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Motives for Murder
The Detection Club was founded by the crème de la crime of British crime writing in 1930 and its members included Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Anthony Berkeley and the Club's first president, G. K. Chesterton. The Detection Club was a way for crime writers to get together, socialise and discuss ideas, a tradition that continues to this day.
Edited by current Detection Club President, Martin Edwards, Motives for Murder introduces new stories by members of the Club - some of the best crime writers in the business today - in honour of multi-award-winning author, Peter Lovesey.
Ann Cleeves - Simon Brett - Andrew Taylor - Len Deighton - Peter Lovesey - Michael Jecks - Michael Ridpath - Kate Ellis - Ruth Dudley Edwards - Alison Joseph - L. C. Tyler - Catherine Aird - David Roberts - David Stuart Davies - Janet Laurence - Liza Cody - Martin Edwards - Kate Charles - John Malcolm - Marjorie Eccles - Michael Z. Lewin - Susan Moody
Edited by current Detection Club President, Martin Edwards, Motives for Murder introduces new stories by members of the Club - some of the best crime writers in the business today - in honour of multi-award-winning author, Peter Lovesey.
Ann Cleeves - Simon Brett - Andrew Taylor - Len Deighton - Peter Lovesey - Michael Jecks - Michael Ridpath - Kate Ellis - Ruth Dudley Edwards - Alison Joseph - L. C. Tyler - Catherine Aird - David Roberts - David Stuart Davies - Janet Laurence - Liza Cody - Martin Edwards - Kate Charles - John Malcolm - Marjorie Eccles - Michael Z. Lewin - Susan Moody
388 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2016
61 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Martin Edwards
356 books825 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 24, 2016
This collection of twenty two short stories was compiled as a tribute to Peter Lovesey on his eightieth birthday. It is edited by current Detection Club President, Martin Edwards and includes a story by him. I enjoy reading these short story collections as they give me a chance to renew my acquaintance with favourite authors and to read work by authors I haven't come across before.
There are some marvellous stories in this collection. There are a variety of settings from historical to modern. Some are set in Bath - in reference to one of Peter Lovesey's series characters, Peter Diamond. Some feature Lovesey himself as a character. All the stories have one or more twists to them.
I particularly enjoyed The Suffragette's Tale by Marjorie Eccles - an author whose work I haven't read before and Janet Laurence's An End in Bath. I also liked L C Tyler's The Trials of Margaret. I have added the last two authors to my list of authors I want to read. If you want some well written crime stories to pick up and put down when you have a few minutes to read then try this one - you will not be disappointed.
There are some marvellous stories in this collection. There are a variety of settings from historical to modern. Some are set in Bath - in reference to one of Peter Lovesey's series characters, Peter Diamond. Some feature Lovesey himself as a character. All the stories have one or more twists to them.
I particularly enjoyed The Suffragette's Tale by Marjorie Eccles - an author whose work I haven't read before and Janet Laurence's An End in Bath. I also liked L C Tyler's The Trials of Margaret. I have added the last two authors to my list of authors I want to read. If you want some well written crime stories to pick up and put down when you have a few minutes to read then try this one - you will not be disappointed.
October 29, 2018
An anthology of stories written by members of the Detection Club in honour of member Peter Lovesey's 80th birthday.
What I loved was the fact several of the stories were basically Sgt Cribb fan fiction!
Great assortment of stories by a great collection of authors.
Something there for every crime buff.
What I loved was the fact several of the stories were basically Sgt Cribb fan fiction!
Great assortment of stories by a great collection of authors.
Something there for every crime buff.
January 24, 2021
Definitely a mixed bag. None of the stories really hit it out of the park for me, and some were definite misses. Another thing - who was the editor on the e-book? The formatting is just terrible! There are problems in every story! Do better.
July 3, 2017
I haven't read any books by Peter Lovesey, but I saw this on the "new books" shelf at the library and it looked interesting. This is an anthology of short stories by other mystery authors who have interacted with Mr Lovesey and wrote these stories as a tribute. I enjoyed most of them (better than average for an anthology) and now think I should look for his books.
August 8, 2018
With an introduction by Martin Edwards who edited this collection, a foreword by Len Deighton, a final response by Peter Lovesey himself this is a lovely collection of specially written short stories honoring Peter's 80th birthday.
Like so many of the contributors I remember reading Peter's debut novel WOBBLE TO DEATH, and have followed his writing over the years, both in his various series, and his stand alone novels.
