March 2026 Books

March was a proper mixed bag. Time travel, murder, doomed relationships and people making consistently poor life choices.

Seven books this month. The numbers are creeping up, and that’s deliberate. I’ve started making a conscious effort to do more for me and less for people who, in hindsight, were quite happy taking the time and effort without ever really clocking it.

Strange that. You stop giving your time away and suddenly you’ve got loads of it.

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The Last Stop Video Shop – Keith A Pearson

Always a good sign when a new Keith A Pearson book turns up. First discovered him during lockdown and he’s now firmly in the “don’t even read the blurb, just start it” category.

Kevin Kershaw is drifting through life in that very familiar way. Nearly fifty, divorced, stuck in a job that definitely wasn’t the plan. Then he finds a video shop. Not ironic. Not themed. Just… a video shop. In England. In this decade. Which tells you everything you need to know.

He’s given a VHS tape showing a childhood memory involving his late mother. One small issue. It was never filmed.

From there it becomes less about the novelty and more about whether digging up the past is comforting or quietly destructive.

Read it in one sitting. In the bath. Water went cold, bath emptied, topped up and went cold again. Several times.

And yes, it got me. Not blubbing into a flannel, but close enough.

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Beth is Dead – Katie Bernet

Little Women, but everyone’s got motive and someone’s actually followed through.

Beth is dead. The sisters investigate. The more they dig, the worse it looks. For them.

Jo wants attention, Amy wants out, Meg is holding things together while clearly one bad day away from not bothering anymore. Add social media, ambition and long-standing resentment and you’ve got a fairly toxic family WhatsApp group brought to life.

It’s clever, keeps moving, and doesn’t waste time trying to make anyone particularly likeable.

Which feels about right.

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Happy Never After – Lynn Painter

People getting paid to object at weddings. It’s one of those ideas where you wonder why it’s taken this long.

Sophie hires one after discovering her fiancé has been cheating again. Instead of cancelling things like a rational adult, she joins the business. Max is the professional objector. Also professionally allergic to commitment.

You know exactly where it’s going. Two people who don’t believe in love, spending all their time together, absolutely not developing feelings.

Predictable, yes. But it’s self-aware enough to get away with it. Doesn’t drag, doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t.

In and out. Job done.

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The Mind of a Murderer – Michael Wood

Back to murder. It always finds a way back in.

Part of the Olivia Winter series, which is quietly building into something reliable. She’s a forensic psychologist whose father was a serial killer and nearly added her to the list. Not ideal, but useful for work.

A new killer appears and she’s brought in to profile him. Which inevitably means revisiting everything she’d rather not.

It’s dark without being hard work. Moves well, keeps things tight, and doesn’t get lost in its own psychology.

I enjoyed this. Solid start to the series.

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The Devil’s Code – Michael Wood

Straight into the next Olivia Winter book, because once you’re in, you’re in.

Body in a boot, suspect saying nothing, notebook full of code that probably points to more bodies. Standard setup, but the code angle gives it a bit more to chew on.

Olivia is right back in it, still balancing doing her job with dealing with everything that comes with her past. The “final girl who never quite got to leave the story” angle is pushed a bit more here, which works.

I enjoyed both of these. No nonsense crime thrillers that do exactly what they’re supposed to without trying to be clever about it.

Which is often where things go wrong.

More to come. Which is nice.

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My Bags Are Big – Tibor Fischer

This is where things take a slight turn.

Dubai, Bitcoin, money, ego, and a narrator who may or may not be as in control of things as he thinks he is. There’s a lot of self-justification going on, which is always a red flag.

It’s sharp, cynical and occasionally feels like it’s deliberately not explaining itself just to see if you’ll keep up.

There’s something in there about identity and reinvention, but it’s mostly interested in pointing out how ridiculous the whole thing is.

Not for everyone. But if you like something that doesn’t hold your hand, it’s worth the effort.

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Borrowed Time – Adrian Cousins

A re-read because I’d fallen behind and needed to remember who was who and what had already been broken.

Jason Apsley’s second life has been going relatively smoothly since heading back to 1976. Naturally, that can’t last. Someone who should be dead turns up. Which is never a good sign in any situation, let alone time travel.

This one shifts more focus onto Beth, which helps keep things from getting stale. The usual problems apply. Change something here, break something there, try to fix both.

It’s quick, doesn’t overcomplicate itself, and keeps things moving. Exactly what you want from it.

Two more (at the moment) in the series.

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Overall

A strong month without anything trying too hard to be the best thing I’ve ever read.

No standouts, but no passengers either. Just a run of books that did their job properly, which is probably more valuable in the long run.

Seven books in.

More time spent on things I actually enjoy.

And, surprisingly, no one asking me to do something “quick” that takes three hours.