Ayo Onatade is an avid reader of crime and mystery fiction. She has been writing reviews, interviews and articles on the subject for the last 12 years; with an eclectic taste from historical to hardboiled, short stories and noir films
If you are a lover of crime fiction, specifically from the Golden Age, then this latest book by Martin Edwards needs to be placed centre stage on your Bookcase.
Like previous non-fiction works he penned, The Classic Crime Companion is an informative labour of love.
This is not ‘a best of’ listing but an expanded and updated version of his work - The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. That precursor was awarded the 2018 Macavity Award and also nominated for the 2018 Anthony Award in the same Best Critical / Nonfiction Book Category [during Bouchercon 2018* in St Petersburg Florida].
It describes the evolution of the Crime / Mystery genre using key work to illustrate how the sub-genres came to be [eg. Locked Room, Amateur Sleuth, Private Eye, et al]. Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Julian Symons and other British golden age writers are naturally mentioned, however we also have the American writers such as John Dickson Carr, Patricia Highsmith, and Dashiell Hammett acknowledged. The fun part is which novel Edwards’ selects as one of his 100 books, from each of the authors included in the text.
This updated work is written in a manner that is not just informative, but is as entertaining as the work he examines. Split into chapters that dissect the different periods within the classic crime-fiction genre, it allows the reader to peruse rather than read in defined sittings.
The Classic Crime Companion is in my opinion an essential purchase for the serious, as well as casual reader of the Crime and Mystery Genre. It further cements Martin Edwards’ reputation as a key pillar of the Crime Mystery Fiction Community as one of its premier historians and professional commentators.
Editorial Note: * It was at the 2018 World Crime and Mystery Convention [aka Bouchercon] in St Petersburg Florida that Martin Edwards’ book “The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books” [the precursor to this updated] “The Classic Crime Companion” was recognised - but also during the event, reviewer and literary commentator Ayo Onatade was also recognised as Guest Fans of Honour [with Judy Bobalik].