Reviewed on my blog are
MAD HATTER'S HOLIDAY
SKELETON HILL
THE REAPER
5.0, STAGESTRUCK
5.0, COP TO CORPSE
4.5, THE HEADHUNTERS
4.8, THE TOOTH TATTOO
4.7, DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN
4.7, THE STONE WIFE
4.5, ANOTHER ONE GOES TONIGHT
and I read a great many before that.
Many of the contributors paid homage by setting their story in one of the settings that Peter has used.
If, like me, you like crime fiction short stories, you'll enjoy this collection.
March 1, 2017
Being a huge fan of Peter Lovesey, in particular his Peter Diamond series I just had to read this book. I was not familiar with all the authors featured here, but they are all fond of Lovesey’s writing and attempted to homage his work in some of their entries.
The best parts are the fore- and afterword by Len Deighton and respectively Peter Lovesey himself. Deighton talks about (crime) writing in more general terms while Lovesey shares a few anecdotes about his time in the Detection Club.
I did not like all the tales included here; some of them were really not my cup of tea at all, but there were enough strong entries to balance this out. My favourite stories where “Murder And Its Motives” by Martin Edwards about a particularly twisted family running a bookstore; Michael Jecks’ “Alive Or Dead” and L. C. Tyler’s delightful “The Trials Of Margaret”. The first lines of the latter already made me laugh out loud:
“Margaret’s first thought on waking was that she had had an unusually good night’s sleep. It was only as she rolled over in bed and came face to face (as it were) with the back of Lionel’s head that she remembered she had murdered her husband the evening before.”
Among the entries there is also a quite witty sonnet by Simon Brett, which just shows that this is not your usual crime anthology.
Recommended reading for Peter Lovesey fans or just readers who like mystery tales with a dark sense of humour.
The best parts are the fore- and afterword by Len Deighton and respectively Peter Lovesey himself. Deighton talks about (crime) writing in more general terms while Lovesey shares a few anecdotes about his time in the Detection Club.
I did not like all the tales included here; some of them were really not my cup of tea at all, but there were enough strong entries to balance this out. My favourite stories where “Murder And Its Motives” by Martin Edwards about a particularly twisted family running a bookstore; Michael Jecks’ “Alive Or Dead” and L. C. Tyler’s delightful “The Trials Of Margaret”. The first lines of the latter already made me laugh out loud:
“Margaret’s first thought on waking was that she had had an unusually good night’s sleep. It was only as she rolled over in bed and came face to face (as it were) with the back of Lionel’s head that she remembered she had murdered her husband the evening before.”
Among the entries there is also a quite witty sonnet by Simon Brett, which just shows that this is not your usual crime anthology.
Recommended reading for Peter Lovesey fans or just readers who like mystery tales with a dark sense of humour.
February 6, 2017
A collection of short crime stories dedicated to the popular crime writer Peter Lovesey to celebrate his 80th birthday. I have only read one book by Lovesey so cannot claim to be a dedicated fan and while the foreword claims each short story has a link to his work, the link in some cases is tenuous at best. That said, there are stories here from some of the best crime writers working today and I have to say (which is unusual for me) that there isn't a dud among them.
Short stories are not as popular as they once were but if, like me, you enjoy the genre then I would recommend this without hesitation
Short stories are not as popular as they once were but if, like me, you enjoy the genre then I would recommend this without hesitation
January 19, 2024
This hefty collection contains new works from Members of the Detection Club, all dedicated to the persona and works of Peter Lovesey, published to commemorate his 80th birthday.
In it, the anecdote-rich 'Introduction' and 'Foreword'-s are followed by nineteen stories full of sharp writing, humane characterisation, warmth, wit, nastiness and unexpected twists— all reminiscent of Lovesey's style. There is a sonnet. And the whole thing is summed up by Lovesey's own piece and his complete bibliography.
It's a book to be appreciated and enjoyed by all mystery-lovers.
Recommended.
In it, the anecdote-rich 'Introduction' and 'Foreword'-s are followed by nineteen stories full of sharp writing, humane characterisation, warmth, wit, nastiness and unexpected twists— all reminiscent of Lovesey's style. There is a sonnet. And the whole thing is summed up by Lovesey's own piece and his complete bibliography.
It's a book to be appreciated and enjoyed by all mystery-lovers.
