If you enjoy Golden Age crime, you're gonna love this. This book explores authors and stories that you probably haven't heard of. One of them might be your new favourite.

This book is engaging and entertaining without being boring. It offers interesting facts about crime fiction books in the first half of the 20th century from widely read to forgotten and unknown gems.

There are stories for all tastes: closed room mysteries, holiday murders, novels set in country houses and remote villages. You'll find authors like Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Gladys Mitchell, Dorothy L. Sayers, and many many others. Mystery, murder and drama.

It's the perfect book for the fans of this genre and classic crime novels.

A fascinating read for those interested in classic crime writing and its history, and for those who have enjoyed the previous titles in the British Library Crime Classics series. Martin Edwards is the perfect guide to this literature, combining entertaining writing style with precise and wide-ranging knowledge of the subject.

For those fascinated with the development and metamorphosis of the crime story from weekly serial and short story to the "classic" crime novel, this is one for you. Not only will it introduce you to authors who are already familiar, but also to some who may not - and this applies equally to their detectives. Definitely one for your own library, to be consulted frequently. The perfect companion in crime!

This is not a book to be read straight through but it is a book to be dipped in and out of when I want to discover a new author. It provides an overview of classic crime novels. Some are familiar and some are new to me. I am a huge fan of the British Library Crime Classics so this book was bound to be a hit with me. It is very bad for my TBR though. I now have so many new authors and new books to look for.

From http://www.bookbarmy.com

Is it possible to have a crush on a publisher?

My heart beats faster, my fingers fondle their book covers, and my wallet giddily opens its arms -- all for The British Library Crime Series by Poisoned Pen Press.

Just look at these beauties, I mean really, what mystery reader could resist?
I first became aware of this series with my first purchase of THIS long lost favorite mystery. Since then I have cultivated a insatiable craving finely-tuned taste for this Poisoned Pen Press imprint.

In 1997, husband and wife founders, Robert Rosenwald and Barbara Peters, who are also the owners of the legendary Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, saw an opportunity to re-publish the wonderful British mysteries novels of the 1930's and 1940's. They tapped into every bibliophile's secret desire --out of print titles, long lost authors, and beautiful covers to lovingly add to a bookcase:

“We knew that mystery readers wanted complete collections, so we thought we could make a business out of that.”
I've read several of these and, while some are better than others, all are well-plotted mysteries graced with some classic crime writing and completely interesting settings - in short they are pure fun escape reading.

There are locked room mysteries (Miraculous Mysteries), murders in Europe (Continental Crimes), small village settings (Death of a Busybody), and dead bodies in crumbling manors (Seven Dead).
In short, there's a British mystery for you in The British Library Crime Series. You got to love any publisher/bookseller who states this as their mission statement:

We are a community Bound By Mystery.

and who gathers praise such as this:

Hurrah to British Library Crime Classics for rediscovering some of the forgotten gems of the Golden Age of British crime writing.(Globe and Mail)

Might I suggest you support this fine enterprise by buying the books direct from their website ~ just click this logo.

Thanks to the author and to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley

Martin Edwards says in his Introduction, this book is a tale of the unexpected. Classic crime is so much more than the famous Agatha’s, and Dorothy’s who still play a far-reaching part of the substantial crime fiction genre today.

If you are interested in classic crime this is an entertaining reference book. Some of the novels are obscure, long forgotten or never-gained-the attention-they-deserved, and it is fascinating. The book’s chapters cover all aspects of crime, the inverted mystery, the psychology of crime, the ironists, the humorists, the great detectives etc. etc.

Interestingly, there were a few left-wing writers who touched on economic anxieties and the threat of fascism, which is often overlooked by critics. It was refreshing to read about writer’s such as Nicholas Blake, GDH and Margaret Cole, ‘Red Ellen’ Ellen Wilkinson and Raymond Postgate who was a founding member of the GB Communist Party.

I have now added rather a lot of ‘to be read’ books from this entertaining and informative book.

This was fascinating, informative and my to-be-read pile has now reached epic proportions!
This was a thoroughly absorbing and entertaining look at a selection of classic crime novels. The chapters look at different tropes in the genre and discuss the books Martin Edwards feels are classic (if often forgotten) examples. I thought the style and pacing were well judged and would highly recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about the 'golden age of crime'.

