Last Thursday was memorable for me, as it saw the publication of Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. A journey that began two years ago, with my taking a phone call from my agent, while on a yacht cruise in the Adriatic, when he told me that Head of Zeus would like me to write a stand-alone puzzle mystery set at Christmas, finally reached Serenity Booksellers in Romiley, Cheshire, where the launch party took place.
A specially wonderful aspect of the occasion was that those present included people from many different areas of my life - my two oldest friends, a former client, fellow crime writers, a collaborator on a TV project, a sci-fi writer who has written a story for a forthcoming charity anthology of mine, friends from my village, and so on.
Kerry from Serenity interviewed me, and it was great fun. I was, of course, delighted to see so many copies of the book flying off the shelves, but what mattered most was the social buzz. At the start of my career, I had lunch with my then publisher, Tony Mott of Transworld, who advised me that launches are for authors rather than selling books and I've no doubt he was right. I certainly haven't had a launch for all my novels, far from it, but this felt like a special occasion and it was great to celebrate. Grateful thanks to Kerry and Chris of Serenity for making it all possible.
I have a wide variety of events coming up to continue the celebrations and I've also been gratified by more good reviews. For instance:
‘Only a writer with Martin Edwards’s knowledge of and
feeling for British crime fiction in all its breadth and depth could have
pulled off Miss Winter In The Library With A Knife, such is its subtlety
and ambition. Not that you need to be a student of the genre to find it highly
enjoyable; it’s just that if you are, you’ll get an extra layer to your cake.
Otherwise, simply dig in to a feast of cunning clues and
misdirections, as a group of life’s losers are invited to play a Christmas
murder game with a prize that could put their lives back on track. Naturally,
when the snow sets in they are isolated from the world and at the mercy of a
killer who isn’t just playing, in this classic whodunnit with a contemporary
setting.’
Mat Coward, Morning Star,
‘A real masterpiece from a very experienced and
knowledgeable crime writer…This immersive novel is totally perfect for fans of
crime, puzzles, and escape rooms!...It is cleverly structured…to keep readers
engaged and truly feeling like a detective.’
Booksellers Circle
‘While there is something experimental about this, Martin
has done an excellent job of not forgetting exactly what sort of book he excels
at – namely a murder mystery… I’ve seen the book described as multi-layered and
believe me, there are more than two layers here…a Christmas cracker of a read.
At the end of the day, despite the bells and whistles, this is still a very
strong mystery novel and, I think, one of the cleverest I’ve read for a while.’
In Search of the Classic Mystery blog
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