The Ultimate My Reader's Block Challenge Wrap-Up

 

For a few years now, I've gone to a one-stop shopping plan for challenge wrap-up posts. If you participated in any of the Reader's Block challenges, then you may submit your wrap-up posts here. The linky will be open until Sunday, January 5th. Then on Monday, January 6th, I will pick random winners* from all the challenges to select a prize from the prize vault. If you have participated in more than one challenge, you are welcome to submit a separate wrap-up post for each challenge and earn yourself an entry for every challenge. (*Number of winners will depend on where winners are from--I don't want to exclude my friends from outside the US, but shipping costs won't allow me to do many of those.)

Please list your name in the following manner (especially if you've got more than one entry): 

Name (challenge name) [example-- Bev@My Reader's Block (Vintage Scavenger Hunt)]

If you don't blog and don't have an URL to link up, you may post your wrap-ups in comments below (one comment per challenge) and I'll add you into the drawing. I will keep my eye on the entries and enter everyone onto a spread sheet in the order I see the entries appear. That order will determine the number for the random number generator to select.

**I realize that the Vintage challenge shown in the picture is an older one--pretend it is the Scavenger Hunt logo 😉

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

What's in a Name? 2025

 

Andrea at Carolina Book Nook is back with another round of the What's in a Name Challenge. I always look forward to the new version. This has always been a favorite of mine, so of course I'm back for another round as well. The format is the same--six categories and one book required for each one. The prompt must appear in the title of the book. For full details and suggestions for interpreting prompts, see the link above. Tentative book choices below.

1. Cardinal Direction: Murder, London-South Africa by John Creasey (7/23/25)

2. Wanderlust: No Vacation from Murder by Elizabeth Lemarchand (3/18/25)

3. First & Last Name: The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller (4/11/25)

4. Alliteration: Ambus for Anatole by John Sherwood (3/17/25)

5. Deity: The Feathered Serpent* by Edgar Wallace (7/26/25) *refers to Aztec Creator (known as Quetzalcoatl & represented by a feathered serpent)

6. Crime: Thief Is an Ugly Word by Paul Gallico (2/17/25)

Death Wears a White Gardenia

 Death Wears a White Gardenia (1938) by Zelda Popkin

The first book in Popkins' series featuring department store detective Mary Carner. It is also one of the first mysteries to feature a department store detective at all. We open with professional thief Joseph "English Joe" Swayzey loading up a suitcase with fine French lingerie and stashing the suitcase in a hidden storeroom corner where he hopes to pick it up the next morning. The next day is Blankfort & Company's big anniversary sale and there will be customers galore. He's sure that in the big sale rush he'll be able to trot out of the store with a case full of goodies with no one the wiser. Except...

When he heads to his little hidey-hole in the storeroom he finds more than he bargained for. The store's credit manager, Andrew McAndrew, has been strangled to death and stuffed in the tight little corner. Before Swayzey can make a quick exit, a storeroom employee grabs him and store detectives Chris Whittaker and Mary Carner are on the spot. They both recognize and old "friend" and are sure Swayzey was up to something--but they don't really think he would have murdered McAndrew, even if the manager had caught him red-handed. Besides--it's evident that McAndrew has been dead for hours and why would the thief come back to the store?

Whittaker sends Carner up to McAndrew's office to secure it and look for any obvious clues. She finds a woman's handkerchief and some torn papers with partial messages. Other clues are found in McAndrew's hand--he apparently caught his nail on the killer's clothing and there are blue silk threads. He's also clutching a crushed white gardenia. Things still look bad for Swayzey--the man has a weakness for perfume and flowers and was caught wearing a white gardenia. But a flower lady outside the story was selling the pricey flowers and Swayzey wasn't the only one with a gardenia in his button hole. 

And Swayzey isn't the only possible suspect. There's McAndrew's wife who knew he had an affair going on with his secretary, Evelyn Lennon, but was in no mood to let her have him. There's Evelyn who is carrying Swayzey's child and may have been given the brush-off. Mrs. McAndrew insists that her husband was going to ditch Evelyn. There are the men who have been sending expensive gifts to their mistresses and whom McAndrew may have been blackmailing (how else to explain the extra cash in his bank account?). And there is a bit of larceny going on in the store itself that he may have discovered and been silenced before he could expose it...

