My 2023 Reading Statistics

This year I have continued to listen to a lot of audio books as well as reading paper and Kindle books.  

From 1 January to 31 December I have read 30 books and listened to 84 audio books.  

The shortest book was the first one of the year Chai, Chai Again by Erin Scott with 234 pages.  

The longest book was Long Time Coming by Robert Goddard with 525 pages.  

The shortest audio book was the last one I listened to which was Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber which was only 4 hours 32 minutes. 

The longest audio book was False Witness by Karin Slaughter which was 18 hours 39 minutes.  Although quite long, this was a lot shorter than my longest from last year.  

I have read a total of 10,763 pages and listened to 941 hours and 1 minute of audio books.  

Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

Roz Parker has just left her job in the Met Police as a detective.  Her daughter Heather is in Fort William, expecting a baby and has gone into labour.  On 23 December Roz is booked on the overnight sleeper train from London to Fort William.  The train is delayed due to poor weather conditions.  Many other trains have been cancelled.  The journey finally begins but the train will stop at fewer stations along the way.  

Most of the passengers gather in the club car and as there is a competitive student quiz team on board and tensions are running high, Roz suggests that everyone takes part in a quiz to distract and entertain them.  

In the early hours of Christmas Eve part of the train becomes derailed and one of the passengers is found murdered in her cabin behind a door which was locked from the inside.  Roz tries to keep the passengers safe and find out who the killer is.  It will be hours before the police and the railway engineers can reach them.  Then another passenger is murdered.  

Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber

Trying to get flights out of California to go to Seattle proves impossible.  Ashley Davison is told there are no flights and Dash Sutherland is told he can be put on stand-by but he has to get to Seattle for a job interview on 23 December.  They both head over to the car rentals and find there is only one car left.  As they are both heading to Seattle they agree to share the car.  

Ashley wants to surprise her mum by returning home for Christmas.  But unbeknown to her, the reason she was told there were no flights is that her name has flashed up as being on a 'no flights' list and the FBI have been informed.  On the way to Seattle they come across a few problems with the weather, the car and the addition of an unexpected puppy.  They don't realise they are being tracked by the FBI.  

Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop by Jessica Redland

After the death of her grandmother, master chocolatier Charlee is now alone.  Her boyfriend Ricky is moving back to Whitsborough Bay to work on a building site and he convinces her to go with him.  This could be the perfect place for Charlee to open up her own chocolate shop and to follow in her grandfather's footsteps.  She finds the ideal shop on Castle Street and has just a few short weeks to get it ready to open before Christmas. There is a lot to do and she really needs some help from Ricky but he is never available.  He says he is working overtime as he has debts which need to be paid off.   

When there is a flood in the shop and Ricky can't be found, one of the other local shopkeepers recommends Matt a local plumber who should be able to help.  The opening of the shop goes well and Charlee makes friends with many of the other local shopkeepers, her best friend even comes to join her to help her run the shop.  Everything is going really well apart from her relationship with Ricky.  

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Having fallen in her flat at the The Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly, 84 year old Florence remembers things about her life as she waits for someone to find and rescue her.  

The recent arrival of a new resident, who looks just like someone Florence and her friend Elsie knew years ago, really unsettles Florence.  He has a different name, but the same scar by the side of his mouth.  Florence is convinced that he has been looking for her and that he is breaking into her flat and moving things around.  Her friends at the home have been helping her to investigate him and find out who he really is.  

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

Twenty one years ago Lily Armitage found her mum dead in the maze at Endgame House.  She has not been back to the family home since.  Her aunt has just died and Lily receives a letter from her asking her to return to the house with her cousins for the 12 days of Christmas to take part in the annual Christmas Game.  Over the 12 days there will be 12 clues to solve and 12 keys to find.  The winner will receive the deeds to the house.  Lily does not want the house but is enticed to return and take part as her aunt promises that within the clues Lily will find out the truth about who killed her mum.  

Some of the cousins are very competitive and will do anything it takes to get the house. 

Everyone Lies by A D Garrett

 After being shamed and demoted DI Kate Simms is finally working her way back up in the police force.  She is given a case to investigate of a number of drug addicts who have been found dead.  When a celebrity is then added to the list of the dead the case becomes more high profile.  Kate secretly enlists the help of Professor Nick Fennimore.  He then brings on board one of his students.  Together they are working out where the drugs came from and what they had been cut with.   Then more dead bodies turn up.  These women have also been beaten in a very specific way and had evidence of their identities removed.  

As Kate starts to make progress with the cases, and finds links, she is being obstructed by her superiors who are happy to bury the case once an initial link with the drugs has been found.  

The Wake Up Call by Beth O'Leary

Izzy and Lucas both work on the front desk at the Forest Manor Hotel.  They don't get along and are always doing things to annoy each other and are very competitive.  The hotel needs investment or it will close in the new year.  Just before Christmas an internal ceiling collapses which make things even worse.  There are a lot of items in the hotel's lost property room, many have been in there for years.  To help with finances they start to sell off some of the items.  A number of rings are discovered and Izzy decides they need to find the rightful owners.  She and Lucas have a competition to see who can return the most rings.  As they are working together their feelings for each other start to change.  

A Woman Unknown by Frances Brody

Private Investigator Mrs Kate Shackleton is asked by the husband of Deirdre Fitzpatrick to find out where she goes when she disappears for a few days saying she is looking after her sick mother.  

Banker Everett Runcie has set up an arrangement whereby he will be found in a hotel with another woman so that he and his wife can divorce.  In the morning when the chambermaid goes into the hotel room she finds Runcie in there alone and dead. Mrs Shackleton, along with her assistant Mr Sykes, help the police to investigate the death and to try to find the mysterious woman who was also staying in the room.  

Another body is found and Mrs Shackleton is convince that it is not a suicide as is being suspected.  

Date with Deceit by Julia Chapman

This is the sixth book in the Dales Detective Series. 

The wife of the town Mayor, who is also Delilah's ex-mother in law, asks Samson to investigate her husband who she suspects of having an affair.  

Delilah goes undercover so that she can attend a shoot which has been set up by Bernard Taylor, the Mayor, and Rick Proctor, the local building developer.  She doesn't know that the people attending the shoot are the drugs barons that Bernard and Rick are secretly working for.  

There is a fatal accident and Samson and Delilah help the two people who are accused of murder to prove it could not have been either of them who pulled the trigger.  

Meanwhile the residents of Fellside Court help out with surveillance on Bernard Taylor's Estate Agency.  

Summer Dreams at the Lakeside Cottage by Erin Green

The morning after Beth, Koo and Lulu have all been out on separate hen nights in Bath, they wake up together in a hotel room wearing each others clothes.  They have never met before and don't know how they ended up together and in a hotel which none of them had booked to stay in.  

Beth and Koo are both brides to be, whilst Lulu is to be maid of honor for her cousin.  

Beth loves Dale but is having doubts about the marriage.  Koo loves Judd but there are a lot of tensions within her family and particularly from her father.  Lulu is in love, and having an affair, with her cousin's husband to be.  

Together the three head off to a holiday let in the Lake District for a week to give them time to work out what they are going to do and what they really want.  

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

The is the fourth and final book in the Thursday Murder Club series. 

Kuldesh, an old friend of the gang who works in the antiques business, is forced to hold a dangerous package. He is then found murdered and the package is missing.

The group get together to work out who killed Kuldesh and to find the missing package which they suspect contains drugs. In their investigations they talk to drug dealers, other antique dealers and art forgers. They also come across more murdered bodies.

Elizabeth disappears with Stephen on a personal mission and Joyce steps up to take control.