Martin Edwards at Tangled Web UK

Page Updated: 05/02/2008

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Martin Edwards - Page 4

First British Edition Severn House (1996)

Perfectly Criminal
See Review by John Boyles
See Review by Andrew Taylor - author of the highly acclaimed Roth & Lydmouth Series
See Review by Val McDermid - Gold Dagger winner & creator of Lindsay Gordon, Kate Brannigan & Tony Hill
Discover the secrets of the Perfect Crime...
Could you commit the perfect murder? Plan carefully, allow for every contingency, lay a false trail - get away with it?
If you find you need help, here are some tips from the masters of the art. From the suburbs of West London to the swimming pools of the South of France, and involving greed, lust and envy, you'll find the perfect crime analysed and laid out.
This sparkling collection of stories comes from the cream of the Crime Writers' Association. Each story concerns itself with the perfect crime; usually this means murder, though sometimes a death is merely the prelude to the crime itself. In the masterful hands of the authors collected here, the crime is not always what it appears to be; and the perfect criminal is not always the person you think it is. These are stories designed to intrigue, enthral and surprise you; in many ways, they are perfect.
The stories in Perfectly Criminal are collected and introduced by Martin Edwards. Each story is accompanied by a biography of the writer and in addition there is a foreword by the Chairman of the CWA.
Perfectly Criminal is the first in an annual series of crime anthologies published by Severn House in collaboration with the Crime Writers' Association. Each will feature original stories that showcase the depth and diversity of talent within the CWA.
The Stories:
Grave Import by Catherine Aird
Sheep’s Clothing by Kate Charles
Bits by Matt Coward
Abstain from Beans by Lindsey Davis
The Secret by Eileen Dewhurst
Where Do You Find Your Ideas? by Martin Edwards
The Perfect Imperfect by Gösta Gillberg
This Way Nobody Gets The Blame by Lesley Grant Adamson
The Perfect Murder Club by Reginald Hill
An (Almost) Perfect Alibi by H.R.F. Keating
Scots Bluid by Peter Lewis
Disposing of Mrs Cronk by Peter Lovesey
The Soul of Discretion by John Malcolm
Driving a Hard Bargain by Val McDermid
Moving On by Susan Moody
Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin
The Cost of Living by Andrew Taylor
Choose Your Poison by Tony Wilmot
The Missing Link by Keith Wright

Martin Edwards has written five novels about the lawyer and amateur detective Harry Devlin; the first, All The Lonely People, was short-listed for the CWA John Creasey Memorial Award for the best first crime novel of 1991. The series has been optioned for television. He is also the author of five non-fiction books on legal topics and has edited three anthologies of regional crime writing on behalf of the CWA chapters in the North and East Anglia.
‘The foxing puzzle and surprising resolution pervade the new Crime Writers’ Association Anthology… it includes this year’s devilish Macallan Dagger-winning story by Ian Rankin, plus other brain-twisters from Peter Lovesey and Val McDermid’ Time Out
'Kate Charles ... contributes Sheep's Clothing which demonstrates how engaging a short story can be. Another charmer is editor Edwards' artful Where Do You Find Your Ideas?.' Publishers Weekly

British Pbk Original - Rampant Horse Press

Anglian Blood
The East Anglian chapter of the Crime Writers' Association presents an anthology of crime writing edited by Robert Church and Martin Edwards.
A murderer is on the loose on the Norfolk Broads at Christmas. A father searches obsessively for the body of his long-lost daughter . . . A naked girl is found dead on a beach . . . A man is made redundant and takes his revenge . . . A monk tries to frame Jews for the killing of a child. Based on the pattern set by the Crime Writer's Association's Northern Blood and Northern Blood 2, the anthology includes an introduction to East Anglian crime writing, photos and biographical notes on each author:

Vivien Armstrong

Robert Church

Clare Dawson

Martin Edwards

John Harman

Alan Hunter

P D James

Sonia Kinahan

Jean McConnell

James Melville

Margaret Moore

James Pattinson

Ann Quinton

Carol Rawcliffe

Judith Saxton

Rosemary Walker
"This anthology of writings by East Anglia's branch of the Crime Writers Association contains some real gems ... there is plenty here to make the reader shiver and look over the shoulder." EASTERN DAILY PRESS
"An absolute feast for whodunnit fans". EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES
"I don't usually read short stories, but I really enjoyed the Anglian Blood collection." LINCOLNSHIRE ECHO
"The writing is excellent throughout." EVENING STAR
"This anthology is also a very pleasing, readable mix, this time with a strong female flavour ... several more atmospheric pieces which are pleasantly effortless to read and enjoy." A SHOT IN THE DARK

