Over the last couple of years one could easily be forgiven
for forgetting that Martin Edwards is actually a crime fiction novelist. The reason for this is because the last two
books that he has written have not only been non-fiction but have also won him a
slew of awards. The first is The Golden Age of Murder (2015) which was
nominated for and won a number of awards including the Edgar Award for Best
Critical/ Biographical Works, the Agatha Award from Malice Domestic, the
Macavity Award from Mystery Readers International, and the H.R.F. Keating award
at Crimefest. The other book, The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books
(2017) which won the Macavity Award again from Mystery Readers International.
However, the news that Martin Edward had written a new novel
was enthusiastically welcomed. Gallows
Court is a Golden Age thriller set in the 1930s. It is certainly a departure from what he
normally writes but one should not actually be surprised at the setting as it
is a period that he is most familiar with.
It was with great delight that the Shots team attended the
launch of Gallows Court at Hatchards, Piccadilly on 18th September
2018. It is the first time that Martin Edwards has had a book launch in London
and it was a delight to see a large number of Martin’s colleagues from his work
as a solicitor, fellow authors and also crime fiction reviewers and bloggers
present at the launch. It really was a wonderful evening and the turn out was
terrific and what one would have expected for someone as well respected as
Martin.
As part of the evening Martin was interviewed by Barry
Forshaw who conducted a short Q& A.
As can be expected those in attendance listened avidly as Martin was
encouraged to talk about the new book, the reasons for the change in direction,
amongst other things and of course whether or not there will be a sequel! Will
there be? I believe so.
Congratulations to Martin on the publication of Gallows Court and we look forward to
reading more of his work.
Gallows Court by Martin Edwards (Head of Zeus)
London, 1930. A headless corpse; an apparent suicide in a
locked room; a man burned alive during an illusionist's show in front of thousands
of people. Scotland Yard is baffled by the sequence of ghastly murders
unfolding across the city and at the centre of it all is mysterious heiress
Rachel Savernake. Daughter of a grand judge, Rachel is as glamorous as she is
elusive. Jacob Flint, a tenacious young journalist eager to cover the gruesome
crimes, is drawn into Rachel's glittering world of wealth and power. But as the
body count continues to rise, Jacob is convinced Rachel is harbouring a dark
secret and he soon becomes part of a dangerous game that could leave him
dancing at the end of the hangman's rope if he pursues the truth.
More information about Martin and his books can be found on his website. You can also read his blog here and follow him on Twitter @medwardsbooks.
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