So March has been and gone. The sun went out (almost) over the UK, I was struck down with a rotten cold, I hit 500 reviews and there was a really good episode of Midsomer Murders. What an eventful month.

After the rather full February of fourteen books, things calmed down a little with just eleven books this month. That seems quite a lot, especially as my choice for Review 500 did slow me down a bit – wasn’t exactly a page-turner. OK, at least one book was a novella, but never mind. So, which of the eleven earns the Book Of The Month – better known to you and me as the Puzzly!

The books in question were:

• The King Is Dead by Ellery Queen
• The Boathouse Riddle by JJ Connington
• A Prayer For The Damned by Peter Tremayne
• The Wet Nose Of Danger by James Finn Garner
• Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett
• Down Solo by Earl Javorsky
• A Lesson In Murder by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards
• Face To Face by Ellery Queen
• The Masque Of A Murderer by Susannna Calkins
• A Cotswold Killing by Rebecca Tope
• Walking By Night by Kate Ellis

Hmm… not obvious. I think the stand-out books were A Prayer for the Damned (sorry, Peter, but you’ve won it before), Walking By Night (ditto, Kate), Men At Arms and The Masque Of A Murderer. Well, Men At Arms has probably had enough publicity, so Susanna Calkins wins it this month for a fascinating historical mystery, set in a time that I’m not familiar with, utilising aspects of the time – the state of printing, the persecution of Quakers – to create an intriguing tale.

So next month, loads of new reviews to come – including some from old favourites Steve Hockensmith and “Science Bob” Pflugfelder, Frances Brody, Simon Brett, Mark Billingham and some new ones too. And if I catch up with everything I’ve promised people, then there’s going to be an ever-so-slight change of focus for the blog for a wee while. Don’t worry, it’s not going to be In Search Of The Classic Chick-Lit Novel…