Today we kick off our fifth annual themed month devoted to old school crime fiction – Classics in September. And just like in previous years, we’re going to celebrate in style by looking at Golden Age novels, gritty pulp shockers, vintage espionage, and even some literary crime classics.
Our excellent sponsor
In 2016, we welcome on board and thank our sponsors, Bloomsbury, a company that’s devoted to keeping classic crime alive in the modern age with its Bloomsbury Reader series. Under that banner, the company has a Classic Crime Club publishing both ebooks and print versions of lost gems from years gone by. This is the second year that we’ve been supported by Bloomsbury and just like in 2014 it’s great to have them right behind us.
On top of looking at fantastic classics by authors like Wilkie Collins, Len Deighton, Georges Simenon and Erskine Childers, we’re going to branch out into the world of comics because this month the British publication 2000AD is celebrating its 2000th weekly edition. To toast the occasion we’re going to look at the best of Judge Dredd. Yes, he’s futuristic, but he’s also ultimately a crime fiction hero who gets to not only investigate the crimes, but plays the role of judge, jury and executioner as well.
Celebrations galore
Another celebration is going on this month as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine reaches its 75th year. We’ve always wanted to take a closer look at the Ellery Queen phenomenon and what better time? There’s going to be a touch of Nordic noir too, with a look back at Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg. It might sound esoteric, but when you read it you’ll be able to see just how influential it has been on writers like Stieg Larsson, as well as the creators of The Killing and The Bridge.
We’ll be inviting four authors along to share their crime classics with us, there will be a couple of interviews to enjoy too, draws to win books on our Facebook page and much more. So, join us here every day in September and savour the flavour of vintage crime fiction. All of our contributors are participating, and hopefully you will too. It’s going to be brilliant!
Classics in September 2016 is sponsored by Bloomsbury Reader.
