Martin Edwards’s The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books is NOT a list of the “Best” crime novels of the 20th Century. In fact, Martin Edwards’s choices span 1901 to 1950 (so there’s hope for a sequel!). Edwards explores the development of the crime novel in the first half of the 20th Century both Chronologically and Thematically. And, as you cast your eyes over the TABLE OF CONTENTS you’ll see plenty of titles and authors you may not have ever heard of (I’d say 50% of Edwards’s choices are new to me). The goal of this book is to show how the crime novel developed (chiefly in England) and what innovations changed the genre.

If you’re a fan of crime novels and mysteries, you’ll find a lot to discover in The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books. And, a lot to like. I also reviewed Martin Edwards’s excellent The Golden Age of Murder here. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction 1
CHAPTER ONE: A NEW ERA DAWNS 7
The Hound of the Baskervilles–Arthur Conan Doyle 11
The Four Just Men–Edgar Wallace 13
The Case of Miss Elliott– Baroness Orczy 15
Tracks in the Snow–Godfrey R. Benson 17
Israel Rank–Roy Horniman 19
The Blotting Book–E. F. Benson 21
The Innocence of Father Brown–G. K. Chesterton 23
At the Villa Rose–A.E.W. Mason 26
The Eye of Osiris–R. Austin Freeman 28
The Lodger–Marie Belloc Lowndes 30
Max Carrados–Ernest Bramah 32
CHAPTER TWO: THE BIRTH OF THE GOLDEN AGE 34
Trent’s Last Case–E. C. Bentley 36
In the Night–Lord Gorell 39
The Middle Temple Murder–J. S. Fletcher 41
The Skeleton Key–Bernard Capes 43
The Cask–Freeman Wills Crofts 45
The Red House Mystery–A. A. Milne 47
CHAPTER THREE: THE GREAT DETECTIVES 49
The Mysterious Affair at Styles–Agatha Christie 53
Clouds of Witness–Dorothy L. Sayers 55
The Rasp–Philip MacDonald 58
Mr. Fortune, Please–H. C. Bailey 61
The Poisoned Chocolates Case–Anthony Berkeley 64
The Mystery of a Butcher’s Shop–Gladys Mitchell 67
The Murder at the Vicarage–Agatha Christie 69
The Case of the Late Pig–Margery Allingham 71
Send for Paul Temple–Francis Durbridge & John Thewes 73
CHAPTER FOUR: ‘PLAY UP! PLAY UP! AND PLAY THE GAME! 75
The Floating Admiral–The Detection Club 80
The Body in the Silo–Ronald Knox 83
She Had to Have Gas–Rupert Penny 85
CHAPTER FIVE: MIRACULOUS MURDERS 88
The Medbury Fort Murder–George Limnelius 92
Murder of a Lady–Anthony Wynne
The Hollow Man–John Dickson Carr 96
CHAPTER SIX: SERPENTS IN EDEN 99
The Secret of High Eldersham–Miles Burton 104
Death Under Sail–C. P. Snow 106
The Sussex Downs Murder–John Bude 108
Sinister Crag–Newton Gayle 110
CHAPTER SEVEN: MURDER AT THE MANOR 112
The Crime at Diana’s Pool–Victor L. Whitechurch 116
Some Must Watch–Ethel Lina White 118
Death By Request–Romilly & Katherine John 120
Birthday Party–C. H. B. Kitchin 122
CHAPTER EIGHT: CAPITAL CRIMES 124
Death at Broadcasting House–Val Gielgud & Holt Marvell 129
Bats in the Belfry–E. C. R. Lorac 132
What Beckoning Ghost?–Douglas G. Browne 134
CHAPTER NINE: RESORTING TO MURDER 137
The Red Redmaynes–Eden Phillpotts 141
Mystery at Lynden Sands–J. J. Connington 143
Murder in Black and White–Evelyn Elder 145
CHAPTER TEN: MAKING FUN OF MURDER 147
Quick Curtain–Alan Melville 152
Case for Three Detectives–Leo Bruce 154
The Moving Toyshop–Edmund Crispin 157
CHAPTER ELEVEN: EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION 159
Murder at School–Glen Trevor 164
Murder at Cambridge–Q. Patrick 166
Death at the President’s Lodging–Michael Innes 168
CHAPTER TWELVE: PLAYING POLITICS 170
Vantage Striker–Helen Simpson 174
Silence of a Purple Shirt–R. C. Woodthrope 177
The Nursing Home Murder–Ngaio Marsh & Henry Jellett 179
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: SCIENTIFIC ENQUIRES 182
The Documents in the Case–Dorothy L. Sayers & Robert Eustace 186
The Young Vanish–Francis Everton 188
Death of an Airman–Christopher St. John Sprigg 190
A.B.C. Solves Five–C. E. Bechhofer Roberts 192
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW 195
The Grell Mystery–Frank Foest 199
the Duke of York’s Steps–Henry Wade
Hendon’s First Case–John Rhode 204
Green for Danger–Christianna Brand 206
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE JUSTICE GAME 208
Trial and Error–Anthony Berkeley 212
Verdict of Twelve–Raymond Postgate 214
Tragedy at Law–Cyril Hare 216
Smallbone Deceased–Michael Gilbert 218
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: MULTIPLYING MURDERS 220
The Perfect Murder Case–Christopher Bush 223
Death Walks in Eastrepps–Francis Beeding 225
X v. Rex–Martin Porlock 227
The Z Murders–J. Jefferson Farjeon 229
The ABC Murders–Agatha Christie 231
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CRIME 233
The House by the River–A. P. Herbert 238
Payment Deferred–C. S. Forester 240
No Walls of Jasper–Joanna Cannan 242
Nightmare–Lynn Brock 244
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: INVERTED MYSTERIES 246
End of an Ancient Mariner–G.D.H. & M. Cole 250
Portrait of a Murderer–Anne Meredith 252
The Department of Dead Ends–Roy Vickers 254
CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE IRONISTS 256
Malice Aforethought–Francis Iles 259
Family Matters–Anthony Rolls 261
Middle Class Murder–Bruce Hamilton 263
My Own Murderer–Richard Hull 265
CHAPTER TWENTY: FICTION FROM FACT 267
Death to the Rescue–Milward Kennedy 271
A Pin to see the Peepshow–F. Tennyson Jesse 273
Earth to Ashes–Alan Brock 275
The Franchise Affair–Josephine Tey 277
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: SINGLETONS 279
Darkness at Pemberly–T.H. White 284
The Division Bell Mystery–Ellen Wilkinson 286
Death on the Down Beat–Sebastian Farr 288
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: ACROSS THE ATLANTIC 291
The Dain Curse–Dashiell Hammett 297
The Curious Mr. Tarrant–C. Daly King 299
Calamity Town–Ellery Queen 302
The Red Right Hand–Joel Townsley Rogers 304
Strangers on a Train–Patricia Highsmith 306
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: COSMOPOLITAN CRIMES 308
Six Dead Men–Stanislas-Andre Steeman 313
Pietr the Latvian–Georges Simenon 315
Six Problems for Don Isidro Parodi–H. Bustos Domecq 317
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE WAY AHEAD 319
The Beast Must Die–Nicholas Blake 323
Background for Murder–Shelley Smith 325
The Killer and the Slain–Hugh Walpole 328
The 31st of February–Julian Symons 330
Select Bibiliography 332
Acknowledgements 336
Index of Titles 337
Index of Authors 347