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Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge 2026

shooting gallery target logo highlighted author books Today's highlighted author:

George Bellairs

writer of the Thomas Littlejohn mystery series.

Click Toby Owl to see
Who?
is targeting this author !

Welcome to the Six Shooter Mystery Reading Challenge for 2026! Your goal is simple: shoot (read) six mysteries by the same target (author). That gives you a notch on your gun, and a perfect 1.000 score; and you can call it done. But wait, there's more! You get bonus points for each additional notch. However ... unlike most reading challenges, reading more books may not necessarily help your score. Scores are not based upon quantity, but rather focus in completing your target(s). No advance signup needed. This is a family friendly challenge - young series readers are encouraged to get some safe target practice here! Just read the General Information page and then take a shot to begin.
R I C O C H E T S from the S H O O T I N G   G A L L E R Y:
updated May 14: The Goodreads group function has been under-utilized for a long time (your host has been the only posting to it), so it is being replaced with one simple, unified chat room serving all Mystillery challenges. The blue chat icon (shown at left) is being added to the upper right corner of all challenge pages. It will take you to the chat room. Please note the room is not moderated, but your host will be in it whenever updating this site. Feel free to use this for contacting your host, and just chatting with each other.
May 12: Karen A (Arkansas) carves her sixth notch with the K-9 Unit multi-author series ( see Rule 10 on the General Information page for details on how a multi-author series is scored) plus seventh notch with target Susan Sleeman!
 

Review previous challenges: 2019202020212022202320242025

Who else took a shot at my book? Enter Author or Title:

SHOOTING GALLERY updated TUE MAY 12 2026 @ 9.00 PM EDT
Gunslingers
2 5
Shots
3 9 4
Notches
5 5
TCP
chart
+ bonus = score Targets FMI
Avid Series Reader
New Mexico
17 5 1.764 0.400 2.164 Goodreads profile tracker page
moved up updated Karen A
Arkansas
28 7 1.500 0.600 2.100 Goodreads profile
Erika Morris
California
11 3 1.636 0.200 1.836 Goodreads profile Instagram
Traci L.
Illinois
45 8 1.066 0.700 1.766 Goodreads profile tracker page
SueC
Utah
13 3 1.384 0.200 1.584 Goodreads profile tracker page Blog
Tina Hilbert
Ohio
51 7 0.823 0.600 1.423 Goodreads profile tracker page
Beth M
North Carolina
10 2 1.200 0.100 1.300 Goodreads profile
YalondaReads
Germany
12 2 1.000 0.100 1.100 Goodreads profile tracker page
updated OutsmartYourShelf
The United Kingdom
31 4 0.774 0.300 1.074 Goodreads profile
moved up Sanacrow
Tennessee
6 1 1.000 0 1.000 Goodreads profile tracker page Blog
Gunslinger Shots Notches TCP + bonus = score Targets FMI
moved up JenneB
Pennsylvania
6 1 1.000 0 1.000 Goodreads profile Storygraph profile Instagram
updated Goodreads librarian Colleen
Illinois
23 3 0.782 0.200 0.982 Goodreads profile
Goodreads librarian Rick Mills
Maine
28 3 0.642
0.200 0.842 Goodreads profile tracker page
Shannon
The Netherlands
21 2 0.571 0.100 0.671 Goodreads profile Instagram
Jjean
Texas
9 1 0.666 0 0.666 Goodreads profile
Goodreads librarian Bev "Annie Oakley" Hankins
Indiana
9 1 0.666 0 0.666 Goodreads profile My Reader's Block All Covered Up Storygraph profile
Linda B
Kentucky
13 1 0.461 0 0.461 Goodreads profile
Vallery
Louisiana
30 1 0.200 0 0.200 Goodreads profile
batkat
West Virginia
19 0 0 0 0 Goodreads profile tracker page
Dianne Lebold
Ontario
8 0 0 0 0
Gunslinger Shots Notches TCP + bonus = score Targets FMI
Jace Boyer
2 0 0 0 0 Goodreads profile
Tari Hann
Ohio
1 0 0 0 0 Goodreads profile
Lynn
Pennsylvania
1 0 0 0 0 Goodreads profile
Karen Baroness
Texas
0 0 0 0 0 Goodreads profile tracker page Blog Instagram
Jen McFarren
Texas
0 0 0 0 0 Goodreads profile
Gunslinger Shots Notches TCP + bonus = score Targets FMI

    Ambiguous instructions and arbitrary rules are found on the General Information page.

Key to symbols
Notch Sets of six books by one author completed
TCP Target Completion Percentage. This is similar to a baseball batting average. Ratio of notches achieved to the number of shots taken. The formula is (notches/shots)*6. See the chart (PDF). Shots which complete a target will increase your TCP. Shots which do not complete a target will decrease your TCP. A perfect TCP is 1.000 or any multiple.
Shots Number of books read
Bonus Each notch (beyond the first one) directly adds a 0.100 bonus
Score TCP + bonus
no_replace Moved up
no_replace New or updated today
no_replace Update pending
Goodreads librarian
Perfect (1.000 or multiple)
bullet Sharpshooter level (score 1.000+ at some point)
bulletbullet Booksniper level (score 2.000+ at some point)
bulletbulletbullet Ammonuensis level (score 3.000+ at some point)
  High column stat
  2nd place column stat
Shooting Gallery
tracker page Tracker page
Blog
Goodreads profile Goodreads profile
Mystillery group on Goodreads
Instagram


A Mystillery challenge
hosted by Goodreads librarian Rick Mills
rickmills9@gmail.com
The Mystillery Reading Challenge Addict Susan Jensen's reading challenges