I always think that I’m going to get tons of reading done in
December, after all, there’s a whole week of nothing between Christmas and New
Year. As usual, the month started well, and then socialising hit. The good news
is I wasn’t on a deadline to hit my Goodreads Reading Challenge, as I smashed
my goal of 80 books by reading and listening to 141 books. Think I’ll have to
increase my goal for 2026, but I still want to keep it realistic.
The month began with the wonderful What Happened That
Summer by Laura Pearson. A romance with a mystery element. A
podcaster is interviewing people involved in the mysterious death of a teen pop
star twenty years ago. The fledgling romance, with the added mystery, draws you
in, and you just have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens.
Alice Feeney writes twisty thrillers, so I knew what
to expect when I picked up My Husband’s Wife. However, this blew me
away. Eden returns from her run to find another woman in her home claiming to
be her, and her husband is backing her up. How can Eden, a newcomer to a tiny
Cornish fishing village, prove her identity? I was completely intrigued by this
psychological thriller and couldn’t put it down.
Having read the first two books in the Shakespeare Murders
series, I was keen to see how the story continues with Put Out The Light
by Guy Hale. Oliver Lawrence is still on a murder spree in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
His goal is to kill those he holds responsible for his father’s suicide and his
own failure as an actor. While I enjoyed seeing how the storyline continued, I
found the pace a little slower this time around. The conclusion, however, was
completely unexpected and leaves the reader set for the final book in the
series.
I wanted to squeeze a festive read into December, and Happy
Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton was an ideal choice. The morning
after hosting a Christmas party for family and friends, Anna discovers Father
Christmas dead in her larder. With the police showing little interest in the
murder, she decides to investigate herself. This is fun, chaotic and irreverent.
I’m hoping to read the sequel, Not Another Bloody Christmas, this month.
I loved the concept of Vivian Dies Again by C. E.
Hulse. Vivian is stuck in a time loop; someone keeps murdering her. Imagine
Groundhog Day, but you have no memory of events. Aided by a waiter, who is the
only person living in real time, Vivian has to find out who the murderer is in
order to stop the endless cycle or to stay dead. Great concept, but I found the
pace a little slow.
When I started Esther Is Now Following You by Tanya
Sweeney, I was expecting a stalker story filled with satire and dark
humour. This turned out to be very different. Fuelled by grief and depression,
Esther uproots her life in pursuit of an actor she becomes obsessed with. I
found myself swinging between horror and sympathy as she manipulated her way
into the lives of those close to the actor.
Having enjoyed Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo
Middleton, I decided I’d go straight on to the sequel, Not Another
Bloody Christmas. This is just as funny as the first book, continuing to
poke fun at the middle-class while paying homage to some well-known mystery
genres such as Agatha Christie, Cluedo and Scooby Doo.
The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts by Robert
Thorogood, is the fifth book in the Marlow Murder Club series and puts
Judith firmly in the spotlight when her distant past catches up with her. The illegitimate
daughter of her dead husband turns up and accuses Judith of his murder. The big
question is what evidence does the girl have?
When I picked up So, I Met This Guy by Alexandra
Potter, I expected a funny book about dating disasters; however, this book
has a far more serious theme, that of romance fraud. Likeable main characters
Maggie and Flick chase a cruise ship around Europe as they try to corner the
love rat who has swindled Maggie out of her life savings.
I wanted an audiobook that was easy listening as I carried
out Christmas preparations, and On A Night Like This by Lindsey Kelk
fitted the bill perfectly. This is very much a Cinderella story. Fran takes a
temporary job as an assistant to a world-famous pop star and ends up as a
mysterious stranger at an exclusive ball. Filled with glitz and glamour, and
entirely predictable, this was just what I needed.
The second audiobook I listened to was How To Kill Your
Biggest Fan by Helen Blair. I do enjoy the dark humour of modern
stalker stories, so I was really looking forward to this. Hazel is a romance
writer who is reluctant to interact with her audience, until she discovers a
fan who has been writing to her for years has disappeared. I loved the way that
the author poked fun at writers, bloggers, fans and the publishing industry.
Publication dates to watch out for:-
What Happened That Summer by Laura Pearson
will be published on 3/1/26 in paperback, ebook and audio format.
The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts by Robert
Thorogood will be published on 15/1/26 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney will be
published 27/1/26 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
Vivian Dies Again by C. E. Hulse will be
published on 29/1/26 in hardback and ebook format.
Esther Is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney
will be published 29/1/26 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
So, I Met This Guy by Alexandra Potter will be published on 29/1/26 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
