2025 Abra Cadavers

Get a Single by reading one book.  

Cargo of Eagles by Margery Allingham

Get a Double by reading two books by a second author  

Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout

Double for Death by Rex Stout 

 Get a Triple by reading three books by a third author  

The Tragedy of X by Barnaby Ross

The Tragedy of Y by Barnaby Ross

The Tragedy of Z by Barnaby Ross

Get a Home Run by reading four books by a fourth author. 

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

The Patriotic Murders by Agatha Christie

Murder in Retrospect by Agatha Christie

The Regatta Mystery & OS by Agatha Christie

Hit for the Cycle once you complete a single, double, triple, AND a home run.

 complete 

 

Get a Foul by giving up on a foul one with the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish)

Honolulu Story by Leslie Ford

Get a Bunt by reading a short story.

Murder for Money by John D. MacDonald

Get a Stolen Base by stealing (reading) a book which has been submitted to any of our previous or current challenges - in any year - by someone else.  

The Seven Sinister Sombreros by Erle Stanley Gardner (read by Linda B)

Strike Out when a book physically strikes out of your house (back to the library, loaned out, mailed out, given away, sold, traded, composted, thrown out, audiobook taken outdoors for a walk, book taken elsewhere to read, etc.)

2025 Reading By The Numbers

 

The challenge page is located here.
My goal is 100 books.

1. The Frightened Wife & Other Murder Stories by Mary Roberts Rinehart
2. The Case of the Crying Swallow & OS by Erle Stanley Gardner
3. The Patriotic Murders by Agatha Christie
4. Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout
5. Turn on the Heat by A.A. Fair
6. Deep Lay the Dead by Frederick C. Davis
7. The Wisdom of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
8. Murder in Retrospect by Agatha Christie
9. Cargo of Eagles by Margery Allingham
10. Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day
11. Again the Three Just Men by Edgar Wallace
12. Road to Folly by Leslie Ford
13. Death Answers the Bell by Valentine Williams
14. Double for Death by Rex Stout
15. The Regatta Mystery & OS by Agatha Christie
16. Enter the Saint by Leslie Charteris
17. Burnt Offering by Richard & Frances Lockridge
18. Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
19. The Seven Sinister Sombreros by Erle Stanley Gardner
20. The Dragon Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine
21. This Fortress by Manning Coles
22. The Blackpool Highflyer by Andrew Martin
23. The Clue of the Poor Man's Shilling by Katherine Moore Knight

2025 Color Coded Challenge

 

This challenge, hosted by Bev Hankins,  is located here.  

Read in previous years' challenges

Planned

Completed

Read nine books in the following categories:

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue in the title/on the cover.

Blue Hand by Edgar Wallace, 1925

Mystery of the Blue Train - Agatha Christie

The Blue Horse of Taxco by Kathleen Moore Knight

• note for next time? The Blue Hand by Edgar Wallace
• note for next time? Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red in the title/on the cover.

Red Aces by Edgar Wallace, 1929

Case of the Crimson Kiss - Erle Stanley Gardner

The Red Mass by Valentine Williams

• note for next time? The Scarlet Letters by Ellery Queen
• note for next time? The Red Lamp by Mary Roberts Rinehart
• note for next time? A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
• note for next time? Crimson Friday by Dorothy Cameron Disney
• note for next time? The Crimson Circle by Edgar Wallace

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow in the title/on the cover.

The Case of the Blonde Bonanza - Erle Stanley Gardner

The Case of the Lame Canary - Erle Stanley Gardner

The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts Rinehart

• note for next time? Gold Comes in Bricks by A. A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)
• note for next time? The Golden Spiders by Rex Stout
• note for next time? The Golden Goose by Ellery Queen
• note for next time? Mystery of the Gold Box by Valentine Williams

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green in the title/on the cover.

The Green Ribbon - Edgar Wallace (1930)

Case of the Green Eyed Sister - Erle Stanley Gardner

The Jade Venus by George Harmon Coxe

• note for next time? The Man in the Green Hat by Manning Coles
• note for next time? Green Hazard by Manning Coles
•   "The Greene Murder Case" by S. S. Van Dine for this one!

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown in the title/on the cover.

The Wisdom of Father Brown - G.K. Chesterton

The Curse of the Bronze Lamp - Carter Dickson

Case of the Borrowed Brunette - Erle Stanley Gardner

The Bronze Hand by Carolyn Wells (1925)

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black in the title/on the cover.

The Adventure of Black Peter by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903-4

Black Orchids - Rex Stout

The Ebony Bed Murder by Rufus Gillmore (1932)
Acts of Black Night by Kathleen Moore Knight (1938)

The Blackpool Highflyer by Andrew Martin (2004)

• note for next time? The Black Mountain by Rex Stout
• 
  

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White in the title/on the cover.

