Features

Interview: Helen FitzGerald

Helen Fitzgerald’s latest novel, The Cry, looks set to be one of 2013’s most talked about psychological thrillers. It’s he story of a young couple who suffer every parent’s worst nightmare, the disappearance of their baby. But are Joanna and Alistair as innocent as they…
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CIS: An evening with Ruth Rendell

Ruth Rendell – or Baroness Rendell of Babergh to use her full title following her Life Peerage in 1997 – is approaching the 50th anniversary of the publication of her debut novel. She’s published a total of 50 novels as Ruth Rendell as well as…
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CIS: Dorothy L Sayers and Fenland

Dorothy L Sayers was one of the greats of The Golden Age of crime fiction. Her two most celebrated characters, Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, inhabit an England that is long dead, and exist in a society whose values, dress and language are museum…
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CIS: Why No1 Ladies' is now a classic

As I sit here sipping my red bush tea (artistic licence… it’s PG Tips!), I’ve been reflecting on how long I’ve been acquainted with Mma Precious Ramotswe, and why she deserves her place in the list of classic crime novels. I first met this lovely…
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CIS: The Best of Dorothy L Sayers

Dorothy L Sayers may not be quite as much of a household name worldwide as Agatha Christie, but is thought by many to be the better writer. Funnier, more nuanced and unafraid to address social issues, Sayers is often cited as an inspiration by authors…
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Features

Welcome to Classics in September 2013

The other day we were on Twitter talking about our intention to run our second annual themed month, Classics in September. One of our followers asked: ‘Why September?’ A very good question, and just the sort a lover of mysteries who follows the logic of…
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Features

Interview: Erin Kelly

A leading light in the new generation of psychological crime writers, Erin Kelly’s 2010 debut The Poison Tree was praised by Stephen King, who compared its powerful suspense to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. The novel about a suburban student who embraces a new bohemian life…
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