The Life of Crime

In addition to being one of the world's foremost authorities on all things mystery—an effortlessly encyclopedic knowledge of the genre—Martin Edwards is also a wonderfully entertaining writer. The Life of Crime builds on both of these qualities: tremendously informative, wonderfully told. The short chapters are focused nicely on various aspects of the history of mystery—working forward through various themes, trends, and specific authors. As a teacher, I'm certain to keep this handy as a key resource, but as a reader as well, I'm just happy to be able to enjoy all that Edwards has to offer. A milestone book.

An absolute gem for fans of crime fiction. A recommended purchase for collections where the genre and writing craft titles are popular.

Fans of crime fiction will be thrilled to check out The Life of Crime. Martin Edwards explores the history of the crime fiction genre with his in-depth knowledge. The chapters are short and engaging. It is clear that a great deal of research and time went into this book. If you are a fan of the genre or need a resource on the mystery genre, this is the one for you. Be sure to check out The Life of Crime today!

I love the introductions written by this author for the golden age mysteries published by British Library Crime Classics, but they always leave me wanting more. This book, The Life of Crime, includes all the details and backstories I have been wanting on famous, and not so famous, mystery writers.

The Life of Crime is a witty and comprehensive look at every type of mystery from Sherlock to spies to American police fiction. It also spans the globe from Asia through Scandinavia. Each chapter is clearly labeled so the reader can find what interests them. There are also three indices, if needed.

What can I say that would adequately describe this epic 800-page book? None seem sufficient so I’ll just say that it is perfect for mystery fans and those interested in the writing craft. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Collins Crime Club and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I find it hard to criticize this one. It certainly covers a lot of ground, and it provides lots of great analysis and examples of crime stories and authors. Recommended.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

The Life of Crime Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators by Martin Edwards

599 Pages
Publisher: Harper 360, Collins Crime Club
Release Date: August 16, 2022

Nonfiction, Biographies, Memoirs, Historical Events, Famous People Authors

The book is divided into the following parts.


Revolution
Mystery and Imagination
Guilty Secrets
Detective Fever
Poacher Turned Gamekeeper
The Great Detective
Rogues’ Gallery
The Nature of Evil
Plot Minds
The Science of Detection
Had-I-But-Known
Ware and Peace
Treacherous Impulses
The Mistress of Deception
American Tragedy
Superfluous Women
Challenging the Reader
Locked Rooms
The Long Arm of the Law
Blood-Simple
Murder and its Motives
Twists of Fate
The Sound of Mystery
In Lonely Rooms
Brothers in Crime
Cracks in the Wall
Sensation in Court
California Dreaming
Carnival of Crime
Waking Nightmares
Dagger of the Mind
Whose Body?
Private Wounds
Out of this World
Perfect Murders
Mind Games
Deep Water
Forking Paths
Bloody Murder
People with Ghosts
Killing Jokes
Literary Agents
Nerve
Outsider in Amsterdam
Whodunwhat?
Black and Blue
Home Discomforts
Mystery Games
Early Graves
A Suitable Job for a Woman
A Feeling for Snow
Fatal Inversions
Dark Places
Long Shadows
A Taste for Death

What can I say about this book? It is immense, well researched, and thorough. I learned so much about my favorite authors and found new authors I want to read. There seemed to be a common thread through their lives, sadness, and misfortune caused by drugs, alcohol, suicide, mental illness, etc.

The author covers topics that I had not even considered as a crime or mystery novel. As always, I love anything about Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Maurice LeBlanc, George Simenon, and Patricia Highsmith. I thought it was interesting that several writers had similar ideas for books like Strangers on a Train. Also, the fact that Jim Thompson, an American writer, said he thought he would become famous ten years after his death. His prediction came true with his novel “The Grifters” which was made into a movie in 1990. If you are a mystery buff and/or enjoy biographies and memoirs, this is a definite must read for you.

This is a crime-lover’s dream - a comprehensive treatment of crime fiction by a master of the genre, presented in a readable and fascinating way. It took me awhile to finish this as this is the kind of book I dip in and out of, reading a chapter here and there. And reading a chapter isn’t as easy as it sounds, because I found I had to keep a notebook handy to write down all the authors and books I haven’t read, but which Edwards presents in various forms.

This will appeal to readers of crime fiction and probably not many others, so it’s a niche buy. I’d recommend for large library collections.

Perfect book to add to lovers of crime fiction.A treasure trove of information perfect for mystery lovers libraries.A book to dip in and out of .So well written so interesting highly recommend.

Lately I’ve felt few hardcovers are actually worth owning, but there are always exceptions. I’m sure many of us have our collections – all of Agatha Christie or Michael Connelly or Sue Grafton, for example – but Martin Edwards’ new reference book, The Life of Crime, is the exception to the rule. First of all, it’s beautiful. The paper is smooth and creamy; the jacket is simple and elegant; and the endpapers – a collection of classic crime covers – are to die for. But while the cover draws you in, it’s what’s between them that’s the point.

Edwards, in an exhaustive, thorough fashion has documented the crime novel from its inception – he bookmarks William Godwin’s 1795 tome, The Adventures of Caleb Williams. Who among us, other than the erudite Edwards, has read this novel? But he usefully traces it to contemporary and more familiar books, who can trace their origins back to 1795. His list includes John Buchan, Frederick Forsyth and Lee Child as children of this long ago adventure novel.

