1.
As an acclaimed expert on the Golden Age of crime
writing, what can you tell us about that era? Most people define the Golden Age as the period between the two world
wars, and for good reason. Before the First World War, most of the best
detective stories were short stories – Sherlock Holmes was at his best in the
short form, and Father Brown never even appeared in a novel. After all the
slaughter in the trenches, though, people wanted escapism and entertainment. It
was the era of the crossword puzzle and the classic detective story, when
writers used the space of a full-length novel to set readers a challenge – can
you solve the story before the Great Detective? One myth is that there was no
equivalent to the British Golden Age in the US, but that isn’t true. S.S.Van
Dine, Ellery Queen, C. Daly King and many other American writers wrote stories
just as intricate as those of Christie, Sayers, and Anthony Berkeley. As
Francis Iles, Berkeley was a trailblazer for the psychological mystery story in
the 30s, as the Golden Age evolved. Writers in that period did respond to the
changes in the world – the Depression, and the rising threat from dictators –
in their fiction. But they were subtle about it. Christie’s Murder on the
Orient Express and And Then There Were None are stories which wrestle with an
issue which preoccupied many people at the time: how can justice be done, if
the legal system fails to deliver it?
2.
How did you become an expert in this genre? I see myself as a crime novelist and a fan, above all. I
started reading Christie at the age of eight, Sherlock at the age of nine, and
I’ve never stopped reading. The books I write about the genre, such as The
Golden Age of Murder, and The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books reflect my
enthusiasm for vintage mysteries, but I like good crime stories from all eras.
In recent years, I’ve been asked to become archivist of both the CWA and the
Detection Club, and this led to my founding the British Crime Writing Archives
at Gladstone’s Library, near Chester. The aim is for this to become a
wonderful, and accessible, resource for students of the genre, and fans as
well. And my researches have had a wonderful spin-off. They led me to start
writing a book set in the Golden Age, which marks a major departure in my
writing. It’s a thriller called Gallows Court, which introduces a new female
protagonist, Rachel Savernake, and I’m very excited about it. The book’s
published in the UK next month, and will appear in the US next year.
3.
You are also the president of the Detection Club? What
does this organization do? The Club was
founded in 1930, and was the world’s first social network for crime writers.
Chesterton was the first President, Sayers the third, and Christie the fourth;
I’m the eighth. Membership is by election; it’s not a professional organisation
like the CWA or the MWA. It remains a small dining club which meets for three
convivial dinners a year. But it’s also published many books over the years,
including the classic multi-author novel The Floating Admiral, which is still
in print, 87 years after first publication. The Club has a wonderful history,
because so many great names have been members.
4.
As a consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics,
can you tell us what defines a classic in this genre? ‘Classic’ is
inevitably a somewhat subjective term. We’ve aimed to create a list which
revives a wide range of long-forgotten and often unjustly neglected books.
Among these, I guess my absolute favourite has to be Anthony Berkeley’s The
Poisoned Chocolates Case, and not only because the British Library commissioned
me to write a new, and eighth, solution to the case! Now that novel, I think,
is an absolutely undisputed classic. Christie and Sayers loved it, and it’s
still great fun to read today.
5.
What advice do you have for today’s struggling crime
writers? Crime writing is a tough game,
and supporting crime writers is the key objective of the CWA. So one piece of
advice would be to join, wherever you are based! Many of my closest friends are
people I’ve met in my 30 years as a member. There are all kinds of benefits to
realizing one is not alone. Apart from that, the main thing in my opinion is
not to give up. It only takes one lucky break to transform your career. I’d
been publishing for many years before I began to win awards and achieve good
sales. My lucky break was that The Golden Age of Murder was published at the
right time, when people were ready for it. Five years earlier, and things would
have been different. So – keep going!
6.
How would Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie fare in
today’s CSI-criminal Minds-Law & Order mindset? Well, they are still doing pretty well! Great
storytelling will always find enthusiastic readers. And one reason for that is
that great writing, even if it is of its time in some ways, is also timeless.
7.
What trends are you seeing in the genre right now? Naturally, I’m delighted by the revival of interest in
Golden Age fiction. In terms of contemporary writing, I’m sure that Scandi noir
and books in the Gone Girl vein will continue to do well, but I also see plenty
of scope for books written by authors from countries not traditionally renowned
for crime fiction. And there have been some interesting books lately that play
clever postmodern tricks with the genre which I find appealing.
8.
Where do you think the future of book publishing is heading? Digital publishing
has made it possible to produce books with small print runs, which has opened
things up tremendously. Publishers seem to be responding by improving the
production values of hardbacks – I’m thrilled that Gallows Court is to appear
in a collector’s edition as well a very well-produced hardback, complete with
bookmark. This seems to me to make more sense than for publishers to cut
corners with editing, which strikes me as self-defeating. Self-publishing will
continue to grow, and that’s good news for authors with long backlists. In the
end, quality (of one kind or another) always counts. So I expect that ‘curated’
and professionally edited books will continue to thrive. And luck will continue
to play a part, as it always has.
Gallows Court is published in the
UK by Head of Zeus on September 4. For
more info, please see: http://www.martinedwardsbooks.com
and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gallows-Court-Martin-Edwards/dp/1788546075/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1533668599&sr=8-1&keywords=gallows+court
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative
opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone
and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him
on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels
much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America
and participated in a PR panel at the Sarah Lawrence College Writers Institute
Conference.
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