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Cyanide in the Sun
All about them, happy holiday-makers were strolling and laughing, evidently oblivious of the prevailing perils of their chosen resort...
A cold case of poisonings heats up at a quaint guest house. A string of suspicious murders follows a crime writer’s tour bus. Two seedy stowaways uncover an infamous smuggling ring.
Everyone needs a break now and then, but sometimes getting away can be murder. In this new anthology, Martin Edwards presents a jam-packed travel-case of eighteen classic mysteries, featuring short stories from crime fiction legends such as Christianna Brand, Anthony Berkeley and Celia Fremlin alongside rare finds revived from the British Library archives. Including intriguing notes on the stories and their authors, this volume is your ticket to a thrilling journey from 1920s seaside skulduggery through to calamity in 1980s suburbia – perfect for armchair travelling or your own summer getaway.
A cold case of poisonings heats up at a quaint guest house. A string of suspicious murders follows a crime writer’s tour bus. Two seedy stowaways uncover an infamous smuggling ring.
Everyone needs a break now and then, but sometimes getting away can be murder. In this new anthology, Martin Edwards presents a jam-packed travel-case of eighteen classic mysteries, featuring short stories from crime fiction legends such as Christianna Brand, Anthony Berkeley and Celia Fremlin alongside rare finds revived from the British Library archives. Including intriguing notes on the stories and their authors, this volume is your ticket to a thrilling journey from 1920s seaside skulduggery through to calamity in 1980s suburbia – perfect for armchair travelling or your own summer getaway.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2025
About the author
Martin Edwards
372 books865 followersMartin Edwards has been described by Richard Osman as ‘a true master of British crime writing.’ He has published twenty-three novels, which include the eight Lake District Mysteries, one of which was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year and four books featuring Rachel Savernake, including the Dagger-nominated Gallows Court and Blackstone Fell, while Gallows Court and Sepulchre Street were shortlisted for the eDunnit award for best crime novel of the year. He is also the author of two multi-award-winning histories of crime fiction, The Life of Crime and The Golden Age of Murder. He has received three Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and has also been nominated three times for Gold Daggers. In addition to the CWA Diamond Dagger (the highest honour in UK crime writing) he has received four other lifetime achievement awards: for his fiction, short fiction, non-fiction, and scholarship. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics, a former Chair of the CWA, and since 2015 has been President of the Detection Club.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 26, 2025
A very entertaining collection but some of the stories were extremely short
September 3, 2025
Cyanide in the Sun is summer offering of Summertime Crime stories from the British Library Crime Classics series. Once again Martin Edwards has collected together a cracking collection of stories of mixed lengths but all of them interesting and inventive. To name a few in the collection:
Cyanide in the Sun by Christiana Brand was unsurprisingly one of my favourites, she is an exceptional writer of both short and longer form stories and the quirk in the one was ingenious.
A Holiday by the Sea by Will Scott relating the holiday trip of two tramps, Giglamps and Cheerful, was comic and entertaining as they stow away in a removals van to head to the coast at Margate, for what turns out to be a very short lived holiday but productive in solving a crime.
The Summer Holiday by Celia Fremlin, not be confused by the longer novel of a summer holiday Uncle Paul, but equally demonstrating perhaps the writers dislike of holidays and the lengths one might go to in order to be left alone at home. For anyone not a great traveller and a home-bird this one is easy to relate to with an unfortunate and unexpected outcome.
Even Murderers Take Holidays by Michael Gilbert, was on of the shortest stories included but very deserving of a place when Croft, a murderer or assassin by profession decides to take a break and finds the tables can turn.
I don't think there was a weak offering in this short story collection which made for an entertaining late summer read to see out the end of August.
Cyanide in the Sun by Christiana Brand was unsurprisingly one of my favourites, she is an exceptional writer of both short and longer form stories and the quirk in the one was ingenious.
A Holiday by the Sea by Will Scott relating the holiday trip of two tramps, Giglamps and Cheerful, was comic and entertaining as they stow away in a removals van to head to the coast at Margate, for what turns out to be a very short lived holiday but productive in solving a crime.
The Summer Holiday by Celia Fremlin, not be confused by the longer novel of a summer holiday Uncle Paul, but equally demonstrating perhaps the writers dislike of holidays and the lengths one might go to in order to be left alone at home. For anyone not a great traveller and a home-bird this one is easy to relate to with an unfortunate and unexpected outcome.
Even Murderers Take Holidays by Michael Gilbert, was on of the shortest stories included but very deserving of a place when Croft, a murderer or assassin by profession decides to take a break and finds the tables can turn.
I don't think there was a weak offering in this short story collection which made for an entertaining late summer read to see out the end of August.
September 8, 2025
This is an excellent collection of 18 short stories published in the British Library Crime Classics series. The introductions and author biographical information written by Martin Edwards, an Edgar award-winning author added to the reading enjoyment for me.
The stories ranged from the 1920s to the 1980s and many of them had the distinct atmosphere of seaside boarding houses in the post-war period in the UK. My two favourite stories were "Consider your Verdict" by Anthony Gilbert and "Crooked Harvest" by Shelley Smith in which confidence tricksters get their comeuppance. I also very much enjoyed Celia Fremlin's The Summer Holiday in which a widow is looking forward to spending summer at home on her own, but her family have other plans.
The stories ranged from the 1920s to the 1980s and many of them had the distinct atmosphere of seaside boarding houses in the post-war period in the UK. My two favourite stories were "Consider your Verdict" by Anthony Gilbert and "Crooked Harvest" by Shelley Smith in which confidence tricksters get their comeuppance. I also very much enjoyed Celia Fremlin's The Summer Holiday in which a widow is looking forward to spending summer at home on her own, but her family have other plans.
November 3, 2025
Some stories are great, some stories are not, but Martin Edwards offers, yet again, an opportunity to —at least, if nothing else— get to know some authors you probably had missed.
