The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by

The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books

The main aim of detective stories is to entertain, but the best cast a light on human behaviour, and display both literary ambition and accomplishment. Even unpretentious detective stories, written for unashamedly commercial reasons, can give us clues to the past, and give us insight into a long-vanished world that, for all its imperfections, continues to fascinate. This book, written by award-winning crime writer and president of the Detection Club, Martin Edwards, serves as a companion to the British Library's internationally acclaimed series of Crime Classics. Long-forgotten stories republished in the series have won a devoted new readership, with several titles entering the bestseller charts and sales outstripping those of highly acclaimed contemporary thrillers.

Reviewed by Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy) on

4 of 5 stars

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An entertaining thematic overview of crime fiction in the first half of the twentieth century. Just be aware that you will probably come away from this with a long list of obscure (and sometimes expensive) books to track down!

Read the full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 May, 2020: Finished reading
  • 7 September, 2020: Reviewed