July is done with – a month when I’ve been without a car, thanks to a car retailer in the West Midlands that I won’t name – and a month when, on day two of my holiday in Devon, I managed to do something to a muscle in my left leg that has had me hobbling around on a walking stick for the past month. Thankfully both things are resolving themselves, far slower than I would like – they’re both a pain in the arse (or the leg) but neither are the end of the world.

In the grand scheme of things, this is absolutely nothing – at least I’m not weird like members of a certain US political party – but I do have a serious problem. It’s Puzzly time and I’ve read far too many good books this month. And even worse, it looks like I might be meeting two of the authors later this month… Uh-oh!

Twelve books this month – so I’m just ahead of schedule for the 120 books for the year with 71 in total – let’s see what they were.

The Vanishing Act by Sarah Ward – the latest Mallory Dawson book from Sarah Ward, a real page-turner and a great start to the month.

The Last Dance by Mark Billingham – the first book in a new series featuring Declan Miller, an absolutely first-rate read. Genuinely funny and moving, and with a strong plot as well.

Gallows Wood by Louise Scarr – another new series, another interesting lead character, another interesting plot, plus with added dogs.

Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan – the second book in the Franks/Lock series, a series that I still feel shouldn’t work but is one of the finest of the current series out there. Outstanding.

A Case Of Mice And Murder by Sally Smith – another debut, an historical set at the turn of the century (1900) in the Inner Temple of London. Really interesting, with two plots that dovetail beautifully.

They Came To Baghdad by Agatha Christie – the first book of the month that wouldn’t have won the Puzzly even in a slow month. It has its charms, but it’s sub-par Christie.

Black Orchids by Rex Stout – not my cup of tea at all.

The Magician’s Death by Paul Doherty – a re-read, but even better than I remember, a great historical mystery with a really nice and simple (but missable) locked room.

Fat Man’s Agony by Glyn Carr – the last Lewker mystery and he goes out on a high. Appropriate given the mountain setting.

The Fan Who Knew Too Much by Nev Fountain – a continuation of the Mervyn Stone series and just as good as what has gone before. You can jump on here without missing anything – apart from three of my favourite murder mysteries that is…

Dead Ends by Jeffrey Deaver – a collection of twelve short stories with far better hit rate than most. Some really top notch stories here.

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh – the latest Eddie Flynn thriller, a hugely entertaining series and this is one of the best.

Ugh… even trying to shortlist leaves me with four books. Witness 8, The Fan Who Knew Too Much, Leave No Trace and The Last Dance would walk this any other month. I even left a couple of titles that are out on August 1^st until next month to make it easier…

Right, I could do a three or four-way tie, but that’s not the right way of doing things, so I’m going to invoke the “Classic Mystery” bit of the title of the blog. Three of those books are brilliant, heart-wrenching thrillers, but only The Fan Who Knew Too Much is a properly clued mystery (one that while I spotted some of the clues, the solution still eluded me).

So, congratulations to Nev Fountain for The Fan Who Knew Too Much. Let’s hope there are many more to come in this series.