This one is a bit of a toss-up for me. I really like the set-up and the fact that this is one of the earliest department store mysteries. It opens well--getting right to the action and there's not a lot of time wasted in the early part of the investigation. I even enjoyed learning the ins and outs of the lingerie thief's methods. But it lags in the middle. We get bogged down with Blankfort's management interfering with the investigation (could they really have prevented the police from sealing up McAndrew's office??) and I lost interest for a good bit. It picks back up in the final chapters and the ending is neatly done. So, in the end a middle-of-the-road read. ★★★

First line: At fifteen minutes before five o'clock on the evening of March fourteenth, Joseph 
Swayzey entered the department store of Jeremiah Blankfort and Company on Fifth Avenue, New York.

Last line: "Let's go back and catch some crooks before we get fired."
***************

Deaths = one strangled

The Clue in the Old Stagecoach

 The Clue in the Old Stagecoach (1960) by Carolyn Keene

While vacationing at Camp Merriweather Nancy, Bess, and George find themselves in the middle of a a hunt for an old stagecoach. Mrs. Strook, an older citizen of Francisville, wants to help her town build a new school. Family stories say that her great-uncle Abner Langstreet hid a treasure that he wanted to be of use to his old town, if ever the need were great enough. Her great-uncle had been a stagecoach driver in the days before trains  ran most coach drivers out of business. A letter that Mrs. Strook found which Langstreet began to write to her grandmother gives more details:

You will find a clue in the old stagecoach which may prove to be of great value to my beloved town of Francisville. I put it there because I wanted it to be found some day, but not for many years.

But Langstreet was ill and the letter cuts off before he could reveal where he had hidden the stagecoach. Mrs. Strook asks Nancy to help her find the coach and the clue mentioned in the letter.

There's a couple staying at the camp who are way too interested in what Nancy is doing and who seem to be on a hunt of their own. And there are a couple of tough customers hanging around as well. Oh, and don't forget the the grumpy townsman who keeps popping up and warning Nancy off. It isn't long before a stagecoach is stolen, an abandoned barn is burned down, and Nancy is in danger. But the intrepid sleuth and her friends prevail (of course!), the real stagecoach is found (who knew there might be multiple stagecoaches near Francisville?), and the town is all set to build their school.

This was a fun revisitation of one of the Nancy Drew mysteries that I didn't reread much. I'm not sure why--there's plenty of mystery, a treasure to find, and lots of action with the baddies. It was nice to see Nancy make a few mistakes (as a child I didn't mind Nancy being perfect, but as an adult I appreciate a more realistic Nancy) on the way to the solution. I had no recollection of the girls dating other boys at the camp. I guess they have open relationships with their "special friends" Ned, Burt, and Dave. When the boys write to say that they'll be coming to visit the girls at the camp, Bess asks, 

But, Nancy, what are you going to do about Rick? [what about the guy Bess was dating?]

Nancy pretended to look worried, then said, "Some situations just solve themselves."

And, of course, it does. Rick and his friends conveniently have to leave the camp right before Ned, Burt, and Dave show up. Gotta love how Nancy deals with multiple guys...

Overall, a good mystery with several suspects (instead of the usual obvious one) and lots of adventure. ★★★★

First line: "Nancy, this is one of the steepest hills I've ever climbed down," said Bess Marvin.

Last line: "This adventure was worth it!"
*************************

Deaths = 3 (two natural; one tractor accident)

Christmas Books (& more) Extravaganza

 

I hope that all the folks on my Block have had/are having a very Merry Christmas or are celebrating their own holiday traditions in the very happiest way. Once again all the Santas in my life have been very generous and have provided me with more of my favorite things (primarily books!) Below is a run-down of the goodies that came my way this year. It looks like I was a very good girl again. 

The first to arrive was my Secret Santa from Michelle's True Book Addict's Bookish Secret Santa group on Facebook. Ryan sent me a box full of treats (including Tribble Kibble mints) and...

...The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler

Next up was our departmental staff and administrators holiday party.