Stories are generally short, which also helps in case some are not as good as you expected.
Stories are generally short, which also helps in case some are not as good as you expected.
Review of advance copy
“The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane” by Arthur Conan Doyle
While walking along a coastal cliff path in Sussex, Sherlock Holmes and Harold Stackhurst witness a local science master stagger up from the beach, scream the cryptic words "the Lion's Mane," and collapse dead with his back covered in terrible, bleeding red lines as if he had been brutally flogged with a thin wire scourge.
Death in the Sun by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby is brought to a remote Cornish villa where a wealthy man, George Elwin, has been found dead on a flat roof, naked except for a wrist watch, with a gun by his side and his face completely destroyed. While it appears to be an obvious suicide, a closer look reveals that the watch strap is fastened too loosely for the victim's slim wrist.
“The Mystery of the Russian Prince” by Baroness Orczy
On the wedding day of Louisa Smithson to an enigmatic Russian Prince, the bridegroom fails to arrive at the church because a first-class compartment on his train from London is discovered at a junction in a state of violent, blood-stained disorder, indicating a brutal struggle—but the prince's body has completely vanished.
“The Long Shot” by Nicholas Blake
While visiting a grand country house, Nigel Strangeways watches his eccentric friend Gervase Musbury plummet to his death from a high birdwatching platform in an elm tree just after an arrow strikes a nearby branch, only to discover that Gervase was actually fatally poisoned with prussic acid inside his ginger beer bottle.
“Cyanide in the Sun” by Christianna Brand
A group of holidaymakers at a boarding house in Scampton-on-Sea—a resort town already plagued by random cyanide poisonings—receive ominous written warnings stating "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END," leading to a highly supervised, foolproof beach picnic intended to safely feed the targeted guest, who nevertheless drops dead within sixty seconds of her first bite.
“The Undraped Torso” by Edmund Crispin
A professional photographer snaps a candid beach picture of a vacationing man named Edgar Boynton lying in the sand with a newspaper over his face, triggering a bizarrely violent and panicked reaction where Boynton physically attacks the photographer and smashes the expensive camera.
“Double Bluff” by Anthony Berkeley
A quiet, frail young poet named James Meadows is arrested and charged with shooting a local woman dead in broad daylight on a country road in full view of a dozen positive eyewitnesses—despite his desperate, unwavering insistence that he was completely alone in a secluded dell miles away the entire afternoon.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” by Agatha Christie
An artist painting outside a Cornish inn is unnerved when she notices she has subconsciously painted imaginary bloodstains onto the white pavement, only to look up and realize actual drops of blood are appearing before her eyes under a guest's balcony right as a member of a local bathing party mysteriously vanishes.
“Chapter and Verse” by Ngaio Marsh
An antiquarian bookman investigates a cryptic, centuries-old family Bible that records deaths matching historical fatal falls under bizarre pseudonyms, only to plunge to his own death from a church tower during a Harvest Festival service.
“Superintendent Wilson’s Holiday” by G. D. H. Cole & M. Cole
While on a peaceful walking holiday, Superintendent Wilson and his medical companion stumble upon a deserted camper's tent in wild disorder containing charred remains of multiple city chequebooks and a sheet heavily stained with blood from a sharp weapon, pointing to a violent hidden crime.
“Evidence in Camera” by Margery Allingham
A cynical press photographer traveling the coast encounters a sinister string of murders targeting middle-aged, red-haired women in seaside towns, only to uncover a terrifying hidden history tying the killings back to a bitter, decades-old domestic manipulation.
“Error at Daybreak” by John Dickson Carr
Colonel March investigates the murder of Norman Kane, an eccentric old man discovered dead on a lonely stretch of sandy beach with his throat slit, despite the impossible predicament that there are absolutely no footsteps in the sand around the body except his own.
“The Absence of Mr Glass” by G. K. Chesterton Dr. Orion Hood and Father Brown inspect a lodger's room that has become a scene of silent catastrophe—littered with playing cards, smashed glasses, and a blood-stained sword—where the young tenant is found securely bound and gagged with ropes, seemingly the victim of a mysterious, invisible opponent named Mr. Glass.
“The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran” by Dorothy L. Sayers
While relaxing in a Bloomsbury flat, Lord Peter Wimsey and a doctor hear a sudden clatter of heavy running footsteps directly overhead followed by a piercing shriek; they rush upstairs to discover a woman brutally stabbed to death with a stiletto and her dazed husband standing in the room.
“The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring” by Julian Symons
A retired bachelor living in the Sussex countryside notices his neighbors feverishly destroying personal documents and acting with high restiveness after the arrival of a visiting cousin from South Africa, leading him to unearth a hidden grave in the garden.
While walking along a coastal cliff path in Sussex, Sherlock Holmes and Harold Stackhurst witness a local science master stagger up from the beach, scream the cryptic words "the Lion's Mane," and collapse dead with his back covered in terrible, bleeding red lines as if he had been brutally flogged with a thin wire scourge.
Death in the Sun by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby is brought to a remote Cornish villa where a wealthy man, George Elwin, has been found dead on a flat roof, naked except for a wrist watch, with a gun by his side and his face completely destroyed. While it appears to be an obvious suicide, a closer look reveals that the watch strap is fastened too loosely for the victim's slim wrist.
“The Mystery of the Russian Prince” by Baroness Orczy
On the wedding day of Louisa Smithson to an enigmatic Russian Prince, the bridegroom fails to arrive at the church because a first-class compartment on his train from London is discovered at a junction in a state of violent, blood-stained disorder, indicating a brutal struggle—but the prince's body has completely vanished.
