Believe it or not, I like a bit of a puzzle. Now, that may surprise you if a) you’ve missed the fact that I go by the nom de plume of the Puzzle Doctor or b) you’ve missed some of the more tortuous attempts at puzzling that I’ve sent your way over the years, such as this one.

So it was with excitement (and the merest smidge of jealousy that I didn’t think of it first) that I heard that one of my bestest blogging buddies, Kate Jackson, had produced the Pocket Detective, a pocket-sized puzzle book based on the Golden Age of Detection in general and the British Library Crime Classics range in particular.

Now, to be clear, this is not a review. After all, it’s not a novel and I’m definitely biased – and I’m running out of reviews before my plans for Review 1000 kick in, and I’d forgotten about this one. But it’s a lovely collection of puzzles and the ideal Christmas present (apart from one of Kate’s Coffee and Crime gift boxes) for the crime fiction enthusiast – or even the casual reader, as most of the puzzles can be done without in depth knowledge of the book in question.

Now obviously, it’s not without its flaws – there’s no mention of Brian Flynn at all, and, to be a little more serious, the pocket size means some of the larger puzzles, such as word searches and crosswords, need a careful hand to fill in the answers, but regardless of that, this is an ideal stocking filler for any mystery-loving friend. Not that this is a review, as I said, but it’s Highly Recommended.