My director went for my love of classic Star Trek and got me the "beaming" mug which sends Kirk, Spock, McCoy, & Uhura beaming from the ship's transporter room to the planet's surface and back again via the wonders of hot and cold temperatures. I've looked at it longingly for ages, but could never justify getting it for myself...Thanks, Jesse!

And in our Secret Santa exchange, Robert gave me a 3-in-1 Detective Book Club edition with Alias Basil Willing by Helen McCloy, Accident by Design by E. C. R. Lorac, and  The Watch Sinister by Marie Blizard as well as a reprint copy of Obelists at Sea by C. Daly King.

Christmas from my parents:

A Treasury of Great Recipes 50th Anniversary Edition by Mary & Vincent Price

What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie (audiobook read by Hugh Fraser)

The High Kings (self-named music CD)

The World of Miss Marple jigsaw puzzle

From my son:

The Cipher Garden by Martin Edwards

The Chief Inspector's Daughter by Sheila Radley

The Knife by Herbert Adams

And from my most generous Santa Hubby:

Hanged for a Sheep by Frances & Richard Lockridge (hardback w/DJ!!)

A Pinch of Poison by the Lockridges (a hardback I never thought to see...for a reasonable price)

Judas Incorporated by Kurt Steel (Dell Mapback!)

Death Plays Solitaire by R. L. Goldman

Murder Without Clues by Joseph L. Bonney

Slay Me a Sinner by Pierre Audemars

Tincture of Death by Ray Harrison

Season for Death by Harrison

Deathwatch by Harrison

Harvest of Death by Harrison

And a huge lot of Raven House books:

Death Audit by James A. Howard

Murder Takes a Wife by Howard

Clutterkill by Gary Paulsen

Dividend on Death by Brett Halliday

Deadly Legacy by Christina Blake

April Thirtieth by Bernard St. James

The Doria Rafe Case by Hilary Waugh

Crimes Past by Mary Challis

Rain with Violence by Dell Shannon

Where There's a Will by Anne Burton

The Cana Diversion by William Campbell Gault

They Love Not Poison by Sara Woods

Murder by Proxy by George Ogan

The Healthy Grave by Margaret Leake

Art for Keeps by C. Burke Block

Murder in Focus by Robert Julian

A Shroud for Mr. Bundy by James M. Fox

The Wheel Is Fixed by James M. Fox

The Bad Samaritan by William Campbell Gault

Send Another Hearse by Harold Q. Masur

Classified Death by Claire Taschdjian

The Cana Diversion by William Campbell Gault (alternate cover)

Run from Nightmare by Maxine O'Callaghan

The Ghost of an Idea by Mary Challis

Top Level Death by Hugh Zachary

And one 4-in-1 Unicorn Mystery Club Edition:

Savage Breast/Map of Mistrust/Paul's Apartment/Love Lies Bleeding

~Manning Long/Allan MacKinnan/Van Siller/Edmund Crispin

Murder Every Monday: Rank & File

 

Kate at Cross Examining Crime hosts a fun mystery cover game on Instagram called Murder Every Monday. Our assignment, should we choose to accept it, is to display book covers and titles from books you own that meet prompts which she posts well in advance (see link). 

 

Today's theme is covers with a military rank in the title.

Case for Sergeant Beef ~Leo Bruce

The Methods of Sergeant Cluff ~Gil North

The Hanging Captain ~Henry Wade

Captain Nash & the Honour of England ~Ragan Butler

Lieutenant Pascal's Tastes in Homicides ~Hugh Pentecost

The Floating Admiral ~The Detection Club (Christie, Sayers, Chesterton, et al.)

The Case of Colonel Marchand ~E. C. R. Lorac

A Checkmate by the Colonel ~George Griswold

TBR 25 in '25

 

Gilion at Rose City Reader is sponsoring her yearly TBR-conquering challenge--this year TBR 25 in '25--that fits right in with my Mount TBR Challenge, so...here I am signing up for another challenge (Surprise!). For full details check out her blog a the link above. Basically--just read 24 books from your owned TBR stacks. Here we go...

