So, the History Mystery Month of September draws to a close, and it didn’t work out quite like I wanted it to. Only seven books read, only one of which was by an author that I’d never read before – one other had written a novella that was part of a collection that I’d read, and another I had genuinely forgotten that I’d read before. Oh, and because of a slew of new releases and book club titles on the horizon, I decided to review a Golden Age pastiche as they seem to count as historical mysteries now, by awards panels at least. There were also a couple more books that I didn’t get very far into…

The moral is, never try anything ambitious during September, the busiest month of a schoolteacher’s year. Many thanks for the recommendations, some of which are still on the schedule, such as it is. But next month, if it were to have a theme, is Christmas, as these books tend to be published in October and November. There’s three or four lined up, and I’m keeping an eye out for more. Just because, really.

Anyway, back to last month’s reading – all seven books of it.

The House Of Shadows by Paul Doherty – a re-read, part of my chronological revisit of the Brother Athelstan series, one of my favourite sleuths, and this is a really good one. Rarely, it’s devoid of subplot, with everything dovetailing into the story of a long-lost treasure and a brutal murder or five…

A Pattern Of Blood by Rosemary Rowe – Roman Gloucester – my old stomping ground, give or take twenty miles or so, with a decent story marred by having Captain Obvious as the killer and lacking, I felt, in much of a sense of the time. Still, might go back…

Chaucer And The Legend Of Good Women by Philip Rowe – well, Geoffrey Chaucer’s visit to Italy had one thing going for it, it inspired me to write my Doc-ologue rules for things that I want to see in a mystery. Unfortunately, it inspired me by not doing those things. And I still get shivers from the “Chaucer shagged a woman who threw herself at him, just like you would, eh, reader” bit.

Quite.

Medicus by Kate Downie – Roman Britain again and… no, just didn’t get this, from the modern language at times (which makes sense but still felt jarring) to the lack of focus on the murder plot. Nice characters though – if someone were to tell me that the series tightens up in the future, I might go back to it.

Murdering The Messenger by Michael Jecks – despite breaking Rule 7 of the Doc-ologue, this was the most fun so far this month. Rules are always made to broken, and let’s face it, if Jack Blackjack had actually solved the mystery, it would have been a tad out of character, given his general uselessness. I did enjoy him being forced into the role of sleuth, a role he had very little aptitude for.

Murder Most Treasonable by Paul Doherty – bang up to date (well, 1380 technically) for Brother Athelstan as the stakes are raised in the sort-of war between England and France, and he has to balance three murders, the theft of a relic and a killer who’s final cottoned on that killing the local sleuth might help him get away with his plans…

The Murder Wheel by Tom Dowd – back to the Golden Age – well, in spirit – with an impossible death on stage and two murders aping The Judas Window, with a most unlikely suspect locked into the room with the victim and a smoking gun.

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOGPOST FOR AN UNSUBTLE PLUG FOR THE COFFEE AND CRIME ADVENT CALENDAR 2023 WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM MY BUDDY KATE JACKSON’S ETSY STORE. BASICALLY, IT’S 12 CLASSIC CRIME NOVELS, 8 YUMMY CHOCOLATES (and they’re usually chocolate bars, not the normal advent calendar miniature things) AND 4 SPECIAL GIFTS. CHECK OUT THE DETAILS HERE ON KATE’S BLOG OR JUST GO STRAIGHT TO HERE TO BUY IT! WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR NORMAL BLOGPOST…

Book of the Month: Well… any other month and long-time friends-of-the-blog Jecks and Doherty would be wrestling for it. Paul would probably edge it, as I’m a sucker for a good locked room, but because of that very fact, Tom Mead and The Murder Wheel swooped in at the death so to speak to seize this month’s Puzzly. There’s one aspect of the book that I know will be divisive, but I thought it was just so clever, so even without the hugely enjoyable rest of the book, that would earn it.

Funny, writing that, and I’m recalling a similar reaction to the solution to one of the murders in Murder Most Treasonable, but I’m not changing my decision – I’m a sucker for books with magicians in them, so that probably bodes well for Tom’s next Spector book as well…

Right, next month – oh, did that bit in the first paragraph already. Go and read that bit – just don’t get stuck in a recursive loop…