Blood on the Tracks (a title I found irresistible, even though I'm not the world's biggest Dylan fan) is quite a chunky volume, I'm glad to say, and I hope that its contents are sufficiently varied to appeal to the broad range of taste of Crime Classics enthusiasts. I called in at the British Library shop last week, the day copies went on sale there, and several were sold during my stay of a few minutes, which augurs quite well.
As in the past when compiling anthologies for this series, I've mixed well-known stories and authors with less renowned counterparts. But when researching the book, I found that a striking number of high-calibre authors had tried their hand at railway mysteries, and even though I'd included examples in previous anthologies, by the likes of John Oxenham and Edmund Crispin, there were still plenty to choose from.
So there are quite a number of famous names in the book, from Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L. Sayers to the two Michaels, Innes and Gilbert. And among the more obscure titles is "The Railway Carriage" by F. Tennyson Jesse, a writer I find very interesting and whose life and work I've been researching extensively this past year. Doug Greene's collection of her complete Solange Fontaine stories, incidentally, is most enjoyable.
This is to thank you and the people at British Library Crime Classics for making so many splendid detective novels and stories available again. My favourite so far is ECR Lorac's Bats in the Belfry, good plot, wonderfully atmospheric London setting and v attractive cover. I've managed to read a dozen or so Loracs over the years, but have never even seen a Carol Carnac - so, how about it, chaps?
ReplyDeleteI have already got my copy!
ReplyDeleteMy copy arrived yesterday, and I love the title. The short story collections were the first books that I picked up from the BLCC series and I've then gone on to become an avid collector. Do you know when details of publications for the second half of the year are likely to come out?
ReplyDeleteI loved the title when it was announced and my copy arrived yesterday. It was picking up Murder at the Manor and Serpents in Eden in a Buy One Get One Half Price with a birthday book token that got me into the BLCC series and I now have them all. Do you know when publication details for the second half of the year are likely to be announced? If not, it's always exciting when they pop up in my Amazon recommendations.
ReplyDeleteHello Sir I'am a fan of detective, crime, thriller and suspense novels. I am very delighted, and appreciate for the work you have done in this Genre. But it is very hard to purchase this books in Pakistan. Please do some efforts for easily availability of these books in Pakistan.
ReplyDeleteI have one more request if you can work on the translated versions of this books. If this books were translated in Urdu Language it will boost it in Middle East and South Asia because many people in this region use Urdu language specially in India and Pakistan.