“The Long Shot” by Nicholas Blake
While visiting a grand country house, Nigel Strangeways watches his eccentric friend Gervase Musbury plummet to his death from a high birdwatching platform in an elm tree just after an arrow strikes a nearby branch, only to discover that Gervase was actually fatally poisoned with prussic acid inside his ginger beer bottle.
“Cyanide in the Sun” by Christianna Brand
A group of holidaymakers at a boarding house in Scampton-on-Sea—a resort town already plagued by random cyanide poisonings—receive ominous written warnings stating "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END," leading to a highly supervised, foolproof beach picnic intended to safely feed the targeted guest, who nevertheless drops dead within sixty seconds of her first bite.
“The Undraped Torso” by Edmund Crispin
A professional photographer snaps a candid beach picture of a vacationing man named Edgar Boynton lying in the sand with a newspaper over his face, triggering a bizarrely violent and panicked reaction where Boynton physically attacks the photographer and smashes the expensive camera.
“Double Bluff” by Anthony Berkeley
A quiet, frail young poet named James Meadows is arrested and charged with shooting a local woman dead in broad daylight on a country road in full view of a dozen positive eyewitnesses—despite his desperate, unwavering insistence that he was completely alone in a secluded dell miles away the entire afternoon.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” by Agatha Christie
An artist painting outside a Cornish inn is unnerved when she notices she has subconsciously painted imaginary bloodstains onto the white pavement, only to look up and realize actual drops of blood are appearing before her eyes under a guest's balcony right as a member of a local bathing party mysteriously vanishes.
“Chapter and Verse” by Ngaio Marsh
An antiquarian bookman investigates a cryptic, centuries-old family Bible that records deaths matching historical fatal falls under bizarre pseudonyms, only to plunge to his own death from a church tower during a Harvest Festival service.
“Superintendent Wilson’s Holiday” by G. D. H. Cole & M. Cole
While on a peaceful walking holiday, Superintendent Wilson and his medical companion stumble upon a deserted camper's tent in wild disorder containing charred remains of multiple city chequebooks and a sheet heavily stained with blood from a sharp weapon, pointing to a violent hidden crime.
“Evidence in Camera” by Margery Allingham
A cynical press photographer traveling the coast encounters a sinister string of murders targeting middle-aged, red-haired women in seaside towns, only to uncover a terrifying hidden history tying the killings back to a bitter, decades-old domestic manipulation.
“Error at Daybreak” by John Dickson Carr
Colonel March investigates the murder of Norman Kane, an eccentric old man discovered dead on a lonely stretch of sandy beach with his throat slit, despite the impossible predicament that there are absolutely no footsteps in the sand around the body except his own.
“The Absence of Mr Glass” by G. K. Chesterton Dr. Orion Hood and Father Brown inspect a lodger's room that has become a scene of silent catastrophe—littered with playing cards, smashed glasses, and a blood-stained sword—where the young tenant is found securely bound and gagged with ropes, seemingly the victim of a mysterious, invisible opponent named Mr. Glass.
“The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran” by Dorothy L. Sayers
While relaxing in a Bloomsbury flat, Lord Peter Wimsey and a doctor hear a sudden clatter of heavy running footsteps directly overhead followed by a piercing shriek; they rush upstairs to discover a woman brutally stabbed to death with a stiletto and her dazed husband standing in the room.
“The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring” by Julian Symons
A retired bachelor living in the Sussex countryside notices his neighbors feverishly destroying personal documents and acting with high restiveness after the arrival of a visiting cousin from South Africa, leading him to unearth a hidden grave in the garden.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2026
“The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane” by Arthur Conan Doyle
While walking along a coastal cliff path in Sussex, Sherlock Holmes and Harold Stackhurst witness a local science master stagger up from the beach, scream the cryptic words "the Lion's Mane," and collapse dead with his back covered in terrible, bleeding red lines as if he had been brutally flogged with a thin wire scourge.
Death in the Sun by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby is brought to a remote Cornish villa where a wealthy man, George Elwin, has been found dead on a flat roof, naked except for a wrist watch, with a gun by his side and his face completely destroyed. While it appears to be an obvious suicide, a closer look reveals that the watch strap is fastened too loosely for the victim's slim wrist.
“The Mystery of the Russian Prince” by Baroness Orczy
On the wedding day of Louisa Smithson to an enigmatic Russian Prince, the bridegroom fails to arrive at the church because a first-class compartment on his train from London is discovered at a junction in a state of violent, blood-stained disorder, indicating a brutal struggle—but the prince's body has completely vanished.
“The Long Shot” by Nicholas Blake
While visiting a grand country house, Nigel Strangeways watches his eccentric friend Gervase Musbury plummet to his death from a high birdwatching platform in an elm tree just after an arrow strikes a nearby branch, only to discover that Gervase was actually fatally poisoned with prussic acid inside his ginger beer bottle.
“Cyanide in the Sun” by Christianna Brand
A group of holidaymakers at a boarding house in Scampton-on-Sea—a resort town already plagued by random cyanide poisonings—receive ominous written warnings stating "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END," leading to a highly supervised, foolproof beach picnic intended to safely feed the targeted guest, who nevertheless drops dead within sixty seconds of her first bite.
“The Undraped Torso” by Edmund Crispin
A professional photographer snaps a candid beach picture of a vacationing man named Edgar Boynton lying in the sand with a newspaper over his face, triggering a bizarrely violent and panicked reaction where Boynton physically attacks the photographer and smashes the expensive camera.
“Double Bluff” by Anthony Berkeley
A quiet, frail young poet named James Meadows is arrested and charged with shooting a local woman dead in broad daylight on a country road in full view of a dozen positive eyewitnesses—despite his desperate, unwavering insistence that he was completely alone in a secluded dell miles away the entire afternoon.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” by Agatha Christie
An artist painting outside a Cornish inn is unnerved when she notices she has subconsciously painted imaginary bloodstains onto the white pavement, only to look up and realize actual drops of blood are appearing before her eyes under a guest's balcony right as a member of a local bathing party mysteriously vanishes.
