The Progress of a Crime
A Fireworks Night Mystery
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A confrontation during a dance between a gang of young hooligans and landowner James Corby in the English village of Far Wether drives this taut mystery from MWA Grand Master Symons (1912–1994), first published in 1960. After vowing to return, the gang members show up on Guy Fawkes Night when the residents of Far Wether burn an effigy of a legendary wicked local, Squire Oldmeadow, and set off fireworks. The night ends tragically with Corby's fatal stabbing. Overheard cries of "Get him, King" before the murder lead the police to Jack Garney (aka King), the head of a group of coworkers in a canning factory. After Scotland Yard gets involved, Garney and a follower, Les Gardner, are charged with killing Corby and a related murder. Much of the action focuses on their trial, which is viewed from the perspective of journalist Hugh Bennett, who identified Gardner as being present on the fatal night. Symons excels at conveying the wide impact Corby's murder has on multiple people. Fans of realistic, downbeat crime fiction will welcome this British Library Crime Classic reissue.
