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Martin Edwards

マーティン・エドワーズ

Mātin Edowāzu

Aliases: Kenneth Martin Edwards

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1955-07-07 （Knutsford, Cheshire, England）
Nationality
英国, イギリス
Languages
英語
Residence History
Knutsford, Cheshire → Oxford → Liverpool area → Lymm

Career

Occupations
Solicitor, Crime novelist, Crime fiction critic, Historian of crime fiction
Active Years
1991-2024
Affiliations
Crime Writers' Association (CWA), Detection Club, Murder Squad
Memberships
Founder member of CWA Northern Chapter, Detection Club member
Nominations
John Creasey Memorial Dagger nomination (All the Lonely People)

Education

Sir John Deane's College
Grammar School
Country: England
Robert Westall was a teacher
Balliol College, Oxford University
Jurisprudence / Jurisprudence
Degree: 一級優等学位
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: United Kingdom

Awards

Cartier Diamond Dagger
2020
Work: 生涯功労
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: 受賞
CWA Short Story Dagger
2008
Work: The Bookbinder's Apprentice
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: 受賞
CWA Dagger in the Library
2018
Work: 生涯作品
Organization: Crime Writers' Association
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award (Criticism/Biography)
2016
Work: The Golden Age of Murder
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞
Edgar Award (Criticism/Biography)
2023
Work: The Life of Crime
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

All the Lonely People

1991 Crime fiction

First Harry Devlin novel featuring a Liverpool lawyer.

LonelinessJusticeLiverpool

Gallows Court

2018 Historical crime

Rachel Savernake series set in 1930s London.

CourtMysteryPsychological insight
Translations
  • Japanese translation by Hayakawa (2023)

The Coffin Trail

2004 Crime fiction

First Lake District Mystery featuring Hannah Scarlett and Daniel Kind.

Lake DistrictHistorical mystery

The Golden Age of Murder

2015 Non-fiction/Criticism

History of Golden Age detective fiction between the wars.

Golden AgeAuthor biographies

The Life of Crime

2022 Non-fiction/Criticism

Comprehensive history of mystery fiction.

Mystery historyEvolution of detective fiction

Bibliography

  • All the Lonely People (1991)
  • Suspicious Minds (1992)
  • Yesterday’s Papers (1994)
  • Waterloo Sunset (2008)
  • The Coffin Trail (2004)
  • The Dungeon House (2015)
  • Gallows Court (2018)
  • Sepulchre Street (2023)
  • The Golden Age of Murder (2015)
  • The Life of Crime (2022)

Translations of Works

  • Translated into Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, and various European languages

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Acute sense of placeDeep psychological insightsTwist-packed plottingLegal expertise
Recurring Motifs
Liverpool and Lake District settingsLinks between past and presentJustice and morality

Legacy

Esteemed British crime writer with lifetime achievement awards in fiction, non-fiction, short fiction, and scholarship. Current President of the Detection Club, former CWA Chair, authority on Golden Age mysteries.

Quotes

  • Martin Edwards has earned distinction in every area of the crime-fiction field
    Source: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (2016)
  • His novels feature an acute sense of place as well as deep psychological insights
    Source: Ian Rankin (2020)
  • Superb... the book Edwards was born to write
    Source: Lee Child (on Gallows Court) (2018)

Trivia

  • Captained Balliol College to win Christmas University Challenge 2022
  • Married Helena Shanks in 1988, two children Jonathan and Catherine
  • Multiple winner of Criminal Mastermind quiz
  • First Archivist of the Detection Club