“Chapter and Verse” by Ngaio Marsh
An antiquarian bookman investigates a cryptic, centuries-old family Bible that records deaths matching historical fatal falls under bizarre pseudonyms, only to plunge to his own death from a church tower during a Harvest Festival service.
“Superintendent Wilson’s Holiday” by G. D. H. Cole & M. Cole
While on a peaceful walking holiday, Superintendent Wilson and his medical companion stumble upon a deserted camper's tent in wild disorder containing charred remains of multiple city chequebooks and a sheet heavily stained with blood from a sharp weapon, pointing to a violent hidden crime.
“Evidence in Camera” by Margery Allingham
A cynical press photographer traveling the coast encounters a sinister string of murders targeting middle-aged, red-haired women in seaside towns, only to uncover a terrifying hidden history tying the killings back to a bitter, decades-old domestic manipulation.
“Error at Daybreak” by John Dickson Carr
Colonel March investigates the murder of Norman Kane, an eccentric old man discovered dead on a lonely stretch of sandy beach with his throat slit, despite the impossible predicament that there are absolutely no footsteps in the sand around the body except his own.
“The Absence of Mr Glass” by G. K. Chesterton Dr. Orion Hood and Father Brown inspect a lodger's room that has become a scene of silent catastrophe—littered with playing cards, smashed glasses, and a blood-stained sword—where the young tenant is found securely bound and gagged with ropes, seemingly the victim of a mysterious, invisible opponent named Mr. Glass.
“The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran” by Dorothy L. Sayers
While relaxing in a Bloomsbury flat, Lord Peter Wimsey and a doctor hear a sudden clatter of heavy running footsteps directly overhead followed by a piercing shriek; they rush upstairs to discover a woman brutally stabbed to death with a stiletto and her dazed husband standing in the room.
“The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring” by Julian Symons
A retired bachelor living in the Sussex countryside notices his neighbors feverishly destroying personal documents and acting with high restiveness after the arrival of a visiting cousin from South Africa, leading him to unearth a hidden grave in the garden.
While walking along a coastal cliff path in Sussex, Sherlock Holmes and Harold Stackhurst witness a local science master stagger up from the beach, scream the cryptic words "the Lion's Mane," and collapse dead with his back covered in terrible, bleeding red lines as if he had been brutally flogged with a thin wire scourge.
Death in the Sun by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby is brought to a remote Cornish villa where a wealthy man, George Elwin, has been found dead on a flat roof, naked except for a wrist watch, with a gun by his side and his face completely destroyed. While it appears to be an obvious suicide, a closer look reveals that the watch strap is fastened too loosely for the victim's slim wrist.
“The Mystery of the Russian Prince” by Baroness Orczy
On the wedding day of Louisa Smithson to an enigmatic Russian Prince, the bridegroom fails to arrive at the church because a first-class compartment on his train from London is discovered at a junction in a state of violent, blood-stained disorder, indicating a brutal struggle—but the prince's body has completely vanished.
“The Long Shot” by Nicholas Blake
While visiting a grand country house, Nigel Strangeways watches his eccentric friend Gervase Musbury plummet to his death from a high birdwatching platform in an elm tree just after an arrow strikes a nearby branch, only to discover that Gervase was actually fatally poisoned with prussic acid inside his ginger beer bottle.
“Cyanide in the Sun” by Christianna Brand
A group of holidaymakers at a boarding house in Scampton-on-Sea—a resort town already plagued by random cyanide poisonings—receive ominous written warnings stating "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END," leading to a highly supervised, foolproof beach picnic intended to safely feed the targeted guest, who nevertheless drops dead within sixty seconds of her first bite.
“The Undraped Torso” by Edmund Crispin
A professional photographer snaps a candid beach picture of a vacationing man named Edgar Boynton lying in the sand with a newspaper over his face, triggering a bizarrely violent and panicked reaction where Boynton physically attacks the photographer and smashes the expensive camera.
“Double Bluff” by Anthony Berkeley
A quiet, frail young poet named James Meadows is arrested and charged with shooting a local woman dead in broad daylight on a country road in full view of a dozen positive eyewitnesses—despite his desperate, unwavering insistence that he was completely alone in a secluded dell miles away the entire afternoon.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” by Agatha Christie
An artist painting outside a Cornish inn is unnerved when she notices she has subconsciously painted imaginary bloodstains onto the white pavement, only to look up and realize actual drops of blood are appearing before her eyes under a guest's balcony right as a member of a local bathing party mysteriously vanishes.
“Chapter and Verse” by Ngaio Marsh
An antiquarian bookman investigates a cryptic, centuries-old family Bible that records deaths matching historical fatal falls under bizarre pseudonyms, only to plunge to his own death from a church tower during a Harvest Festival service.
“Superintendent Wilson’s Holiday” by G. D. H. Cole & M. Cole
While on a peaceful walking holiday, Superintendent Wilson and his medical companion stumble upon a deserted camper's tent in wild disorder containing charred remains of multiple city chequebooks and a sheet heavily stained with blood from a sharp weapon, pointing to a violent hidden crime.
“Evidence in Camera” by Margery Allingham
A cynical press photographer traveling the coast encounters a sinister string of murders targeting middle-aged, red-haired women in seaside towns, only to uncover a terrifying hidden history tying the killings back to a bitter, decades-old domestic manipulation.
“Error at Daybreak” by John Dickson Carr
Colonel March investigates the murder of Norman Kane, an eccentric old man discovered dead on a lonely stretch of sandy beach with his throat slit, despite the impossible predicament that there are absolutely no footsteps in the sand around the body except his own.