1. The Price of Silence by Kate Wilhelm (1/10/25)

2. Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective by Leslie Thomas (1/11/25)

3. The Deadly Truth by Helen McCloy (1/15/25)

4. The Art School Murders by Moray Dalton (1/20/25)

5. Poison for Teacher by Nancy Spain (1/31/25)

6. The Girl from the Mimosa Club by Leslie Ford (2/6/25)

7. Capital Crimes by Martin Edwards, ed (2/10/25)

8. Murder in Williamstown by Kerry Greenwood (2/15/25)

9. Thief Is an Ugly Word by Paul Gallico (2/17/25)

10. "Inquest" by Henrietta Clandon (2/21/25)

11. Deadly Is the Diamond by Mignon G. Eberhart (2/22/25)

12. Murder on the Orient Express: The Graphic Novel by Agatha Christie/Bob Al-Greene (2/22/25)

13. Death in Shallow Water by Miles Burton (2/24/25)

14. Behold a Fair Woman by Francis Duncan (2/25/25)

15. Bodies in the Library 5 by Tony Medawar, ed (3/2/25)

16. Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett (3/9/25)

17. Nothing Is the Number When You Die by Joan Fleming (3/12/25)

18. A Thief or Two by Sara Woods (3/13/25)

19. The Sleep Is Deep by Hugh Lawrence Nelson (3/14/25)

20. Ambush for Anatol by John Sherwood (3/17/25)

21. No Vacation from Murder by Elizabeth Lemarchand (3/18/25)

22. The Silver Peril by Maryse Rutledge (3/30/25)

23. The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller (4/11/25)

24. The World's Best 100 Detective Stories Vol. Ten by Eugene Thwing (4/14/25)

25. The Cipher Garden by Martin Edwards  (4/17/25)

Challenge Complete! Thanks, to Gilion for sponsoring this TBR challenge each year. See you for 26 in 2026!

Buzzword Challenges

For a while now Books and Lala have sponsored the Buzzword Reading Challenge on Storygraph. The goal is pretty simple--just read one book per month which has the following prompt words in the title. And now they have added a second challenge to the mix--the Buzzword Cover Reading Challenge where you read books that have the prompts somewhere on the cover. So, of course, I'm going to do both and record them both here. Titles listed below are tentative possibilities--will update with final choice once read.

Buzzword Reading Challenge Prompts

January "Truth & Lies" (a book with "truth/true" or  "lies, liar, lying"): The Deadly Truth by Helen McCloy (1/15/25)

February Water Related Words: Death in Shallow Water by Miles Burton (2/24/25)

March "Thing" (includes "something/nothing/everything/etc"): Nothing Is the Number When You Die by Joan Fleming (3/12/25)

April Animals: Tarantula by Bob Dylan (4/8/24)

May "To" and "Too": Warped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe by Walter Koenig (6/7/25)

June Murders & Other Acts of Literature: Twenty-Four Unforgettable & Chilling Stories by Some of the World's Best-Loved, Most Celebrated Writers by Michele Slung, ed (6/24/25)

July Features Punctuation: Murder, London-South Africa by John Creasey (7/23/25)

August "With": Gently With the Innocents by Alan Hunter (8/11/25)

September Events (party/vacation/reunion/etc): Death of the Party by Leela Cutter (9/27/25)

October Violent Words (kill/death/attack/murder/etc): A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie (10/25/25)

November "Never": Old Students Never Die by Ivan T. Ross (11/29/25)

December Alliteration: Dropped Dead by Jonathan Ross (11/8/25)

Buzzword Cover Reading Challenge Prompts

January Features a Pattern: Poison for Teacher by Nancy Spain (stripes on the cover) [1/31/25]

February Features a Skyline: Behold a Fair Woman by Francis Duncan (2/26/25)

March Features Books: Bodies from the Library 5 by Tony Medawar, ed (3/2/25)

April Features an Animal: The Mystery of the Merry Magician by Ellery Queen, Jr. [Banjo the dog] (5/3/25)

May Features Eyes: Eyes That Watch You by William Irish (5/3/25)

June Features Celestial Objects: The Case of the Hijacked Moon by Thomas Brace Haughey (6/28/25)

July A Dying Fall by June Thomson [a watch--a bit of simple technology that plays a big role in the solution of the murder] (7/20/25)

