So, October is all-but-over, leaving just Hallowe’en, that most tiresome of “holidays”, to survive. According to the National Retail Federation in 2015, the average American spent $74.34 per person on Hallowe’en stuff, making $6.9 billion in total. Imagine what could be done if just for one year that money was funnelled to good causes instead! Or even just the estimated $350 million that was spent on costumes for their pets!!! Imagine – with that money, I could almost get a complete collection of John Rhode books…

Just nine books this month – been extra busy at work and suchlike – but the blog turned 1000. The competition seems to have been a bit more challenging than last time, thank goodness, so next time I stumble across a cheap duplicate rarity, there might be another one… But don’t hold your breath.

Those nine books were:

• In Face Of The Verdict by John Rhode – great set-up, but a lacklustre finale
• A Death In The Dales by Frances Brody – a strong entry in the Kate Shackleton series
• The Plague Road by L C Tyler – book three in the John Grey series
• The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins – well written but the plot is utter tosh.
• The Seeker by S G Maclean – murder in the time of Cromwell
• Death Of A Busybody by George Bellairs – another Classic from the British Library
• The Strings Of Murder by Oscar de Muriel – nice ideas, but a dreadful “locked” room
• Shot At Dawn by John Rhode – one of the best Rhodes so far…
• The Red Thumb Mystery by R Austin Freeman – the less said about which, the better…

Book of the Month? Well, Shot At Dawn would be in with a shout if Peril At Cranbury Hall hadn’t a) won it last month and b) been a bit better – that one’s the benchmark now for Rhode books, I think. So it comes down to the two seventeenth century outings, The Seeker and The Plague Road. They’re very different books so it’s very hard to separate them – so I won’t. Congrats to both and there’ll be more from S G Maclean on the blog very, very soon.

Next month on the blog, I’ll try and catch up on yet more promised reviews. Fingers crossed…