Monday, October 30, 2023

2024 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

 


Once again Rick at the Rick Mills Project will be offering up the Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge as well as the Six Shooter Challenge. I, having no self-control when it comes to challenges--especially mystery-related challenges, will--of course--sign up for both. He's also got a brand-new Mystery Marathon for 2024, so here I go again....For full details, check out the link above after the new year starts. Basically, just read mysteries and log the number of named corpses on his handy form.

Rick doesn't require a sign-up post, but in order to claim this one as complete on my own personal challenge tally sheet, I must submit at least 20 death certificate reports. With the number of mysteries I read per year, this doesn't prove too difficult--so, there should be plenty of toe tags signed by "Quincy" Hankins at the Mystillery Morgue.
 
1. Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge [4 deaths] (1/1/24)
2. The Emperor's Snuff Box by John Dickson Carr [2 deaths] (1/3/24)
*********The following are all from Bodies from the Library 3 edited by Tony Medawar 1/7/24
3. "The Murder at Warbeck Hall" by Cyril Hare (Alfred Alexander Gordon Clark) [2 deaths]
4. "The House of the Poplars" by Dorothy L. Sayers [3 deaths]
5. "The Hampstead Murder" by Christopher Bus (Charles Christmas Bush) [one death]
6. "The Scarecrow Murders" by Joseph Commings [2 deaths]
7. "The Incident of the Dog's Ball" by Agatha Christie [2 deaths]
8. "The Case of the Unlucky Airman" by Christopher St. John Sprigg [one death]
9. "The Riddle of the Black Spade" by Stuart Palmer [3 deaths]
10. "A Torch at the Window" by Josephine Bell (Doris Bell Collier) [one death]
11. "Grand Guignol" by John Dickson Carr [3 deaths]
12. "A Knotty Problem" by Ngaio Marsh [one death]
13. "The Orange Kid" by Peter Cheyney [4 deaths]
14. "He Stooped to Live" by David Hume (John Victor Turner) [one death]
15. "Mr. Prendergast & the Orange" by Nicholas Blake (Cecil Day-Lewis) [one death]
16. "The 'Eat More Fruit' Murder" by William A. R. Collins [one death]
***********
17. The Passenger from Scotland Yard by H. F. Wood [2 deaths] (1/11/24)
18. There Is a Tide by Agatha Christie [9 deaths] (1/14/24)
19. Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer [2 deaths] (1/15/24)
**************The following are all from Murder by the Book edited by Martin Edwards 1/20/24
20. "A Lesson in Crime by G.D.H. & M. Cole [one death]
Commitment met!
21. "Trent & the Ministering Angel" by E. C. Bentley [one death]
22. "A Slice of Bad Luck" by Nicholas Blake (Cecil Day-Lewis) [one death]
23. "Malice Domestic" by Philip MacDonald [one death]
24. "A Savage Game" by A. A. Milne [one death]
25. "The Clue in the Book by Julian Symons [one death]
26. "The Manuscript" by Gladys Mitchell [one death]
27. "A Man & His Mother-in-law" by Roy Vickers [4 deaths]
28. "Dear Mr. Editor..." by Christianna Brand [2 deaths]
29. "Murder in Advance" by Marjorie Bremner [4 deaths]
30. "A Question of Character" by Victor Canning [2 deaths]
31. "We Know You're Busy Writing..." by Edmund Crispin [2 deaths]
32. "Chapter & Verse" by Ngaio Marsh [4 deaths]
****************
33. Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb [2 deaths] (1/21/24)
34. The Cambridge Murders by Glyn Daniel [3 deaths] (1/24/24)
35. Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood [5 deaths] (1/27/24)
36. A Guilty Thing Surprised by Ruth Rendell [4 deaths] (1/28/24)
37. Death Has a Small Voice by Frances & Richard Lockridge [3 deaths] (1/31/24)
38. The Final Days of Abbot Montrose by Sven Elvestad [2 deaths] (2/3/24)
*****************The following are from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Nov 1965 (2/4/24)
39. "Jericho & the Silent Witnesses" by Hugh Pentecost [Judson Philips] (one death]
40. "The Scientist & the Bagful of Water" by Arthur Porges (one death)
41. "The Tecommshire Fen Mystery" by Cathie Haig Star [Norma Schier] (one death)
42. "The Halloween Mystery" by Ellery Queen (one death)
43 "They's Things in the Deep Woods" by M. L. Dunn (4 deaths)
44. "A as in Accident" by Lawrence Treat (one death)
******************
45. "Miss Marple Tells a Story by Agatha Christie (listened to a Youtube reading [2 deaths] (2/4/24)
46. Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell [15 deaths] (2/7/24)
*******************The following are from Miraculous Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards (2/9/24)
47. "The Lost Special" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [3 deaths]
