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puzzledoctor.bsky.social
The Puzzle Doctor
@puzzledoctor.bsky.social
2.4K followers 340 following 560 posts
Avid mystery fiction book blogger at classicmystery.blog - rediscoverer of Brian Flynn
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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 · 15d
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
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
A seasonal collection of short stories from @britishlibrary.bsky.social and @martinedwardsbooks.bsky.social - just not this season...
#ClassicCrime #BookSky #ShortStories

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/29/c...
Cyanide In The Sun (2025) ed Martin Edwards
Summertime, and the killing is easy… I think that’s how the song goes. Summer is supposed to be full of brightness and light, but all light casts shadows for murderers to hide in, and there are a l…
classicmystery.blog
December 29, 2025 at 9:25 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
An old unreprinted title that is very hard to find - and probably not worth the effort

#BookSky #ClassicMystery #JohnRhode

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/29/t...
Twice Dead (1960) by John Rhode
When the death of Sir Francis Yordale’s death was announced in the Times, some family members sent wreaths, some sent condolences and some just didn’t send anything. Which was a bit of a mistake, b…
classicmystery.blog
December 29, 2025 at 8:42 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Book Three in one of my favourite series - The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/28/t...
The Black Dove (2008) by Steve Hockensmith
Gus and Otto Amlingmeyer – Old Red and Big Red – have pitched up in San Francisco, seeking to make their names as a sleuth and an author respectively. But city life is not something they are famili…
classicmystery.blog
December 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Another children's mystery - an unread title from a series that I loved, but, alas, it's not a very good one...
#BookSky #ThreeInvestigators
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/27/t...
The Three Investigators – The Mystery Of The Trail Of Terror (1984) by M V Carey
Pete Crenshaw’s grandfather, Ben Peck, an unsuccessful inventor is about to embark on a road trip across the USA to demonstrate his latest invention to potential investors in New York City, and bec…
classicmystery.blog
December 27, 2025 at 7:21 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
It's a disappearing and re-appearing body mystery set on a pirate ship - what more could you ask for? The fourth Montgomery Bonbon mystery from @misterabk.bsky.social
#BookSky #Mysteries #MinorOffences
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/22/m...
Montgomery Bonbon – Sabotage At Sea (2025) by Alasdair Beckett-King
In 1702, Captain Nicodemus Grimm died when his boat, the Dreadnowt, exploded in Widdlemouth Harbour. To be fair, he did set his own gunpowder ablaze in the stupdiest possible way, but that has neve…
classicmystery.blog
December 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by The Puzzle Doctor
deanstpress.bsky.social
🥳 Here’s to 15 years of amazing blogging, and many more to come @puzzledoctor.bsky.social ! 📚✨
Forty Brian Flynn books back in the spotlight, with brilliant new introductions. Keep making the literary world a brighter, funnier, and more brilliant place. 🙏🥰
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/20/f...
Fifteen Years On The Blog – Hopes For The Future
Fifteen years ago today. That’s when I started blogging. Two posts on 20th December 2010 which, to be fair, didn’t say an awful lot apart from why I was trying to start a blog. Since then, there ha…
classicmystery.blog
December 20, 2025 at 12:02 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Happy Blogday To Me! Fifteen years ago today I started my mutterings about mystery novels - so here are some thoughts for the next fifteen years… #mystery #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/20/f...
Fifteen Years On The Blog – Hopes For The Future
Fifteen years ago today. That’s when I started blogging. Two posts on 20th December 2010 which, to be fair, didn’t say an awful lot apart from why I was trying to start a blog. Since then, there ha…
classicmystery.blog
December 20, 2025 at 7:06 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
A day early with the Reprint Of The Year nomination, but it's the Blogiversary tomorrow and I've got a plan...
#BrianFlynn @deanstpress.bsky.social #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/19/b...
Black Agent (1950) by Brian Flynn – Reprint Of The Year Nomination
Barbara Marsden was dazzling at the Wavering New Year Social and Dance, wearing a stunning yellow dress. But she never came home. Despite numerous searches, no trace was found of her. A month later…
classicmystery.blog
December 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
The best mystery movie in years...
@rianjohnson.bsky.social #WakeUpDeadMan
classicmystery.blog/2025/12/18/p...
Puzzle Doctor At The Movies – Wake Up Dead Man
Father Jud Duplenticy has been exiled to a new location – he did punch a deacon, cinedeservedly or not – where Monseigneur Jefferson Wicks leads a small band of obsessed parishioners. Jud is tasked…
classicmystery.blog
December 18, 2025 at 2:16 PM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
On the Twelfth Day Of Christmas... if you're lucky, your true love will bring you these, my top twelve Christmas mysteries... @martinedwardsbooks.bsky.social @michaeljecksauthor.bsky.social @andreinacordani.bsky.social @chrismcgeorge.bsky.social #Mystery #BookSky

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/17/f...
Fifteen Years On The Blog – The Twelve Mysteries Of Christmas
Fifteen years on the blog in four days time – I’ll be honest, I’m struggling for ideas for celebratory posts, but Christmas is on the way, so I figured why not look over the reviews that I’ve done …
classicmystery.blog
December 17, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by The Puzzle Doctor
robinince.bsky.social
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Time to kick off the Classic Crime Reprint Of The Year awards with my first nomination #BookSky #Mystery #Honkaku

classicmystery.blog/2025/12/13/m...
Murder At The Black Cat Cafe (1973/2025) by Seishi Yokomizo – Reprint Of The Year Nomination
It’s that time of the year again. Not, not Christmas, although that’s on the way. No, it’s the start of the Reprint Of The Year awards, the competition run by Kate over at Cross Examining Crime. It…
classicmystery.blog
December 13, 2025 at 8:03 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
I hate to tease my followers but you have to read this masterfully crafted mystery by @robthor.bsky.social from @hqstories.bsky.social - but you'll have to wait a month before it's available to buy. I just couldn't wait...
#BookSky #MarlowMurderClub

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
December 11, 2025 at 11:46 AM
puzzledoctor.bsky.social
Just finished The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts, the fifth Marlow Murder Club book and I can confirm that @robthor.bsky.social is a devious and clever so-and-so. But you'll have to wait a month before it's on sale...

lnk.to/TheMysteriou...
The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
Go to The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood.
lnk.to
December 10, 2025 at 10:34 PM