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review*

This is a very interesting and seemingly complete story of the history of the classic crime in novel form, primarily as seen in the so-called Golden Age works and other mysteries of the first half of the 20th century. This collection also presents some forerunners from the 19th century as well as followers from later in the 20th century, that led into then away from that tradition. I have taken away many ideas for future reading if I am able to find the pieces cited. Some are apparently quite rare though many are easily available.

Just as he does in the various short story collections he has edited for Poisoned Pen Press, Martin Edwards demonstrates wide knowledge of the world of classic crime. Here, however, he moves beyond collecting to sort the novels into various genres within the overall class of crime/mystery. As many readers know, The Golden Age was so named as a direct response to the Great War. Those who fought and those at home wanted diversion after the war and one of the answers was crime novels with puzzles inside or clever guides for readers to use to help find the guilty party. In some cases there were literal maps of the "Manor House" or other bloody site of a crime or guide to the possible suspects.

Eventually these books gave way to others that began to show signs of the forensics that were coming into use in real policing. Another topic is the crime of justice which was a subject during the 1930s, during the rise of Hitler and Mussolini. Are some murders justified? Another form was the "inverted" or "back-to-front" novel, where the reader knows the facts of the murder or other crime in the beginning but then reads about the solution. (So this was not invented by TV for Columbo or other late 20th century sleuths.) There are certainly many more categories included but I do want to mention that Edwards does include sections on American and Continental authors. He also acknowledges that there are many writers who have not yet been translated into English and are only available to their native peoples.

I believe this collection will be of interest to anyone who enjoys reading crime or mystery fiction. At the very least, you will learn more about the type of reading you already like. In addition, it is most likely you will discover new authors, new books, or both to search for in local libraries or online. (I do miss haunting local used book stores that are mostly gone now.) And the book is graced with a bibliography, references, and full list of the authors and works listed within the collection.

A strong 4*

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Fantastically curated overview of classic crime from Mr. Edwards and Poisoned Pen Press, an editor and publisher that can always be trusted to rediscover gems for the mystery fan. Mr. Edwards gives the reader just enough detail in surveying each novel to both place it in the timeline, or subject grouping, that is being discussed and to pique the reader's interest without unraveling the mystery; a fine line that he walks wonderfully well. An index of titles in the end will provide the reader with a "To Read" list for the next foreseeable chunk of time - I know I'll be searching out these authors at my local! A hearty recommend.

Books, books, glorious books... 5 stars

Having fallen deeply in love with the whole British Library Crime Classics thing, this book was bound to be right up my alley – a dark alley, full of sinister shadows and red herrings, of course! Martin Edwards has done a lot of the introductions for the novels in the BL collection and is the editor of all the great themed short story anthologies, so he knows his stuff. Here he looks at the rise of the crime novel and its development throughout the first half of the last century.

The book is split into themed sections, and is arranged roughly chronologically, although with some crossover in dates between the different groups. It starts with A New Era Dawns, which takes us back to look at some of the authors and books that pre-dated the Golden Age but influenced it: for example, Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles and Edgar Wallace's The Four Just Men. The next chapter looks at The Birth of the Golden Age, then on to The Great Detectives, and so on; through to The Psychology of Crime, as straight mystery novels began to give way a little to the more character driven books, like those of Patricia Highsmith, which formed a kind of bridge to the more psychological crime novels of today. Some of the chapters look at particular sub-genres with chapter titles that often mirror the themed short story collections – Capital Crimes (London based), Continental Crimes, Miraculous Mysteries (locked room mysteries), etc. And, although the vast majority of the books listed are British, Edwards takes a brief look at what was happening Across the Atlantic and also a few from Europe and elsewhere around the world.

Edwards writes knowledgeably but conversationally, so that it never feels as if one is being lectured by an expert – rather it's like having a chat with a well-read friend. He starts each chapter with a discussion around its theme, in which, I feel I have to warn you, he routinely mentions umpteen books which aren't part of the hundred but all sound like must-reads! He shows how the genre and various sub-genres developed, and gives a clear impression of how back then crime writers were as much of a community as they are now, feeding off each other and often referencing each other's work. Several of the authors were also critics and reviewers, and Edwards draws on their work to show how particular books and authors were thought of at the time. He discusses how the books reflect and were influenced by contemporary society and events, putting into context the “snobbishness” of some Golden Age writers that can sometimes be off-putting for the modern reader.