“The Absence of Mr Glass” by G. K. Chesterton Dr. Orion Hood and Father Brown inspect a lodger's room that has become a scene of silent catastrophe—littered with playing cards, smashed glasses, and a blood-stained sword—where the young tenant is found securely bound and gagged with ropes, seemingly the victim of a mysterious, invisible opponent named Mr. Glass.
“The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran” by Dorothy L. Sayers
While relaxing in a Bloomsbury flat, Lord Peter Wimsey and a doctor hear a sudden clatter of heavy running footsteps directly overhead followed by a piercing shriek; they rush upstairs to discover a woman brutally stabbed to death with a stiletto and her dazed husband standing in the room.
“The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring” by Julian Symons
A retired bachelor living in the Sussex countryside notices his neighbors feverishly destroying personal documents and acting with high restiveness after the arrival of a visiting cousin from South Africa, leading him to unearth a hidden grave in the garden.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2026
“The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane” by Arthur Conan Doyle
While walking along a coastal cliff path in Sussex, Sherlock Holmes and Harold Stackhurst witness a local science master stagger up from the beach, scream the cryptic words "the Lion's Mane," and collapse dead with his back covered in terrible, bleeding red lines as if he had been brutally flogged with a thin wire scourge.
Death in the Sun by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby is brought to a remote Cornish villa where a wealthy man, George Elwin, has been found dead on a flat roof, naked except for a wrist watch, with a gun by his side and his face completely destroyed. While it appears to be an obvious suicide, a closer look reveals that the watch strap is fastened too loosely for the victim's slim wrist.
“The Mystery of the Russian Prince” by Baroness Orczy
On the wedding day of Louisa Smithson to an enigmatic Russian Prince, the bridegroom fails to arrive at the church because a first-class compartment on his train from London is discovered at a junction in a state of violent, blood-stained disorder, indicating a brutal struggle—but the prince's body has completely vanished.
“The Long Shot” by Nicholas Blake
While visiting a grand country house, Nigel Strangeways watches his eccentric friend Gervase Musbury plummet to his death from a high birdwatching platform in an elm tree just after an arrow strikes a nearby branch, only to discover that Gervase was actually fatally poisoned with prussic acid inside his ginger beer bottle.
“Cyanide in the Sun” by Christianna Brand
A group of holidaymakers at a boarding house in Scampton-on-Sea—a resort town already plagued by random cyanide poisonings—receive ominous written warnings stating "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END," leading to a highly supervised, foolproof beach picnic intended to safely feed the targeted guest, who nevertheless drops dead within sixty seconds of her first bite.
“The Undraped Torso” by Edmund Crispin
A professional photographer snaps a candid beach picture of a vacationing man named Edgar Boynton lying in the sand with a newspaper over his face, triggering a bizarrely violent and panicked reaction where Boynton physically attacks the photographer and smashes the expensive camera.
“Double Bluff” by Anthony Berkeley
A quiet, frail young poet named James Meadows is arrested and charged with shooting a local woman dead in broad daylight on a country road in full view of a dozen positive eyewitnesses—despite his desperate, unwavering insistence that he was completely alone in a secluded dell miles away the entire afternoon.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” by Agatha Christie
An artist painting outside a Cornish inn is unnerved when she notices she has subconsciously painted imaginary bloodstains onto the white pavement, only to look up and realize actual drops of blood are appearing before her eyes under a guest's balcony right as a member of a local bathing party mysteriously vanishes.
“Chapter and Verse” by Ngaio Marsh
An antiquarian bookman investigates a cryptic, centuries-old family Bible that records deaths matching historical fatal falls under bizarre pseudonyms, only to plunge to his own death from a church tower during a Harvest Festival service.
“Superintendent Wilson’s Holiday” by G. D. H. Cole & M. Cole
While on a peaceful walking holiday, Superintendent Wilson and his medical companion stumble upon a deserted camper's tent in wild disorder containing charred remains of multiple city chequebooks and a sheet heavily stained with blood from a sharp weapon, pointing to a violent hidden crime.
“Evidence in Camera” by Margery Allingham
A cynical press photographer traveling the coast encounters a sinister string of murders targeting middle-aged, red-haired women in seaside towns, only to uncover a terrifying hidden history tying the killings back to a bitter, decades-old domestic manipulation.
“Error at Daybreak” by John Dickson Carr
Colonel March investigates the murder of Norman Kane, an eccentric old man discovered dead on a lonely stretch of sandy beach with his throat slit, despite the impossible predicament that there are absolutely no footsteps in the sand around the body except his own.
“The Absence of Mr Glass” by G. K. Chesterton Dr. Orion Hood and Father Brown inspect a lodger's room that has become a scene of silent catastrophe—littered with playing cards, smashed glasses, and a blood-stained sword—where the young tenant is found securely bound and gagged with ropes, seemingly the victim of a mysterious, invisible opponent named Mr. Glass.
“The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran” by Dorothy L. Sayers
While relaxing in a Bloomsbury flat, Lord Peter Wimsey and a doctor hear a sudden clatter of heavy running footsteps directly overhead followed by a piercing shriek; they rush upstairs to discover a woman brutally stabbed to death with a stiletto and her dazed husband standing in the room.
“The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring” by Julian Symons
A retired bachelor living in the Sussex countryside notices his neighbors feverishly destroying personal documents and acting with high restiveness after the arrival of a visiting cousin from South Africa, leading him to unearth a hidden grave in the garden.
While walking along a coastal cliff path in Sussex, Sherlock Holmes and Harold Stackhurst witness a local science master stagger up from the beach, scream the cryptic words "the Lion's Mane," and collapse dead with his back covered in terrible, bleeding red lines as if he had been brutally flogged with a thin wire scourge.