He continues to trace the crime novel forward. In his chapter on Conan Doyle and Sherlock, he cites one of the most (to me) influential developments in mystery fiction: the creation of the series detective. The series detective is the reason the detective in these novels is often beloved. That long form relationship with the reader cannot be matched.

In a chapter on transition from the golden age to the present (Private Wounds), Edwards says “The depressing truth is that it is exceptionally difficult to be entirely original.” This instance was occasioned by the similarities between Nicholas Blake’s A Penknife in my Heart (1958), and Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train (1950). Blake had even cited Highsmith as an influence on his own work. The two books are very different, though with a similar premise.

To me the joy and interest of the mystery novel is found right there. It’s a form with certain parameters, but within that form and those parameters, there are endless variations. Martin Edwards is saying nothing radical here (to crime fiction fans, at least), he’s making a case for the longevity, importance, and lasting nature of crime fiction. There’s a reason a book written by Doyle in 1887, A Study in Scarlet, is still being read today.

The careful Edwards follows the threads of mysterious history in many, many directions. Scandinavian crime, Simenon and European crime writing, American police novels, female private eyes, the “Had I But Known” school – he illuminates all of them in this 600 plus page book, heavily footnoted and indexed. You can dip in and out – enjoy a chapter, think about it, put it down, return.

I don’t think it was in his purview to write about crime fiction that’s being read and created at the moment, though he includes authors like Michael Connelly, Val McDermid, Charles Todd and Attica Locke. That will fall to another researcher in the future. He ends his book with a wonderful chapter on P.D. James, a favorite author of mine (and obviously, of Edwards’), whose first Dalgleish novel, Cover Her Face (1962), was a bridge from the golden age of the past to the darker, more psychologically minded present.

And finally, this stuck with me: “More wisdom is contained in the best crime fiction than in philosophy” (Ludwig Wittgenstein). And Edwards’ tome, and the wisdom within it, has a permanent place on my bookshelf where I can refer to it again and again, as with any great reference book. Kudos to Mr. Edwards for what I am sure was years of hard work on a genre that he loves.

First-class job of research, beautifully related and organized. It’s a reference for mystery writers everywhere to keep at hand.
—G.M. Malliet

The Life of Crime
Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators
by Martin Edwards
Pub Date 16 Aug 2022 | Archive Date 22 Nov 2022
Harper 360, Collins Crime Club
Biographies & Memoirs | Nonfiction (Adult)


I am reviewing a copy of The Life of Crime through Harper 360, Collins Crime Club and Netgalley:

The Life of Crime is the first major history of Crime fiction in half a century.

Martin Edwards is a multi award winning crime novelist as well as the President of of the Detection Club, archivist of the Crime Writers’ Association and series consultant to the British Library’s highly successful series of crime classics, and therefore uniquely qualified to write this book.


Martin Edwards has been a widely respected genre commentator for more than thirty years, winning the CWA Diamond Dagger for making a significant contribution to crime writing in 2020, when he also compiled and published Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club and the novel Mortmain Hall. His critically acclaimed The Golden Age of Murder (Collins Crime Club, 2015) was a landmark study of Detective Fiction between the wars.


The Life of Crime comes from a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime fiction, old and new, from around the world. In what will surely be regarded as his magnum opus, he has thrown himself undaunted into the breadth and complexity of the genre to write an authoritative as well as a readable study of its development and evolution of crime fiction.



I give The Life of Crime five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

With The Life of Crime, Martin Edwards has done a great service for crime-fiction aficionados. Broken into dozens of short chapters, the book is informative, but not overwhelming as its size would imply. A fantastic reference book for super fans of the genre.

Martin Edwards has written both his own novels and non-fiction titles about crime and mystery. This book, that is almost 600 pages long, has to be one of his most ambitious yet. In these pages, Edwards writes about the history of crime novels. He begins with the origins of the genre. Moving forward readers find chapters with intriguing titles like Guilty Secrets, Treacherous Impulses, The Mistress of Deception ( I bet you know who that is), Locked Rooms, Sensation in Court, Daggers of the Mind, A Suitable Job for a Woman and many more. I am in awe of all that he has taken on in this book, furthermore he has performed his task most ably.

Fans of mystery fiction who wold like to know more about their favorite genre will find much to explore here. Read in historical order or just go where your impulse takes you. Either way, this is a wonderful resource. Readers will leave having enjoyed reading about their favorites; they will also have many new authors to add to their TBR piles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for this title. All opinions are my own

The Life of Crime is an amazing and fascinating story of the crime genre. At over 700 pages it is a brick of a book, but the detail and the amount of research that must’ve gone into it make it completely understandable. It starts with the beginnings of the genre and spans until modern times, and includes names both famous and less known. I was a bit worried that it might be a dense read, but as far as nonfiction goes, The Life of Crime is really entertaining, if slightly repetitive at times. I think the best way to read it is to take your time with it - there’s a lot of information and it’s extremely impressive how much work Edwards put into it, so I think taking your time with this book is the perfect way to appreciate it. I’m truly blown away by this read and I loved learning more about one of my favorite genres. Absolutely a must read for crime fiction fans!