The British Library's Crime Classics is a series of detective stories from the golden age of crime writing. Most of the titles were first printed between the 1920s and 1950s. There are more than 100 books in the series. The stories are set in British surroundings with occasional trips to mainland Europe. World War II is sometimes in the background. Readers visit country estates, railway stations, churches, peaceful rivers, and dark alleys.
These modern reprints feature several writers of note. There are five novels from John Dickson Carr, a highly-regarded American writer. Carr was a master of the locked-room mystery, where the crime seems impossible. There are also six novels by John Bude, which was the pseudonym of Ernest Elmore. Bude's main character is Inspector William Meredith who tours the country solving crimes. His debut novel, The Cornish Coast Murder, appeared in 1935.
E.C.R Lorac is also on the British Library's list with eight books. E.C.R Lorac was one of the pseudonyms used by Edith Caroline Rivett (1894-1958). Her main character is Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald who loves country walks.
Selected books from the British Library Crime Classics series
