Bodies from the Library: Lost Tales of Mystery and Suspense from the Golden Age of Detection

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This anthology of rare stories of crime and suspense brings together 16 tales by masters of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction for the first time in book form, including a newly discovered Agatha Christie crime story that has not been seen since 1922.
At a time when crime and thriller writing has once again overtaken the sales of general and literary fiction, Bodies from the Library unearths lost stories from the Golden Age, that period between the World Wars when detective fiction captured the publics imagination and saw the emergence of some of the worlds cleverest and most popular storytellers.

This anthology brings together 16 forgotten tales that have either been published only once before perhaps in a newspaper or rare magazine or have never before appeared in print. From a previously unpublished 1917 script featuring Ernest Bramahs blind detective Max Carrados, to early 1950s crime stories written for Londons Evening Standard by Cyril Hare, Freeman Wills Crofts and A.A. Milne, it spans five decades of writing by masters of the Golden Age.

Most anticipated of all are the contributions by women writers: the first detective story by Georgette Heyer, unseen since 1923; an unpublished story by Christianna Brand, creator of Nanny McPhee; and a dark tale by Agatha Christie published only in an Australian journal in 1922 during her Grand Tour of the British Empire.

With other stories by Detection Club stalwarts Anthony Berkeley, H.C. Bailey, J.J. Connington, John Rhode and Nicholas Blake, plus Vincent Cornier, Leo Bruce, Roy Vickers and Arthur Upfield, this essential collection harks back to a time before forensic science when murder was a complex business.

Reviews

A veritable treasure trove of classic short stories. The star line up includes Agatha Christie, Cyril Hare and Georgette Heyer, but the best of the bunch are the second rank authors Daily Mail

I think I've learned more from [Tony Medawars] researches than from the research of any other Golden Age fan Martin Edwards, doyouwriteunderyourownname.blogspot.co.uk

A stunning array of lost stories Puzzle Doctor, classicmystery.wordpress.com

An interesting and varied collection of short stories. It is impossible to select just one favourite It was also great to enjoy stories by writers I had not previously liked. CrossExaminingCrime

Author Bio

Editor Tony Medawar is a detective fiction expert and researcher with a penchant for tracking down rare stories. His other collections of previously uncollected stories include While The Light Lasts (Agatha Christie), The Avenging Chance (Anthony Berkeley), The Spotted Cat (Christianna Brand) and A Spot Of Folly (Ruth Rendell).