killing In The Shadows by Kate Ellis – what links a haunted pub and  a murdered celebrity? Joe Plantagenate tries to find out.

• Carnival Of Lies by D V Bishop – Cesare Aldo goes from Florence to Venice but will he make it back in one piece?
• Murder Begins At Home by Delano Ames – Jane and Dagobert Brown visit an old friend only to find her murdered before they can meet up.

• Then There Were More ed Martin Edwards – a multitude of short stories from the Crime Writers’ Association from across the years.
• Withered Murder by A & P Shaffer – the third and final Verity/Fathom mystery and a marked improvement from the second one.
• The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr – read this one before someone spoils it for you. It’s a classic for a reason.

• Murder By The Book by M R G Davies – still can’t get over the murder weapon being the complete works of Ellery Queen. Did someone drop a bookcase on them?
• Montgomery Bonbon – Murder At The Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King – a wonderfully funny book and a clever mystery. So what if it supposed to be for kids?

OK, this is tricky. There are two stone-cold classics here, in The Hound Of The Baskervilles and The Burning Court, with Murder Begins At Home being not far behind. Withered Murder is also well worth looking for, but it’s not perfect, plus it might mean taking out a new mortgage, even if you can find a copy. But more often than not, I want to give the Puzzly to a modern book, or at least one that you can get your hands on. And while The Burning Court has been re-released…

I’m torn between Kate and Vaseem’s books – just to make my life easier, I’m not including the fantastic Montgomery Bonbon book as it is really for children. They’re both excellent stories with an added dimension. In the case of Kate’s book, the clever superposition of the actual supernatural, which never diverts from the fact that this is still a proper grounded mystery novel, really puts an extra layer on the narrative. On the other hand, Vaseem’s book has the riveting backdrop of post-colonial India, but away from the big cities. It’s history that was never taught in school when I was a boy, despite the fact that it really ought to be, along with an engrossing locked room mystery.

Is there anything that can separate the two? Well, Vaseem did give me a massive ego boost at the start of the month by asking me for a selfie. Yes, it was that way round… Never let it be said that I’m a modest person, so that bit of flattery is more than enough to tip the balance. But do read Kate’s book too, it’s fantastic…