‘A revelation . . . his research and breadth of spirit have discovered a satisfying trove of the unexpected’ The Times ‘Murder remains one of the fine arts, at least in print . . . Michael Dibdin makes the point in his addicts’ appetite-whetting anthology . . . His approach is thematic, his judgements acute and his list of contributors – from Chekhov to Barbara Vine – is impressive . . . The central point, that at its best crime writing is a class act, is well made’ Guardian ‘Ample, eclectic anthology . . . imaginatively varied (Zola, Chandler, Hammett, Symons, Roy Fuller, Barbara Vine) . . . Dibdin demonstrates that there is a richness, diversity and risk taking in crime writing which gives it a vigour sadly lacking in much straight fiction’ Literary Review