A Deadly Episode (2026) by Anthony Horowitz The Word Is Murder was the first true-crime book that acclaimed author Anthony Horowitz wrote, documenting the investigation by Daniel Hawthorne into the murder of a woman who had organised her own…

Out this Thursday - the outstanding A Deadly Episode by @anthonyhorowitz.com from @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social - a masterclass in how to write a whodunnit and how to still fool someone who's read far too many mysteries like me...
#BookSky #Mystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/04/20/a...

Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Padded Door by Brian Flynn Brian Flynn (1885-1958) is another of those forgotten authors from the first part of the 20th century whose work has been resurrected after diligent effort on the part of a few people. It doesn’t h…

This week's forgotten book is one of Brian Flynn's Anthony Bathurst mysteries, reprinted by Dean Street Press. A blackmailer, the accused killer, a hanging judge, and a jaw-dropping plot twist. #FFB 📚⚡️ 📚💙 happinessisabook.com/fridays-forg...

Well, it was a pretty easy one. Waiting for Peacocks, Candles and quotes from Omar Khayyam as themes...

You got there first with The Orange Axe...

Death Walks by the River (1959) by Vicars Bell ne of Bell’s books for my Patreon supporters, Death and the Night Watches (1955). Vicars Bell (1904-1988) is not a pseudonym as I had initially assumed, and Vicars had career in teaching alongside …

Death Walks by the River (1959) by Vicars Bell crossexaminingcrime.com/2026/04/12/d... #BookSky from my blogging buddy Kate

Treaty Of Blood (2026) by Michael Jecks Berenger Fripper thought that returning to England and taking holy orders would be the peace that he needed after his experiences on the battlefields of France, but realising that such peace is now…

Out now - the latest historical epic from friend of the blog and Morris dancer extraordinaire @michaeljecksauthor.bsky.social @boldwoodbooks.bsky.social

#BookSky #Historical #HundredYearsWar

classicmystery.blog/2026/04/12/t...

The Dead Can Tell (1940) by Helen Reilly Cristie Lansing had two problems. Firstly, she couldn’t spell her forename, but her main problem was the fact that she had been madly in love with Steven Hazard for the best part of her adult life …

New review of an old book - The Dead Can Tell by Helen Reilly #BookSky #Mystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/04/09/t...

The Spirit Guide (2026) by Bridget Walsh The death of a colleague’s husband – albeit in name only – leads Minnie Ward from the Variety Palace Theatre and private investigator Albert Easterbrook to begin the hunt for a murderer. The trail …

Out tomorrow from @pushkinpress.com - The Spirit Guide by Bridget Walsh #Mystery #Victoriana #BookSky #Spiritualism

classicmystery.blog/2026/04/08/t...

Four-Ply Yarn (1944) by Miles Burton St Orran’s Cove, five miles from Penmouth on the west coast of England, is usually a peaceful fishing town, but it has come to the attention of Desmond Merrion, a Captain of Naval Intelligence, as …

Time for something from the plie labelled “please reprint!” #BookSky #ClassicCrime classicmystery.blog/2026/04/06/f...

Missed both of those when I checked earlier... Well done!

The Case Of The Demure Defendant (1956) by Erle Stanley Gardner “I sometimes do things that will expose the weakness of the police theory. I sometimes cross-examine a witness to bring them face to face with physical conditions which demonstrate the fallacy of h…

Off to court with another excellent Perry Mason read #BookSky #PerryMason #Mystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/04/03/t...

Devil Kinsmere (1934) by Roger Fairbarn aka John Dickson Carr On the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, in England, Colonel Richard Kinsmere decides to entertain and distract his grandchildren with the story of his grandfather, Roderick “Devil” Kinsmere at the co…

New review of a near-unobtainable mystery novel, arguably the first ever historical mystery #HistoryMystery #ClassicMystery #BookSky #JohnDicksonCarr
classicmystery.blog/2026/03/31/d...

A noose? Not sure I want to know what you get up to in your shed...

Epitaph For A Dead Actor (1960) by Dulcie Gray Louise Fuller, the esteemed actress, has decided to accept the offer of a lead role in a play for the BBC, The Schoolmistress, despite the fact that her co-lead will be the equally well-known Rober…

A lost mystery from actress Dulcie Gray - Epitaph For A Dead Actress from 1960
#ClassicMystery #BookSky #mysteryhammer

classicmystery.blog/2026/03/29/e...

The Double Turn (1956) by Carol Carnac aka E C R Lorac Adrian Delafield lived a reclusive life. A famed artist, he lived with his housekeeper Trimming, an overzealous controlling presence who is at odds with Delafield’s sister. But even with the tensio…

Out now from @britishlibrary.bsky.social - The Double Turn by Carol Carnac/ECR #BookSky #ClassicMystery

classicmystery.blog/2026/03/27/t...

