Martin Edwards at Tangled Web UK

Page Updated: 05/02/2008

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Martin Edwards - Page 1

The Arsenic Labyrinth

Feb 08

Latest Reviews at Tangled Web by Martin Edwards

Essays, Introductions & Short Stories

More Critics' Comments

A Profile of Eileen Dewhurst

C.S.Forester and Crime Fiction

Reginald Hill's Dalziel & Pascoe Series by Martin Edwards

The Reluctant Detective (Francis Pettigrew & Cyril Hare)

CWA Anthologies

Peter Lovesey Interview

A Profile of Stanley Hyland

Ross Anderson Publications The Case Of The Disappearing Crime Publisher

The Chandler Style

A Profile of J.C.Masterman

A Profile of Ann Cleeves

Michael Gilbert's Criminal Career An Overview by Martin Edwards

Email: martinedwards10@btconnect.com

WebPage: http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com

About the Author (Photo (c) John Mills Photography)

Bibliography

First British Edition Allison & Busby (2007)

The Arsenic Labyrinth
Shortlisted for the Crime Novel of the Year Award
`You’d never believe it to look at me now, but once upon a time I killed a man.’
Daniel Kind is finding the long winter months at Brackdale tough, especially as his relationship with Miranda is also going through a dark time. Far from the bright lights of London and beginning to feel isolated in their rural idyll, Miranda has a bad case of itchy feet. The fear that she may just get up and leave isn’t far from his thoughts.
And Miranda wouldn’t be the first: ten years ago a solitary woman called Emma Bestwick left her cottage and never came back. Police at the time were unable to establish whether she left of her own accord or was the victim of suicide, accident or murder. Her disappearance went unaccounted for, and the unresolved case has always irked DCI Hannah Scarlett, who heads the local Cold Case Review Team.
But in a small, rural community, someone is bound to know something. And that someone has recently started calling the local newspaper and dropping hints about Emma’s death. With the case reopened, Hannah and Daniel are drawn together again, and discover to their cost that one person will preserve the secrets of the past at any price.
Praise for the Author
'A beautifully crafted book. Events from the past are woven into a fascination contemporary rural mystery to make a satisfying whole. And for lovers of the classic whodunnit, there's a delicious twist in the tail' Ann Cleeves
‘First rate… Martin Edwards writes terrific crime novels’ Guardian
‘A clever psychological thriller’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Martin is increasingly recognized as one of Britain’s most exciting crime writers’ Liverpool Daily Post
‘Edwards’ mastery of the psychological thriller is as assured as ever’ Crime Time
‘A first-rate complex thriller’ Sunday Times
‘Very highly recommended’ Mystery Woman

First British Edition Allison & Busby (2005)

The Cipher Garden
A Lake District Mystery
Where old sins cast long shadows
I thought you were dead...’
In the peaceful village of Old Sawrey in the idyllic Lake District a murderer strikes. Warren Howe, a husband and father of two, is brutally slaughtered with his own scythe by a mysterious hooded figure. He had been on a garden-landscaping job, digging an excavation trench into which the killer would soon throw his bloodied, lifeless body. The police identity several suspects but, due to the lack of evidence, they fail to make an arrest.
Years later an anonymous tip-off sparks he interest of DCI Hannah Scarlett who heads the local Cold Case Review ream. Despite her sergeant’s discouragement from spending time on such a slight lead. Hannah follows her instincts and pursues the case. Her investigations lead her to suspect Howe’s widow, Tina, but she has an alibi that seems to put her out of the frame.
Recently moved to the Lake District to live the dream with his partner Miranda, Daniel Kind’s discoveries about the unusual garden attached to their new home prove crucial to Hannah’s investigation. As Hannah and Daniel delve deeper in their quest for the truth, they discover that in this village old sins cast long shadows. The clues are eventually pieced together. leading to a shocking revelation that will change Hannah’s life forever.
A beautifully atmospheric and intriguing mystery, The Cipher Garden is the latest novel from the acclaimed Martin Edwards.

