Bodies from the Library 3

The Golden Age of Detective Fiction brought together 18 tales from the prolific authors of the era, including uncollected stories by Ngaio Marsh and John Dickson Carr. This diverse collection features classic series detectives, Hercule Poirot, Roderick Alleyn, and Dorothy L. Sayers, as well as early 'flash fiction' commissioned by Collins Crime Club in 1938.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 08 July 2021
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

The Golden Age of detective fiction, which began with the publication of E.C. Bentley's Trent's Last Case in 1913, reached its peak in 1920 with the publication of crime novels by Agatha Christie and Freeman Wills Crofts. This period marked a two-decade era of exceptional mystery writing, known for its whodunit, impossible crime, and locked-room mysteries. These stories have captivated and perplexed generations of readers.

This new volume in the Bodies from the Library series showcases the work of 18 prolific authors who experienced a surge in popularity during the Golden Age. In addition to novels, these authors wrote short fiction, including stories, serials, and plays. While many of their works have been collected in books over the past century, this collection presents previously unpublished pieces.

The book features classic series detectives such as Colonel Gore, Roger Sheringham, Hildegarde Withers, and Henri Bencolin. Hercule Poirot investigates "The Incident of the Dogs' Ball," Roderick Alleyn returns to New Zealand in a recently discovered television drama by Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy L. Sayers' chilling "The House of the Poplars" is published for the first time.

The collection concludes with a full-length novella by John Dickson Carr and an unpublished radio script by Cyril Hare. These pieces were commissioned by Collins Crime Club in 1938, with the requirement that each story feature an orange, resulting in six distinct tales by Peter Cheyney, Ethe.

The Golden Age of detective fiction left an indelible mark on the genre, and this anthology offers a glimpse into the exceptional works that emerged during this remarkable period.

Weight: 272g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008380960