Following these interesting introductions, he lists the books he has selected for each section. He makes it clear he doesn't necessarily think they're all brilliant – rather, he feels they're either an important link in the development of the crime novel, or a good representative example of the sub-genre under discussion. There are some well known classics here – The Lodger, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Franchise Affair, The Dain Curse, etc. But there are also zillions that I had never heard of. Talking of zillions, I should mention that the 100 Books are actually 102 Books – a baffling mystery in itself! Edwards gives a brief spoiler-free preview of the plot of each book and then discusses why he's included it. He also includes some biographical details of the author, mainly more literary than personal, but often including interesting anecdotes about them. Edwards is the current President of the Detection Club amongst other things, and he tells us quite a lot about the history and membership of that organisation as he goes along too.

So you can tell the book is positively stuffed full of info, which left me with a much greater understanding of the development of the genre and an uncontrollable desire to pop off and search for all 102 books. And the good thing is that, following the BL's lead, lots of publishers are bringing these old books back into print, or at least into e-books, so of the sample of 20 or so that I checked, the vast majority are available at prices that won't require me to defraud a bank or poison a rich relative. Though I'm pretty sure that I'm knowledgeable enough now to do either and get away with it...

Highly recommended to anyone who'd like to know more about the history of the crime novel, or who'd like to read some of the classic books but doesn't know quite where to begin. But I'd say this book would also be great for people who already know quite a bit about the genre – it's so packed with goodies I can't imagine many people wouldn't learn something from it as well as being entertained by some of the stories about the authors.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press (who publish the Kindle versions of the British Library Crime Classics series).

I've very much enjoyed the recent revival of out of print crime novels, such as the British Library Crime Classics and the books published by the Dean Street Press. Martin Edwards' overview would be a very useful reference book to have to hand. No matter how obscure the author (or his/her relations), he's there. There's little point trying to read it straight through on the Kindle, though, which is why I couldn't enjoy it. I didn't like the way the book was organised and found the repetition (necessary in this format), very tiresome. Buy it to keep on the shelf.

"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. And there is a reason why millions of readers continue to appreciate classic crime fiction. 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."

Informative, engaging and entertaining without being too dry or incomprehensibly highbrow. It offers interesting facts, insights and trivia to a wide variety of crime fiction books in the first half of the 20th century from widely read to forgotten and unknown gems.
Martin Edwards, while certainly piquing our curiosity, kindly refrains from revealing the solution to the mysteries. It is like holding a precious map that will accompany you on a delightful exploration into the genre. You will meet you well-known and loved author-figures, while chancing upon "intriguing strangers" and familiar authors you did not even know wrote crime fiction.

Highly recommended.

So not only like to read books, no I even like to read books about books, so what?
Mr. Edwards tries to tell the Story of Classic Crime in 100 books (1900 to 1950), but we get to know a lot more, and not just a lot more books, as he doesn't really stop with the 100 examples.
All in all a well written informative read that just keeps adding to my to read list.

I received an advanced reading copy from Poisoned Pen Press in exchange of my honest review. My pleasure, as always, to savor another high quality upcoming release offered by the Poisoned Pen Press. In my humble opinion, "The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books" is another must-have for any classic mysteries lovers.

Editor Martin Edwards, by all means, a knowledgeable expert in the classic mystery genre. He introduces the subject of the genre is by grouping the chosen stories in different themes and presenting them in a broadly chronological order. In short, the book is just like a field guide and a desktop reference on the subject matter. For each story, Edwards includes a concise synopsis with a brief analysis of its underlying theme. Both experienced crime readers or novices would definitely find something new and exciting to add to their to-be-read-lists. Not only British writers are discussed, few renowned American crime writers could be found in this crime-guide as well. "The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books" is extremely well written. It is indeed an informational book written in a storytelling form. Fun, insightful, and engrossing.

This is one the books that I know I will never recommend enough to friends who enjoy reading great classic mysteries. Awesome contents, beautiful art cover. I simply can't ask for more. My sincere gratitude to both Mr. Martin Edwards and Poisoned Pen Press for their continuous contributions to bringing new excitements to their readers.

Release date: August 1, 2017.

One of the recent delights in publishing is the republication of many ,mysteries from the Golden Age of Crime Fiction from the British Library and published in the US by Poisoned Pen Press. Lovers of mysteries have made lots of new discoveries from this.

But the excellent introductions to these have made me want to discover more of these often forgotten writers.

Edwards and Poisoned Pen Press have answered this need with this excellent volume. Each chapter highlights a different aspect of books from this period. Following the chapter, short or long, which gives us background on this type of story, come the sections on the books themselves.

