The Riddle of Sphinx Island and The Cheshire Sect

Like many crime fiction fans, I find that life is just too short to read all the books, and attend all the events, that I would enjoy if time was no object. This is why our to-be-read piles keep growing. Of course, one solution is to stop acquiring books. But it's not that easy! When intriguing titles come on the market, how can one resist? Maybe the chance won't come your way again....

And in any event, for many years I've been inundated with review copies. I'm certainly  not complaining about this, as it's led to my discovering many books that otherwise I'd never have bothered with. But here again, it's impossible to read, let alone review, all the books I'm sent. And this is a pity (just as I sometimes dare to flatter myself that those reviewers who don't read my books might just be missing a treat!)

With all this in mind, I want to mention,while they are still hot off the press, a couple of recent books by unfamiliar names which deserve a plug, and which I am definitely aiming to read -but haven't got round to yet. The first is a book with a contemporary story yet which is, I think, firmly in the Golden Age tradition - The Riddle of Sphinx Island, by R.T. Raichev. It's published by The Mystery Press, and the author, who grew up in Bulgaria, has lived in London for many years. It looks very good to me.

The other book is The Cheshire Sect, by Dan Frazer - a name used by a writing duo, Dan Smith and Frazer Fearnhead. Again this is a 21st century book that pays respect to detective fiction in the past, as the hero is said to have a touch of Sherlock about him. I'm interested in the fact that the setting is Alderley Edge,not too many miles away from where I live. It's one of the most affluent towns in England, I'd guess, famous as footballers' wives territory. And you can't have too many novels set in Cheshire's green and pleasant land. I look forward to reading both these book.