“She died of ovarian cancer in 1944, and because of her fear of being buried alive (reflected in her novel The First Time He Died) she bequeathed her entire estate to her sister ‘on condition she pays a qualified surgeon to plunge a knife into my heart after death.'” (p. 39)

I’m a big fan of Martin Edwards’ British Library Crime Classics anthologies and that quote from Edwards’ introduction of Ethel Lina White’s “Water Running Out” shows why I’m such an admirer. Edwards supplies facts about writers that I didn’t know.

I’m also impressed by the quality of the stories Edwards includes in his anthologies. Take “The Murder in Judd Lane” by Fran Howel Evans from 1909. A pair of murders presents a puzzle with an ingenious solution. I also enjoyed the Carter Dickson (aka, John Dickson Carr) story, “Error at Daybreak” where a murder isn’t exactly what it seems to be.

Another unusual story is Cledwyn Hughes’ “The Strong Room” where a female bank robber provides some surprises. If you’re in the mood for an off-beat mystery anthology, you’ll find Crimes of Cymru a Wale of a book! GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction — vii 

A Note from the Publisher — xiii 

The Murder in Judd Lane/Frank Howel Evans — 1 

Water Running Out/Ethel Lina White — 38 

A Busman’s Holiday/Francis Brett Young — 55 

Change/Arthur Machen — 78 

Error at Daybreak/Carter Dickson — 96 

Murder in Church/G. D. H. and M. Cole — 118 

Brother in the Barrow/Ianthe Jerrold — 151 

The Way up to Heaven/Roald Dahl — 160 

Lucky Escape/Berkely Mather — 178 

The Strong Room/Cledwyn Hughes — 185 

Mamba/Jack Griffith — 196 

The Chosen One/Rhys Davies — 202 

No More A-Maying/Christianna Brand — 245 

Y Mynyddoed Sanctiaidd/Michael Gilbert — 269