The Colour of Murder (Crime File S.) (Black Dagger Crime S.) (British Library Crime Classics)

by Julian Symons

John Wilkins meets a beautiful, irresistible girl, and his world is turned upside down. Looking at his wife, and thinking of the girl, everything turns red before his eyes - the colour of murder.

Telling the story of a murder, a trial, and the subsequent psychiatric evaluation, this award-winning crime novel from 1957 is a gripping examination of the psychology of murder and the nature of justice.

• ISBN10: 075408504X
• ISBN13: 9780754085041
• Publish Date: 1 November 1997 (first published 5 September 1985)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 10 April 2014
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: AudioGO Limited
• Imprint: Black Dagger Crime
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 173
• Language: English

Reviews

[Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy)]

He is able to make a potentially rather unpleasant lead character compelling and convincing while injecting his story with a surprising amount of wit. I would certainly suggest this to fans of the more psychological approach to crime fiction advanced in novels by Iles and Rendell.

Read my full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Colour of Murder is one of the books selected for re-release as part of the British Library Crime Classics series. Originally published in 1957, this reformatting was released 5th Feb 2019 by Poisoned Pen, is 280 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats (other editions are available in other formats). This edition also includes an interesting and insightful introduction and historical biographical notes written by Martin Edwards. I always enjoy his intros because I inevitably find more mysteries and authors who were hitherto unknown to me. His knowledge of the genre is encyclopedic.

The book itself is a thriller split into two sections. The first is a lengthy soliloquy by the main character, John Wilkins, to a consulting psychiatrist and is told in first person pov. The second part is third person and details the discovery of the murder (there's a long buildup to the identity of the victim) and the subsequent court procedure. The writing is very spare and direct. There were several points in both sections of the book where I found myself more or less uncomfortable reading. It's very well written but very direct and visceral. The main character (by his own admission) is something of a bully and abusive to his wife.

The book's ending is quite subtle and for people (like me) who prefer Poirot gathering everyone together in the library for the grand denouement, you might be left wanting. The ending is somewhat subtle and left a bit to the reader's interpretation.

I enjoyed it as a change from Poirot in the library. It did leave me unsettled though.

Four stars, I'll look up more of the author's works.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes