Synopsis
Elizabeth Ferrars wrote more than thirty short stories, many of which appeared in anthologies and newspapers by the time Designs on Life was first published in 1980. Already well known for her crime novels, this collection illustrates the author's skill at employing ingenious situations and observations, with nine fresh and original stories that are classic examples of the genre.
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Review
'The writer who may be the closest of all to Christie in style, plotting and general milieu' --Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
'There are few detective story writers as consistently good as Miss Ferrars' --The Sunday Times
From the Author
Why did I take to crime, people sometimes ask me.
Well, not for the sake of the crime.
Descriptions of violence have always repelled me and I do not think there is scope within the limits of a detective story to explore the mind of a criminal with any seriousness. But I have been writing stories since at least the age of six and if I did not write I should soon be very bored. Yet I was thirty-three before my first detective story was published. I tried my hand at it then because although I had recognized that I had nothing of great interest to say, I had an uncontrollable itch to go on writing. And I had always enjoyed reading detective stories. I enjoy a good puzzle, good writing, and original characterization. Then, when Give a Corpse a Bad Name was finished, my great good fortune was that when it was accepted by a publisher, my contract took my next book sight unseen. I had not even thought of writing another book yet, but naturally I went ahead with it at once and by the time it was finished, I was hooked. From that day to this I have never written anything but detective stories, and have no desire to write anything else. Of course, I do not despise the income they bring me, and am happy that they seem to bring a number of other people pleasure, but mainly I write them simply because I enjoy doing so.
-Elizabeth Ferrars
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