48. "The Case of the Tragedies in the Greek Room" by Sax Rohmer [2 deaths]
49. "The Aluminum Dagger" by R. Austin Freeman [2 deaths]
50. "The Miracle of Moon Crescent" by G. K. Chesterton [one death]
51. "The Invisible Weapon" by Nicholas Olde [one death]
52. "The Diary of Death" by Marten Cumberland [4 deaths]
53. "The Broadcast Murder" by Grenville Robbins [3 deaths]
54. "The Music-Room" by Sapper (Herman Cyril McNeile) [3 deaths]
55. "Death at 8.30" by Christopher St. John Sprigg [2 deaths]
56. "Too Clever by Half" by G.D.H. & Margaret Cole [2 deaths]
57. "Locked In" by Charles Vivian [one death]
58. "The Sands of Thyme" by Michael Innes (J.I.M. Stewart) [one death]
59. "Beware of the Trains" by Edmund Crispin (Robert Bruce Montgomery) [one death]
***********************
60. Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines [4 deaths] (2/12/24)
61. Gently Down the Stream by Alan Hunter [3 deaths] (2/13/24)
62. The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth [10 deaths] (2/16/24)
63. When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris [13 deaths] (2/18/24)
**********************The following are from Ellery Queen's Anthology 1966 Mid-Year Edition (2/18/24)
64. "You Can't Love Two Women" by L.A.G. Strong [one death]
65. "The Clue of the Scattered Rubies" by Erle Stanley Gardner [2 deaths]
66. "I Killed John Harrigan" by Thomas Walsh [2 deaths]
67. "The Grave Grass Question" by MacKinlay Kantor [2 deaths]
68. "Blind Man's Bluff" by Roy Vickers [2 deaths]
69. "The Crime by the River" by Edmund Crispin (Robert Bruce Montgomery) [2 deaths]
70. "This Was Willi's Day" by Aaron Marc Stein [one death]
71. "Blackmail" by Stephen McKenna [one death]
72. "Murder on St. Valentine's Day" by Mignon G. Eberhart [one death]
73. "A Piece of String" by Clarence Budington Kelland [one death]
74. "Taboo" by Geoffrey Household [2 deaths]
75. "The Silver Curtain" by John Dickson Carr [one death]
76. "The Girl Who Lived Dangerously [3 deaths]
***********************
77. A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith [6 deaths] (2/20/24)
78. Man of Two Tribes by Arthur W. Upfield [5 deaths] (2/22/24)
79. Death Takes a Bow by Frances & Richard Lockridge [2 deaths]  (2/24/24)
80. Murder After Hours (The Hollow) by Agatha Christie [2 deaths] (2/26/24)
81. The Unicorn Murders by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr [2 deaths] (2/28/24)
82. The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook [9 deaths] (2/29/24)
83. One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton (Katherine Dalton Renoir) [9 deaths] (3/2/24)
84. The Blue Geranium by Dolan Birkley (Dolores Hitchens) [4 deaths] (3/3/24)
85. Death of a Fool by Ngaio Marsh [one death] (3/4/24)
86. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout [2 deaths] (3/5/24)
**************************The following are from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine September 1965 (3/7/24)
87. "Blood Brothers" by Christianna Brand [2 deaths]
88. "Bloehm's Wall" by George Emmett [one death]
89. "A Fine Winter Thirst" by George Emmett [2 deaths]
90. "All the Way Home" by Jaime Sandaval [3 deaths]
91. "The Supernatural Murder" by Agatha Christie [one death]
92. "The Needle's Eye" by Ellery Queen [two deaths]
93. "To Reach the Sea" by Monica Dickens [one death]
94. "The Curtain" by Raymond Chandler [4 deaths]
95. "The Peppermint Striped Goodbye" by Ron Goulart [2 deaths]
96. "The Restorer of Balance" by Avram Davidson [one death]
***************************
97. Mad About the Boy? by Dolores Gordon-Smith [8 deaths] (3/13/24)
98. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz [11 deaths] (3/16/24)
99. The Philadelphia Murder Story by Leslie Ford (Zenith Jones Brown) [5 deaths] (3/21/24)
100. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers [2 deaths] (3/21/24)
101. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves [4 deaths] (3/24/24)
102. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney [9 deaths] (3/26/24)
103. Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb [6 deaths] (3/27/24)
104. Grand Cru Heist by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen [3 deaths] (3/28/24)
105. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes [3 deaths] (3/29/24)
106. "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [4 deaths] (4/8/24)
107. Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen [4 deaths] (4/9/24)
108. Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang [8 deaths] (4/14/24)
