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puzzledoctor.bsky.social
The Puzzle Doctor
@puzzledoctor.bsky.social
2.4K followers 340 following 580 posts
Avid mystery fiction book blogger at classicmystery.blog - rediscoverer of Brian Flynn
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puzzledoctor.bsky.social
A really interesting short story collection from members of @thecwa.bsky.social edited by @martinedwardsbooks.bsky.social #Mystery #ShortStories #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/18/t...
Then There Were More (2025) ed Martin Edwards
It’s a bit tricky to write blurbs for short story collections, especially loosely themed ones. So, here’s a range of stories from the past forty years of the Crime Writers’ Association, collated by…
classicmystery.blog
February 18, 2026 at 11:22 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
2025’s Dream Reprint - Let's Get Voting crossexaminingcrime.com/2026/02/15/2... - courtesy of Kate at Cross Examining Crime

#BookSky #ClassicMystery #Reprint
2025’s Dream Reprint – Let’s Get Voting
Last Saturday a group of bloggers, including myself nominated a classic crime novel, which we enjoyed and read last year, and felt should be reprinted, so more people can read them. For more detail…
crossexaminingcrime.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:13 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
A little favour for my blogging buddy Kate with a round-up of the candidates for the Dream Reprint Poll - coming soon to her blog
#classiccrime #BookSky #Reprint

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/10/d...
Dream Reprint 2025 – The Nominations
Following on from yesterday’s post, I’ve offered to do Kate a favour and present a summary of the nominations for the Dream Reprint 2025 poll that will run next weekend at Cross Examining Crime. Ju…
classicmystery.blog
February 10, 2026 at 8:25 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Out now - the latest from the wonderful @kateellisauthor.bsky.social . The return after ten years of Joe Plantagenet in a marvellously twisty and spooky mystery from @littlebrown.bsky.social #BookSky #Mystery

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/09/k...
Killing In The Shadows (2026) by Kate Ellis
Lexi Verity, the star of the small screen, thought she had a sanctuary in the Yorkshire village of Eaglethorpe, but it clearly wasn’t as safe as she thought. When her body is found floating in her …
classicmystery.blog
February 9, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by The Puzzle Doctor
itsthemiasma.bsky.social
About 30% through this book now and laughing out loud. #booksky
February 8, 2026 at 10:50 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Time for the Dream Classic Crime Reprint nominations - here's mine #BookSky #ClassicCrime #ClassicMystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/07/d...
Dream Reprint 2025 – My Nomination
So Kate is running the Dream Reprint Of The Year award over on Cross Examining Crime, and because she’s a busy old thing, I’ve volunteered to help out a bit. Today is the day for nominations, and t…
classicmystery.blog
February 7, 2026 at 10:50 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Out now from @vaseemkhanuk.bsky.social and @hodderfiction.bsky.social - the sixth Malabar House mystery, The Edge Of Darkness
#BookSky #Mystery #HistoryMystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/05/t...
The Edge Of Darkness (2026) by Vaseem Khan
1951, India, and Persis Wadia, India’s first female police detective has crossed one line too many and finds herself exiled to the Naga Hills District, miles from Bombay and everything she knows an…
classicmystery.blog
February 5, 2026 at 9:04 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Trigger Warning - in this one, the dog dies! That's not a spoiler, is it? #BookSky #SherlockHolmes #Mystery

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/02/t...
The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1902) by Arthur Conan Doyle
London, 1889, and Dr James Mortimer is in need of the help of Sherlock Holmes. His friend, Sir Charles Baskerville, is dead, apparently scared to death outside Baskerville Hall, his home on Dartmoo…
classicmystery.blog
February 3, 2026 at 12:17 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Yesterday I went to the fabulous @stockportnoir.bsky.social book festival in, well, Stockport and I thought I'd share the experience as best I can. #BookSky #CrimeFiction #Mystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/01/s...
Stockport Noir 2026
Stockport, the jewel of the North-West. Well, it was yesterday, anyway, not that I saw an awful lot of it apart from the immediate environs of the Masonic Guildhall. But yesterday was the second ru…
classicmystery.blog
February 1, 2026 at 8:35 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Book Of The Month time - and quite an easy win this month for @robparkerauthor.bsky.social #BookTwitter #Puzzly #BookOfTheMonth
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/01/t...
The Puzzly – The ISOTCMN Book Of The Month – January 2026
January has been and gone along with the second Stockport Noir Book Festival – more on that in my next post – and it’s time for my round-up of the month’s reading. It’s been a bit of a funny month …
classicmystery.blog
February 1, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by The Puzzle Doctor
antonyjohnston.bsky.social
"A proper mystery with interesting and varied characters, and Ace the border collie is absolutely fabulous! Another entertaining read in one of my favourite new series"

