Looking Back. The British Library republishes a series of classic spy thrillers and crime novels from the golden age of British detective fiction

I’d never thought of the British Library as a publisher and even less, have thought of them as being involved in the crime and thriller fiction genre.  So, I was surprised to find that The British library publish a wide range of books including crime and thrillers, helping to return to life a range of books that have been out of print for some time.  Here’s a taste of what they’re offering.

 

E Phillips Oppenheim was one of the most popular and successful writers of spy fiction in the early half of the twentieth century, known in his time as The Prince of Storytellers!  He wrote more than a hundred novels and The British Library republished two of his classics in August 2014.

 

The Spy Paramount is regarded by many as influencing Ian Fleming’s James Bond.  This book is a gripping and sophisticated tale of a spy who saves the world, featuring all the glamour of yachts, cocktail parties and high society across the cities of Europe.

 

The Great Impersonation starts in East Africa in 1913 when disgraced English aristocrat Edvard Dominey meets his double, German Baron Von Ragastein.  What’s unclear is whether it’s Dominey or Von Ragastein that return to London.  Could it be that Dominey is really a German agent looking to infiltrate English high society as the drumbeat of war becomes louder and louder? 
  

There are also a range of crime novels being republished.  The 2014 offering includes: 
 

A Scream in Soho by John G Brandon.  Set in Soho during the blackouts of the Second World War this novel follows Detective Inspector MacCarthy as he moves through the dark seedy Soho underworld populated by Italian spies, gangsters, cross dressing German spies and glamorous Austrian aristocrats.  MacCarthy has to unravel the connection between the mysterious Madame Rohner and the theft of secret anti-aircraft defence plans.

 

Mystery in White by J Jefferson Farjeon, whom Dorothy L Sayers described as “being quite unsurpassed for a creepy skill in mysterious adventures”.  On Christmas Eve heavy snow brings a train to a halt near the village of Hemmersby.  Some passengers take shelter in a deserted country house where the fire has been lit and the table laid for tea – but no-one is at home!  Trapped together for Christmas the passengers seek to unravel the secrets of the empty house when a murder strikes in their midst.

 

Both novels are introduces by Martin Edwards which makes me even more sure these books are worth looking out for.

I’m already starting to think about Christmas presents and wondering which of my family and friends would like to re-read these books or to sample some classics of a bygone age of crime.  If you want to see what’s in the catalogue click on this link: www.bl.uk/shop .  Orders over £15 have free postage which is good if you’re trying to keep costs down before Christmas.

 

I’d love to hear from Crime Warp readers who are familiar with these books and authors or who have decided to swap contemporary crime and thrillers to sample these early twentieth century classics. 
 

Romancrimeblogger