Death in the Sun by Michael Innes
Sir John Appleby is brought to a remote Cornish villa where a wealthy man, George Elwin, has been found dead on a flat roof, naked except for a wrist watch, with a gun by his side and his face completely destroyed. While it appears to be an obvious suicide, a closer look reveals that the watch strap is fastened too loosely for the victim's slim wrist.
“The Mystery of the Russian Prince” by Baroness Orczy
On the wedding day of Louisa Smithson to an enigmatic Russian Prince, the bridegroom fails to arrive at the church because a first-class compartment on his train from London is discovered at a junction in a state of violent, blood-stained disorder, indicating a brutal struggle—but the prince's body has completely vanished.
“The Long Shot” by Nicholas Blake
While visiting a grand country house, Nigel Strangeways watches his eccentric friend Gervase Musbury plummet to his death from a high birdwatching platform in an elm tree just after an arrow strikes a nearby branch, only to discover that Gervase was actually fatally poisoned with prussic acid inside his ginger beer bottle.
“Cyanide in the Sun” by Christianna Brand
A group of holidaymakers at a boarding house in Scampton-on-Sea—a resort town already plagued by random cyanide poisonings—receive ominous written warnings stating "PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END," leading to a highly supervised, foolproof beach picnic intended to safely feed the targeted guest, who nevertheless drops dead within sixty seconds of her first bite.
“The Undraped Torso” by Edmund Crispin
A professional photographer snaps a candid beach picture of a vacationing man named Edgar Boynton lying in the sand with a newspaper over his face, triggering a bizarrely violent and panicked reaction where Boynton physically attacks the photographer and smashes the expensive camera.
“Double Bluff” by Anthony Berkeley
A quiet, frail young poet named James Meadows is arrested and charged with shooting a local woman dead in broad daylight on a country road in full view of a dozen positive eyewitnesses—despite his desperate, unwavering insistence that he was completely alone in a secluded dell miles away the entire afternoon.
“The Blood-Stained Pavement” by Agatha Christie
An artist painting outside a Cornish inn is unnerved when she notices she has subconsciously painted imaginary bloodstains onto the white pavement, only to look up and realize actual drops of blood are appearing before her eyes under a guest's balcony right as a member of a local bathing party mysteriously vanishes.
“Chapter and Verse” by Ngaio Marsh
An antiquarian bookman investigates a cryptic, centuries-old family Bible that records deaths matching historical fatal falls under bizarre pseudonyms, only to plunge to his own death from a church tower during a Harvest Festival service.
“Superintendent Wilson’s Holiday” by G. D. H. Cole & M. Cole
While on a peaceful walking holiday, Superintendent Wilson and his medical companion stumble upon a deserted camper's tent in wild disorder containing charred remains of multiple city chequebooks and a sheet heavily stained with blood from a sharp weapon, pointing to a violent hidden crime.
“Evidence in Camera” by Margery Allingham
A cynical press photographer traveling the coast encounters a sinister string of murders targeting middle-aged, red-haired women in seaside towns, only to uncover a terrifying hidden history tying the killings back to a bitter, decades-old domestic manipulation.
“Error at Daybreak” by John Dickson Carr
Colonel March investigates the murder of Norman Kane, an eccentric old man discovered dead on a lonely stretch of sandy beach with his throat slit, despite the impossible predicament that there are absolutely no footsteps in the sand around the body except his own.
“The Absence of Mr Glass” by G. K. Chesterton Dr. Orion Hood and Father Brown inspect a lodger's room that has become a scene of silent catastrophe—littered with playing cards, smashed glasses, and a blood-stained sword—where the young tenant is found securely bound and gagged with ropes, seemingly the victim of a mysterious, invisible opponent named Mr. Glass.
“The Vindictive Story of the Footsteps That Ran” by Dorothy L. Sayers
While relaxing in a Bloomsbury flat, Lord Peter Wimsey and a doctor hear a sudden clatter of heavy running footsteps directly overhead followed by a piercing shriek; they rush upstairs to discover a woman brutally stabbed to death with a stiletto and her dazed husband standing in the room.
“The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring” by Julian Symons
A retired bachelor living in the Sussex countryside notices his neighbors feverishly destroying personal documents and acting with high restiveness after the arrival of a visiting cousin from South Africa, leading him to unearth a hidden grave in the garden.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2025
This is a fun collection of mystery short stories collected from across the twentieth century.
September 19, 2025
Entertaining collection of mystery short stories around the theme of summer holidays, from the 1920s-80s. The best are the longer stories from Christianna Brand and Julian Symons. 4/5
September 20, 2025
There were lots of interesting stories in the book, but my favourite was towards the end about the widow who didn't like traveling on holidays.
April 12, 2026
Another fun and extensive crime collection from editor Martin Edwards themed around summer holidays; the majority of the stories collected here veer on short side and are from the 1950s, although there are notable exceptions to both of these rules. Most feature a seaside hotel or resort as a locus for murder, and a detective, amateur or otherwise, solving the crimes at speed.
Guy Cullingforrd's KILL AND CURE is a case in point – a crime writer goes to the coast for a rest, but discovers evil instead. This one's unusual attention to detail makes it work. Wilfred Fienburgh's DAY EXCURSION is so short as to be almost anecdotal, although it has a nice jokey tone to it, while C. Bobbett's THE SECRET OF THE MOUNTAIN is my favourite in the collection – a simple enough murder, but told with real pleasure and attention to detail.
Andrew Garve's UNLUCKY DIP and Victor Canning's QUARREL AT SEA are similar in that they're very short and hinge on rather large clues, or twists, which come at the end, and neither outstay their welcome. Ethel Lina White's THE HOLIDAY is something else entirely – a hostage thriller with an ingenius climax and suspense dripping off every page. EVEN MURDERERS TAKE HOLIDAYS, by Michael Gilbert, works thanks to its blackly comic tone and gruesome attention to detail, although I found Anthony Berkeley's “MR. BEARSTOWE SAYS...” a little unwieldy in its execution.
