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How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel
What would you do if you found yourself in the world of the classic crime novel? How would you avoid being framed for murder – or evade an untimely demise? Let classic crime expert Kate Jackson give you the tools to survive the golden age murder mystery.
From dinner parties to detective interrogations, you’ll need to know how to keep your wits about you in a world of red herrings, hidden identities, and one too many suspicious butlers . . . .
Complete with original illustrations by Joanna Lisowiec, this insightful parody of the genre takes survival tips from an international cast of crime writers; Craig Rice (USA), Ngaio Marsh (New Zealand), Augusto de Angelis (Italy), Sheila Pim (Ireland), Sébastien Japrisot (France), and Maria Lang (Sweden), as well as a whole host of British Library Crime Classics authors, of course.
From dinner parties to detective interrogations, you’ll need to know how to keep your wits about you in a world of red herrings, hidden identities, and one too many suspicious butlers . . . .
Complete with original illustrations by Joanna Lisowiec, this insightful parody of the genre takes survival tips from an international cast of crime writers; Craig Rice (USA), Ngaio Marsh (New Zealand), Augusto de Angelis (Italy), Sheila Pim (Ireland), Sébastien Japrisot (France), and Maria Lang (Sweden), as well as a whole host of British Library Crime Classics authors, of course.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2023
4 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Kate Jackson
20 books5 followersAssistant Professor
Department of Biology
Whitman College
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Actress: Kate Jackson
Self-help: Kate Jackson
Mystery writer: Kate Jackson
Other: Kate Jackson
Department of Biology
Whitman College
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Actress: Kate Jackson
Self-help: Kate Jackson
Mystery writer: Kate Jackson
Other: Kate Jackson
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 23, 2023
Utterly charming and just what my Classic Crime novel loving heart wanted.
***Review to come.***
***Review to come.***
January 22, 2024
Super cool super fun book!
Want to read
June 15, 2023This book is not yet available in the US, but I'm so eager to read it that I may order from Blackwell's, which offers free shipping.
July 14, 2023
Fun - but having some of the references in the text and others in the notes at the end just annoyed me.
September 13, 2023
Did you ever wonder what you would do if you suddenly found yourself in the midst of one of your favorite mysteries, encountering a plethora of deadly deeds? Author Jackson gives readers and writers a brilliant, entertaining collection of the scenarios and pitfalls occurring on the pages of crime capers, and what you may want to look for to prevent an early demise.
Whether you wander into homicidal settings at home, on the road, during the holidays, or at work, this crime deterring tutorial gives you plenty of examples of the perils that might be met in each setting, with plenty of literary examples to reference for each quandary. Add in romance, blackmail, and seedy personalities and you'll have the perfect profiles of who and what you might want to avoid.
Author Jackson's brilliant overview and literary examples kept me turning the pages, enjoying every detail and description. This is an absolute must read for fans of mystery and intrigue, highly recommended!
Whether you wander into homicidal settings at home, on the road, during the holidays, or at work, this crime deterring tutorial gives you plenty of examples of the perils that might be met in each setting, with plenty of literary examples to reference for each quandary. Add in romance, blackmail, and seedy personalities and you'll have the perfect profiles of who and what you might want to avoid.
Author Jackson's brilliant overview and literary examples kept me turning the pages, enjoying every detail and description. This is an absolute must read for fans of mystery and intrigue, highly recommended!
July 4, 2023
How To Survive A Classic Crime Novel is a loving tribute to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Whether you are a long time reader of these classic mystery stories or completely new to the genre you're bound to be entertained by this book. Thoroughly researched and chock full of references to classic mystery stories, this book will serve as a go-to guide to the genre. I found the lessons to be both entertaining and informative. While I was familiar with a handful of titles referenced in the book there were many authors I did not know. That, to me, is extremely valuable as I am constantly looking for authors from this era that I don't know. As someone who reads extensively in the genre, How To Survive A Classic Crime Novel is an indispensable resource. I highly recommend it.
My rating 5/5 stars.
Review copy courtesy of The British Library. No other consideration was received in exchange for this review.
My rating 5/5 stars.
Review copy courtesy of The British Library. No other consideration was received in exchange for this review.
August 1, 2023
My friend Kate wrote this entertaining, lighthearted exploration of the many different ways murderers in Golden Age detective fiction dispatched their victims. Complete with personality quizzes and questionnaires, the conceit is that by reading this book you can prepare yourself to survive one of those stories.
In practice, it's a clever compendium that shows the variety and ingenuity of crime writers in the first half of the twentieth century.
In practice, it's a clever compendium that shows the variety and ingenuity of crime writers in the first half of the twentieth century.
August 19, 2023
Fun quick silly read if you enjoy classic crime novels.
January 27, 2024
A really entertaining read and you gives you a lot of recommendations.
October 19, 2025
Meticulously researched, well structured, amusingly written … there’s so much to like about this tongue-firmly-in-cheek guide to surviving a classic crime novel.
