<p>‘Magisterial but wickedly entertaining … reliably readable and frequently amusing. It also inspires awe: Edwards combines wide reading with a good memory, meticulous control over his unruly material, critical acumen and sheer bloody persistence.’ ANDREW TAYLOR, <em>THE SPECTATOR</em></p>
<p>‘As entertaining and illuminating a history of crime and thriller fiction as I’ve ever read.’ IAN RANKIN</p>
<p>‘Impressively scholarly and joyfully anecdotal… it’s hard to imagine this book being superseded for many years to come.’ <em>MORNING STAR</em></p>
<p>‘Vastly entertaining … [Edwards] plots the development of the genre and the bizarre lives of writers … You’ll find all your favourites here, from Edgar Allan Poe to PD James … But be warned – you’ll end up with a reading list as long as a giant’s arm.’ DENIS MANN, <em>DAILY EXPRESS</em></p>
<p>‘A magisterial history of mysteries and their creators.’ <em>THE TIMES</em></p>
<p>‘There is plenty here for mystery readers, whether well-versed in the genre’s history or not —and mystery writers will welcome this book as a resource.’</p>
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<em>THE NEW YORK TIMES</em>
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<p>‘A magisterial work… THE LIFE OF CRIME does more than just inform, entertain and provoke, it also sends new readers back to old books.’</p>
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<em>THE WASHINGTON POST</em>
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<p>REVIEWS FOR MARTIN EDWARDS:</p>
<p>‘Few, if any, books about crime fiction have provided so much information and insight so enthusiastically and, for the reader, so enjoyably’ THE TIMES</p>
<p>‘Illuminating and entertaining – provides a new way of looking at old favourites.’ LEN DEIGHTON, author of <em>The Ipcress File</em></p>
<p>‘Forensically sharp and exhaustively informed… Crime fiction is driven by death. In this superbly compendious and entertaining book, Edwards ensures that dozens of authorial corpses are gloriously reborn.’ MARK LAWSON, <em>Guardian</em></p>