IN THE PICTURE sees Nicholas Bentley delivering a very obvious twist in a way so entertaining that it doesn't matter, and Bernard Farmer's AND THE POLICE WERE NOT CALLED manages to work despite being the lightest in the collection, as it still features all of the correct ingredients. CONSIDER YOUR VERDICT, by Andrew Gilbert, stands out for being more original than some of the more routine offerings, while Shelley Smith's CROOKED HARVEST seemed to me to be rather contrived.
Christianna Brand's CYANIDE IN THE SUN is great fun, like a mini Agatha Christie novel and just as good, whereas THE FLY sees John Bingham adopting a different locale to most here, to good effect. A HOLIDAY BY THE SEA is a comedy of errors by Will Scott complete with a tramp hero, not as good as J. Jefferson Farjeon's Ben series, but still fun. TWO ON A TOWER I didn't care for as I didn't like the setup or Michael Innes' characters, but Celia Fremlin's THE SUMMER HOLIDAY is delicious, a blackly comic character piece that takes a mundane situation and runs away with it.
The final story, Julian Symons' THE SUMMER HOLIDAY MURDERS, is much like the Brand story, but to the author's credit it never feels overlong despite being the longest story in the collection.
Guy Cullingforrd's KILL AND CURE is a case in point – a crime writer goes to the coast for a rest, but discovers evil instead. This one's unusual attention to detail makes it work. Wilfred Fienburgh's DAY EXCURSION is so short as to be almost anecdotal, although it has a nice jokey tone to it, while C. Bobbett's THE SECRET OF THE MOUNTAIN is my favourite in the collection – a simple enough murder, but told with real pleasure and attention to detail.
Andrew Garve's UNLUCKY DIP and Victor Canning's QUARREL AT SEA are similar in that they're very short and hinge on rather large clues, or twists, which come at the end, and neither outstay their welcome. Ethel Lina White's THE HOLIDAY is something else entirely – a hostage thriller with an ingenius climax and suspense dripping off every page. EVEN MURDERERS TAKE HOLIDAYS, by Michael Gilbert, works thanks to its blackly comic tone and gruesome attention to detail, although I found Anthony Berkeley's “MR. BEARSTOWE SAYS...” a little unwieldy in its execution.
IN THE PICTURE sees Nicholas Bentley delivering a very obvious twist in a way so entertaining that it doesn't matter, and Bernard Farmer's AND THE POLICE WERE NOT CALLED manages to work despite being the lightest in the collection, as it still features all of the correct ingredients. CONSIDER YOUR VERDICT, by Andrew Gilbert, stands out for being more original than some of the more routine offerings, while Shelley Smith's CROOKED HARVEST seemed to me to be rather contrived.
Christianna Brand's CYANIDE IN THE SUN is great fun, like a mini Agatha Christie novel and just as good, whereas THE FLY sees John Bingham adopting a different locale to most here, to good effect. A HOLIDAY BY THE SEA is a comedy of errors by Will Scott complete with a tramp hero, not as good as J. Jefferson Farjeon's Ben series, but still fun. TWO ON A TOWER I didn't care for as I didn't like the setup or Michael Innes' characters, but Celia Fremlin's THE SUMMER HOLIDAY is delicious, a blackly comic character piece that takes a mundane situation and runs away with it.
The final story, Julian Symons' THE SUMMER HOLIDAY MURDERS, is much like the Brand story, but to the author's credit it never feels overlong despite being the longest story in the collection.
February 10, 2026
Cyanide in the Sun is a collection of eighteen holiday-themed short stories. Among the authors are Christanna Brand, Anthony Berkley, Anthony Gilbert, Julian Symons and Michael Innes among others. I hadn't read any of these before - which I think is because a lot of them were either published in newspapers or in hard to get collections. And the nature of newspaper stories means some of them are really quite short, but I enjoyed that about the collection - they were in and out and didn't outstay their welcome if that makes sense. There are a few here that are really quite clever with nice twists that leave you surprised.
I find that short story collections can be a bit patchy - with the BLCC it can sometimes be because the stories aren't as good as you want them to be, as opposed to there being something that's been around a bit in them. But this is a good one with stories picked from some of the most successful of the recent BLCC authors. Here in the UK it's definitely not the right time of year to be reading holiday stories if reading about sunshine and beaches when the weather outside is wet and cold gets you down, but personally I usefully find it a nice treat to be taken away from the worst of the weather. And last week was definitely in the worst of the weather category at times!
I find that short story collections can be a bit patchy - with the BLCC it can sometimes be because the stories aren't as good as you want them to be, as opposed to there being something that's been around a bit in them. But this is a good one with stories picked from some of the most successful of the recent BLCC authors. Here in the UK it's definitely not the right time of year to be reading holiday stories if reading about sunshine and beaches when the weather outside is wet and cold gets you down, but personally I usefully find it a nice treat to be taken away from the worst of the weather. And last week was definitely in the worst of the weather category at times!
January 19, 2026
My return to reading mystery fiction is bathed in slightly disappointment as I found the solutions to most of these short stories both obvious and and trite. Much to my surprise the final tale by Julian Symons turned out to be my favourite although usually he is not an author of whom I am greatly fond.
Part of my slight feeling of ennui is due, I think, to the decision to select more post-WW2 items. Doubtless it is increasingly difficult to to find gems from the Golden Age, but to replace them with easier-to-source, yet (to me), inferior modern examples, while understandable commercially, represents a failure to adhere to the “ classic” claim of the series title.
It’s good to be back to reading and reviewing, but this merits only a grudging 3.5 stars.
Part of my slight feeling of ennui is due, I think, to the decision to select more post-WW2 items. Doubtless it is increasingly difficult to to find gems from the Golden Age, but to replace them with easier-to-source, yet (to me), inferior modern examples, while understandable commercially, represents a failure to adhere to the “ classic” claim of the series title.
