December 2022. A month of me being hit with the most persistent cold I can remember, my Dad’s health taking another turn for the worse (and then hopefully the better) and, probably having the most effect on my reading, I started playing Skyrim again, which absorbed far too much of my time. And then I spent too much time playing Persona 5, a Christmas present, until I realised that Japanese RPG’s are just too weird for me.

Anyway, enough of my excuses, what books did I read this month? Not many, and quite a few disappointing ones. Not mentioning the ones I didn’t finish but there were a few…

So those I did finish (and review) were:

• Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne – an absolutely batshit crazy impossible crime thriller. Still can’t decide if I liked it enough to read any more from the author or whether it was just, well, rubbish.
• The Family Tree Mystery by Peter Bartam – another entertaining outing for Colin Crampton of the Chronicle.
• Death Comes To Marlow by Robert Thorogood – the long-awaited second outing for Judith Potts and friends, with a proper locked room mystery and lots of fun.
• The Better To Eat You by Charlotte Armstrong – the curse of Book Club strikes again, with this absolutely dreadful book with the most insipid potential victim you’ll ever meet
• Lost Without Trace by Belton Cobb – possibly even worse than the Armstrong book. Cobb at his weakest…
• The Case Of The Careless Kitten by Erle Stanley Gardner – probably the best Mason title that I’ve read so far. Still not a convert, but a gripping read nonetheless.
• Exit Sir John by Brian Flynn – a re-read of one of this year’s Dean Street Press reprints, and just what I needed.

The Puzzly – well, this is an easy one. Death Comes To Marlow, the sequel to The Marlow Murder Club, is another great read from the creator of Death In Paradise. Witty, a great set of sleuths and a mystery to sink your teeth into. Writers take note, this is how to handle a small set of suspects and still spring surprises.

Be back tomorrow for my Review of the Year…