British Pbk Original - Flambard Press

Northern Blood 2
A collection of crime writing with a northern theme edited by Martin Edwards and foreword by Peter N. Walker, Chairman of the Crime Writers Association (1995-1996)
Includes two unpublished talks by Dame Ngaio Marsh (1895-1982)
The Stories:
R.I.P. by Gerard Benson
Foreword by Peter N Walker
Introduction by Martin Edwards
Dog Television by Robert Barnard
Drowning, Drowning by Chaz Brenchley
The Harmless Pursuits of Archibald Stamp by Ann Cleeves
Right Between the Eyes by Barbara Crossley
A Tour Too Far by Eileen Dewhurst
Act of Kindness by Martin Edwards
Video Nasty by Roger Forsdyke
Where the Snow Lay Dinted by Reginald Hill
A Bend in Time by Margaret Lewis
Borrower of the Night by Peter Lewis
Heartburn by Val McDermid
Intimate Voices by Kay Mitchell
Wilfred's Last Do by Stephen Murray
The Old Folks' Home Murder by Alan Sewart
The Unknown Lady of Sutton Bank by Peter N Walker
Simple When You Know by Barbara Whitehead
Who Fired the Fatal Shots? by Douglas Wynn
Two Talks by Ngaio Marsh
1. Our Particular Job
2. Shakespeare's Lost Whodunit
"A chilling volume ... what really catches the eye about the collection is the more off- beat stories which will certainly appeal to those who would not ordinarily consider reading a book about crime." YORKSHIRE GAZETTE & HERALD
"A well-balanced content of fact and fiction ... most of the stories had ingenious plots and plausible twists." A SHOT IN THE DARK
"A sparkling anthology. This could be a text-book for aspiring authors, and the diversity of offerings ... make it a joy for any crime fan ... the best anthology for several years." YORKSHIRE POST
"Excellent value ... Martin Edwards is making no idle boast when he speaks of variety being the hallmark of the contributions." NORTHERN REVIEW
"Shows the commitment of its authors to the regional work of the Crime Writers Association," NORTH EASTERN EVENING GAZETTE
"There is something here for any reader of short mystery fiction". THE MYSTERY READERS' JOURNAL

First British Edition Piatkus (1994)

Yesterday's Papers
On Leap Year Day in 1964 an attractive teenager called Carole Jeffries was strangled in a Liverpool park. The killing caused a sensation: Carole came from a prominent political family and her pop musician boyfriend was a leading exponent of the Mersey Sound. When a neighbour confessed to the crime, the case seemed closed - but now, more than thirty years later, Ernest Miller, an amateur criminologist, seeks to persuade lawyer Harry Devlin that the true culprit escaped scot free.
Although he suspects Miller's motives, Harry has a thirst for justice and begins to delve into the past. When another death occurs, it becomes clear that someone wants old secrets to remain buried at any price. As the mystery deepens, Harry's investigations take him into ever more unexpected and incongruous places: a betting shop, a hospice, an eerie underground archive. Eventually he puts his own life at risk to seek out the truth and even then there is a final, startling revelation to come.
Vivid atmosphere and characterisation coupled with a dazzlingly clever plot are the hallmarks of this latest novel in the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin series. From an author who is recognised as one of the most ingenious detective novelists to have emerged in recent years, Yesterday's Papers, with its subtle insights into the complex and ambiguous nature of justice, is a memorable achievement.
"Harry Devlin, a Liverpool lawyer with an eye for miscarriages of justice, researches a 30-year-old murder. His investigation uncovers the corrupt underbelly of the Merseybeat decade in this first rate complex thriller." THE SUNDAY TIMES B00KS FOR CHRISTMAS 1995
"It's such a pleasure to unearth a lawyer who can write in real-life language. Martin Edwards is ... a Liverpool solicitor who writes terrific crime novels about Harry Devlin, a charming but down-at-heel Liverpool solicitor with bruised emotions, a nice line in self-deprecation and penchant for Mersey low-life." MARCEL BERLINS THE GUARDIAN
"Perhaps Edwards' greatest achievement in this excellent thriller is to sustain an almost novel-length red herring which, in a story of continual twists, isn't giving too much away." THE SUNDAY TIMES
"Certainly the best yet of the series featuring dissolute Liverpool solicitor Harry Devlin by (not so dissolute) Liverpool solicitor Martin Edwards. This, the fourth "Devlin" takes him into a different league ... It's a well written, well paced and wryly amusing book. The horrific descriptions that pervade the books of [Patricia D.] Cornwell for example, don't make it on to Edwards' pages, although the crimes they describe do. And I haven't read a book with two more entertaining twists in the tail in years." GERARD SIGGINS - THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE
"There is a special fascination about a mystery that is supposedly solved and then resurfaces years later. Martin Edwards exploits this fascination most intriguingly - and with a sensational outcome - in Yesterday's Papers, the latest and best of his Harry Devlin series." PETER LOVESEY
"A welcome return ... there's a dizzying cast of characters here and ... some excellent dialogue, a wonderful description of a typical solicitor's archives and a good account of what it takes to become a middle aged belly dancer," FRANCES HEGARTY - NEW LAW JOURNAL
"The Merseybeat is the background to Martin Edwards' fourth mystery ... and his skilful clue-planting and twisty plotting are better than ever." THE MORNING STAR
"Another investigation for this seductive hero ... not just one but three shock endings . .. another satisfying saga featuring a character rapidly catching up with Morse." SOUTH WALES ECHO
"Liverpool solicitor Martin Edwards is a crime writer to look out for. He writes with a devilish twist and in Yesterday's Papers his fourth Harry Devlin mystery, he shows how clever he is at it ... Mr. Edwards sets clues which sometimes lead the reader down dead ends and then suddenly, everything goes ablaze ... uncanny twists in the plot make this book readable to the very last line. Harry Devlin is now well established ... Mr. Edwards' characters speak for themselves and his story bubbles along from start to finish. Quite simply, it is a good read, and I cannot imagine any solicitor not enjoying it." LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE
"Martin Edwards gets better with every new Harry Devlin which leads me to hope that Yesterday's Papers is not the peak but one of many peaks ... It's a wonderful storyline... Truly one to enjoy. A SHOT IN THE DARK
"Martin Edwards has done a masterful job in plotting this novel with its three or four separate, yet related, storylines. All come together at the end in one neat package. Again I say why isn't this talented author being published in the US?" DEADLY PLEASURES
"Ingeniously contrived, the story enhances the author's reputation as a crime writer of quality and establishes Harry Devlin as an investigator to be reckoned with. More will doubtless be heard of both." THE CRIMINOLOGIST
"A steady enjoyable read" GEOFF BRADLEY - CADS
"The Merseyside background is sharply etched" PHILIP SCOWCROFT - CADS
"It drips with atmosphere, from the underground archive for dead files next to the ferry terminal, to the dunes of Southport... Martin Edwards twists and turns the plot so as to make second guessing difficult. I read until the early hours only to find my pet theory shot to pieces". SOLICITORS JOURNAL
"An enjoyable mystery, which keeps the pages turning to the end, delivering up a couple of neat little surprises on the way ... There's a light-hearted touch to the book and Harry likes a good joke. Its all wound up in a satisfying conclusion and if you, like Harry Devlin, enjoy crime writing's Golden Age then I am sure you will have fun with this." CRIME TIME
"An especially fiendish plot" RACHEL LAURENCE - LIVERPOOL DAILY POST