109. The Puzzle of the Blue Banderilla by Stuart Palmer [2 deaths] (4/18/24)
110. Figure Away by Phoebe Atwood Taylor [2 deaths] (4/20/24)
111. Mystery at Greenfingers by J. B. Priestley [one death] (4/23/24)
112. The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton [one death] (4/25/24)
113. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer [2 deaths] (4/28/24)
114. Cold Bed in the Clay by Ruth Sawtell Wallis [2 deaths] (4/30/24)
115. Write Murder Down by Richard Lockridge [3 deaths] (5/4/24)
116. The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald [14 deaths] (5/4/24)
117. Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards [13 deaths] (5/8/24)
************************The following are from Bodies from the Library 4 by Tony Medawar [ed]
118. "Child's Play" by Edmund Crispin [3 deaths]
119. "Rigor Mortis" by Leo Bruce [one death]
120. "The Only Husband" by H. C. Bailey [2 deaths]
121. "The Police Are Baffled" by Alec Waugh [2 deaths]
122. "Shadowed Sunlight" by Christianna Brand [2 deaths]
123. "The Case of Bella Garsington" by Gladys Mitchell [one death]
124. "The Post-Chaise Murder" by Richard Keverne [one death]
125. "Boots" by Ngaio Marsh [one death]
126. "Figures Don't Die" by T. S. Stribling [2 deaths]
127. "After You, Lady" by Peter Cheyney [one death]
128. "Too Easy" by Herbert Adams [one death]
129. "Signals" by Alice Campbell [one death]
130. "A Present from the Empire" by G. D. H. & M. Cole [2 deaths]
***************************
131. Twice Retired by Richard Lockridge [5 deaths] (5/17/24)
132. Crows Are Black Everywhere by Herbert O. Yardley & Carl Grabo [7 deaths] (5/17/24)
133. The Owl in the Cellar by Margaret Scherf [5 deaths] (5/18/24)
134. Death in Five Boxes by Carter Dickson [2 deaths] (5/20/24)
135. Six Queer Things by Christopher St. John Sprigg [4 deaths] (5/21/24)
136. Who Cries for the Lost by C. S. Harris [13 deaths] (5/21/24)
137. What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris [18 deaths] (5/22/24)
138. The Tenth Life by Richard Lockridge [4 deaths] (5/23/24)
139. Amphigorey by Edward Gorey [33 deaths] (5/24/24)
140. The New Shoe by Arthur W. Upfield [3 deaths] (5/25/24)
141. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene [one death] (5/25/24)
142. Murder in Brass by Lewis Padgett [5 deaths] (5/29/24)
143. Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh [2 deaths] (5/30/24)
**************************The following are from The Best English Detective Stories of 1928  by Father Ronald Knox & H. Harrington [eds] (6/2/24)
144. "Trial by Ordeal" by F. Britten Austin (one death)
145. "The Artificial Mole" by J. D. Beresford (one death)
146. "The Secret of the Mountain" by C. Bobbett (one death)
147. "Through the Window" by K. R. G. Browne (one death)
148. "The Poison Bottle" by Bernard Capes (2 deaths)
149. "The Tuesday Night Club" by Agatha Christie (3 deaths)
150. "Under a Thousand Eyes" by Charlotte Dockstader (one death)
151. "Who Killed Castelvetri?" by Gilbert Fankau (one death)
152. "The Late Edition" by Kelman Frost (one death)
153. "The Night of the Garter" by Arthur Hougham (one death)
154. "The Sign of Seven" by John Hunter (2 deaths)
155. "Drops That Trickle Away" by Maurice Leblanc (one death)
156. "Blackman's Wood" by E. Phillips Oppenheim (3 deaths)
157. "Overwhelming Evidence" by Baroness Orczy (2 deaths)
158. "The Langdon Case" by Gladys St. John-Loe (3 deaths)
*****************************
159. Doom in the Midnight Sun by Eunice Mays Boyd [8 deaths] (6/4/24)
160. The Rocksburg Railroad Murders by K. C. Constantine [3 deaths] (6/5/24)
161. The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene (read both Original & Revised Text volumes) [6 deaths total for two volumes] (6/6/24)
162. Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh [4 deaths] (6/8/24)
163. Old Hall, New Hall by Michael Innes [3 deaths] (6/12/24)
164. The Phantom of Pine Hill  by Carolyn Keene [one death] (6/13/24)
165. The Golden Eagle Mystery by Ellery Queen, Jr. [one death] (6/14/24)
166. The Dragon Boat Mystery by John Bechtel [one death] (6/19/24)
167. A Vacation to Kill For by Eunice Mays Boyd (w/Elizabeth Aden) [2 deaths] (6/22/24)
*****************************The following are from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Aug 1959  (6/24/24)
168. "The Girl Who Lived Dangerously" by Hugh Pentecost (Judson Philips) [3 deaths] (read a second time)
169. "The Seeds of Murder" by Rufus King [3 deaths]
170. "The Case of the Two Questions" by E. X. Ferrars [one death]