It’s good to be back to reading and reviewing, but this merits only a grudging 3.5 stars.
Want to Read
May 26, 2026Read so far:
Kill and Cure · Guy Cullingford --2
Day Excursion · Wilfred Fienburgh
The Secret of the Mountain · C. Bobbett
Unlucky Dip · Andrew Garve
Quarrel at Sea · Victor Canning
The Holiday · Ethel Lina White --3
Even Murderers Take Holidays · Michael Gilbert
“Mr. Bearstowe Says…” · Anthony Berkeley --3
In the Picture · Nicolas Bentley
And the Police Were Not Called · Bernard J. Farmer
Consider Your Verdict · Anthony Gilbert
Crooked Harvest · Shelley Smith
Cyanide in the Sun · Christianna Brand --3
The Fly · John Bingham
A Holiday by the Sea · Will Scott
Two on a Tower · Michael Innes
The Summer Holiday · Celia Fremlin
The Summer Holiday Murders (aka Murder on Tour) · Julian Symons --2
Kill and Cure · Guy Cullingford --2
Day Excursion · Wilfred Fienburgh
The Secret of the Mountain · C. Bobbett
Unlucky Dip · Andrew Garve
Quarrel at Sea · Victor Canning
The Holiday · Ethel Lina White --3
Even Murderers Take Holidays · Michael Gilbert
“Mr. Bearstowe Says…” · Anthony Berkeley --3
In the Picture · Nicolas Bentley
And the Police Were Not Called · Bernard J. Farmer
Consider Your Verdict · Anthony Gilbert
Crooked Harvest · Shelley Smith
Cyanide in the Sun · Christianna Brand --3
The Fly · John Bingham
A Holiday by the Sea · Will Scott
Two on a Tower · Michael Innes
The Summer Holiday · Celia Fremlin
The Summer Holiday Murders (aka Murder on Tour) · Julian Symons --2
November 3, 2025
Published in 2025, 'Cyanide in the Sun' is a collection of 18 mystery short stories originally published over a wide range of dates from the early 20th century up to about 1983. The writers are all classics in their time, although some have long since dropped out of view. Most of the tales are very short, but all are well written and great fun.
June 26, 2025
a good selection of stories.
of them all my least popular was The Summer Holiday by Celia Fremlin dated 1983.
firstly it was too modern for my taste also it didnot fit in with the other stories and the child in it was just annoying.
the rest dated from 1936 to 1960 and were great reads.
of them all my least popular was The Summer Holiday by Celia Fremlin dated 1983.
firstly it was too modern for my taste also it didnot fit in with the other stories and the child in it was just annoying.
the rest dated from 1936 to 1960 and were great reads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2025
Enjoyable mixed bag of crime stories, mostly Golden Age and as late as 1960s, with a theme of holidays. Rather too many crimes committed by someone being pushed off a cliff (it does seem the most popular seaside murder) but altogether an entertaining selection.
December 19, 2025
A good range of summertime crime stories with a nice selection of investigators. These certainly kept my attention and the solutions were very satisfying. It was also good to find out a bit more about each author. Fascinating stuff.
January 18, 2026
Quite entertaining stories, but some are very Short and one or two are quite hard to read, especially for non-native speakers I think, due to the use of „older“ english words and grammar.
But I would still recommend it, especially for occassional reading sessions.
But I would still recommend it, especially for occassional reading sessions.
June 18, 2026
I enjoyed the darkly comic "Even Murderers Take Holidays," the voice of "Consider Your Verdict," and the modus operandi reveal in "Cyanide in the Sun." My favorite was "The Summer Holiday" -that woman just wanted to have her girl-dinner in peace.
January 2, 2026
An interesting mixed bag of 'holiday' murder/crime stories. A few with twists that you won't see coming...
March 31, 2026
I think i will reconsider taking a summer vacation after reading these stories. Some choice mysteries and a few duds, of course. Worth the read though!
April 26, 2026
A good collection of summer themed stories.
They date from 1938 to 1960
Well worth a read.
They date from 1938 to 1960
Well worth a read.
June 10, 2026
Most stories are interesting ending with a twist.
November 28, 2025
I love mysteries, and these holiday mysteries were just perfect as the weather gets more beautiful here in Sydney.
Probably the most well-known holiday mysteries are Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, but there are so many great other stories and it is sometimes hard to know where to start. This means a short story collection is a great way to get a taste of different authors.
After reading & loving Tour de Force by Christianna Brand, I took it as a good omen that the title story Cyanide in the Sun is also by Brand, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology.
Ethel Lina White and Anthony Berkeley are also familiar names from the #BritishLibraryCrimeClassics series but there are so many more.
But I also loved the variety within the holiday mysteries and the variety in length which meant that I occasionally didn't go in order but rather by length when I only had a short lunch break or stopped on the beach to wait for the traffic to ease up.
Now I have to pack the next one into my bag as I set out to work.
Thank so much @bl_publishing for sending me this cop. I really appreciate it!
Probably the most well-known holiday mysteries are Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie, but there are so many great other stories and it is sometimes hard to know where to start. This means a short story collection is a great way to get a taste of different authors.
After reading & loving Tour de Force by Christianna Brand, I took it as a good omen that the title story Cyanide in the Sun is also by Brand, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology.
Ethel Lina White and Anthony Berkeley are also familiar names from the #BritishLibraryCrimeClassics series but there are so many more.
But I also loved the variety within the holiday mysteries and the variety in length which meant that I occasionally didn't go in order but rather by length when I only had a short lunch break or stopped on the beach to wait for the traffic to ease up.
Now I have to pack the next one into my bag as I set out to work.
Thank so much @bl_publishing for sending me this cop. I really appreciate it!
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