Right, that’s April done and dusted. Another year old – don’t ask how many – and, more importantly, a bundle of books read. On top of that, I’ve reviewed a TV series and an audio drama, it’s been quite a busy month. Which is good, because now’s the time that school gets really busy, so getting my challenges back on track – one of them anyway – is a good achievement.

Challenge-wise, I’m far behind on most of them, but the most important one, namely 120 books in the year, is back on track, as I’m now on 41 for the year – I’m ahead of the game, yippee! That’s entirely thanks to the fourteen books that I’ve read this month. So let’s take a look at them…

Those books were:

Geek Tragedy by Nev Fountain – one of the books that started the blog and still as good (if not better) than I remembered.

The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi – ignore the ridiculously technical locked room and enjoy the best Honkaku title that I’ve read, full of twists and turns. Marvellous.

Hammer Island by Showell Styles – the last of the pre-Glyn Carr stories to feature Sir Abercrombie Lewker, it’s an adventure novel and, let’s be honest, a bit silly.

The Skeleton Army by Alis Hawkins – a murder during a Salvation Army march in Victorian Oxford prompts a second investigation by Non Vaughan and Basil Rice. Decent historical, but maybe needed a bit more focus for me.

The Man Who Could Not Shudder by John Dickson Carr – a lesser Gideon Fell title, mainly because it’s surrounded by better books, chronologically (and The Problem Of The Wire Cage) but still worth your time.

Close To Death by Anthony Horowitz – the fifth Hawthorne novel, just go and read it. It’s brilliant.

Death Comes To St Ives by Jo Silva – it won’t convert you if you like the series, but if you do, you’ll love this.

Mr Monk Goes To The Firehouse – the first Adrian Monk novel and channels the show pretty well. Not the most interesting evil scheme, to be fair…

Death Under Snowdon by Glyn Carr – more mountaineering mayhem, with a bomb in Snowdonia causing problems for the about-to-be-knighted Abercrombie Lewker. A clever one, that’s for certain, lots of fun.

The Last Supper by Rosemary Shrager – the first outing for Prudence Bulstrode, ex-celebrity chef, and a really interesting plot and very likeable characters. A cut above your standard cosy.

Now Lying Dead by Olive Norton – barely 150 pages and still bored the pants off me. Avoid.

The Two Deaths Of Ruth Lyle by Nick Louth – a new police procedural with likeable leads and an interesting case (although it’s not really an impossible crime, just very unlikely).

Case For Three Detectives by Leo Bruce – a classic that needs to be read, but it’s not without its flaws, especially in playing fair with the reader. Not that it’s trying to, it has to be said…

The Case Of The Foot-loose Doll by Erle Stanley Gardner – Perry Mason tackles a case that, despite not really involving any dolls, with loose feet or otherwise, is really good fun with an interesting, if unlikely, denouement.

Right, Book of the Month. Lots of good stuff this month. The Perry Mason was a lovely surprise, and Death Under Snowdon was great too. The Noh Mask Murder was excellent, as was Geek Tragedy. The Last Supper was a clear sign that Rosemary Shrager is a real talent in detective fiction, but…

… despite these, all of who could have been awarded the Puzzly in another month, they didn’t stand a chance against the latest from Anthony Horowitz, the latest in the Daniel Hawthorne series, with a good whiff of Magpie Murders about it too. A terrific mystery in every way, shape and form.

Right, I’m one book ahead of schedule, so let’s see if I can keep on track. Might be hard now that Netflix has got Monk AND Psych on it…