The American Suspect (2026) by Jim Kelly Cambridge, 1942, and the world is at war. American Gis have come to England and are being welcomed by the local populace. But while the allies are welcomed one-and-all by the locals, there are dist…

Think I forgot to post this review for this classy wartime mystery from Jim Kelly @waterclock.bsky.social @allisonandbusby.bsky.social Oops. #BookSky #HistoryMystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/03/19/t...

The Herring-Seller’s Apprentice (2007) by L C Tyler – a re-read Ethelred Tressider is a writer, churning out detective novels year after year. Actually, he’s also churning out historical mysteries and romantic fiction under two other pseudonyms, but life seems …

A blast from the recent past - the wonderful The Herring-Seller's Apprentice by L C Tyler, a must read for fans of classic mysteries... @allisonandbusby.bsky.social
classicmystery.blog/2026/03/22/t... #BookSky #Mystery #MustRead

Did you know the great Anthony Bathurst is of Irish descent? Brian Flynn confirms the sleuth's heritage in The Spiked Lion: a fitting pedigree for such a sharp mind!
Celebrate with our new editions! 📚🥃☘️
#StPatricksDay #BrianFlynn #ClassicCrime @puzzledoctor.bsky.social

How To Get Away With Murder (2026) by Rebecca Philipson Denver Brady claims to be the greatest serial killer of all time. No one has ever heard of him so perhaps he has a point. But he has put a finger into the limelight with the publication of his book…

Out today - why has a serial killer written an autobiography/self-help guide?
#Mystery #Thriller #BookSky @bantambooksuk.bsky.social

classicmystery.blog/2026/03/12/h...

BREAKING NEWS: An otter is a bit sleepy.

Seeds Of Murder (2023) by Rosie Sandler Steph Williams has her first proper gardening position, the head gardener of Beaulieu Heights, but all is not sweetness and light in the domain of the wealthy. Gardens full of potential, beautiful …

Cosy time, and it's off to the garden for Seeds Of Murder by Rosie Sandler #BookSky #CosyCrime
classicmystery.blog/2026/03/02/s...

Sorry that Vaseem pipped you to it this month - but I did love Killing In The Shadows. It's really hard to have a real ghost story sitting side by side with a proper mystery and this worked perfectly. Looking forward to more from Joe. And Wesley, of course...

The Puzzly – The ISOTCMN Book Of The Month – February 2026 So farewell, February. Some good books, some less-so-good books, some decent films, at least one terrible film and twenty-eight days running being woken at 5:30 in the morning by my elderly cat who…

Book of the month time and, oddly, it’s between the only two authors who I’ve ever taken selfies with - @kateellisauthor.bsky.social and @vaseemkhanuk.bsky.social … #BookSky #BookOfTheMonth

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/28/t...

Ooh, very tempting…

Montgomery Bonbon – Murder At The Museum (2023) by Alasdair Beckett-King The Hornville Museum in Widdlington is a stunning place to visit, especially if you like looking at taxidermy created by someone with a disinterest in making sure the front half of the creature mat…

The debut adventure for the World's Greatest (10 Year-Old) Detective! Montgomery Bonbon in Murder At The Museum by @misterabk.bsky.social - and it's marvellous!
#BookSky #Mystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/27/m...

Murder By The Book (2026) by M R G Davies The Quaint Bookshop in Norcester High Street is the home to a reading group – not a book group – consisting of Professor Stone, a retired professor of Mathematics (yay), Lauren Sherwood, a would-be…

New review - it's cosy time with Murder By The Book by @mrgdavies.bsky.social #BookSky #CosyMystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/22/m...

The Burning Court (1937) by John Dickson Carr – a re-read Miles Despard lies dead, a victim of gastroenteritis – apparently. But why was a woman wearing period dress seen in his bedroom on the night of his death, a woman who left the room through a door t…

A classic mystery that you need to read before someone tells you why it’s a classic… #ClassicMystery #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/21/t...

Withered Murder (1955) by A & P Shaffer Mr Fathom/Verity is staying at the Barnacle Hotel at Crab Point, off the Cornish Coast, in an attempt to acquire some rare antiquities from a local Captain. When that turns out to be a fool’s erran…

A book that's impossible to find but, good news - it's okay, but not that brilliant...
#BookSky #ClassicMystery
classicmystery.blog/2026/02/19/w...

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…

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...

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…

Here’s some info on the nominees from me

classicmystery.blog/2026/02/10/d...