Pistols, Bombs and Motor Bandits by Joan Lock

I first met Joan Lock (and her late husband Bob) more years ago than either of us would care to remember, at a CWA conference. We've kept in touch through the years and for a long time Joan contributed an excellent column about police matters to 'Red Herrings', the CWA members' newsletter. She was herself a woman police officer and she has written a good deal of non-fiction as well as publishing several novels.

Her latest book is published by Robin Books. It's called Pistols, Bombs and Motor Bandits, and it has an intriguing sub-title, The Real Golden Age of Murder. Joan was kind enough to read and enjoy my own non-fiction book The Golden Age of Murder, about the classic detective fiction of the Thirties. This book makes numerous references to mine, but it is very different, an account of what was going on in the real world of policing. 

Joan's practical know-how is reflected in her direct and readable writing style and she explores, in a crisp and satisfactory way, a number of famous cases (for instance, the 'Beach' or 'Crumbles' murder) as well as several that are just as intriguing but not at all well-known. There's a good deal of material in this book that's likely to interest writers who, like me, are interested in writing historical crime fiction and, importantly, there is a useful index.

In inscribing my copy of this book, Joan was kind enough to say that The Golden Age of Murder inspired her to write it. Regardless of that, I can say unequivocally that I really enjoyed reading it and can recommend it to anyone who is interested in the realities of the history of criminal investigation in this country.