When I set out on Kerrie’s Crime Fiction Alphabet I promised myself two things.
The first was that I would read nothing just for the sake of filling a slot, that I would only read books that I would have picked up sooner or later anyway.
I’ve managed that, though I did have to bend the rules a little for the difficult letter X and I had to throw in an emergency short story when the book I’d picked for letter Y let me down.
The second was that I would mix things up, and choose some familiar and some less familiar books.
And so my list is made up of:
- Persephone books for H and X, and a classic short story by a Persephone author for G.
- A Virago Modern Classic, and a winner of the CWA Gold Dagger to boot, for K.
- A wonderful anthology of new writers at W.
- Victorian crime for S and Victoriana for U. I would have liked to read more of both, but I ran out of time and letters.
- Crime fiction in translation at L and V.
- A Cornish book, set in very familiar countryside, at B.
- Agatha Christie re-reads at A and F. A for Agatha seemed to be the perfect place to start, and once I had re-read one book a number of others called me.
- Neglected woman authors, who were published in numbered green Penguins, at E, M, P and R. If I have learned one thing through the alphabet, it is always to look carefully at green Penguins as there are some real gems there.
- Male authors from the middle of the last century, who aren’t as lauded as some but really should be, at I, N and Q.
- A lovely range of contemporary crime fiction at C, D, J, O, T and Z.
- And that excellent, emergency short story at Y.
Mission accomplished, I think!
Here’s the A to Z in full.
| A is for Agatha | The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie |
| B is for Bolitho | Framed in Cornwall by Janie Bolitho |
| C is for Crombie | Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie |
| D is for Darkside | Darkside by Belinda Bauer |
| E is for Ethel | The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White |
| F is for Five | Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie |
| G is for Glaspell | A Jury of her Peers by Susan Glaspell (short story) |
| H is for Holding | The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding |
| I is for Innes | Death at the President’s Lodging by Michael Innes |
| J is for Jane | The Burning by Jane Casey |
| K is for Kelly | The Spoilt Kill by Mary Kelly |
| L is for Läckberg |
The Stone-Cutter by Camilla Läckberg
|
| M is for Mary | Death and the Pleasant Voices by Mary Fitt |
| N is for Not | Not to be Taken by Anthony Berkley |
| O is for Other | The Other Half Lives by Sophie Hannah |
| P is for Potts | The Man with the Cane by Jean Potts |
| Q is for Question | A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake |
| R is for Roth | Shadow of a Lady by Holly Roth |
| S is for Study | A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan-Doyle |
| T is for Tyler | The Herring in the Library (and others) by L C Tyler |
| U is for Unburied | The Unburied by Charles Palliser |
| V is for Van der Vlugt | Shadow Sister by Simone Van Der Vlugt |
| W is for Written | Written in Blood: a Honno Anthology |
| X is for Expendable | The Expendable Man by Dorothy B Hughes |
| Y is for You | You are a Gongedip by Sophie Hannah (short story) |
| Z is for Zouradi | The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi |
And that really is the end of the alphabet.
So where does my crime fiction reading go now? Well, I have The Quarry by Johan Theorin, A Herring on the Nile by LC Tyler, Now You See Me by S J Bolton, and two books by Erin Kelly in my library pile. My own green Penguins and my Agatha Christie collection are calling too, Plus those authors I discovered, and rediscovered, along the way and want to read again. And recommendations I picked up from others along the way ….
No end of possibilities …
Fleur in her World 
Very accomplished! 🙂 and thanks for listing them! I definitely found things here I want to read.
Wow!! I’m very impressed by all of the titles that you read for this challenge!!
It was your post on I which first encouraged me to try Michael Innes, and although the books vary in quality, he has gone on to become one of my favourite authors. So thank you for that.
I just thought I’d mention his book The Last Tresilians (written under his real name, J.I.M. Stewart). It is an exceptional book, perhaps the best I have ever read, and a large part is set in Cornwall. Mind you, it makes Cornwall appear rather stark, forbidding and treacherous. But it is a wonderful book, nonetheless.
Yes, impressive and interesting! I did notice that you didn’t have anything by Sue Grafton, who writes the Kinsey Milhone series that actually begings “A is for Alibi” and goes right up through the alphabet. They’re EXCELLENT…I highly recommend them!
I’d love for you to check out a new bloghop I’m hosting, called Bookish Images Monday. Stop by my blog to find out more!
Cindy @ Cindy’s Book Club
I have loved reading your features here and it has certainly introduced me to some other authors and books and reminded me how much I love Agatha Christie.
Congrats on finishing without wandering from your own TBR list: great stuff!