Features

CIS: The classics of Tartan noir

Scottish crime fiction has a long and lustrous history. Whether set in Scotland or written by Scots there is a wealth of classics from which to choose. Our feature includes some of the earliest examples as well as modern works by still-active authors – all…
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Features

CIS: My classics by TJ Cooke

TJ Cooke’s Defending Elton was the legal thriller that proved to be so much more than just a legal thriller. Not only is the main character a lawyer – someone who altruistically defends the helpless and hapless – he’s also a killer. The book’s so…
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Features

CIS: Rogue Male revisited

Geoffrey Household’s most famous novel is a period piece that exerts such a powerful grip on the contemporary reader it may well be the best crime thriller to be published in 2014. Rogue Male was reissued this summer to mark the book’s 75th anniversary. Twelve…
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Features

The best World War I crime fiction

Today marks 100 years since Britain entered World War I. For the next five years, writers, artists and historians from all over the world will remind us the momentous events which took place between 1914 and 1919. The Great War is remembered for its soldier…
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The Thirty-Nine Steps interactive

Digital books. Yes they’re inexpensive and they save trees, but when you’re reading one on an iPad or Android tablet, you’re only using a fraction of the computing power available. The Story Mechanics – in a joint venture with Faber and Faber and various other…
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Reviews

CIS: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

First published in 1915, it’s hard to believe that The Thirty-Nine Steps is nearly 100 years old. It has formed the basis for a number of film adaptations – usually with the title shortened to The 39 Steps – including the British thriller directed by…
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