171. "In the Morgue" by Dashiell Hammett [one death]
172. "Three Men in a Garden" by Lord Dunsany [one death]
173. "Widow's Mite" by C. B. Gilford [one death]
174. "Smoke Rings" by Crag Rice [one death]
175. "Look to Your Skeletons" by Eva-Lis Wuorio [one death]
******************************
176. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout [4 deaths] (6/25/24)
177. Still Life by Louise Penny [3 deaths] (6/28/24)
178. The Secret of High Eldersham [4 deaths] (7/3/24)
179. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn & Janie Chang [6 deaths] (7/4/24)
******************************
The following are from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Nov 1958 (7/9/24)
180. "A Routine Night's Work" by George Harmon Coxe (4 deaths)
181. "Command Performance" by Anthony Boucher (one death)
182. "All Men Make Mistakes" by Frances & Richard Lockridge (one death)
183. "Hand on My Shoulder" by Peggy McIntyre (2 deaths)
184. "Murder--Early American" by Ruth Chessman (one death)
185. "Salesmanship" by Talmage Powell (one death)
*********************************
186. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers [one death] (7/14/24)
*********************************
The following are from Murder on Deck! by Rosemary Herbert, ed (7/17/24)
187. "The Gloria Scott" ("The Adventure of the Gloria Scott") by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (one death)
188. "The Mackenzie Case" by Viola Brothers Shore (3 deaths)
189. "Problem at Sea" by Agatha Christie (4 deaths)
190. "Sail" by Lester Dent (2 deaths)
191. "Hand Upon the Waters" by William Faulkner (2 deaths)
192. "The Boat Race Murder" by David Winser (one death)
193. "The Adventure of the Murdered Ship" by Ellery Queen (3 deaths)
194. "Two Bodies on a Barge" by Georges Simenon (2 deaths)
195. "Invisible Hands" by John Dickson Carr (one death)
196. "Honeymoon Cruise" by Richard Deming (one death)
197. "Invitation from the Sea" by Saho Sasazawa (one death)
198. "Where Is Thy Sting?" by Peter Lovesey (one death)
199. "The Theft of the Bingo Card" by Edward D. Hoch (2 deaths)
200. "Rumpole at Sea" by John Mortimer (one death)
201. "Oh, Who Hath Done the Deed?" by Susan Moody (2 deaths)
202. "Messing About in Boats" by Janwillem van de Wetering (2 deaths)
203. "With a Little Help from My Friends" by Martin Edwards (4 deaths)
204. "Ferry Noir" by Chris Rippen (2 deaths)
*********************************
205. Death in a Small World by Laura Colburn (Ian McMahan) [2 deaths] (7/20/24)
206. My First Murder by Susan Baker [4 deaths] (7/21/24)
207. A Body at a Boarding School by Benedict Brown [one death] (7/23/24)
**********************************
The following are from Passport to Crime by Janet Hutchings, ed (7/28/24)
208. "Who's Afraid of Ed Garpo?" by Fred Kassak (3 deaths)
209. "Table Talk, 1882" by Boris Akunin (3 deaths)
210. "Fisherman's Friend" by Ingrid Noll (2 deaths)
211. "The Red Mercedes" by Theo Capel (2 deaths)
212. "Moonglow" by Kjersti Scheen [2 deaths]
213. "Guilty" by Luis Adrian Betancourt [3 deaths]
214. "DeKok & the Hammer Blow" by A. C. Baantjer [one death]
215. "There Are No Pockets in Our Graveclothes" by Bertil Falk [one death]
216. "The Call of the Lorelei" by Paul Halter [4 deaths]
217. "Heroic Proportions" by Daliso Chaponda [one death]
218. "Ramon Acuna's Time" by Isaac Aisemberg [one death]
219. "A Deadly Joke" by Richard Macker [2 deaths]
220. "Full Moon" by Mischa Bach [2 deaths]
221. "Bloody Hot" by Rene Appel [one death]
222. "With a  Little Help from Your Friends" by Jutta Motz [2 deaths]
223. "Zero Tolerance" by Dominique Manotti [2 deaths]
224. "An Urban Legend Puzzle" by Norizuki Rintaro [one death]
************************************
225. Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman by Lee Strauss [2 deaths] (7/29/24)
226. Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac [2 deaths] (7/31/24)
227. Murder Rides the Campaign Train by The Gordons (Mildred & Gordon Gordon) [4 deaths] (8/2/24)
228. The May Week Murders by Douglas G. Browne [12 deaths] (8/7/24)
229. What Rhymes with Murder? by Jack Iams [2 deaths] (8/7/24)
230. Murder at the Boat Club by Lee Strauss [2 deaths] (8/9/24)
231. The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett [2 deaths] (8/18/24)
232. Dance of Death by Helen McCloy [4 deaths] (8/21/24)
233. Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr [4 deaths] (8/25/24)
234. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton [9 deaths] (8/28/14)
235. The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie [4 deaths] (8/29/24)