Great review of The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead from The Puzzle Doctor:
January 30, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by The Puzzle Doctor
mysteriesahoy.bsky.social
Today's post sees me take a look at The Wicked Go To Hell, a short novel by Frédéric Dard. The concept: two men are put in a jail cell together. One of them is a dangerous spy, the other an undercover cop. But which is which?
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The Wicked Go To Hell by Frédéric Dard, translated by David Coward
The Wicked Go To Hell was something of a pleasant surprise. I am not sure how it happened, but I had forgotten I had one more translated Dard to read. My guess is that the book, being quite thin, wasn't prominent on my shelf. Whatever the cause, it was nice to find I had another of his works to tackle.
mysteriesahoy.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:30 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Another first-rate canine murder mystery in one of my favourite new series from @antonyjohnston.bsky.social and @allisonandbusby.bsky.social #Mystery #BorderCollie #BookSky
classicmystery.blog/2026/01/29/t...
The Dog Sitter Detective Takes The Lead (2024) by Antony Johnston
Gwinny Tuffel’s attempts to reawaken her acting career is going well, with a lead role in a West End play. Until, that is, she turns up to rehearsal to find she has been recast as the “old lady” ch…
classicmystery.blog
January 29, 2026 at 9:40 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Out now from the @britishlibrary.bsky.social Crime Classics range - Sky High by Michael Gilbert, with an introduction by @martinedwardsbooks.bsky.social #BookSky #CrimeClassics
classicmystery.blog/2026/01/24/s...
Sky High (1955) by Michael Gilbert
In the quiet village of Brimberly, the only concern seems to be the upcoming choir competition – it’s very important that they beat Bramshott after all. But when an explosion shatters the peace – t…
classicmystery.blog
January 24, 2026 at 7:46 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Out now from @robparkerauthor.bsky.social, the follow-up to the equally impressive The Troubled Deep, the absolutely first rate Forbidden Waters #Thriller #BookSky
classicmystery.blog/2026/01/16/f...
Forbidden Waters (2026) by Rob Parker
All Cam Killick was looking for as he searched the depths of a hidden fishing lake was an expensive lure that an angler wanted returned. The good news is that he found the lure – the bad news is th…
classicmystery.blog
January 16, 2026 at 8:38 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
It was my December Book of the Month but it's finally out in the wild for anyone to read! The latest from @robthor.bsky.social and @hqstories.bsky.social and the only Murder Club that matters! #BookSky #Mystery
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/11/t...
The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts (2026) by Robert Thorogood
Judith Potts and friends/fellow sleuths, the free-spirited Suzie and Becks, the vicar’s wife, should be celebrating the capture of the murderer of Oliver Beresford but despite unmasking the killer …
classicmystery.blog
January 15, 2026 at 7:17 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
A fun collection of short stories from the master of the locked room mystery #JohnDicksonCarr #BookSky #LockedRoom

classicmystery.blog/2026/01/12/t...
The Department Of Queer Complaints (1940) by Carter Dickson
Got a problem that no one else can solve? Well, presumably if the A-Team aren’t in town, you might want to pop round and see Colonel March in the Department Of Queer Complaints. Whether it’s the sh…
classicmystery.blog
January 12, 2026 at 8:18 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
"A comedy of manners with the occasional murder." Kind of wish it had been the other way round... #Mystery #ClassicCrime #BookSky
classicmystery.blog/2026/01/10/t...
The Wooden Overcoat (1951) by Pamela Branch
Benjamin Cann has walked free from the Old Bailey, cleared of murdering his mistress. Except for the fact that he did – well, it might have been an accident, but then again, it might not have been.…
classicmystery.blog
January 10, 2026 at 1:27 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Many thanks to @martinedwardsbooks.bsky.social books for the tip on this author - a really interesting read and I hope I'll find more from the author in the future
#Mystery #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2026/01/05/t...
Three Green Bottles (1972) by Dominic Devine
When a young schoolgirl is found strangled on the golf course in the coastal town of Chalford, the town is gripped by terror until suspicion falls on Dr Terry Kendall, a troubled young man who has …
classicmystery.blog
January 5, 2026 at 8:01 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
A masterpiece of suspense... #Mystery #ClassicCrime #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2026/01/04/t...
The Unsuspected (1946) by Charlotte Armstrong
Rosaleen Wright was the assistant to Luther Grandison, a powerful and charismatic actor, with a voice seeming capable of persuading anyone to do anything. When she committed suicide, hanging hersel…
classicmystery.blog
January 4, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by The Puzzle Doctor
kateorman.bsky.social
The Black Archive is a series of books which take an in-depth look at individual Doctor Who stories.
purserhallard.com Philip Purser-Hallard @purserhallard.com · Jan 2
We're calling for submissions to the Black Archive from disabled authors and authors of colour, who we know have been underrepresented in the range.

Please spread this as widely as you can, as we want it to reach as many eligible authors as possible. Thank you.

obversebooks.co.uk/blackarchive...
January 3, 2026 at 11:17 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
First review of the year and Perry Mason finds himself in deep water... #BookSky #Mystery #PerryMason
classicmystery.blog/2026/01/02/t...
The Case Of The Negligent Nymph (1950) by Erle Stanley Gardner
You know how it is – you’re bobbing around in a canoe, keeping an eye on the home of an unscrupulous millionaire to try and gain some leverage for your clients – when an attractive young lady weari…
classicmystery.blog
January 2, 2026 at 2:10 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Here we go... it's time for my Review of the Year on the blog... #BookSky #Mystery

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/31/r...
Review Of The Year – 2025
Well, that’s another year gone by. The fifteenth year of the blog, and I’ve hit my target of 120 reviews for the year – just. Admittedly, there are a couple of novellas in there, and a small number…
classicmystery.blog
December 31, 2025 at 1:54 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
The Puzzly is a day early this month to make way for my Review of 2025 and luckily @robthor.bsky.social made it very, very easy to choose the winner
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/30/t...
The Puzzly – The ISOTCMN Book Of The Month – December 2025
As ever, December is the month of two summing-up posts – for the month and the year – so let’s get the year out of the way. Shall we look at my Christmas haul first of all? Look at all those lovely…
classicmystery.blog
December 30, 2025 at 6:40 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
My thoughts on the @deathinparadise Christmas special - and series 14 as I forgot to do it at the time. Sorry!

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/30/d...
Doc On The Box – Death In Paradise Series 14
Detective Inspector Neville Parker has long left Saint-Marie, so the infinite number of potential murderers hiding on the island might have thought now was the time to strike. Whatever makes the is…
classicmystery.blog
December 30, 2025 at 11:30 AM