Bloody Murder

By Julian Symons,

Book cover of Bloody Murder

Book description

This history of the various forms and masters of the mystery genre follows the trail through the first pinnacle of detection in the Master Detective stories of the 1930s up to the present

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Bloody Murder as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’ve read Bloody Murder more times than any other non-fiction book. The first edition made a huge impression on me. Symons introduced me to countless fascinating authors and books (many of them obscure) which I’d never heard of and which have given me endless reading pleasure. Symons’ opinions were, and remain, controversial, and his disdain for ‘humdrum’ writing from the ‘Golden Age’ between the wars has attracted much criticism, some of it sensible, some of it over-the-top. His belief that the ‘detective story’ had metamorphosed into the ‘crime novel’ was eloquently argued, but I think mistaken. Today’s readers have just…

If you love Bloody Murder...

Ad

Book cover of Evil Alice and the Borzoi

Evil Alice and the Borzoi By DK Coutant,

Cleo Cooper, a cross-cultural psychology professor, is living the dream on the Big Island of Hawaii. With ocean-dipping weekends, she enjoys her dog, her job, and her boyfriend Ben - until the day she’s on a research vessel and a dead body is caught in the dragline.

The police determine…

Want books like Bloody Murder?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Bloody Murder.

Browse books like Bloody Murder

Book cover of Murder for Pleasure: The Life and Times of the Detective Story
Book cover of Locked Room Murders
Book cover of Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,608

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Bloody Murder, you might also like...

Book cover of Deadly Sommer

Deadly Sommer By Nicholas Harvey,

Readers who enjoy police procedurals with an offbeat main character and fascinating locations will love this thriller.

One missing girl. Two lives on the line. Four treacherous challenges.

Nora Sommer's first case for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is one she'll never forget... if she survives. When the daughter…

Book cover of Death on a Shetland Longship: The Shetland Sailing Mysteries

Death on a Shetland Longship By Marsali Taylor,

Liveaboard sailor Cass Lynch thinks her big break has finally arrived when she blags her way into skippering a Viking longship for a Hollywood film. However, this means returning to the Shetland Islands, the place she fled as a teenager. When a corpse unexpectedly appears onboard the longship, she can…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in murder, murder mystery, and pop culture?

Murder 1,079 books
Murder Mystery 568 books
Pop Culture 166 books