"Curiously enough," said Dr. Manners, "I know a story in which the detection of a murder turned on the behaviour of a bird: in this instance a jackdaw." Since the dawn of the crime fiction genre, animals of all kinds have played a memorable part in countless mysteries, and in a variety of roles: the perpetrator, the key witness, the sleuth's trusted companion. This collection of fourteen stories corrals plots centred around cats, dogs and insects alongside more exotic incidents involving gorillas, parakeets and serpents - complete with a customary shoal of red herrings. From the animal mysteries of Arthur Conan Doyle and F. Tennyson Jesse through to more modern masterpieces of the sub-genre from Christianna Brand and Penelope Wallace, this anthology celebrates one of the liveliest and most imaginative species of classic crime fiction.

About the Author
MARTIN EDWARDS is series consultant for British Library Crime Classics. He is an award-winning crime writer and President of the Detection Club. The Golden Age of Murder, his study of the Detection Club, won the Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards. The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books, his history of the mystery genre, was published by the British Library.


Book Information
ISBN 9780712353441
Author Martin Edwards
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint British Library Publishing
Publisher British Library Publishing