Features

CIS: Lost classics by Arthur Lyons

All too often when I cite Arthur Lyons (1946-2008) as one of my favourite crime writers I am met with a blank expression or something like: ‘Who? Never heard of him…’ Likewise, when I was researching some background material for this article, there was a…
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Features

CIS: My classics by Cathy Ace

Not only is Cathy Ace the author of the wonderful Cait Morgan Mystery series, but she’s also the Vice President of the Crime Writers of Canada. That means she’s quite a busy lady, so we were definitely the lucky ones when she agreed to join…
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Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann

First published by an independent in 2010, Mann’s tribute to the pulp-era American rogue crime-fighting vigilantes has been revised, expanded and released by Titan Books. It’s been given an exceptional new pulp-style cover too, created by design studio Amazing 15. The year is 1927, prohibition…
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CIS: The Quiller Memorandum revisited

In 1965, writing under the pseudonym of Adam Hall, Elleston Trevor published a thriller which, like Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale before it, was to herald a change in the world of spy thrillers. The novel was titled The Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist…
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A Song from Dead Lips by William Shaw

Crime writers are occasionally given to complaining about how technology has made life harder when it comes to plotting. Many Golden Age authors would certainly have been scuppered by mobile phones or CCTV. So, in theory, the historical crime novel should make life simpler. However,…
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Features

CIS: The best of Ngaio Marsh

It might be because her name looks hard to pronounce – Ngaio is said nai-0h, though the Marsh part is easy enough. Or perhaps it’s her relatively small body of work – 32 novels is less than half Agatha Christie’s 66. Then again, maybe it’s…
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