First British Edition Allison & Busby (2004)

The Coffin Trail
Oxford historian Daniel Kind and his partner Miranda both want to escape to a new life. On impulse they buy a cottage in Brackdale, an idyllic valley in the Lake District. But though they hope to live the dream, the past soon catches up with them.
Tarn Cottage was once home to Barrie Gilpin, suspected of a savage murder. A young woman’s body was found on the Sacrifice Stone, an ancient pagan site up on the fell, but Barrie died before he could be arrested. Daniel has personal reasons for becoming fascinated by the case and for believing in Barrie’s innocence. When the police launch a cold case review, Brackdale’s skeletons begin to rattle and the lives of Daniel and DCI Hannah Scarlett become strangely entwined. Daniel and Hannah each find themselves risking their lives as they search for a ruthless murderer who is prepared to kill again to hide a shocking secret.
`The Coffin Trail has all the ingredients you need for a wonderful, absorbing read: a crime deeply rooted in the past, a beautifully evoked sense of the Lake District and an interesting and diverse group of characters. DO Hannah Scarlett is a fine creation, and it’s good news that we can look forward to seeing more of her in the future’ Peter Robinson, author of the acclaimed Inspector Banks series

British Pbk Original - Do Not Press (2003)

Green For Danger
The Official Anthology of the Crime Writers’ Association 2004
‘It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.’ Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of the Copper Beeches Green For Danger is the brand new and delicious selection of the best modern British crime writing, featuring some of the biggest and best names in the business. The theme is ‘crime in the countryside’ and most of the 20 stories are unavailable elsewhere.
Green For Danger is the finest mystery collection of the year.
Contributors: Andrea Badenoch
Robert Barnard
Ann Cleeves
Mat Coward
Judith Cutler
Carol Anne Davis
Martin Edwards
Kate Ellis
Reginald Hill
Edward D Hoch
Brian Innes
Michael Jecks
Peter Lewis
Peter Lovesey
Keith Miles
Gwen Moffat
Amy Myers
Ruth Rendell
Zoe Sharp
Jerry Sykes

British Pbk Original - Little,Brown (2003)

Mysterious Pleasures
A Celebration of the Crime Writers’ Association’s 50th Anniversary
‘Show me a man or woman who cannot stand mysteries and I will show you a fool. A clever fool - perhaps - but a fool just the same’ Raymond Chandler
Ever since its creation in 1953, the Crime Writers’ Association has celebrated and championed the very best in the field of murder and mystery. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of this esteemed organisation, Mysterious Pleasures offers a unique collection of short stories from its most illustrious members.
All of the contributors to this anthology have won the CWA’s prestigious Diamond or Gold Dagger Awards, served as chairman, or, in many cases, all three. From Eric Ambler to Ian Rankin, Dick Francis to Ruth Rendell, John Creasey to Sara Paretsky, here are tales that alternately tantalise, intrigue, shock, surprise and thrill - a myriad of styles united only by subject matter and the sheer quality of the writing.
A box of delights, some hard-centred, some soft, some sprinkled with a smidgen of poison, Mysterious Pleasures is a must-read for fans of crime fiction everywhere.
Including new stories by:
Robert Barnard
Lindsey Davis
Colin Dexter
Reginald Hill
H.R.F. Keating
Peter Lovesey
Val McDermid
Ian Rankin

About The Author
Martin Edwards Born at Knutsford, Cheshire (setting for Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford") and educated in Northwich and at Balliol College, Oxford University, taking a first class honours degree in law. Trained as a solicitor in Leeds and moved to Liverpool on qualifying in 1980. Published first legal article at the age of 25 and first book - about legal aspects of buying a business computer - at 27. Became a partner in the firm of Mace & Jones in 1984, Married with two children; now living in Lymm. Member of the Murder Squad collective of crime writers and chairman of the nominations sub-committee for the CWA Diamond Dagger.
WRITING CAREER
My writing falls into six categories:-

