Well, I didn't expect or plan to take three months away from blogging about books but somehow or other ended up doing so. Partly the reason is that I haven't read heaps of books this year, but also I've had other stuff going on with family and so forth and this month the death of a close American friend has thrown me a bit. Plus, as soon as the sun came out here and the rain stopped, I went down with a nasty cold, which I'm still fighting off.
I thought I would just do a post mentioning a few books I've enjoyed this year, the first has more detail because I wrote it back in January, fully intending to post it before the end of March!
I finished off 2025 and started 2026 with a rather nice contemporary fiction story. The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas by Cressida McLaughlin.
I would say that this has 'Christmas' plastered all over the title but it's really more of a 'run-up' to Christmas tale. It also turns out to be book 3 in a series but the other books feature different characters (some of whom turn up in this one) so the book can easily be read as a standalone. The heroine, Hannah Swan, is sent from her home in Scotland to a Cornish fishing village near Newquay to advise on how a hotel can be more eco-friendly. She's joined by a feelancer from Mousehole (further down in the county), Noah, who is at first a bit frosty. Naturally he doesn't stay frosty as Hannah slowly breaks down his defenses and works out the reasons for them. There's also a supernatural element to the story but that's fun and doesn't overwhelm the plot at all. I wasn't expecting a lot from this other than a fluffy Christmassy romance but actually the Cornish setting is 'spot-on', the author knows her Cornwall. So, in point of fact, I really enjoyed it. So there you go, surprise, surprise.
My first book of 2026 was Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth a BLCC book, first published in 1952.
Coincidently, this also is a 'run-up to Christmas' story. Liane Crauford goes to stay with the Metcalfe family, they're Lord and Lady Metcalfe, him being a retired judge, so that's the kind of social strata we're talking. He dies, supposedly of a stroke, but is it? I loved this country house, country village murder yarn by an author not previously known to me. Gilruth was a good writer but her books are nigh on impossible to find now, which is a crying shame. Perhaps the BL will reissue more as this was top rate.
A Case of Life and Limb is book two in Sally Smith's new 'Gabriel Ward' series. (I read book one, A Case of Mice and Murder, in November, review HERE.) KC, Gabriel, is once again a reluctant investigator as Lincoln's Inn is shaken by mysterious parcels being delivered to various worthies, the parcels have rather macabre contents... and then there's a murder. Gabriel is once again ably assisted by Constable Wright. I can't over-emphasize how much I love this series, and this book was every bit as good as the first instalment. Tragically, book three will not be out until next January.
A Body at a Boarding School by Benedict Brown is the second outing for the retired detective, Lord Edgington and his grandson, Christopher.
This is what it says on the tin, a boarding school tale of a dead, unpopular teacher and who knocked him off. In the running are other teachers of course, but also prefects, pupils and lord knows who else. I enjoyed this as I like a school based murder mystery and this series is fun with likeable investigators.
A quick mention of The Arctic Cruise, a contemporary romance with older protagonists by Caroline James. This was a Norway Fjords cruise yarn, I liked the older characters very much, secrets and so forth abound, but all of the cruise detail was too much really, and did not make me want to jump on a ship and go cruising. Which I fancy was not the intention...
My first book of March was Sky High by a favourite vintage crime writer, Michael Gilbert.
This crime yarn from 1955 has a village setting (I seem to like those) and involves a house being blown up and the occupant killed. Was it an accident or was he knocked off by persons unknown? Choir leader and motorcyclist, Liz, her son, whose occupation seems to be a bit hush-hush, and a retired army general take the investigation on. I loved this. Michael Gilbert was such a classy writer, loads of dry humour in all of his books, I've read quite a few now and have loved them all. Can't recommend this highly enough.
Richard Osman needs no introduction from me, We Solve Murders is the first book in his new series of the same name.
Steve Wheeler is a retired police detective, his daughter-in-law, Amy, is a private security type. Her life is suddenly in danger, she's in South Carolina protecting a mad author, and she has to go on the run. Steve hates leaving his village and the weekly quiz team but would do anything for Amy, so off he goes travelling the world to save her. I enjoyed this but with reservations. It was fun, I liked the international spy thriller flavour of it, but Steve and Amy did not really gel with me. The mad female author though, Rosie D'Antonio, I thought she was great. So I probably 'will' read the next book when it comes out. We'll see.
My latest book was The Furies, book 20 in the Charlie Parker series by my favourite author, John Connolly. This was two creepy novellas in one book, not his best, in my opinion, but he can't write a bad book so I still gave it four stars on Goodreads. I only have two books to go now and I will be caught up with this amazing series.
So that's a few of the books I've enjoyed this year so far. As I said, I haven't read heaps but those I have read, mainly murder mysteries, have all been excellent.
I will try to catch up with a few posts over the next few days, and also, be around a bit more. Hope everyone has had a good start to 2026 and are keeping well?