August Features Transportation: Murder in the Caravan by Irina Shapiro (8/14/24)

September Features Foliage: Panic in Paradise by Alan Amos (9/16/25)

October Features a Weapon: The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey [knife] (10/27/25)

November Features Food &/Or Drink: The Final Ring by Marcia Blair [wine] (11/2/25)

December Features Monochromatic Color Scheme: The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts Rinehart (12/18/25)

Reprint of the Year: McKee of Centre Street

  For the last several years, Kate at Cross Examining Crime has been rounding up the vintage mystery bloggers and having us perpetuate her brilliant brainstorm (one of many that she has had). In the wake of various publishing houses recognizing the virtues of Golden Age (and more recent) vintage crime novels through reprint editions of both well-known and more obscure titles, Kate thought those of us who love those vintage mysteries would like the chance to feature the year's reprints and make a pitch for our favorites to be voted Reprint of the Year. We loved the idea so much that we keep coming back for more.

This week's choice for the 2024 ROY Awards Ceremony is McKee of Centre Street (1933) by Helen Reilly. It stands as one of the earliest police procedurals written by a woman and this provides a strong reason for its award nomination. It gives us an up close look at the NYPD of the 1930s--from the radio room, the morgue, the mysterious depths of the fingerprint department--all the varied activities of one of the biggest police departments in the world. She introduces us to Inspector McKee, described in my edition's blurb as a "tight-lipped, cold-eyed, a hunter of men and the most absorbing sleuth since Lieutenant Valcour." And we're with him from the first telephone call summoning him to a high-tone speakeasy.

The story revolves around the murder of dancer Rita Rodriguez, the beautiful main attraction. The murderer takes advantage of the dim lighting, the audience's attention to the silver-clad beauty dancing on the stage, and the spotlight which oh-so-conveniently brings his target into sharp outline. Although the police are called in immediately by the ultra-alert spotlight handler, there are still fish which escape the net and it is McKee's job not only to sift through the statements of everyone still within the establishment, but also to try and discover who is missing.

When he is finished he's left with a small group of suspects. There is the missing waiter; the rich playboy, his wife, and step-son; the wife's very attentive friend, the colonel; the young woman found hiding in the phone booth; and the couple who can't quite decide where they were when the dancer fell to the floor. As he follows up their stories (and amended stories), he soon discovers that there are connections between the characters that lead back to the past....with blackmail and stolen emeralds lurking in the shadows.

What follows is a detailed account of how the police department of the 1930s operated. The reader follows closely on McKee's heels and is given what is described as "real inside information, high-pressure thrills, suspense." Reilly manages to deliver without boring the reader with those details. I had read other (later) mysteries by Reilly and was a bit disconcerted by the description of McKee as a tight-lipped, cold-eyed hunter of men. This didn't really connect with the McKee I had met in these later novels. Granted, this earlier version of McKee is a bit more steely and there is far more procedural detail given, but in the end he is the same detective I recall...showing a good deal of compassion and humanity in the closing scenes. Not quite the cold hunter of men that the blurb served up.

Reilly has constructed a mystery that kept me guessing. I didn't guess the solution, even though there was fair play with the clues. I should have known who the culprit was. But Reilly did a fine job distracting me with several details. Anyone who enjoys a good police procedural and wants to take a look at an early specimen should give Reilly's book a try.

First line: The weather prediction for May twenty-first was "clear and cooler."

Last line: At the moment he had other, pleasanter things to do.

13 Moons Reading Challenge

 

The 13 Moons Reading Challenge by ReadnBuried is comprised of thirteen categories with multiple prompts for each category. Thirteen books (one from each category) will complete the challenge at its most basic level--Penumbral Lunar Eclipse--which is what I will be going for. I may do more, but will consider my challenge commitment complete with 13. If you're feeling ambitious you can try for all 104! Click on the link for full details about all the levels.

