Scene of the Crime: A Guide to the Landscapes of British Detective Fiction

Review: Something much more substantial is Scene of the Crime: A Guide to the Landscapes of British Detective Fiction by Julian Earwaker & Kathleen Becker. There have been other topographical guides for the mystery lover, but they have almost invariably been cut-and-paste jobs, based on second-hand research. Scene of the Crime is different. It took three years’ personal research, travelling throughout Great Britain, reading every book covered, interviewing every living author and corresponding with known authorities on those no longer alive. Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes get their due share of attention, in Edinburgh, Cromer, London, Groombridge Place, Southsea and Dartmoor - but so do over 250 other authors, from Douglas Adams to Israel Zangwill. And geographically the book ranges from Aberdeen to Zennor. It’s very handsomely produced - 256 pages in stiff card covers, with 24 colour photos and several hundred in monochrome. It’s well written, and above all it’s accurate. The only fault I’ve been able to find is that the index gives the wrong page numbers for the colour photos. Scene of the Crime establishes itself instantly as the definitive work. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Roger Johnson, [District Messenger 225, 2002]