Books I read in March

Ann Granger Shades of Murder
Another decently crafted village whodunnit. I could read the series.

Penelope Fitzgerald Offshore
Wonderfully economical and evocative, more a poem than a story.

Sarah Waters The Little Stranger
A wonderful treat which I've been saving since the paperback came out to immerse myself in it. I managed to resolve it in my own mind without recourse to belief in the supernatural, but there's no glib tidy explanation at the end - you have to decide for yourself.

Alastair Campbell All in the Mind
Disappointing, rather pedestrian and heavy handed; too many characters, none of them really fully formed. I'd like to see him try a political thriller though.

Reginald Hill Midnight Fugue
A bit far fetched, as I've come to expect, but pretty gripping and unexpectedly moving.

Stephen Booth Blood on the Tongue
Lots of Peak District atmosphere and a police team you could get to know and like. And a good strong plot. I'd read more of these.

Simon Kernick A Good Day to Die
A rather old fashioned sort of thriller (and none the worse for that) that started well, but became rather far fetched towards the denouement.

P.D. James The Private Patient
Cardboard cut-out characters, wooden dialogue, preposterous plot, with moralising and political polemicising thrown in randomly, and old fashioned in all the wrong ways - just why is P.D. James so highly rated?

John Harvey Lonely Hearts
And the first shall be last... Now this is more like it - instantly engaging, really human, characters; credible plot and an outcome you can care about. Wish there were more where this came from (there are ten, and now I've read them all). And at last I know where the bloodstain came from.