***************************************
236. "My Ladies Tears" by Christianna Brand [one death]
237. "Fire with Fire" by Richard Lewis [one death]
238. "Just Meat" by Jack London [3 deaths]
239. "The Adventure of the Big Plunger" by Robert L. Fish [one death]
240. "The Mysterious Mr. Smith" by James M. Ullman [one death]
241. "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains" by Edgar Allan Poe [one death]
242. "Into Thin Air" by Helen McCloy [one death]
243. "Hit & Run" by Neil M. Clark [one death]
244. "Do Not Choose Death" by Charles B. Child [3 deaths]
245. "First Kill" by William Fay [one death]
246. "The Spinning Wheel" by David Alexander [two deaths]
*****************************************
247. Pieces of Justice by Margaret Yorke [44 deaths] (9/2/24)
248. Nothing Like Blood by Leo Bruce [2 deaths] (9/4/24)
249. Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates [one death] (9/7/24)
250. Thin Air by Ann Cleeves [3 deaths] (9/8/24)
******************************************
251. "Chapter & Verse" by Ngaio Marsh [4 deaths]
252. "The Biological Clock" by Isaac Asimov [one death]
253. "Stand & Deliver" by John Dickson Carr [4 deaths]
254. "The Cornish Mystery" by Agatha Christie [one death]
255. "The Baby Spoon" by Patricia Highsmith [one death]
256. "The Lobster Shift" by R. R. Irvine [one death]
257. "Thomas Wolfe & the Tombstone Mystery" by Theodore Mathieson [2 deaths]
258. "The Gold Medal Caper" by Ron Goulart [one death]
259. "Fifty Years After" by Anthony Gilbert [3 deaths]
260. "Captain Leopold Gets Angry" by Edward D. Hoch [2 deaths]
*******************************************
261. The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves [4 deaths] (9/18/24)
262. Death in a Pheasant's Eye by James Fraser [5 deaths] (9/19/24)
263. Think Twice by Harlan Coben [13 deaths] (9/22/24)
264. Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers [one death] (9/24/24)
265. Wycliffe & the Guild of Nine by W. J. Burley [8 deaths] (9/29/24)
266. Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson [4 deaths] (10/2/24)
267. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout [3 deaths] (10/2/24)
*********************************************
The following are from The Queen's Awards 8th Series by Ellery Queen, ed (10/7/24)
268. "My Brother Down There" by Steve Frazee [2 deaths]
269. "Miss Paisley's Cat" by Roy Vickers [one death]
270. "If a Body...." by A. H. Z Carr [one death]
271. "The Betrayers" by Stanley Ellin [one death]
272. "The Stroke of Thirteen" by Lillian de la Torre [one death]
273. "High Court" by Thomas Kyd [one death]
274. "Born Killer" by Dorothy Salisbury Davis [2 deaths]
275. "On the Brink" by James Yaffe [one death]
276. "The Silver Spurs" by E. C. Witham [2 deaths]
277. "The Panther" by Browning Norton [one death]
278. "Heaven Can Wait" by G. B. Gilford [one death]
***********************************************
279. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff [10 deaths] (10/10/24)
280. Never Cross a Vampire by Stuart Kaminsky [4 deaths] (10/14/24)
281. The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon by Nick West [one death] (10/15/24)
282. Find a Crooked Sixpence by Estelle Thompson [3 deaths] (10/16/24)
283. Wicked Uncle by Patricia Wentworth [7 deaths] (10/22/24)
284. You'll Die Today by Marjorie J. Grove [4 deaths] (10/24/24)
285. Murder on the Moor by C. S. Challinor [3 deaths] (10/26/24)
286. Eleven Came Back by Mabel Seeley [5 deaths] (10/31/24)
287. Heberden's Seat by Douglas Clark [3 deaths] (11/3/24)
288. Death for a Dietitian by E. X. Giroux [7 deaths] (11/11/24)
289. The Case of the One-Penny Orange by E. V. Cunningham [4 deaths] (11/14/24)
290. The Penny Detective by John Tallon Jones [7 deaths] (11/17/24)
291. Nightmare at Noon by Stewart Sterling [3 deaths] (11/20/24)
292. Scarhaven Keep by J. S. Fletcher [4 deaths] (11/25/24)
293. Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi [31 deaths] (11/29/24)
294. Who Rides a Tiger by Colin Robertson [2 deaths] (12/9/24)
295. The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan [5 deaths] (12/14/24)
296. The Twelve Days of Christmas by Marian Babson [4 deaths] (12/16/24)
297. McKee of Centre Street by Helen Reilly [5 deaths] (12/21/24)
298. The Clue in the Old Stagecoach by Carolyn Keene [3 deaths] (12/22/24)
399. Death Wears a White Gardenia by Zelda Popkin [one death] (12/26/24)
300. The Cat Wears a Noose by D. B. Olsen [3 deaths] (12/31/24)
301. Dead Man Manor by Valentine Williams [6 deaths] (12/31/24)