Crime Novels
My latest novels are the Lake District Mysteries,The Coffin Trail and The Cipher Garden. The third in the series, The Arsenic Labyrinth is due to appear in early 2007.
I have published seven novels set in Liverpool and featuring solicitor Harry Devlin. The first, All The Lonely People, was short-listed for the John Creasey Memorial Award for the best first crime novel of the year (the eventual winner was Walter Mosley). In 2002 I published a stand-alone psychological suspense novel, Take My Breath Away and my latest book, The Coffin Trail, is the first in a new series set in the Lake District whose principal characters are a historian and a police officer. In addition, I completed The Lazarus Widow, the final novel by the late Bill Knox featuring his popular Thane and Moss.
Crime Short Stories
My short mystery stories have appeared in a wide range of anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Mike Ashley, Rosemary Herbert, Jurgen Ehlers, Anne Perry and others, as well as in magazines in England, USA and Japan. The stories collected in Where Do You Find Your Ideas? and other stories (which features an introduction by Reginald Hill) divide into three groups: Harry Devlin stories, historical mysteries (including Sherlockian pastiches) and contemporary suspense stories. More recent stories have included Test Drive, which was shortlisted for the CWA Short Story Dagger in 2005. 24 Hours from Tulsa andThe House of the Red Candle' have appeared in 'Best British Mysteries
Crime Anthologies
I conceived and edited three anthologies of crime writing, fact and fiction, for the Northern Chapter of the Crime Writers Association: Northern Blood , Northern Blood 2 and Northern Blood 3 . I co-edited with Robert Church a similar volume for the East Anglian Chapter; Anglian Blood . In 1995 I was asked to take over as editor of the national CWA anthology and decided to establish a new series, with the stories in each volume linked by a common theme. So far there have been eight volumes in the series (the current publishers are the Do-Not Press), and it has yielded several CWA Dagger winners and nominees. In 2003 I edited a special volume, Mysterious Pleasures, to celebrate the CWA’s Golden Jubilee. The previous year I edited Murder Squad, an anthology of collective members’ fiction with an introduction by Val McDermid. .
Writing About Crime Fiction
I have written about and reviewed detective novels for numerous publications. Currently I write a a regular column for Sherlock. In addition, I have had essays published in 100 Great Detectives (ed. Maxim Jakubowski), Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers (third ed. Lesley Henderson; fourth ed. as St. James Guide To Crime & Mystery Writers ed.Jay P. Pedersen) The Great Good Place? (ed. Peter Nover), Oxford Companion To Crime & Mystery Writing (ed. Rosemary Herbert) and Oxford Good Fiction Guide (ed. Jane Rogers).
True Crime
As well as occasional articles about true crime cases, I have written an illustrated book on how the police take a homicide case from crime scene to court. Its titles are: Catching Killers, Urge to Kill, and Motive to Murder, depending on whether you look at the UK, US or Australian editions!
Legal Writing
I have published seven legal books (two as co-author) as well as over 400 articles for newspapers and magazines as diverse as The Times, Good Housekeeping, Car Mechanics, International Management and Amateur Gardening. I have also contributed to a number of multiple-author textbooks, mainly on my specialist subject of employment law.

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Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.

The Arsenic Labyrinth (Allison & Busby, 2007)

The Cipher Garden (Allison & Busby, 2005)

The Coffin Trail (Allison & Busby, 2004) Allison & Busby Pbk Oct 05

Crime on the Move (Do Not Press Pbk, 2004)

Catching Killers: How Police take a homicide case from crime scene to court (John Blake, 2003)

Green For Danger (Do Not Press Pbk, 2003)

Mysterious Pleasures Short Stories (Little,Brown Pbk, 2003)

Take My Breath Away (Allison & Busby, 2002) Allison & Busby Pbk Jul 04

Crime in the City (Do Not Press Pbk, 2002)

Murder Squad (Flambard Press Pbk, 2002)

Urge to Kill: How Police Take Homicide from Case to Court (Writer's Digest Books Pbk, 2002)

Where Do You Find Your Ideas? And Other Crime Stories (Countyvise Ltd Pbk, 2001)

Scenes of Crime (Constable, 2000)

The First Cut is the Deepest (Hodder & Stoughton, 1999) NEL Pbk Jun 00 (Harry Delvin)

Past Crimes 3 (Severn House, 1998)

The Devil in Disguise (Hodder & Stoughton, 1998) (Harry Delvin)

Perfectly Criminal 2 Short Stories (Severn House, 1998) (Ed.)

Eve of Destruction (Piatkus, 1996) Piatkus Pbk 1997 (Harry Delvin)

Perfectly Criminal Short Stories (Severn House, 1996) (Ed.)

Anglian Blood Short Stories (Rampant Horse Press Pbk, 1995) (co-Editor)

Northern Blood 2 Short Stories (Flambard Press Pbk, 1995) (Ed.)

Yesterday's Papers (Piatkus, 1994) Magna (large print) May 96 Bantam Pbk 1995 (Harry Delvin)

I Remember You (Piatkus, 1993) Magna (large print) March 96 Bantam Pbk 1995 (Harry Delvin)

Suspicious Minds (Piatkus, 1992) (Magna Nov 1995) Bantam Pbk 1993 (Harry Delvin)

Northern Blood Short Stories (Collins Crime Pbk, 1992) (Ed.)

All the Lonely People (Piatkus, 1991) (Magna Sept 1995) nominated for the Crime Writers Association's 1991 John Creasey Memorial Award Bantam Pbk 1992 (Harry Delvin)

Whydunit? Short Stories