Wednesday 11 January 2023

Classic mysteries from the golden age of crime

 

The British Library's Crime Classics series reprints vintage detective stories.

The British Library's Crime Classics is a series of detective stories from the golden age of crime writing. Most of the titles were first printed between the 1920s and 1950s. There are more than 100 books in the series. The stories are set in British surroundings with occasional trips to mainland Europe. World War II is sometimes in the background. Readers visit country estates, railway stations, churches, peaceful rivers, and dark alleys.

These modern reprints feature several writers of note. There are five novels from John Dickson Carr, a highly-regarded American writer. Carr was a master of the locked-room mystery, where the crime seems impossible. There are also six novels by John Bude, which was the pseudonym of Ernest Elmore. Bude's main character is Inspector William Meredith who tours the country solving crimes. His debut novel, The Cornish Coast Murder, appeared in 1935.

E.C.R Lorac is also on the British Library's list with eight books. E.C.R Lorac was one of the pseudonyms used by Edith Caroline Rivett (1894-1958). Her main character is Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald who loves country walks.

Find Crime Classics

Selected books from the British Library Crime Classics series

The Sussex Downs Murder.jpg
By John Bude
A detective novel from the 1930s about a disappearance.
Blood on the Tracks.jpg
By Martin Edwards
A collection of 15 railway-themed mysteries.
Death has Deep Roots.jpg
By Michael Gilbert
A World War II-themed mystery.
Death in the Tunnel.jpg
By Miles Burton
A man is shot dead in the darkness.
Death of a Busybody.jpg
By George Bellairs
Miss Tither, the village busybody, is killed.
Death of an Airman.jpg
By Christopher Sprigg
A first-rate pilot dies in a suspicious crash.
Death on the Cherwell.jpg
By Mavis Doriel Hay
A body is found in a canoe.
Death on the Riviera.jpg
By John Bude
A counterfeit currency racket comes to light on the French Riviera.
Fire in the Hatch.jpg
By E.C.R. Lorac
A fire as World War II draws to a close.
Murder by Matchlight.jpg
By E.C.R. Lorac
1945. A murder in Regent's Park.
Murder in the Mill-race.jpg
By E.C.R. Lorac
A village refuses to betray its dark secrets.
Murder of a Lady.jpg
By Anthony Wynne
This 1931 novel is a cunningly concocted locked-room mystery.
The A to Z Murders.jpg
By J. Jefferson Farjeon
A man is shot dead while sleeping in an armchair.
The Cheltenham Square Murder.jpg
An arrow to the head, shot through an open window at no. 6.
The Cornish Coast Murder.jpg
By John Bude
A book-loving vicar investigates.
The Lake District Murder.jpg
By John Bude
A body is found at an isolated garage.
The Widow of Bath.jpg
By Margot Bennett
An old flame calls and Hugh Everton is powerless to resist.
Smallbone Deceased.jpg
By Michael Gilbert
A highly respected legal firm discovers a corpse.
The Poisoned Chocolates Case.jpg
By Anthony Berkeley
Sir Eustace is a cad, but who'd want to kill him with chocolate?
A Scream in Soho.jpg
By John G. Brandon
During a World War II blackout, a piercing scream is heard.
Continental Crimes.jpg
By Martin Edwards
A collection of mysteries set in mainland Europe.
Thirteen Guests.jpg
By J. Jefferson Farjeon
A painting is damaged and a man is strangled.
Calamity in Kent.jpg
By John Rowland
An impossible crime occurs in a peaceful seaside town.
The Man Who Didn't Fly.jpg
By Margot Bennett
A private plane crashes but one passenger never boarded.

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