2024 Read It Again, Sam--My Sign-Up

 


I don't do a lot of re-reading, but it does seem that I wind up with at least a handful each year. So, I'm going to sign up for my Read It Again, Sam Challenge again.
 
There are several levels (below) and the full rules may be found at the link above.
Déjà vu: Reread 4 books  
Feeling Nostalgic: Reread 8 books
A Trip Down Memory Lane: Reread 12 books  
Living in the Past: Reread 16+ books

I'm just going to go for Déjà vu: Reread 4 books. If I find myself doing more rereads, then I'll level up.
 
1. There Is a Tide by Agatha Christie (1/14/24)
2. Death Has a Small Voice by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1/31/24)
3. When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris (2/18/24)
4. Death Takes a Bow by Frances & Richard Lockridge (2/24/24)
Déjà vu complete
5. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (3/21/24)
6. Twice Retired by Richard Lockridge (5/17/24)
7. Who Cries for the Lost by C. S. Harris (5/21/24)
8. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene (5/25/24)
Feeling Nostalgic complete
9. The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene [Revised text] (6/6/24)
10. Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh (6/8/24)
11. The Phantom of Pine Hill by Carolyn Keene (6/13/24)
12. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (6/25/24)
A Trip Down Memory Lane complete
13. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (7/14/24)
14. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout (10/2/24)
15. The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan (12/14/24)
16. McKee of Centre Street by Helen Reilly (12/21/12)
17. The Clue in the Old Stagecoach by Carolyn Keene (12/22/24)

I guess I'm Living in the Past!

2024 Color Coded Reading Challenge--My Sign-Up

 


Every year I think I've used up my last title with "Brown" (or a shade of brown) for the Color Coded Reading Challenge and every year I prove myself wrong (or buy more books with suitable titles). I'll keep signing up as long as I have suitable titles (I'm determined to use titles and not covers).

Here's the basic rule: read nine books with the various colors listed below in their titles or as a dominant color/image on their covers. For full details, click the link above. I'll list my books and date read as they come.

1. Read book with "Blue" (or a shade of blue):
The Puzzle of the Blue Banderilla by Stuart Palmer (4/18/24)

2. Read a book with "Red" (or a shade of red):
Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (3/24/24)

3. Read a book with "Yellow" (or a shade of yellow):
Murder in Brass by Lewis Padgett (5/29/24)
 
4. Read a book with "Green" (or a shade of green):
 Mystery at Greenfingers by J. B. Priestley (4/23/24)

5. Read a book with "Brown" (or a shade of brown):
Dead Man Manor by Valentine Williams (12/31/24) [cover color--I try not to use that, but 2024 has been such a rotten year--especially the last few months--that I gave myself a break so I could complete this challenge.] 

6. Read a book with "Black" (or a shade of black):
 Crows Are Black Everywhere by Herbert O. Yardley & Carl Grabo (5/17/24)

7. Read a book with "White" (or a shade of white): 
 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene (5/25/24)

8. Read a book with any other color:
The Golden Eagle Mystery by Ellery Queen, Jr. (6/14/24) 

9. Read a book a word/image that implies color (rainbow, polka dot, etc): 
Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh (6/8/24)
 
 
 

Sunday, October 29, 2023

2024 Calendar of Crime--My Sign-Up

 


As I mention elsewhere, mysteries are my genre of choice. So, I have little difficulty filling up my calendar with all sorts of mysterious dates and dastardly deeds. The goal--to read one month-related mystery book per month for a total of twelve books. See link at the Calendar of Crime for details and a link to the monthly prompts.

January: Murder in Brass by Lewis Padgett [Author DOB--C. L. Moore; one half of the pseudonym] (5/29/24)
February: Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell [Takes Place in Feb] (2/7/24)
March: Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge [Author DOB--Hugh Wheeler; one half of the pseudonym] (1/1/24)
April: Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang [Major portion takes place in April] (4/14/24)
May: There Is a Tide by Agatha Christie [military figure has role] (1/14/24)
June: Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer [Author DOB] (1/15/24)
         Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines [Month in Title] (2/12/24)
July: The Mystery at Orchard House by Joan Coggin [Author DOB] (1/13/24)
August: Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz [Pub Month] (3/16/24)
September: Never Cross a Vampire by Stuart Kaminsky [Author DOB] (10/14/24)
October: One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton [Word begins with "O"] (3/2/24)
              The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout [Publication Month] (3/5/24)
November: The Emperor's Snuff Box by John Dickson Carr [Author DOB] (1/3/24)
                  Death in a Pheasant's Eye by James Fraser [other holiday--Guy Fawkes] (9/19/24)
December: The Passenger from Scotland Yard by H. F. Wood [Takes Place in Dec] (1/11/24)
                   Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh [Christmas] (5/30/24)


2024 Reading by the Numbers--My Sign-Up

 


The Reading by the Numbers Challenge is the reading challenge at its most basic--just track everything you read. Anything counts--graphic novels or comic books, hard copy, e-books, audio novels, etc. If it is a book, it counts. And although the covers shown in the challenge image are all mysteries, you may read from any and all genres that interest you. Just set a goal and when January 1 comes around, start reading.

