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    Mystery Publishers

    • Academy Chicago Publishers
      An imprint of the Chicago Review Press. Features a number of interesting authors, most long out of print, plus some other odds and ends, including some horror stories by Conan Doyle.
    • Crippen & Landru
      Crippen & Landru publish mystery short story collections. Of particular interest is what they call "Lost Classics," a series of anthologies of mostly uncollected stories by authors who might be enjoyed by a new generation of readers.
    • Dean Street Press
      This small British publisher has a great many classic crime books in its much broader catalog. They are bringing back many Golden Age classics by authors who deserve another chance at a new audience.
    • Felony & Mayhem
      This publisher specializes in classic mysteries, broadly defined, including newer mysteries that adhere to classic standards. They have just overhauled their website to make it much more informative and user-friendly.
    • Locked Room International
      A small press, specializing in very good English-language translations of (so far) mostly-French authors of locked room and impossible crime stories. They publish in Print-On-Demand and electronic editions.
    • Merion Press
      The Merion Press is an independent publisher of out-of-print works that were originally published over 75 years ago, but are enduring even today.
    • MysteriousPress.com
      The brainchild of editor/anthologist/author/bookstore-owner Otto Penzler, the Mysterious Press has recently returned to life and now works with Open Road Media as an electronic book publisher. It is already republishing the work of a lot of classic authors, with more books on the way.
    • Oconee Spirit Press
      A small, independent publisher committed to publishing "lively fiction, and provocative non-fiction." Most of their list covers early works by established authors writing traditional mysteries, such as Carolyn Hart and Margaret Maron.
    • Oleander Press
      This small eclectic British publisher has begun publishing a series of classic British mystery novels, primarily from the Golden Age. The series is grouped into a section of their catalogue named "London Bound," as the books are set in London.
    • Ostara Publishing
      "Ostara Publishing re-issues titles that have unjustifiably become unavailable either through the ravages of time or the forces of publishing economics. We specialise in Crime and Thriller fiction titles and our range goes from the1920s through to the 21st century. We publish thematically and currently have six series available. All our titles are published in a 'trade paperback' format and printed to order."
    • Poisoned Pen Press
      Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Poisoned Pen Press publishes a fairly wide variety of mysteries. Some are reprints; many are new, by newer authors. Their website has a great deal of information about their books and authors.

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    « "The Spotted Cat, and Other Mysteries" | Main | "The League of Frightened Men" »

    January 27, 2011

    Looking Back: "Green for Danger"

    The short stories of Christianna Brand reviewed on the podcast this week are excellent. But I have to take this opportunity to recommend Brand's best-known and, quite possibly, best mystery, "Green for Danger."

    When I reviewed the book a couple of years back, I said, "This is the kind of book that reminds me why I am so hooked on good, classic mysteries." I stand by that statement today. Written during World War II, it brings Inspector Cockrill to a military hospital to investigate the mysterious death of a patient, who dies during surgery. It appears impossible for it to have been a crime, and there appears to be absolutely no motive. Yet one of the nurses insists it was murder and that she can prove it - and she, in turn, is murdered.

    It's a marvelous book. The reader is given plenty of clues - yet I suspect that the final twists and turns in the story will absolutely stun you. I know I was left gasping. Even Inspector Cockrill got some of the key points exactly backwards.

    The blurb on my edition of "Green for Danger" quotes mystery writer and critic H. R. F. Keating as calling it "perhaps the last golden crown of the Golden Age detective story." If you've never read it - and even if you've seen the classic 1946 British mystery thriller of the same name starring Alastair Sim as Inspector Cockrill - you owe it to yourself to read "Green for Danger." It appears to be out of print again, but Amazon's booksellers appear to have a variety of inexpensive copies in various editions.

    Posted at 04:56 PM in Golden Age, Locked Rooms/Impossible Crimes, Looking Back, Out of print |

    Tags: classic mysteries, GAD, Golden Age, impossible crimes, locked rooms, mysteries, mystery

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    Disclosure: Amazon Associates

    • As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
      That means that if you order anything from Amazon through a link from my site I get a small commission. As a result, I'd consider it a favor if you would consider making your purchases through my links. As always, though, if you have a local mystery book store, I encourage you to use them as your first choice. For anything else...thank you.

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