‘The Life of Crime’ by Martin Edwards
In this ground-breaking history of crime fiction, acclaimed expert and CWA Diamond Dagger winner Martin Edwards traces the evolution of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present, offering a brand-new perspective on the world’s most popular form of storytelling.
The Life of Crime is the result of a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime fiction, old and new, from around the world. Martin Edwards has drawn on his experience as an award-winning novelist to capture the breadth and complexity of crime writing in a study that is both authoritative and eminently readable. He traces the story of the genre’s development and evolution in a way that will fascinate and entertain anyone who delights in a good mystery.
Crime fiction is being read more widely than ever, and The Life of Crime detects the methods of crime authors and the ups and downs of their literary lives with insight, compassion and wit. This definitive distillation of more than two centuries of extraordinary books and authors – from William Godwin to the bestsellers of today – into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for compelling reading.
“Martin knows more about crime fiction than anyone else working in the field today.”
– Ann Cleeves
“Martin is not only one of the finest crime writers of his generation. He is the heir to Julian Symons and H.R.F. Keating as the leading authority on our genre.”
– Peter Lovesey
“Martin Edwards is not only a fine writer but he is also ridiculously knowledgeable about the field of crime and suspense fiction.”
– Ian Rankin
You can find out more about Martin and his books here.
