Some book blogger I am! My three compatriots, Kate Jackson (Cross Examining Crime), Steve “Puzzle Doctor” Barge (In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel) and Jim “JJ” Noy (The Invisible Event) managed three hundred reads between them this year, and while Kate has a slight edge on the boys (she read 115 of those books), they’re all pretty close. I marvel how JJ gets three posts out a week, in rain or shine, come hell or final exams, and if only 89 of his 165 posts last year covered novels, between the stories and the TV shows and the interviews on In GAD We Trust, Jim covers an enormous and diverse amount of material. 

And me? Slow reader that I am, I managed a paltry 48 reads this year, and a startling amount of them were re-reads. I mean, a quarter of my input was taken up by Miss Marple! I hang my head in shame . . . he said, with a sly twinkle. Still, the end of an annum calls for celebration of the year in passing and a look forward to what lies ahead. And that’s what the hodgepodge below represents. 

THE BEST READS OF THE YEAR 

In determining the best of 2023, I decided to stick only with those books I was reading for the first time. This reduced the 48 titles to 32, and these books seemed to fall easily into several categories. So rather than try and compare them all to each other, I give you the best of each category: 

The Best Non-Fiction Book

That would be How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel (2023, Kate Jackson), not because it’s the only non-fiction mystery-centered book I read this year and not because Kate happens to be a dear friend. Here she manages to distill the experience not only of reading but of being part of a classic mystery, and she does it all with her customary bone-dry wit. 

The Best Perry Mason Mystery

I managed to read six of them, and Erle Stanley Gardner is rapidly becoming my comfort food. (Meaning, you can expect more of him next year!) The titles I read spanned the years 1938 to 1954, and there was not a lemon amongst them. Still, as much as I loved TCO The Rolling Bones (1939), The Baited Hook (‘40), The Black-Eyed Blonde (’44), The Borrowed Brunette (’46), and The Restless Redhead (’54), my heart belongs to the earliest of these, 1938’s The Case of the Substitute Face. The opening on a cruise ship is unusual for Gardner, the courtroom action sings, and Della Street is the star of this show! 

Best Krime for Kids Book

The highlight of 2023 in terms of juvenile mysteries was undoubtedly discovering the books of Stuart Gibbs. He has created several series, including ones set on the moon and in an academy for junior spies, but his greatest creation is the FunJungle series that starts with Belly Up (2010). Not only is the murder victim a hippopotamus, but he turns out to be the Simeon Lee of all hippos, with such a reviled personality that folks seem to be standing in line to murder him. In this and seemingly all his books, Gibbs clearly has a blast with mystery conventions, and in Teddy Fitzroy he has created a sleuth/hero you can’t help but root for.

Best Modern Mystery Novel

Admittedly, I don’t read a lot of modern mystery fiction. This year, I only managed six titles – but they included the most recent Paul Halter translation, and the latest books by Janice Hallett, James Scott Byrnside, and Tom Mead. And my favorite? 

Well, it’s not because Janice Hallett published two books this year that I’ve chosen her. The Christmas Appeal was a laugh riot of a novella, so much so that I forgive the lightness of the mystery contained therein. But The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was, by far, the creepiest piece of writing Hallett has published thus far. Told in her inimitable e-mails/What’s App/text message style, Angels chronicles the investigation of a jaded newswoman into a cold case involving a cult that will have you wondering if the crimes contained here were instigated by either Satan or God Herself. In the end, everything is explained, but rarely have I felt the warm glow of satisfaction coupled with the shivers that this gave me. 

Best Classic Mystery Novel

Looking at the fifteen titles on this list, it’s easier to pick what doesn’t go on top. I didn’t hate any of them. Books by Catherine Aird, Joan Cockin, Patricia McGerr, Nigel Fitzgerald, and Seishi Yokomizo all had their good points, but none of them thrilled me. I read three titles by Dolores Hitchens (1939’s The Cat Saw Murder, 1942’s The Alarm of the Black Cat, and 1959’s The Watcher), and this feline fan found the noirish Watcher the most satisfying read of the three. I continued my enjoyment of Baynard Kendrick’s blind detective, Captain Duncan MacLain, with two more titles (1943’s Blind Man’s Bluff and 1945’s Death Knell). 

In the end, I find myself torn between three authors: Josephine Tey continued to enthrall me with her prose in The Franchise Affair (1948), and my all-too-sporadic dive into the work of Carter Dickson received a delightful reward with And So to Murder (1940). But I have to say that the most delightful discovery I made this year was in the too small output of Lange Lewis. Beginning with Murder Among Friends (1942) and continuing with Juliet Dies Twice (1943), Lewis managed to convey the neurotic excitement in the atmosphere of a college campus, first in the graduate medical school and then in the drama department. She also created one of my favorite policemen: Lieutenant Richard Tuck. But with her fourth book, Lewis left the groves of SoCal academia for the Hollywood jungle, and here is where we find my favorite classic mystery read of the year: 

The Birthday Murder (1945) does what Lewis does so well by balancing the elements of a puzzle mystery with the depth of a strong psychological novel. The cast in this one is the smallest of Lewis’ books and the ending perhaps the most heartbreaking. But what more can you ask of an author than to close their book with a sigh and with profoundly that they had written more. 

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So much for looking back. Now, what about the coming year? 

Frankly, there’s not much that embarrasses me more than coming back to posts like this one and seeing all the promises that were made but never kept. So herewith are several goals that I hope to fulfill in ’24.

