It’s time for the September Puzzly – and for real this time. Why did nobody tell me that last month’s post had the wrong month in the title for the past four week? Usually you’re so good at spell-checking me!

Just a quick one this month, as I haven’t read that many books (for me) and, to be honest, it’s an easy pick. But first of all, let’s mention the website that has been stealing my recent posts. I doubt Mr Bot will be reading this, but the last three blogs that did this were shut down and I’m delighted to say, so has this one, thanks to the host. I’ve no idea what the point of this sort of thing is – the blog posts don’t show up when you search for them. I’d say how I discover such wankery whenever it happens, but that might give you a way to get round that. Bloggers work hard at producing their own work usually for no profit, so they don’t need parasitical twonks like you leeching off them.

Right, onto the – ugh – seven books for this month. Typical September…

The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham – an enjoyable second visit with DS Declan Miller, but didn’t quite recapture the lightning in a bottle of the first one.

Smoke And Murders by J L Blackhurst – an enjoyable second visit with DS Tess Fox and family, but people reading this really should read the first one first. And the next one, when it comes out…

A Killer Of Influence by J D Kirk – interesting but coming in fresh to book twenty of a series felt a bit like watching a random episode of a soap opera and being expected to be aware of what had gone before.

Hemlock Bay by Martin Edwards – another masterful excursion for Rachel Savernake

One Bad Apple by Jo Jakeman – an interesting take on the more modern style of not-really-cosy crime. The school-based setting works particularly well.

Where There Was Smoke by Brian Flynn – going to be taking a look at more unreprinted Flynn’s soon, but this was a good one, if not a whodunit.

The Will O’The Wisp Mystery by Edward D Hoch – a new short story collection from Crippen & Landru from the master of the short story. Some really interesting stuff here.

So, the Puzzly? Smoke and Murders was good but the soap opera element felt a little overplayed, One Bad Apple is a really well-constructed story, although the final truth felt a little ordinary (which was probably the point) but let’s face it, Book of the Month was always going to go to Hemlock Bay, which is just a blooming masterpiece. Interesting characters, an intriguing plot with multiple balanced strands, a homage to the Golden Age that still has room for its own ideas. Just read it – and the others in the series too!

Next month, new books from MW Craven, and Leonora Nattras amongst others, and at least one more revisit to Brian Flynn.