September's books

 September is always a really busy month for me so there are only a few books here, unfortunately! But still, quality counts.

Elly Griffiths, The Man in Black: I’m not a huge fan of short stories, but I really enjoyed this collection which interwove all kinds of bits from Elly’s writing, Ruth, Nelson, Max Mephisto, Justice and Harbinder. It was clever and great fun.

Simon Brett, Mrs. Pargeter’s Package: Our heroine is off to Corfu with a friend who does not long survive to enjoy her holiday. The cast of Greek villagers is a little muddling but the setting is good and the plot entertaining.

Simon Brett, Mrs. Pargeter’sPound of Flesh: Mrs Pargeter is now at a health farm, not, of course, for her own benefit as she is perfectly at ease in her body, but she does discover some dark dealings behind the scenes. These are well-written and engaging, though it might be best not to read too many in a row!

J.D. Kirk, A Killer ofInfluence: Another excellent episode, this time with the plot based in Logan’s past and some fun with social media influencers. The usual mixture of humour and pathos and a cracking good plot.

Rhys Dylan, Burnt Echo: Rather a tragic but very satisfying plot here and the team all acting well together as always. I did enjoy what they did to Byron, and I was very relieved to see the biscuits back. Young Rhys needs his food!

Guy Gardner, The Mirror Game: Mostly very good, and the period atmosphere is lightly evoked even with a few anachronisms in the language. I found the plot a bit unlikely, but it was interesting enough to go along for the ride.

G.G. Collins, Looking Glass Editor: I couldn’t resist a return to Santa Fe, this time in skiing season, to follow Taylor the editor with her new cat (no, the old one is not happy) and her new eccentric author to manage. G.G. has a talent for an exciting ending, too! Good cosy books in a very attractive setting.

And indeed there has been very little progress in writing, either. The second Cattanach book should have been finished by now, and it's barely started! Maybe October will give me a chance to catch up a little!