Right, June is over and done with. A big shout out to Cotswold Falconry Centre and their Owl Experience for an amazing birthday treat for my much better half and a bit of a boo to the hotel who’s “superior” room involved one window that didn’t open and a second that did, only over a patio area where people were sitting and talking until 3:30 in the morning. Add that to our burglar alarm randomly going off last night and I’m writing this with very little sleep.

This gentleman, who we met at the Falconry Centre is called Mr Grumpy. I know how he feels…

Reading has been a tad tricky as June is the busiest time at school for me. Writing a timetable is a challenge that I relish, but it does take time and brainpower, so when I am faced with a choice after three hours of staring at a screen of trying to outwit a murderer or having another lap of Mario Kart… let’s just say that that the book doesn’t always win.

But I did get through nine books this month, so let’s-a go!

They were:

Beast In View by Margaret Millar – a classic, so it’s been copied countless times (if this was the first). Didn’t do much for me.

The New Forest Murders by Matthew Sweet – a decent murder mystery with good characters and a strong village-during-war setting.

A Murder For Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant – a fascinating setting and set of characters, but just didn’t click for me.

A Good Place To Hide A Body by Laura Marshall – a “Willtheygetawaywithit” rather than a “whodunnit” so I guess the CWA shortlisted it for the wrong dagger.

Ritual Of Fire by D V Bishop – sorry I won’t be reviewing Book Five which is out now, but NetGalley got the dates wrong and I’ve still got Book Four to go in this magnificent series.

The Case Of The Singer And The Showgirl by Lisa Hall – another “time-hop” back to the late 50s – in this case, Las Vegas – and a fun mystery with pleasant characters. Just don’t think too hard about the timey-wimeyness…

What The Night Brings by Mark Billingham – four police officers are killed but that is only the start of what will be the worst time of Tom Thorne’s life…

Seven Lively Suspects by Katy Watson – the third Three Dahlias mystery. Dawdles in the first half but a good finish.

Immortal Murder by Paul Doherty – Sir Hugh Corbett turns 25 in a case involving Kings and vagabonds alike…

Quite a collection, with some very readable books. Obvious plaudits to Paul Doherty, with his book and Matthew Sweet’s title definitely worth checking out as a matter of urgency. D V Bishop’s Cesare Aldo series goes from strength to strength and while an entirely different style of historical, Lisa Hall’s book is fun too. The easy Puzzly winner, however, has to be Mark Billingham for What The Night Brings – a masterclass in thriller writing, with the story never dragging and constantly changing focus as more revelations are made, as well as containing several kicks in the gut even for lapsed Tom Thorne readers like me. An outstanding read and I’ll be going back to fill in my Thorne gaps very soon.