The White Dress by Mignon G. Eberhart

The White Cockatoo by Mignon G. Eberhart

White Rider by Leslie Charteris

• note for next time? The White Elephant Mystery by Ellery Queen
• note for next time? The Window at the White Cat by Mary Roberts Rinehart
• note for next time? White Face by Edgar Wallace

8. A book with any other color in the title/on the cover (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, etc).

The Gold Skull Murders - Frank L. Packard (1931)

Case of the Gold Diggers Purse - Erle Stanley Gardner

The False Purple by Sydney Horler (1932)

• note for next time? The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen
• note for next time? Ride the Pink Horse by Dorothy Hughes
• note for next time? The Silver Key by Edgar Wallace

9. A book with a word/image that implies color in the title/on the cover

 (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Shadow, Paint, Ink, etc).

The Pattern - Mignon G. Eberhart

Miss Paisley on a Diet by John Pierce (1969) 

2025 Calendar of Crime

 

This is my tracking page for the 2025 Calendar of Crime. This is my first try at this challenge. Here is the original challenge post. The category listing is here. 

Here is my list. Title ideas are listed, and highlighted green when posted to Bev's page.

• JAN Deep Lay the Dead / Davis (action occurs in January)
• FEB Wisdom of Father Brown / Chesterton (Father = F word)
• MAR  Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Tiger (Meet the Tiger)
• APR Again the Three Just Men / Wallace / author birth month 
  
• MAY  The Dragon Murder Case  / Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dragon 
• JUNE
• JUL Turn on the Heat / A.A. Fair / author birth month 
• AUG The Frightened Wife & OS / August / author birth month 
• SEP The Patriotic Murders / Christie / author birth month  
• OCT Death Answers the Bell / Williams / author birth month  
• NOV
• DEC Over My Dead Body / Stout / author birth month 

read but not submitted yet

submitted to Bev's challenge review page

2024 Vintage Scavenger wrapup

This is my wrap up post for Bev Hankins' 2024 Vintage Scavenger Hunt challenge. I participated in the Gold (pre-1960) version. Bev lists 90 items to be on the hunt for during the year.

During 2024, I read 147 books. Most of the books I read came from my own shelves, with a scattering of Kindle titles. Of that 147, I found 50 had cover images that met the challenge (exactly the same amount as in 2023! )

 Most of my books do not have dust jackets, so I look online to find them if needed. My best resource is dustjackets.com or Goodreads.

Then I put the book details on this spreadsheet which I invite you to check. The green lines indicate a book matching the challenge. The "Cover" links will take you to either my review (with a cover image) or just the cover image alone if I did not review it.

I enjoyed the 2024 gold challenge - and will be back for the 2025 version, and hoping we have more challengers this time around for this fun challenge! Thanks, Bev, for hosting!

Rick Mills

The Mystillery blog

The Mystillery Reading Challenges at Mystillery Manor

2025 Vintage Scavenger Hunt

 

Bev Hankins at My Reader's Block is sponsoring the 2025 Vintage Scavenger Hunt. The challenge page is located here. 

The goal is to find as many objects on the scavenger hunt list as possible on the covers of the mystery books you read. I am working the Golden Age era. Here is the list:

 Progress will be recorded on this spreadsheet.  

2023 Vintage Scavenger Hunt wrap-up

 

This is my wrap up post for Bev Hankins' 2023 Vintage Scavenger Hunt challenge. I participated in the Gold (pre-1960) version. Bev lists 90 items to be on the hunt for during the year.

During 2023, I read exactly 100 books, rushing a bit on the last one to get it in to my Goodreads challenge before it ended. Most of the books I read came from my own shelves, with a scattering of Kindle titles. Of that 100, I found 50 had cover images that met the challenge. 

I do not select titles to read just to satisfy challenges - I use my own haphazard way of picking titles off the shelves to read: When I finish a book, I slip a corner cut from an envelope over a page, and note the month/year. I have found after ten years I have generally forgotten the plot details and solution of any given book (except The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), so I look for a book which hasn't been under the reading lamp for ten years!

Then I check it against the challenge requirements. Most of my books do not have dust jackets, so I look online to find it. My best resource is dustjackets.com.

Then I put the book details on this spreadsheet which I invite you to check. The green lines indicate a book matching the challenge. The "Cover" links will take you to either my review (with a cover image) or just the cover image alone if I did not review it.

I enjoyed the 2023 gold challenge - and will be back for the 2024 version. Thanks, Bev, for hosting!

Rick Mills

The Mystillery blog

The Mystillery Reading Challenges at Mystillery Manor