1. THE CHRISTIE CONUNDRUM

It’s not secret how much I love Agatha Christie, but the truth is that I’ve read her books many times, and I tend to fall back on her when I’m at a loss for where else to turn. This prevents me from tackling more “new” old stuff. Thus, you can expect less of an emphasis on Christie next year on the blog. I will say, however, that there are a few Christie-centered projects in the works about which I am really excited. More information will follow . . . 

• THE GARDNER GRAB

There’s no doubt that my new obsession is Erle Stanley Gardner, and as much as I hope to dive back into the Cool and Lam and D.A. Doug Selby series, my heart belongs to Perry Mason. Even though each novel I read wreaks havoc with my lifelong love of the TV series, I can’t wait to dive into more of the canon. Next year, I plan to hang out in court with a seven-book series of titles that takes us through the many decades of the Mason oeuvre. See if you can guess not only the connecting theme to these books but how I came up with that theme!

• MODERN MADNESS

Yes, all too many authors today manage to sell more copies by having the phrase “a modern Agatha Christie” stamped on the cover, and all too many of these folks don’t deserve the encomium. But I’m always on the lookout, and I’ve managed to amass a certain cadre of authors whose work has consistently provided pleasure. Next year, we’re due for more from Janice Hallett, Anthony Horowitz, Tom Mead, and Benjamin Stevenson.

First, though, I’m excited to start by covering an author who is both new to the mystery scene and an old friend. Watch this space!

• CLASSIC CRAZINESS

More Carter Dickson/JDC! More Christianna Brand!! More honkaku, old and new, with new translations of Ayatsuji, Yokomizo, and Futaro Yamada! I admit I am a slow reader, but Book Club is getting me off to a great start next year, and I’m excited to dip into beloved authors and tackle some new ones, like James Ronald and Reginald Hill. The possibilities are limited only by the size of my TBR pile (3500 volumes and counting) and the growing list of titles that small mystery presses keep spitting out! Oh, the humanity!!

• FELONIES ON FILM

Who knows what abyss I’m leaping into, but my birthday presents to myself were 1) a new sport coat, and 2) a subscription to BritBox. Now I can cover all the series that my British friends finished watching five years ago . . . but I can also be one of the first Americans to see the upcoming adaptation of Christie’s Murder Is Easy. Come to think of it, that gives me the perfect reason to re-read an old favorite. Come to think of that, I should probably re-read Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? before watching that adaptation. Oh, dear, Miss Miller, you’re filling up my dance card again . . . 

First up, however, is a joyful project: the Three Amigos (Sergio, Nick and Brad) have sat down to rank in order of preference the fourteen Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce  Sherlock Holmes films. How can I keep you all waiting?? The results will appear in this space during the first week of the year! Stay tuned! 

Is that all? For now, let it be enough. I thank all of you who have followed along with me, and I hope there’s enough in store to make you stick around for another year’s Lap of the Lazy Blogger! There’s so much mystery to explore, but only if you do it with friends is it particularly sweet!

A Happy New Year to all!

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WHAT I READ THIS YEAR

1. The Spotted Cat and Other Mysteries (Christianna Brand)
2. The Murder at the Vicarage (1930, Agatha Christie)
3. Villainy at Vespers (1949, Joan Cockin)
4. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels (2023, Janice Hallett)
5. The Body in the Library (1942, Christie)
6. The Murder on the Links (1923, Christie)
7. The Franchise Affair (1948, Josephine Tey)
8. The Moving Finger (1943, Christie)
9. Death Knell (1945, Beynard Kendrick)
10. Three-Act Tragedy (1934, Christie)
11. Sleeping Murder (???, Christie)
12. Belly Up (2010, Stuart Gibbs)
13. This Book Kills (2023, Ravena Guron)
14. A Murder Is Announced (1950, Christie)
15. The Watcher (1959, Dolores Hitchens)
16. And So to Murder (1940, Carter Dickson)
17. The Cat Saw Murder (1939, Dolores Hitchens)
18. The Mill House Murders (1987, Yukito Ayatsuji)
19. Murder Is Absurd (1967, Patricia McGerr)
20. The Case of the Substitute Face (1938, Erle Stanley Gardner)
21. How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel (2023, Kate Jackson)
22. They Do It with Mirrors (1952, Christie)
23. Spy School (2012, Stuart Gibbs)
24. Blind Man’s Bluff (1943, Baynard Kendrick)
25. The Case of the Baited Hook (1940, Erle Stanley Gardner)
26. A Pocketful of Rye (1953, Christie)
27. The Murder Wheel (2023, Tom Mead)
28. 4:50 from Paddington (1957, Christie)
29. The Siren’s Call (1998, Paul Halter)
30. The Alarm of the Black Cat (1942, Dolores Hitchens)
31. The Devil’s Flute Murders (1973?, Seishi Yokomizo)
32. Murder Among Friends (1942, Lange Lewis)
33. The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962, Christie)
34. The Candles Are All Out (1960, Nigel Fitzgerald)
35. Monkey See, Monkey Murder (2023, James Scott Byrnside)
36. The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde (1944, Erle Stanley Gardner)
37. The Case of the Borrowed Brunette (1946, Gardner)
38. The Case of the Restless Redhead (1954, Gardner)
39. A Caribbean Mystery (1964, Christie)
40. Juliet Dies Twice (1943, Lange Lewis)
41. The Goldfish Boy (2017, Lisa Thompson)
42. The Christmas Appeal (2023, Janice Hallett)
43. Henrietta Who? (1968, Catherine Aird)
44. At Bertram’s Hotel (1965, Christie)
45. The Sittaford Mystery (1931, Christie)
46. The Case of the Rolling Bones (1939, Erle Stanley Gardner)
47. Nemesis (1973, Christie)
48. The Birthday Murder (1945, Lange Lewis)