METROPOLITAN MYSTERIES

Eighteen vintage detective stories celebrate London’s sleuths, from the famous to the obscure.

First published between 1908 and 1963, these tales offer readers the chance to sample the writings of a broad range of mystery writers, including iconic figures like Dorothy L. Sayers, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, John Dickson Carr, and Margery Allingham; lesser-known authors like Baroness Orczy, Anthony Berkeley, Josephine Bell, Michael Gilbert, and Raymond Postgate; and virtual unknowns like William Fienburgh, who died in a car crash at 38, leaving behind 25 short stories chronicling the adventures of Sergeant Pockle. Five female authors are represented, but only one woman manages to solve a crime: DCI Charley Luke’s mother, in Allingham’s “Mum Knows Best.” Edwards does not shy from allocating more than one story per author, offering both Inspector Poole and PC Bragg outings by Henry Wade and entries by both Carr and his alter ego, Carter Dickson. The stories share remarkable similarities. Unlike contemporary mystery stories, which often kick off with deep dives into the psyches of the perps and vics, helping readers appreciate the motivation for the eventual crimes, these tales get right down to the nitty-gritty, with corpses popping up regularly in the first few paragraphs. Detection is brisk and professional, and sleuths fix promptly on the one or two clues needed to crack the case. Still, the stories offer ample local color, highlighting for the most part the ordinary folk—shopkeepers, ticket-takers, hairdressers, steeplejacks, barmen, and the occasional government functionary—that give London its flair.

A welcome look at a distinctive turn in the history of detective fiction.