I reckon it’s a must-read for any fan of the genre (and it alerted me to a good many intriguing sounding reads!).
I reckon it’s a must-read for any fan of the genre (and it alerted me to a good many intriguing sounding reads!).
September 11, 2023
Great for classic mystery lovers. It is a great way to avoid getting murdered.
Funny and lists a great number of classic mystery books. Had a great time with this book.
Funny and lists a great number of classic mystery books. Had a great time with this book.
November 27, 2023
Enjoyable.
July 15, 2023
Welcome to the world of the classic crime novel! The thousands of crime novels that were published in the “Golden Age” of murder mysteries, detection and more provide the basis for this very funny book which brings together the unusual, the practical and even the weird ways in which the hapless can become a victim, the accused or just be interrogated in the world of classic crime. This is far from a dry survey of the crime novel at the time; instead, the reader is warned in seven lessons how to avoid danger in daily life, transport, work and social life. Based on the wide range of books which range from the obscure known only to the true devotee to the works of Agatha Christie, this light-hearted book uses the events of the various novels to warn and advise the reader about the situations that should be avoided. Key Skills are mentioned in fictional further courses, adverts for gadgets for defence and active sleuthing are included. This is a world of private libraries (extremely dangerous judging by the number of bodies found in them), trains for mass travel and other transport (seventy-five percent of Christie’ output in the 1930s was set in transport, apparently) and parties of various kinds. As a bonus the Epilogue is called “The Perfect Murder” – which may well involve locating a kangaroo...
I really enjoyed this book, finding it funny throughout as well as extremely well informed – like an excellent conversation/game with an expert in the genre, which of course Kate is in every respect. Not only does she refer to her own reading, but she has consulted widely with fellow bloggers and experts on the huge variety of novels represented here. The chief attraction of this well produced book in terms of relevant illustrations and layout is the way it works though life like situations (in the 1930s!) with instructions on how to avoid the risks of your own home (the kitchen is particularly dangerous for potential poisons and of course all those sharp knives). Even the bedroom is fraught with danger; apparently in Christie’s output it is where the victim is most likely to be “bumped off”. Beware chocolates anywhere – poison can lurk there as any reader of the British Library Crime Classic series reprint “The Poisoned Chocolates Case” by Anthony Berkley can attest. Even a radio can be a risk – according to Christie and Ngaio Marsh – and there apparently killer telephones (mobiles not mentioned).
This book succeeds because even if the reader’s Golden Age knowledge is limited to television and film versions of the greats (Death on the Nile?) there will be something familiar here. For those who enjoy chasing references beyond mention of the author and novel title on occasions, there are notes to enable the reader to discover the reference to “The Wedding Guest Sat on a Stone” for example, as well as where the comment from “The Hound of the Baskervilles” comes in the section on “Romance in the First Degree”. I particularly enjoyed the short introductory passages to each section which manage to cram in many titles to mystery novels as part of the description.
This book will appeal to those to enjoy encounters with the classic stories as well as though who can recite the plot of at least twenty relatively obscure crime novels of the interwar years. It is a funny book for those who are interested in the lifestyle of the first readers of such novels. It encompasses such standard fare as the dangers of a stay in a remote country house, the risks inherent in the acting profession and the unforeseen fatalities of office life. This book would make a superb gift for the avid reader who collects classic crime novels from such series as the British Library or Dean Street Press, as well as recent rediscoveries as Clifford Witting by the Galileo Press: also those who just enjoy a clever and funny literary book. I really enjoyed it – I recommend it.
I really enjoyed this book, finding it funny throughout as well as extremely well informed – like an excellent conversation/game with an expert in the genre, which of course Kate is in every respect. Not only does she refer to her own reading, but she has consulted widely with fellow bloggers and experts on the huge variety of novels represented here. The chief attraction of this well produced book in terms of relevant illustrations and layout is the way it works though life like situations (in the 1930s!) with instructions on how to avoid the risks of your own home (the kitchen is particularly dangerous for potential poisons and of course all those sharp knives). Even the bedroom is fraught with danger; apparently in Christie’s output it is where the victim is most likely to be “bumped off”. Beware chocolates anywhere – poison can lurk there as any reader of the British Library Crime Classic series reprint “The Poisoned Chocolates Case” by Anthony Berkley can attest. Even a radio can be a risk – according to Christie and Ngaio Marsh – and there apparently killer telephones (mobiles not mentioned).
This book succeeds because even if the reader’s Golden Age knowledge is limited to television and film versions of the greats (Death on the Nile?) there will be something familiar here. For those who enjoy chasing references beyond mention of the author and novel title on occasions, there are notes to enable the reader to discover the reference to “The Wedding Guest Sat on a Stone” for example, as well as where the comment from “The Hound of the Baskervilles” comes in the section on “Romance in the First Degree”. I particularly enjoyed the short introductory passages to each section which manage to cram in many titles to mystery novels as part of the description.