First British Edition Piatkus (1993)

I Remember You
When Liverpool solicitor Harry Devlin watches fire destroy the studio of his client, tattooist Finbar Rogan, he suspects it is no accident. And when a bomb is planted under Finbar's car, Harry is left in no doubt. Someone hates Finbar enough to want him dead.
As Harry searches for the culprit, he discovers that Finbar has secrets he is keen to hide. Meanwhile, Harry meets Rosemary Graham-Brown, who provokes his curiosity. Why should she and her husband suddenly be so anxious to leave their luxurious home and emigrate to Spain?
After a brutal murder occurs, the two puzzles become interlinked. Harry pieces the clues together and the shocking truth is finally revealed at a fatal confrontation on a foggy Hallowe'en.
Redolent with the atmosphere of the Liverpool streets and the unique character of the people who walk them, I Remember You is an ingenious and gripping mystery, featuring one of the most likeable and determined detectives to have appeared in recent years.
"Martin Edwards gets better and better . . Clever plot, rounded characters, nicely judge pace and above all the richly atmospheric portrayal of Liverpool life at all levels make this a real treat" Reginald Hill
"Love features large and without sentimentality in this compelling story... If Devlin and his coterie do not live to fight another day, it will be a sad loss to home-grown British crime fiction, which needs, amidst all the literary flower-arranging, more true grit like this." Frances Fyfield - THE NEW LAW JOURNAL
"A first rate detective story " PUBLISHING NEWS
"Should keep its readers guessing until the end ... it's enjoyable." SOUTHPORT GLOBE
"There is more than a whiff of Raymond Chandler mixed with the atmosphere of Liverpool ... there are some lovely Chandleresque one-liners.SOLICITORS JOURNAL
"I liked this book as much as I did the first two." BOOKS
"Confirms Edwards' status as a rising star in the crime fiction world, with a taut plot well drawn characters and a real flavour of the city it is based in." LIVERPOOL DAILY POST
"Superbly built erotic tension," LIVERPOOL ECHO
"A realistic, gritty novel about corruption, crime and memories ." it represents several hours of enjoyable reading," FLY MAGAZINE
"The story rattles along at a fast pace and the clever ending comes as a complete surprise ... Mr Edwards is a clever writer and one can foresee Harry Devlin maturing into one of the profession's most well-known fictional characters." LAW SOCIETY GAZETTE
"Harry Devlin ... (is) enormously appealing ... the author deserves no little credit for developing a character who is totally credible ... the story is as tricky and skilful as the wingers Liverpool FC used to boast a few years back." A SHOT IN THE DARK