The arrival of a new issue of CADS is always a cause for celebration. Geoff Bradley's "irregular magazine of comment and criticism about crime and detective fiction" has now reached issue 76. That very irregularity is one of the pleasures of CADS - one never quite knows when the next issue will arrive, a touch of quirkiness that I find very attractive.
It comes as quite a shock to me to realise that I've known Geoff for 27 years. We first met at a memorable Bouchercon in London in 1990. I'd read that there was to be a quiz about crime fiction, so I expressed an interest. What I hadn't realised was that it was to be closely modelled on BBC TV's Mastermind, and when I said that my special interest was "detectives", that meant the questions in the special round ranged far and wide. Geoff kept score, and Maxim Jakubowski set the questions. I'd never met Maxim until then either - now he is one of the CWA's two Vice Chairs and I am the Chair. Who would have predicted that? Not me.
One oft the other three contestants (the others were Sarah J. Mason, a writer with whom I'm still in touch, and Jim Huang from the States) was Tony Medawar. Tony is someone else I'd never met before that day. Since then, I think I've learned more from his researches than from the research of any other Golden Age fan, with the possible exceptions of John Curran and Barry Pike. In CADS 76, Tony is at it again, with a terrific article about "the lost cases of Lord Peter Wimsey". For any Sayers fan, that is a must-read.
As usual, there is plenty of other good stuff. Pete Johnson writes about Andrew Garve, and Barry Pike about Reggie Fortune, while Kate Jackson, who has emerged in recent times as a prolific and interesting blogger, contributes a thoughtful article about mystery fiction and individualism. Liz Gilbey and John Cooper are among a range of other knowledgeable contributors, and I was especially pleased to read John's discussion of the books of Kay Mitchell. Kay's an old friend of mine who has not published a book, sadly, for a very long time, but her work is definitely worth seeking out. I have to confess that three books of mine are reviewed in this issue, but I can promise you that isn't why I recommend this magazine. Over the years, CADS has made a contribution to research about the genre that is both unique and invaluable.
Thanks for the post, Martin. :) Which of your books were reviewed in this edition of CADS? Also, could I ask which of Kay Mitchell's novels would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds an interesting magazine. Where do you get it from ?
ReplyDeleteThanks
Hi Jonathan. The three were The Story of Classic Crime, Taking Detective Stories Seriously, and The Long Arm of the Law.
ReplyDeleteKay's books are all very readable. I have especially fond memories of In Stony Places, though it's a very long time since I read it, at the time of publication.
Val, drop me an email at martinedwards10@btconnect.com, and I'll give you Geoff's details.
ReplyDeleteMay I email you for CADS details as well? I used to subscribe years ago but ashamed to say I didn't realise it was still being published
ReplyDeleteBy all means, Chris
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry there were no more Kay Mitchell novels, too. I hope she is well, and you can tell her that her work is still remembered. (I have first editions copies of all her books in both series...)
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