I blew by my goal of 100 in 2022, so last year I upped the ante a bit to 150. That seems to be a good goal and I'm going to stick with it for 2024. Hopefully, I'll rack up more than that. But with 150 I can claim the challenge complete.

1. Death, My Darling Daughters by Jonathan Stagge (1/1/24)
2. The Emperor's Snuff Box by John Dickson Carr (1/3/24)
3. Bodies from the Library 3 by Tony Medawar, ed (1/7/24)
4. The Passenger from Scotland Yard by H. F. Wood (1/11/24)
5. The Mystery at Orchard House by Joan Coggin (1/13/24)
6. There Is a Tide by Agatha Christie (1/14/24)
7. Murder in C Major by Sara Hoskinson Frommer (1/15/24)
8. Murder by the Book by Martin Edwards, ed (1/20/24)
9. Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb (1/21/24)
10. The Cambridge Murders by Glyn Daniel (1/24/24)
11. Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood (1/27/24)
12. A Guilty Thing Surprised by Ruth Rendell (1/28/24)
13. Playing with Myself by Randy Rainbow (1/31/24)
14. Death Has a Small Voice by Frances & Richard Lockridge (1/31/24)
15. The Song of Roland by Anonymous; translated by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/2/24)
16. The Final Days of Abbot Montrose by Sven Elvestad (2/3/24)
17. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Nov 1965 by Ellery Queen, ed (2/4/24)
18. Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell (2/7/24)
19. Miraculous Mysteries by Martin Edwards (2/9/24)
20. Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines (2/12/24)
21. Gently Down the Stream by Alan Hunter (2/13/24)
22. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa (2/14/24)
23. The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth (2/16/24)
24. When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris (2/18/24)
25. Ellery Queen's Anthology 1966 Mid-Year Edition by Ellery Queen, ed (2/18/24)
26. A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2/20/24)
27. Man of Two Tribes by Arthur W. Upfield (2/22.24)
28. Death Takes a Bow by Frances & Richard Lockridge (2/24/24)
29. Murder After Hours (The Hollow) by Agatha Christie (2/26/24)
30. The Unicorn Murders by Carter Dickson (2/28/24)
31. The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook (2/29/24)
32. One by One They Disappeared by Moray Dalton (3/2/24)
33. The Blue Geranium by Dolan Birkley (3/3/24)
34. Death of a Fool by Ngaio Marsh (3/4/24)
35. The Silent Speaker by Rex Stout (3/5/24)
36. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Sept 1965 by Ellery Queen, ed (3/7/24)
38. Mad About the Boy? by Dolores Gordon-Smith (3/13/24)
39. Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (3/16/24)
40. Q-Squared by Peter David (3/17/24)
41. The Philadelphia Murder Story by Leslie Ford (3/21/24)
42. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (3/21/24)
43 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (3/22/24)
44. Red Bones by Ann Cleeves (3/24/24)
45. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (3/26/24)
46. Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb (3/27/24)
47. Grand Cru Heist by Jean-Pierre Alaux & Noel Balen (3/28/24)
48. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (3/29/24)
49. Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen (4/9/24)
50. Making It So by Patrick Stewart (4/10/24)
51. Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang (4/14/24)
52. The Puzzle of the Blue Banderilla by Stuart Palmer (4/18/24)
53. Figure Away by Phoebe Atwood Taylor (4/20/24)
54. Mystery at Greenfingers by J. B. Priestley (4/23/24)
55. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (4/24/24)
56. The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton (4/25/24)
57. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (4/28/24)
58. Cold Bed in the Clay by Ruth Sawtell Wallis (4/30/24)
59. Write Murder Down by Richard Lockridge (5/4/24)
60. The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald (5/4/24)
61. Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards (5/8/24)
62. Bodies from the Library 4 by Tony Medawar, ed (5/13/24)
63. Twice Retired by Richard Lockridge (5/17/24)
64. Crows Are Black Everywhere by Herbert O. Yardley & Carl Grabo (5/17/24)
65. The Owl in the Cellar by Margaret Scherf (5/18/24)
66. Death in Five Boxes by Carter Dickson (5/20/24)
67. Six Queer Things by Christopher St. John Sprigg (5/21/24)
68. Who Cries for the Lost by C. S. Harris (5/21/24)
69. What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris (5/22/24)
70. The Tenth Life by Richard Lockridge (5/23/24)
71. Amphigorey by Edward Gorey (5/24/24)
72. The New Shoe by Arthur W. Upfield (5/25/24)
73. The Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene (5/25/24)
74. Murder in Brass by Lewis Padgett (5/29/24)
75. Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh (5/30/24)
76. The Best English Detective Stories of 1928 by Father Ronald Knox & H. Harrington (6/2/24)
77. Doom in the Midnight Sun by Eunice Mays Boyd (6.4/24)
