Greetings from sunny/rainy Wales! Not actually sure about the weather, but me and Mrs Puzzle Doctor (in reality Puzzle Professor) are heading off to a holiday cottage on the edge of Snowdonia and I’m writing this a few days ahead of time. Who knows, either we will be lounging in the grass outside, watching the nuthatches scamper up and down the trees, or we’ll be sitting inside watching the rain pour down the windows. Ah, who am I kidding, I’ll be reading a book. Inside or outside doesn’t make a massive amount of difference.

So, what have I been reading up to the 27^th of March? Well, Challenge-wise, I’m still behind in everything – nothing from the Johns, no Holmes on the Range, no Poirot and still behind on the ten books a month schedule. Having said that, holidays are awfully useful for catching up on reading…

Anyway, the books read so far:

Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson – another twisty meta-mystery, and, I thought, an improvement of the first book. There’s an oddly jarring bit where suddenly the narrator seems to have jumped from knowing nothing to knowing every little detail, but it’s all very clever.

Impact Of Evidence by Carol Carnac – the latest from the British Library, one of the more location-centric rather than puzzle-centric Lorac titles.

The Rule Of Threes by Jeffrey Deaver – more novel than novella, but basically fairly average (i.e. still pretty good) Deaver

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner – effective slow-burn thriller with some genuine surprising and a nerve-shredding final section.

Murder On A Cornish Isle by Jo Silva – another outing for the End Of The World detective agency. Fun, if rather convoluted.

Murder In The Family by James Ronald – which member of the Osbourne family murdered evil Aunt Octavia? A really entertaining read but it’s basically a guessing game, a game that you’ll probably win.

Landscape Of Murder by Michael Jecks – another outing for unlucky artist Nick Morris who stumbles upon a nest of wrongdoing in the Peak District.

Sun, Sea And Murder by J S Savage – a multiple point-of-view classic mystery, complete with a locked room, a very clever plot and the debut of a fun new sleuth.

The Puzzly… well, it comes down to either the first or the last. It’s a bit neck and neck… but Benjamin Stevenson will get plenty of plaudits elsewhere, so for the second time in four months, the Puzzly goes to J S Savage. It’s out on April 1^st, so don’t be a fool (ba-dum-dum) and forget to get it!

Back next month for hopefully a decent haul to get back on schedule for the 120 books target…