The Progress of a Crime

by Julian Symons

Paper Book, 1960

Status

Available

Call number

823.912

Genres

Mystery

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Where:CUL

Publication

New York: Harper, 1960

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: From the archives of the British Library comes a classic thriller full of mystery, police drama, and simmering tension. The murder, a brutal stabbing, definitely took place on Guy Fawkes Night. It was definitely by the bonfire on the village green. There were definitely a number of witnesses to a row between a group of Teddy Boys. And yet, was it definitely clear to anybody exactly what they had seen? In the writhing, violent shadows, it seems as if the truth of the crime may have gone up in smoke. Based on a real case and showcasing thorough research and skillful plotting, Julian Symons' phenomenal 1960 crime novel is a searing drama of wrongful accusation, gripping policework and a sharp portrait of small-town tensions. This British Library Crime Classics edition also includes the short story "The Tigers of Subtopia" and an introduction by award-winning author Martin Edwards..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member auntieknickers

I had to force myself to finish this book and if it hadn't been part of my "Edgar winners" self-imposed project, I wouldn't have. There's no mystery in it really. The story is told from the POV of a provincial journalist who witnesses a crime and then gets involved with the alleged perpetrator's

sister. Interesting view of British journalism is not enough to redeem this dull and depressing book for me.

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LibraryThing member wrichard

Not really a crime novel more a novel about reporting crime in the local paper. Interesting but not really a puzzle to solve.

LibraryThing member JBD1

I think I enjoyed The Belting Inheritance a bit better than this one, but it was still quite a good mystery and well worth a read.

LibraryThing member kewing

It's not a mystery. There are aspects of a police procedural, a court procedural, and both large metropolitan and small provincial journalists' processes and ethics, all focused on a murder that takes place on Guy Fawkes Night. In each instance there are some bumbling, some ethical shortcuts, some

doggedness. The story also touches on class differences, as should be expected. And there is a touch of romance on the side. Again, it's not a mystery, but it has some interesting period touches.

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