The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (1942)
When the body of a young woman is found in their library, Dolly Bantry immediately calls her old friend Jane Marple to help save her husband’s reputation.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this one over the years, but Charlotte gave me a vintage paperback version for Christmas so obviously I was going to read it yet again. So good.
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (1851)
The ups and downs of daily life in a quiet village dominated by elderly spinsters.
A teensy bit slow at times, but good characterisation and regular dashes of humour made it an enjoyable read. The tv adaptation starring Judi Dench isn’t entirely faithful to the source, but close enough. And the casting was perfection.
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (2025)
At Joyce’s daughter’s wedding reception, the best man tells Elizabeth that he is in danger, and then disappears, thus kicking off another investigation by the Thursday Murder Club.
Good pacing, plotting, characterisation, suspense. Richard Osman is really good at this.
A Jane Austen Year (2025)
A nice scrapbook of Jane Austen’s letters, photos of places she lived, excerpts from her novels, and descriptions of items she owned and activities she pursued.
This was a nice, quiet read, produced as a fundraiser for the museum Jane Austen’s House.
Shroud for a Nightingale by PD James (1971)
A student nurse dies during a medical demonstration in front of her fellow students and, much as they all want to believe otherwise, she was clearly murdered. Unleash Dalgleish.
A bit too long, but quite good. Interesting setting and crime with believable characters.
Other titles I read that didn’t make the list:
Hag’s Nook by John Dickson Carr (a mystery-thriller that started off well, but then lost me)
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (DNF when I realised I didn’t care what happened next)
The Return of Mr Campion: Uncollected Stories by Margery Allingham (I love you, Margery, but these just didn’t do it for me)