Three more crimes

Specifically, three more British Library Crime Classics! Thanks to the British Library for sending these to me – I am keen to dive in, but I thought I’d give you all a quick intro to them before I choose which one to read. These tasters are all taken from the British Library website. Let me know which of these appeals the most!

Surfeit of Suspects by George Bellairs

“At 8 o’clock in the evening on the 8th November, there was a terrific explosion in Green Lane, Evingden.”

The offices of Excelsior Joinery Company are no more; the 3 directors are killed and the peace of a quiet town in Surrey lies in ruins. When the supposed cause of ignited gas leak is dismissed and the presence of dynamite revealed, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is summoned to the scene.

But beneath the sleepy veneer of Evingden lies a hotbed of deep-seated grievances. Confounding Littlejohn’s investigation is an impressive cast of suspicious persons, each concealing their own axe to grind.

Bellairs’ novel of small-town grudges with calamitous consequences revels in the abundant possible solutions to the central crime as a masterpiece of misdirection.

Deep Waters ed. by Martin Edwards

From picturesque canals to the swirling currents of the ocean, a world of secrets lies buried beneath the surface of the water. Dubious vessels crawl along riverbeds, while the murky depths conceal more than one gruesome murder.

The stories in this collection will dredge up delight in crime fiction fans, as watery graves claim unintended dwellers and disembodied whispers penetrate the sleeping quarters of a ship’s captain. How might a thief plot their escape from a floating crime scene? And what is to follow when murder victims, lost to the ocean floor, inevitably resurface?

This British Library anthology uncovers the best mysteries set below the surface, including stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, William Hope Hodgson and R. Austin Freeman.

Murder in the Mill-Race by E.C.R. Lorac

“Never make trouble in the village” is an unspoken law, but it’s a binding law. You may know about your neighbours’ sins and shortcomings, but you must never name them aloud. It’d make trouble, and small societies want to avoid trouble.

When Dr Raymond Ferens moves to a practice at Milham in the Moor in North Devon, he and his wife are enchanted with the beautiful hilltop village lying so close to moor and sky. At first they see only its charm, but soon they begin to uncover its secrets – envy, hatred and malice.

Everyone says that Sister Monica, warden of a children’s home, is a saint – but is she? A few months after the Ferens’ arrival her body is found drowned in the mill-race. Chief Inspector Macdonald faces one of his most difficult cases in a village determined not to betray its dark secrets to a stranger.

10 thoughts on “Three more crimes

  • July 15, 2019 at 9:40 am
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    I’d go for Murder in the Mill-Race. Enjoy.

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  • July 15, 2019 at 9:42 am
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    Hi I would have to go with the book edited by Martin Edwards…anything he attaches his name to has always been a winner.. the last book about the doctor who moves to the sleepy idyllic village also holds promise but the first one about the explosion …I would pass on. Regards, Andy.

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  • July 15, 2019 at 9:50 am
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    I’m a sucker for short stories, I’d be dipping into Deep Waters first if it was me, though I must admit Surfeit of Suspects sounds really tempting. I look forward to seeing how you find them.

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  • July 15, 2019 at 11:14 am
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    I’d say Deep Waters, too – as it is summer a short story collection is easier to pick up and put down, and you are more likely to be near water…though maybe a bit scary because of that lol.

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  • July 15, 2019 at 11:50 am
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    Aren’t they gorgeous? I’ve read the Bellairs which is great (and short! so ideal for you!) Can’t decide which to read next myself – the short stories are calling…..

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  • July 15, 2019 at 12:23 pm
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    Funnily enough I received the same three, they all look great but I started with Murder in the Mill-Race (reviewed today) as I do enjoy a Devon setting.

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  • July 15, 2019 at 2:56 pm
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    I would go for the Devon one as well. Sounds good!

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  • July 16, 2019 at 1:14 am
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    I’d go for Murder in the Mill-Race too. It sounds classic and familiar in its plot summary. Buried secrets that come to light rarely disappoint!

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