1950s

Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth

By Erin Britton

4 November, 2025

This year’s festive addition to the British Library Crime Classics series is Susan Gilruth’s Death in Ambush, which was first published in 1952. It is a Christmas-set mystery, yes, but one less about seasonal cheer and more about the tensions, hypocrisies and secrets that lie…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

By crimefictionlover

21 June, 2025

When it comes to metafiction in the crime genre, nobody does it better than Anthony Horowitz. His Daniel Hawthorne detective novels are brilliant, and his Magpie Murders stories have been big hit in print and on screen thanks to the BBC series. Marble Hall Murders…

Features

First look: Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

By crimefictionlover

23 April, 2025

Well, have a good looksie at what has just arrived in the mail from Harper in the US of A – and no tariffs attached, as far as we can tell. Marble Hall Murders is the third book in the Susan Ryeland series by British…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

White City by Dominic Nolan

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

18 December, 2024

Dominic Nolan’s White City is a gritty, evocative story set in 1950s London, a city in ruins after World War II. While many crime novels set in the city focus on the East End, here we’re up west, in and around Notting Dale, Soho, White…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

29 December, 2023

Over the past year or two we’ve seen a flurry of book titles containing the names of women. These often fall into the quirky and offbeat or cosy categories. The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is not one of them. Quite the contrary. In 1954,…

Kindle Print Reviews

Noir Burlesque by Enrico Marini

By Paul Burke

14 November, 2023

Translated by Dan Christensen — Italian writer and illustrator Enrico Marini moves further towards the dark side with his latest graphic novel, Noir Burlesque. It’s five years or so since he released Batman: The Dark Prince Charming, and his latest work is an overt homage…

Kindle Print Reviews

Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin

By Erin Britton

5 August, 2023

Celia Fremlin’s Uncle Paul is an engrossing, slow-burning psychological thriller that skilfully blends suspense, family dynamics and the infuriating complexities of human relationships. Originally published in 1959, its gripping narrative and insightful exploration of the psyche ensure that it remains surprising and impactful despite certain…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

The Lock-Up by John Banville

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

25 May, 2023

Detective Inspector Strafford and Doctor Quirke return in The Lock-Up, the third instalment of John Banville’s crime duo series. The story picks up where April in Spain finished and deals with the murder of a young Jewish woman, Rosa Jacobs, in Dublin in the 1950s….

Crime Fiction Lover

Death in Ambush by Susan Gilruth

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

First look: Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

White City by Dominic Nolan

The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou

Noir Burlesque by Enrico Marini

Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin

The Lock-Up by John Banville

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