78. The Rocksburg Railroad Murders by K. C. Constantine (6/5/24)
79. The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene [Original text] (6/6/24)
80. The Haunted Bridge by Carolyn Keene [Revised text] (6/6/24)
81. Black as He's Painted by Ngaio Marsh (6/8/24)
82. Brother Sebastian at Large by Chon Day (6/8/24)
83. Old Hall, New Hall by Michael Innes (6/12/24)
84. The Phantom of Pine Hill by Carolyn Keene (6/13/24)
85. The Golden Eagle Mystery by Ellery Queen (6/14/24)
86. The Dragon Boat Mystery by John Bechtel (6/19/24)
87. A Vacation to Kill For by Eunice Mays Boyd [w/Elizabeth Aden] (6/22/24)
88. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Aug 1959 by Ellery Queen, ed (6/24/24)
89. Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout (6/25/24)
90. Still Life by Louise Penny (6/28/24)
91. The Secret of High Eldersham by Miles Burton (7/3/24)
92. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn & Janie Chang (7/4/24)
93. It's Not Little Red Riding Hood by Josh Funk (7/4/24)
94. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Nov 1958 by Ellery Queen, ed (7/9/24)
95. Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (7/14/24)
96. Murder on Deck! by Rosemary Herbert, ed (7/17/24)
97. Death in a Small World by Laura Colburn (7/20/24)
98. Mystery Muses by Jim Huang & Austin Lugar (7/21/24)
99. My First Murder by Susan Baker (7/21/24)
100. A Body at a Boarding School by Benedict Brown (7/23/24)
101. Passport to Crime by Janet Hutching, ed (7/28/24)
102. Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman by Lee Strauss (7/29/24)
103. Crossed Skis by Carol Carnac (7/31/24)
104. Murder Rides the Campaign Train by The Gordons [Mildred & Gordon Gordon] (8/2/24)
105. The May Week Murders by Douglas G. Browne (8/7/24)
106. What Rhymes with Murder? by Jack Iams (8/7/24)
107. Murder at the Boat Club by Lee Strauss (8/9/24)
108. The Widow of Bath by Margot Bennett (8/18/24)
109. Dance of Death by Helen McCloy (8/21/24)
110. Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr (8/25/24)
111. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (8/28/24)
112. The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie (8/29/24)
113. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Feb 1965 by Ellery Queen, ed (9/1/24)
114. Pieces of Justice by Margaret Yorke (9/2/24)
115. Nothing Like Blood by Leo Bruce (9/4/24)
116. Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates (9/7/24)
117. Thin Air by Ann Cleeves (9/8/24)
118. Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter (9/10/24)
119. Kill the Boss Good-by by Peter Rabe (9/11/24)
120. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine 32nd Anniversary Issue [March 1973] by Ellery Queen, ed (9/14/24)
121. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (9/14/24)
122. The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves (9/17/24)
123. Death in a Pheasant's Eye by James Fraser (9/19/24)
124. Think Twice by Harlan Coben (9/22/24)
125. Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers (9/24/24)
126. Wycliffe & the Guild of Nine by W. J Burley (9/29/24)
127. Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson (10/2/24)
128. The Final Deduction by Rex Stout (10/2/24)
129. The Queen's Awards 8th Series by Ellery Queen, ed (10/7/24)
130. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (10/10/24)
131. Never Cross a Vampire by Stuart Kaminsky (10/14/24)
132. The Mystery of the Coughing Dragon by Nick West (10/15/24)
133. Find a Crooked Sixpence by Estelle Thompson (10/16/24)
134. Wicked Uncle by Patricia Wentworth (10/22/24)
135. You'll Die Today by Marjorie J. Grove (10/24/24)
136. Murder on the Moor by C. S. Challinor (10/26/24)
137. The X'ed-Out X-ray by Ron Roy (10/26/24)
138. Eleven Came Back by Mabel Seeley (10/31/24)
139. Heberden's Seat by Douglas Clark (11/3/24)
140. Death for a Dietitian by E. X. Giroux (11/11/24)
141. The Case of the One-Penny Orange by E. V. Cunningham (11/14/24)
142. The Penny Detective by John Tallon Jones (11/17/24)
143. Nightmare at Noon by Stewart Sterling (11/20/24)
144. Only in Books by J. Kevin Graffagnino (11/24/24)
145. Scarhaven Keep by J. S. Fletcher (11/25/24)
146. Jane Withers & the Phantom Violin by Roy J. Snell (11/26/24)
147. Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi (11/29/24)
148. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (12/7/24)
149. Who Rides a Tiger by Colin Robertson (12/9/24)
150. The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan (12/14/24)
Commitment Complete!
151. The Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marian Babson (12/16/24)
152. McKee of Centre Street by Helen Reilly (12/21/24)
153. The Clue in the Old Stagecoach by Carolyn Keene (12/22/24)
154. Death Wears a White Gardenia by Zelda Popkin (12/26/24)
155. The Cat Wears a Noose by D. B. Olsen (12/31/24)
156. Dead Man Manor by Valentine Williams (12/31/24)