Recommended.
June 18, 2022
A decent collection of crime stories celebrating the 80th birthday of award-winning author Peter Lovesey. There's a variety of well-known writers such as Ann Cleves, Simon Brett, Andrew Taylor and David Stuart Davies, and the whole thing is edited by Martin Edwards, the current president of the Detection Club.
November 21, 2023
Ein Summenurteil zu einer Kurzgeschichtensammlung ist immer schwierig... "nur" drei Sterne sind vielleicht ein bisschen unfair für die besten Geschichten, aber für vier war ich nicht genügend begeistert. Dabei haben mich einige Autoren so überzeugt, dass ich mir gleich einen ihrer Romane besorgt habe. Die Vereinsanekdoten fand ich ziemlich langweilig, und die jeweiligen Grußworte zu den Beiträgen könnte man als Narzissometer verwenden: wie viel spricht der Autor über Peter Lovesey, wie viel über sich selbst?
March 5, 2017
Lots of lovely little polished pieces. A true gift to Peter Lovesey.
June 20, 2017
One of the strongest short story collections that I've read. Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com
May 3, 2018
Really enjoyable
January 26, 2022
Cozy anthology
Good anthology. A couple of weak stories but the rest are tightly written cozy mysteries written in honor of Peter Library's 80th birthday. Recommend
Good anthology. A couple of weak stories but the rest are tightly written cozy mysteries written in honor of Peter Library's 80th birthday. Recommend
January 31, 2026
very good collection; added many authors ro my 'want to read' list.
June 21, 2021
Collection of 19 short stories, a sonnet and an essay by various authors to celebrate author Peter Lovesey's 90th birthday. A fairly strong collection overall.
1) The Reckoning of Sins, by Alison Joseph - An entertaining story about a Nun.
2) The False Inspector Lovesey, by Andrew Tayor - A story about a Tax Inspector.
3) Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey, by Ann Cleeves - A story set in Dubai. My least favourite so far.
4) The Walrus and the Spy, by Catherine Aird - A story of codebreaking.
5) Unfinished Business, by David Roberts - A school based mystery.
6) The Adventure of the Marie Antoinette Necklace, by David Stuart Davies - Sherlock Holmes looks for a stolen necklace.
7) An End in Bath, by Janet Laurence - A long lost relative comes to visit.
8) The Marquis Wellington Jug, by John Malcolm - A story set in the antiques business.
9) A Question of Identity, by Kate Charles - A war time story.
10) The Mole Catcher's Daughter, by Kate Ellis - Some moles cause trouble.
11) The Trials of Margaret, by L.C. Tyler - Margaret's relationship with her husband is trouble. It was meant to be comedic but it wasn't to my taste.
12) Ghost Station, by Liza Cody - Who stabbed a woman in the city of Bath?
13) The Suffragette's Tale, by Marjorie Eccles - An enjoyable tale about the Suffragettes.
14) Murder and its Motives, by Martin Edwards - An enjoyable tale about a family owned bookshop.
15) Alive or Dead, by Michael Jecks - A story about an unhappy couple.
16) The Right Thing, by Michael Z. Lewin - The Bath Family Detective Agency take a case.
17) The Super Recogniser of Vik, by Michael Ridpath - An unusual way to catch a thief.
18) Digging Deep, by Ruth Dudley Edwards - A very short story!
19) A Sonnet for Peter Lovesey, by Simon Brett
20) A Village Affair, by Susan Moody - A woman goes missing from a village.
21) Spies, Superheroes and Stolen Goods, by Peter Lovesey -An essay on his memories of the Detection Club in the 1970's.
1) The Reckoning of Sins, by Alison Joseph - An entertaining story about a Nun.
2) The False Inspector Lovesey, by Andrew Tayor - A story about a Tax Inspector.
3) Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey, by Ann Cleeves - A story set in Dubai. My least favourite so far.
4) The Walrus and the Spy, by Catherine Aird - A story of codebreaking.
5) Unfinished Business, by David Roberts - A school based mystery.
6) The Adventure of the Marie Antoinette Necklace, by David Stuart Davies - Sherlock Holmes looks for a stolen necklace.
7) An End in Bath, by Janet Laurence - A long lost relative comes to visit.
8) The Marquis Wellington Jug, by John Malcolm - A story set in the antiques business.
9) A Question of Identity, by Kate Charles - A war time story.