Wolf Moon

*Mythology retelling

*"Dance" in title

*With a character who journals: She Came Back by Patricia Wentworth (9/10/25)

*Reread a book you had to read in High School

* Candle on the cover: The Nine Waxed Faces by Francis Beeding (9/22/25)

*"Bite" in the title

*Features a Restaurant: The Cipher Garden by Martin Edwards [several characters own/work at a restaurant] (4/17/25)

*Features something Red: Murder in Williamstown by Kerry Greenwood [red dress and red figures on cover] (2/15/25)

Snow Moon

*About a Cyborg

*Set on an Island: Behold a Fair Woman by Francis Duncan (2/26/25)

*About Puzzles

*About your favorite trope

*Borrowed from the Library: The Devil's Flute Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (1/5/25)

*Features something Purple: Murder in the Grave by Irina Shapiro [purple cover] (8/16/25)

*About an "Ice Queen"

*About Dreams

Worm Moon

*Book that scares you

*Fifth book on your TBR: No Vacation from Murder by Elizabeth Lemarchand (3/18/25)

*Features something Light Blue: The Art School Murders by Moray Dalton (1/20/25)

*Start a book at 4 PM (16:00): Gently with the Innocents by Alan Hunter (8/11/25)

*Ladybug on cover

*Book that helps you get out of a reading slump: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (8/6/25)

*Read a book by the Window: Murder at the Abbey by Irina Shapiro (6/27/25)

*"Salt" in the title

Pink Moon

*Features Religion: Landscape of Lies by Peter Watson (6/10/25)

*Fourth book you read: The Deadly Truth by Helen McCloy (1/15/25)

*Start a Middle Grade series

*About Star-Crossed lovers: The Four of Hearts by Ellery Queen (7/15/25)

*Features something White: Murder on the Orient Express: The Graphic Novel by Agatha Christie/Bob Al-Greene [snow] (2/22/25)

*With a Step-Parent: Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth (5/9/25)

*Boots on cover: Twelve Drummer Drumming by C. C. Benison (7/6/25)

*About a Writer: The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (8/30/25)

Flower Moon

*Start a book before Sunrise: Murder Among Friends by Lange Lewis (6/7/25)

*Features something Green: Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective by Leslie Thomas [green pair of underwear--important clue] (1/11/25)

*Starts with your favorite letter: (The) Best 100 Detective Stories by Eugene Thwing, ed (11/19/25)

*Features the Moon: The Case of the Hijacked Moon by Thomas Brace Haughey (6/28/25)

*About Dragons

*About your favorite hobby

*By an Indigenous author

*Butterfly on cover: Dick Van Dyke by Christy Webster (1/25/25)

Strawberry Moon

*Features something Silver: Pilgrim's Rest by Patricia Wentworth [Miss Silver is the detective] (4/30/25)

*About a natural phenomenon

*Read/Listen to book while traveling: Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie (7/11/25)

*Character has same profession as yours: Murder Among Friends by Lange Lewis (6/7/25)

*Dark Academia: The Cloisters by Katy Hays (1/24/25)

*Inspired by your favorite movie

*Eyes on the cover: The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood (3/23/25)

*About Lies: Murder in the Caravan by Irina Shapiro (8/14/25)

Buck Moon

*Handbag on cover: Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough (3/19/25)

*"Fish" in the title

*Character in their Thirties: Deadly Is the Diamond by Mignon G. Eberhart (2/22/25)

*About going back in time

*With a Spaceship: Transit of Earth by various [Playboy Press] (10/12/25)

*Written by a Ghostwriter: The Mystery of the Merry Magician by Ellery Queen, Jr. (5/3/25)

*Features something Pink: Poison for Teacher by Nancy Spain [pink stripes on cover] (1/31/25)

*Wheels on cover: Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood (3/24/25)

Sturgeon Moon

*Start book during a Full Moon: The Talk Show Murders by Steve Allen (6/12/25)

*Number in the title: Bodies from the Library 5 by Tony Medawar, ed (3/2/25)

*Metal in the title: The Silver Peril by Maryse Rutledge (3/30/25)

*With a Rainbow

*Sandals on the cover

*Has been translated to a different language: Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett [German] (3/9/25)

*Features something Orange: Nothing Is the Number When You Die by Joan Fleming [Orange Poppy on cover] (3/12/25)

*With a Talking Mirror

Harvest Moon

*Read/Listen while practicing a hobby: Crooked House by Agatha Christie (9/17/25)

