Guilty Creatures edited by Martin Edwards

Looking for something different when it comes to stellar mysteries? Then check out Guilty Creatures recently released by Poison Pen Press. This is another “fine” example of a compilation of mysteries from the British Library Crime Classics.

I’ve really gotten “hooked” on these mysteries from eras gone by. Written in the early 1900’s through the 60’s – these books and their respective authors had a unique style all their own. In times before modern technology, it’s especially refreshing to find good, solid gumshoe sleuthing.

But Guilty Creatures is even more interesting because not only is it a collection of some of the best authors of the Golden Age, but each story features a “creature!” And what a variety it is! Who could have ever imagined superb mysteries featuring earthworms, slugs, parrots, snakes, gorillas and more!

Sometimes the “creatures” are the good guys, sometimes the bad guys and sometimes just innocent bystanders – but all play key elements in these forgotten, previously out-of-print tales.

These stories are a mystery lover’s buffet: acts of jealousy, thievery, suspicious matrimony, shady characters, dastardly villains, accidental murder and flat-out cold blooded murder.

Fans of Father Brown will delight in G.K. Chesterton’s story: The Oracle of the Dog. Arthur Conan Doyle’s: The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane will have you stumped by an elusive killer. Vincent Cornier’s: The Courtyard of the Fly will have you scratching your head as to how a pesky fly can become involved with the disappearance of a string of valuable pearls.

For a mystery that can send a chill down your spine, The Pit of Screams by Garnett Radcliffe is sure to provide goosebumps even during the hot summer heat. For those who enjoy an intricate and diabolical tale, Christianna Brand’s: The Hornet’s Nest will have you think about the ending and mumbling “hmmm—now that’s cold!”

Guilty Creatures gives us 14 tales not to be missed! It’s the perfect book for a lazy summer day with lemonade in hand – the perfect book to take a step back in British time for long-lost mysteries dug up and brought into the summer sunlight for us to enjoy.

Another plus for Guilty Creatures and the other British Library Crime Classics edited by Martin Edwards, is the short and interesting bios of these authors who are no longer with us. Their bios are as interesting as their stories.

Hats off (again) to Poisoned Pen Press for this rewarding compilation that is a “must” for fans of British crime classics and any mystery lover who is looking for something different.  I, for one, am hoping their will be a Guilty Creatures Volume 2!

Want more British Library Crime Classic book reviews and other mystery reviews?  Then be sure to visit the Books/Mystery category on this site.

A complimentary copy of this book/photo was provided by Poisoned Pen Press.