Detective Fiction - British Library Crime Classics

[Anita Bensoussane]

I saw this set of books in WHSmith today and liked the look of the covers:

http://shop.bl.uk/mall/departmentpage.c ... e-classics" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some of the earliest titles published in the British Library Crime Classics series have been referred to on the forums before. However, they were mentioned in the middle of the Agatha Christie thread and I thought it might be worth starting a new topic for non-Agatha Golden Age Detective Fiction.

The volumes have lovely vintage-looking covers and intriguing titles. I'm not actively buying books these days but I stopped to have a look anyway. Several of the London-themed titles caught my eye - Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay, A Scream in Soho by John G. Brandon and Capital Crimes: London Mysteries (a collection of short stories by a number of different authors). I know we have one or two Golden Age Detective Fiction aficionados on this forum (Sixret, I'm looking in your direction!) and I was wondering what you think of this set of books. I'm not sure if more titles are going to be added to the series in the future.

Which Golden Age Detective novels are generally considered to be the best? (Sorry if this has been asked before - I can't remember whether we've ever discussed it).

[Lucky Star]

Lovely, very evocative covers. I don't really recognise any of the titles though. Not a genre I have ever read much of to be honest.

[John Pickup]

Mystery In White by J. Jefferson Farjeon is a brilliant read. The ones by John Bude are very good too. I agree about the covers, beautifully illustrated.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Love those covers. I'd buy the book just for the covers!

I have seen these before and keep meaning to order some, but it's just remembering!!!

[Moonraker]

Yes, I have read a few of those - a fact I mentioned in the Other Authors thread. Are you saying that all of these books are available as a boxed set, Anita? If so, how much were they?

Footnote: Thanks, Anita, I have just downloaded The Cornish Coast Mystery to my Kindle for £2.99!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I hope you enjoy the book, Nigel!

The ones I saw weren't a boxed set (unless someone wanted to buy the whole display case, which was made of cardboard and dedicated entirely to British Library Crime Classics!) Each paperback cost £8.99 but there was a "Buy one, get one half price" offer on.

[Farwa]

Though the stories in it are not British, I thought this book might be worth mentioning on this thread - I bought it last week, and it's a wonderful book with lots of stories. (until now)

The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories

I discovered this in the bookshop, but you can find out more about it on Google Books:
https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=ye ... 96&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Book-Ameri ... ve+Stories" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thinking of buying their book of English detective stories next!

Has anyone heard of Nick Velvet?

Apparently there was some book with the name "The Thefts of Nick Velvet" by an unknown author. My dad was a big fan of it as a child, but unfortunately no longer has it. To this day he has searched for this book, but it is so rare now that it is not available anywhere. I really want to read it, and my dad would be very happy if I found it, so I hope someone here knows about it.
Has anyone read the books too? Who is the author? Is it a series? Is it British or American? Please tell me.

[Daisy]

I googled the name and found this Farwa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_D. ... ick_Velvet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Moonraker]

I can't stand American crime novels.

[Katharine]

I love the covers on most of those books.

I spotted one at my parents' house the other day, my mother has borrowed it from a local library. She'd also read one of the others. I think she said it was a bit slow in places, but quite a good read, so I'll have to try and get hold of one for myself I think.

[Farwa]

I googled the name and found this Farwa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_D. ... ick_Velvet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Much appreciated, Daisy - but I wanted that information for myself. If you could tell me somehow where I can find the book, my father and I would be very happy. We have scored E-bay, Amazon, and other sites, but could not find it.

I can't stand American crime novels.

That is discrimination, Moonraker, and you know it!

There is plenty of nice American crime fiction. Wait till you read Hardy Boys - I am sure your opinion would change - I'm not sure whether the author is Canadian or American, but he certainly wrote the books for Americans.

Even if you do not like them, it does not make all American crime fiction bad.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Nigel didn't say all American crime fiction is bad - it's just that he personally doesn't like what he has read.

As a child I liked the Nancy Drew books because they were fast-paced and the main protagonists were more grown-up than the ones in most children's detective books. However, I never really loved the characters the way I love Enid Blyton's characters and the stories seemed quite "choppy", with lots of short-lived cliffhangers and scenes of drama which were resolved quickly and led nowhere. I later found out that the 1970s paperbacks I read had been abridged, so that might account for the apparent choppiness of style.

In my thirties I discovered the Three Investigators series, which is great fun with likeable characters and intriguing mysteries - though some stories are better than others (I read the first ten or so).

Regarding The Thefts of Nick Velvet, there are copies for sale here but the hardcover editions are expensive:

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl ... 2520velvet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Farwa]

Nigel didn't say all American crime fiction is bad - it's just that he personally doesn't like what he has read.

Well, he should say so, then. He said "I can't stand American crime novels", which is discrimination.

Regarding The Thefts of Nick Velvet, there are copies for sale here but the hardcover editions are expensive:

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl ... 2520velvet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Carlotta King]

Thats what he DID say - he said he can't stand them, which means that he doesn't like them personally. Like when you tell us you can't stand alcohol.
I can't stand Thai food but that's just my opinion, I'm not insulting Thai people, I just don't like the taste of the food personally.

Its not 'discrimination' just to say that you can't stand something, its someone's personal opinion.
Heaven forbid we have likes and dislikes these days, just in case we're seen to be discriminating against someone or something!

[Lenoir]

I wouldn't know about American crime novels in general but I know I like the Nero Wolfe stories by Rex Stout (private investigator). Has anyone else tried them?