I’ll be honest and tell you I haven’t quite finished Martin Edwards’ The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. I’m close enough to the end, though, that I can discuss this excellent reference book.
Edwards, who is President of the Detection Club, tells the story of crime fiction published during the first half of the 20th century. Naturally, there’s an emphasis on British crime fiction, with a few other authors included. The early 20th century marked the development of crime fiction, especially in Britain. Many of the authors were members of the Detection Club, which was founded in 1930.
Edwards discusses various types of mysteries, and authors who wrote those subgenres. For example, he covers lock-room mysteries, rural mysteries (perfect for England), manor house murders, resorts, especially during holidays. He discusses books set in academia. For those of us interested in expanding our knowledge of crime fiction by reading some of the authors, in two or three pages, he covers 100 books, including biographies of those authors.For instance, I never read Leo Bruce’s Case for Three Detectives. I never read Michael Innes’ Appleby books, and I’d like to start with Seven Suspects. I’m already a fan of John Dickson Carr and Ngaio Marsh, so this book reminds me to pick up more of their books.
As I said, I still have more to read in the book, but I bought this one, and I have time to delve into the rest of it. I’m looking forward to adding to my TBR piles. If you’re looking for a reference book that covers early history of crime fiction, this would be an excellent addition to any collection.
Martin Edwards’ website is https://martinedwardsbooks.com/
The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by Martin Edwards. Poisoned Pen Press, 2025. 368p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I bought a copy of the book.
Reminder – We’re talking about “What Are You Reading?” tomorrow! Hope to see you on Wednesday instead of Thursday this week!
I agree. It’s a great book. Of course, I’d already read a lot of them, but I still made a list of things that I wanted to read. (Leo Bruce: I’ve read mostly short stories. I have read a few of Michael Innes’s Appleby books.)
I read this February 24, 2018, on an 83 degree day in Florida. Great stuff.
Jealous, Jeff! I’m reading it on an all-day rainy day. Temperature says it’s 52, but feels like 41. I’m toasty warm, but no Florida day of 83.
There are a number of books I’d like to read. Getting copies without breaking the bank is the issue.
After a long search – I swear I checked that shelf three times! – I finally found my copy of the book (the trade paperback) and confirmed that I’ve read just a third of the titles, 33 out of 100.
That’s a good proportion of them, Jeff! Some wouldn’t be of interest, and some are hard to get, I’m sure.
Thanks for sharing this one, Lesa! Since I write mysteries, I feel like this is one I might like to have on my bookshelf as well to consult from time to time. Sometimes with books like this, I find it overwhelming to read through them from cover-to-cover all at once because it makes me feel like I have so many books I need to read!
I understand, Kate. That’s why I discussed it before I finished. I can still read a few entries at a time without feeling overwhelmed.
And, you shouldn’t feel intimidated reading this. Those authors wrote in the first half of the 20th century when they were creating the crime fiction genre. Nowadays, you have a lot more competition for attention. Don’t be discouraged by these books.
I appreciate that, Lesa! It’s easy to feel like I’ll never catch up on all the reading I want to do. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Kate. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
I’m looking forward to browsing this book, not only to learn about classic crime writers and make a TBR list, but also as a reminder of my mother, who read lots of crime writers from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. She was a big Michael Innes fan, plus Philip MacDonald and Michael Gilbert. Not to mention Dorothy Sayers and Josephine Tey, of course.
What a nice reminder of your mother, Kim. I know this is going to cause my TBR pile to grow. Enjoy browsing this one!