Before the Fact

Unsettling and gripping, this innovative classic first published in 1932 was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s film Suspicion, and remains an arresting and unique work of literary artistry. Anthony Berkeley Cox, writing as Francis Iles, flips the traditional mystery model of the crime genre to delve into the psychology, fears, and motives of a suspecting victim. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger and Edgar® Award–winning author Martin Edwards.

“Written with refrigerated violence. Disturbing, exciting.” —The Listener

“Magnificent—a masterpiece of cruelty and wit.” —Christopher Morley

“One of the finest studies of murder ever written.” —John C. Farrar

“Some women give birth to murderers, some go to bed with them, and some marry them. Lina Aysgarth had lived with her husband for nearly eight years before she realized that she was married to a murderer.”

With these opening words, Before the Fact ushers the reader into the dark and experimental world of Francis Iles’s crime fiction.

Written in the wake of his ground-breaking murderer’s-perspective novel Malice Aforethought, Before the Fact sees the author applying his signature flair for thrilling suspense and human insight. The twisting narrative is told from the viewpoint of a wife as she navigates a life with her disquieting yet charismatic husband—and the mounting peril of his murderous intentions.