These descriptions, the meat of the book, always have a short plot synopsis and information about the author. Depending on the book there may also be information about the circumstances of the writing or about the later career of the author.

Helpfully the book end with lists of authors and titles, so the reader doesn't have to be taking notes throughout. Now if only more of these volumes would be republished!

‘The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books’ by Martin Edwards (himself an award-winning crime writer) serves as a companion to the British Library’s series of Crime Classics but spreads its net wider to include some books which originated outside Britain, such as Ellery Queen’s ‘Calamity Town’ and George Simenon’s ‘Pietr the Latvian’.

Edwards defines a ‘classic’ crime book as “a novel or story collection published between 1901 and 1950 which … remain of particular interest … to present-day lovers of detective fiction” because of their “plot, character, setting, humour, social or historic significance” or some combination of these factors. It is not a list of ‘best’ or ‘favourite’ titles but seeks to showcase, within a broadly chronological and thematic approach, the diversity of the genre. Thus although many well-known books by authors of literary merit such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton and Dorothy Leigh Sayers are included, room is also made for more pedestrian authors and more obscure volumes.

Edwards claims that as “far as possible, I have avoided including ‘spoilers’ revealing solutions to mysteries”. Sometimes he could have tried harder, for example, in relation to G. K. Chesterton’s ‘The Invisible Man’, although to be fair the title of that short story itself comes pretty close to acting as a spoiler in itself. Somewhat oddly, Edwards refers to the recent Mark Williams incarnation of Father Brown but not that of Kenneth More or Alec Guinness, the latter being all the more surprising given that the film ‘Father Brown – Detective’ is loosely based on the short story ‘The Blue Cross’, which he specifically mentions in his piece on ‘The Innocence of Father Brown’.

Nevertheless, the overriding impression is that Edwards really knows his stuff and relishes in sharing his knowledge. His book is probably best dipped into, although reading the introduction to each chapter provides an enjoyable potted history of crime fiction over the period covered. Thus, like all good books, this one is likely to stimulate further reading.

There's unfortunately not a lot to say about this book. Martin Edwards has put together several good anthologies of classic mysteries based on various themes: crimes on the continent, locked room mysteries, winter crimes. Here, he writes short descriptions of the 100 books that have helped to frame mysteries as we know them today. These are not the 100 best books by anyone's standards but it is a nice mix of names that I knew and names that were new to me.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 1

The Story of Classic Crime outlines many of the best authors and notable crime and mystery books written in Britain, particularly during the first half of the twentieth century. Any mystery fan will adore finding out about the first canine detective, or the various satirical versions of Gaudy Night that were written in the late 1930's. Not strictly chronological, the chapters explore different themes, so any reader looking for pointers to classic mysteries in their favourite genre will find a rich vein to explore.
Highly recommend, I'll be buying a print copy to annotate and use as a reading guide.

Don't let the title mislead you. The book discusses far more than 100 mysteries. It does, however, provide a little more depth of coverage on about 100 titles. The book is intended as a companion volume to the British Library Crime Classics series. It arranges the mysteries into categories by the types of mysteries they are. (For example, locked room, vacation spots, manor houses, etc.) Mystery lovers are certain to find a few books they missed through the years to add to their to-be-read lists. Fortunately the British Library Crime Classics series is making many of these readily available for a new generation of readers to discover. I received an advance electronic galley of the title from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

This book is designed to introduce the world of early twentieth century detective fiction to the reader. Each chapter has a basic topic such as Birth of a Golden Age or Serpents in Eden in which a selection of books (around 3 - 8) are looked at. The author does mention a great number of other works as well throughout the book drawing on a range from without the period including more up to date novels such as the Shetland series by Anne Cleeves.
I found this a difficult book to sit down and read. There were far too many book titles and information to keep absorbing from the chapters. I found the style in each chapter was essentially the same making the book seem quite repetitive. I think this book is better suited to being dipped in and out of. You can quite easily read one chapter without the need to read the others at the same time or soon afterwards. You could take each chapter as a project - read the chapter and then try some of the books mentioned.
There is no doubt that this is a well researched book and ideal for a detective book lover. I imagine all but the real geeks on detective fiction will gain significantly from this book. There were authors included that I hadn't heard of such as Rupert Penny or Newton Gayle and other old favourites such as John Dickson Carr, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. An excellent book for those who love detective fiction throughout the years.
I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley.