The golden age of murder
Subtitle: the mystery of the writers who invented the modern detective story
By: Martin Edwards
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 481
ISBN-13: 9780008105969
Subjects: English Detective and mystery stories; English Novelists; Murder in literature; English fiction; History and criticism; Detection Club; Biography; Bio-bibliography
Description: "A real-life detective story, investigating how Agatha Christie and colleagues in a mysterious literary club transformed crime fiction, writing books casting new light on unsolved murders whilst hiding clues to their authors' darkest secrets."--
Notes: Includes facsimile reproductions of the 1932 Constitution and Rules of the Detection Club (pages 441-447).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 449-457) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Part one: the unusual suspects. The ritual in the dark ; A bitter sin ; Conversations about a hanged woman ; A Bolshevik soul in a Fabian muzzle ; Wearing their criminological spurs ; The art of self-tormenting; title: Part two: the rules of the game. Setting a good example to the Mafia ; The Fungus-story and the meaning of life ; Wistful plans for killing off wives ; The least likely person ; The best advertisement in the world; title: Part three: looking to escape. "Human life's the cheapest thing there is" ; Echoes of war ; Murder, transvestism and suicide during a trapeze act ; A severed head in a fish-bag ; "Have you hear of sexual perversions?" ; Clearing up the mess ; What it means to be stuck for money ; Neglecting Demosthenes in favour of Freud; title: Part four: taking on the police. Playing games with Scotland Yard ; Why was the shift put in the boiler-hole? ; Trent's very last case ; A coffin entombed in a crypt of granite; title: Part five: justifying murder. Knives engraved with "Blood and honour" ; Touching with a fingertip the fringe of great events ; Collecting murderers ; No judge or jury but my own conscience; title: Part six: the end game. Playing the grandest game in the world ; The work of a pestilential creature ; Frank to the point of indecency ; Shocked by the brethren; title: Part seven: unravelling the mysteries. Murder goes on forever.