*Start on the 15th of the month: "Inquest" by Henrietta Clandon (2/21/25)

*With an Albino character

*About a Thief: The Book of Killowen by Erin Hart (2/4/25)

*Features something Blue: Dead Babes in the Wood by D. B. Olsen [blue skirt on cover] (4/29/25)

*Dark retelling: Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Hepperman (3/20/25)

*Fan Fiction

*Main character over Forty: Murder Being Once Done by Ruth Rendell (7/17/25)

Hunter's Moon

*With a made up language

*Book from an Online Platform

*Book you'll fight to read

*Features something Black: The Curse of Braeburn Castle by Karen Baugh Menuhin [black cover] (10/31/25)

*Waste Basket on cover

*Book you think Cures boredom: In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett (1/22/25)

*Whimsical book: John Macnab by John Buchan (12/22/25)

*Always on your TBR that you never get to read

Beaver Moon

*Steamy Romance

*Title with word generated from a random word generator

*Cover in color of favorite fruit: Cat's Don't Need Coffins by D. B. Olsen [cherry] (8/23/25)

*Swan on cover

*Bridge on cover/in title

*Features something Maroon

*About a Dentist: No Pockets in Shrouds by Louisa Revell [dentist is one of the suspects] (4/6/25)

*Golden Trio trope [the 3 Investigators]

Cold Moon

*Read a book under a blanket: A Thief or Two by Sara Woods [read in bed] (3/13/25)

*Peppermint Cane on Cover

*Holiday romance: Murder at the Mill by Irina Shapiro [it's Christmas-time & Redmond proposes, I think that counts] (6/29/25)

*Features something Turquoise

*Ice Cubes on cover

*Mystery thriller set in cold region

*Book you think will make you shiver

*Read a book while wearing socks: The Price of Silence by Kate Wilhelm (1/10/25)

Blue Moon

*By author who has written no more than one book or series: The Strange Case of Miss Eliza Doolittle by Timothy Miller [Holmes pastiche series] (4/11/25)

*Features something Golden: Capital Crimes by Martin Edwards, ed [Golden Age Mysteries] (2/10/25)

*Book you consider a Rare find

*Character with a Rare ability: The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge (2/1/25)

*Book from region which experiences the Blue Hour

*Book gifted to you: The Final Ring by Marcia Blair [Xmas 2022 from Brad] (11/2/25)

*Features triplets

*By a versatile author

Historical Fiction Challenge Wrap-up

 

Last December I signed up for Marg's Historical Fiction Reading Challenge over at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader. I signed up for the Victorian Reader level (5 books), but I went well beyond that into the Medieval Reader. Last year I made it to Ancient History, but I don't think I'll get another historical mystery in before the end of the year--let alone four or five more. 

I enjoy a good historical mystery and I'm glad Marg puts together a challenge just for historical reads.. I hope she plans on hosting this one again in 2025 

 

1. Murder & Mendelssohn by Kerry Greenwood (1/27/24)

2. Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell (2/7/24)

3. Winter in June by Kathryn Miller Haines (2/12/24)

4. The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Rennie Airth (2/16/24)

5. When Blood Lies by C. S. Harris (2/18/24)

Victorian Reader

6. A Fete Worse Than Death by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2/20/24)

7. The Moneypenny Diaries by Kate Westbrook (2/29/24)

8. Mad About the Boy? by Dolores Gordon-Smith (3/13/24)

9. Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen (4/9/24)

10. Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang (4/14/24)

Renaissance Reader

11. Sepulchre Street by Martin Edwards (4/8/24)

12. Who Cries for the Lost by C. S. Harris (5/21/24)

13. What Cannot Be Said by C. S. Harris (5/22/24)

14. The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn & Janie Chang (7/4/24)

15. A Body at a Boarding School by Benedict Brown (7/23/24)

Medieval Reader

16. Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman by Lee Strauss (7/29/24)

17. Murder at the Boat Club by Lee Strauss (8/9/24)

18. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (9/15/24)

19. Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson (10/2/24)

20. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (10/10/24)

21. Never Cross a Vampire by Stuart Kaminsky (10/14/24)

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Ancient History