10) The Mole Catcher's Daughter, by Kate Ellis - Some moles cause trouble.
11) The Trials of Margaret, by L.C. Tyler - Margaret's relationship with her husband is trouble. It was meant to be comedic but it wasn't to my taste.
12) Ghost Station, by Liza Cody - Who stabbed a woman in the city of Bath?
13) The Suffragette's Tale, by Marjorie Eccles - An enjoyable tale about the Suffragettes.
14) Murder and its Motives, by Martin Edwards - An enjoyable tale about a family owned bookshop.
15) Alive or Dead, by Michael Jecks - A story about an unhappy couple.
16) The Right Thing, by Michael Z. Lewin - The Bath Family Detective Agency take a case.
17) The Super Recogniser of Vik, by Michael Ridpath - An unusual way to catch a thief.
18) Digging Deep, by Ruth Dudley Edwards - A very short story!
19) A Sonnet for Peter Lovesey, by Simon Brett
20) A Village Affair, by Susan Moody - A woman goes missing from a village.
21) Spies, Superheroes and Stolen Goods, by Peter Lovesey -An essay on his memories of the Detection Club in the 1970's.
March 23, 2022
In 1930, several luminaries of British crime fiction (think Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton) created the Detection Club, an organization dedicated, it seems, to having the authors get together now and then and eat sumptuous meals. It still exists, and this collection of original mystery stories was curated in honour of the 80th birthday of a recent president of the Club, Peter Lovesey. As a result, many of these stories reference Mr. Lovesey’s preferred settings (such as Bath) or characters or the man himself, although one does not need to be conversant with his work in order to enjoy the stories (I’ve only read a few of his short stories, for example). As with any anthology, each reader will have his/her favourites; mine include Catherine Aird’s “The Walrus and the Spy,” about Morse code and a telegram; Marjorie Eccles’ “The Suffragette’s Tale,” in which a thrown rock might have resulted in accidental death - or murder?; “The Super Recognizer of Vik,” by Michael Ridpath, which takes place in Iceland; and the very short and humorous “Digging Deep,” by Ruth Dudley Edwards. There are also good stories from Kate Ellis, L.C. Taylor, Ann Cleeves, Susan Moody and others - 20 in all - plus an afterward by Mr. Lovesey himself and a bibliography and list of his awards. Quite entertaining; recommended!
December 5, 2023
As I am native of Edinburgh, so it was the cover illustration of the book that made me look at it then to choose this book. It's a nighttime shot of the view down the Playfair Steps in Edinburgh, which lead down from The Mound and Market Street past the two main Art Galleries on Princes Street.
A satisfying collection of 20 short detective tales, an all round good read. 2 were especially good rating 5 stars each "The Walrus and the Spy" and "The Adventure of the Marie Antoinette Necklace : a case for Sherlock Holmes." The remainder scored 4 at 4 stars, 2 at 3 stars, 4 at 2 stars and the remainder at 1 star each.
A satisfying collection of 20 short detective tales, an all round good read. 2 were especially good rating 5 stars each "The Walrus and the Spy" and "The Adventure of the Marie Antoinette Necklace : a case for Sherlock Holmes." The remainder scored 4 at 4 stars, 2 at 3 stars, 4 at 2 stars and the remainder at 1 star each.
June 7, 2024
What a fun read! Especially loved the little notes that each author prefaces his/her story with, explaining why they wrote this piece for Peter Lovesey and often, sharing a memory or an observation. Many of the stories are pretty good and I am planning to look up these authors. Favourites would be:
- An End In Bath by Janet Lawrence
- Murder and its Motives by Martin Edwards
- The Super Recognizer of Vik by Michael Ridpath
- Digging Deep by Ruth Dudley Edwards
- An End In Bath by Janet Lawrence
- Murder and its Motives by Martin Edwards
- The Super Recognizer of Vik by Michael Ridpath
- Digging Deep by Ruth Dudley Edwards
February 4, 2018
This is a collection of stories in honour of Peter Lovesey, many of which reference him or his work; however it's not necessary to know anything about him to enjoy the stories. I don't think I've read any of his novels, and I liked all of these, which is unusual for an anthology, and the standard of writing is uniformly high.
July 11, 2017
Enjoyed nearly all the stories where a few that I didn't quite get. overall a really good collection.
June 3, 2018
A good collection of mysteries. As with all collections some better than others but a good overall standard
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews