As the month of July draws to an end, it’s time for the least awaited event of any month – the awarding of the In Search Of The Classic Mystery Novel Book Of The Month – aka The Puzzly – for July 2012.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, I spent a wonderful week in a villa in Lanzarote, mostly lounging around the pool swatting flies and reading a lot of books. As such, I’ve racked up twenty books this month. Now I have to try and pick the best of them.

OK, the books that I read this month were:

• Peril At End House by Agatha Christie
• The Serpent Pool by Martin Edwards
• Dying In The Wool by Frances Brody
• The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters
• The Devil’s Edge by Stephen Booth
• The Demon Archer by Paul Doherty
• An Expert In Murder by Nicola Upson
• The Maze of Cadiz by Aly Monroe
• Blood Line by Alanna Knight
• The Burglar In The Closet by Lawrence Block
• Hotel Noir by Casper Silk
• Cat Among The Pigeons by Agatha Christie
• The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis
• The Assassin’s Riddle by Paul Doherty
• The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
• Stagestruck by Peter Lovesey
• Good As Dead by Mark Billingham
• The Devil’s Domain by Paul Doherty
• The Funeral Boat by Kate Ellis
• The Bone Garden by Kate Ellis

Crikey… well, there are a lot of old favourites there for me, and, on the other hand, more books than usual that I can eliminate straight away. Eliminating previous winners of the award, simply because it makes it easier for me, it comes down to The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis and Good As Dead by Mark Billingham. This isn’t the first time that Kate has come down to the shortlist – the excellent The Cadaver Game, which is out this month in paperback – was a gnat’s whisker away a couple of months back – but I think (after carefully considering it and then tossing a coin) that the Puzzly for July 2012 goes to Mark Billingham. If you haven’t tried the Tom Thorne series, a delightful marriage of thriller and mystery, then I recommend it highly – although it probably should be read in order…

As every, this is part of the Mysteries in Paradise Book of the Month meme – go and see what other people enjoyed this month here.