This book will appeal to those to enjoy encounters with the classic stories as well as though who can recite the plot of at least twenty relatively obscure crime novels of the interwar years. It is a funny book for those who are interested in the lifestyle of the first readers of such novels. It encompasses such standard fare as the dangers of a stay in a remote country house, the risks inherent in the acting profession and the unforeseen fatalities of office life. This book would make a superb gift for the avid reader who collects classic crime novels from such series as the British Library or Dean Street Press, as well as recent rediscoveries as Clifford Witting by the Galileo Press: also those who just enjoy a clever and funny literary book. I really enjoyed it – I recommend it.
June 16, 2023
Even the nicest person can be a murder victim, as Kate Jackson points out in her book, and we would all do well to listen to her advice, which has been honed from many years of extensive reading and writing about the genre on her blog Cross Examining Crime. Kate has showcased her expertise at many an event, including Bodies in the Library and the Agatha Christie Festival, and she is the author of two charming puzzle books, The Pocket Detective and The Pocket Detective 2, also by the British Library.
How to Survive is a tongue-in-cheek guide to getting through any Golden Age scenario intact, whether you’re in the “safety” of your own home (a separate chapter considers your garden), the office and places in-between. It warns you of the dangers of attending a party, going on vacation or falling in love. As an example, Chapter One, “Home Sweet Homicide,” provides a check list for domestic safety like no other. It makes one almost relieved to be too poor to have an isolated mansion in the country, complete with study, library, and swimming pool, as all of these can be – and have been – transformed into a scene of the crime.
How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel is charmingly packaged by the British Library and contains delightful illustrations by Joanna Lisowiec. As much fun as it is to read, the book serves a double purpose: it provides the casual reader with many assurances of the various tropes and patterns that crop up on classic mystery fiction, and it provides a formidable bibliography of titles (the “evidence” here) all nicely categorized for your information. Thus, if you are interested in theatrical mysteries, you can turn to Chapter Three, “Murder Is My Business, and flip to the section called “She Fell Among Actors.” Within its four amusing pages, Kate manages to drop two dozen titles of crime novels set in or around the theatre world.
Part witty homage, part resource of new/old titles, this is the perfect gift to stow with you this summer. Just don't get so caught up in it that you don't pay attention to your surroundings! As Kate's book proves time and again, that would never do!!
How to Survive is a tongue-in-cheek guide to getting through any Golden Age scenario intact, whether you’re in the “safety” of your own home (a separate chapter considers your garden), the office and places in-between. It warns you of the dangers of attending a party, going on vacation or falling in love. As an example, Chapter One, “Home Sweet Homicide,” provides a check list for domestic safety like no other. It makes one almost relieved to be too poor to have an isolated mansion in the country, complete with study, library, and swimming pool, as all of these can be – and have been – transformed into a scene of the crime.
How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel is charmingly packaged by the British Library and contains delightful illustrations by Joanna Lisowiec. As much fun as it is to read, the book serves a double purpose: it provides the casual reader with many assurances of the various tropes and patterns that crop up on classic mystery fiction, and it provides a formidable bibliography of titles (the “evidence” here) all nicely categorized for your information. Thus, if you are interested in theatrical mysteries, you can turn to Chapter Three, “Murder Is My Business, and flip to the section called “She Fell Among Actors.” Within its four amusing pages, Kate manages to drop two dozen titles of crime novels set in or around the theatre world.
Part witty homage, part resource of new/old titles, this is the perfect gift to stow with you this summer. Just don't get so caught up in it that you don't pay attention to your surroundings! As Kate's book proves time and again, that would never do!!
October 21, 2024
I had a lot of fun in reading this book as it analyses the main Golden Age mystery tropes and gives suggestions on how to survive.
It's humorous, fun, but also a great way to discover new author and novels of that era.
I'm sure it will be loved by people who love classic mysteries
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's humorous, fun, but also a great way to discover new author and novels of that era.
I'm sure it will be loved by people who love classic mysteries
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
January 15, 2024
Fun and cozy parody how-to guide, I really enjoyed it. The humour is on point, recommend it to anyone who loves classic crime mysteries.
Big thank you to the publisher for providing me with a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
Big thank you to the publisher for providing me with a proof copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 7, 2023
A fun read but somewhat spoiled by the endless plot spillers throughout the book. Lots of skim reading required on my part.
October 18, 2023
Very fun!
January 14, 2024
A delightful, whimsical and fun guide to classic crime novels, presented as "advice" for the potential victim, culled from the pages of both familiar and obscure mysteries.
January 30, 2024
A very funny and entertaining love letter to the Golden age classic crime novel.
August 9, 2024
Not sure what I expected, but I was disappointed! This is basically just lists of plot points from classic crime novels, grouped into themes. An easy enough read where the entertainment seems to come from "yes, remember that one, no don't remember that, haven't read that one".
September 17, 2024
Read this book, but think that I didn't get much out of it because I hadn't read the original classic crime novels.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews