“Superb – a pitch-perfect blend of Golden Age charm and sinister modern suspense, with a main character to die for … this is the book Edwards was born to write.”
Lee Child
“Edwards is famous for his expertise in the Golden Age detective story, and this book reflects his passion for and his knowledge of the period. This is no country house murder mystery, however, but a fast-paced and assured thriller set in 1930s London; it’ll keep you reading, breathless, until the very last page.”
Ann Cleeves
“Edwards has managed, brilliantly, to combine a Golden Age setting with a pace that is bang up to date. A great sense of the era observed through a cut-throat-sharp eye, every page dripping with brilliant period authenticity.”
Peter James
“In Gallows Court, Martin Edwards spins a mean plot liberally spiced with mystery, suspense and action. He also presents us with a beguiling cast of characters—especially in Rachel Savernake— and a convincing 1930s atmosphere. A thoroughly gripping read!”
Peter Robinson
“This is a brilliant period thriller written by an author at the very top of his game. It’s utterly compelling from start to finish, has truly satisfying twists and turns along the way, and has a wonderful heroine at its dark heart. I loved every single page of it.”
Robert Thorogood
“A ripping tale of retribution and rough justice, set against a finely realised 1930s London. It reads as if Ruth Rendell were channelling Edgar Wallace.”
Mick Herron
“Dark, yet dazzling, Gallows Court perfectly evokes that ominous decade, the 1930s, in a crime story that is pacy, compelling and rich in surprises. With this novel, Martin Edwards merits comparison with the best of the writers he celebrated in his award-winning study, The Golden Age of Murder.”
Peter Lovesey
“Martin Edwards has brought the 1930s to teeming life. Gallows Court is a dazzling feat of imagination, a crime thriller with enough ingenious murders to fill three books.”
Peter Swanson
“Martin Edwards brings the Golden Age of crime fiction back, with a unique twist, in this superbly crafted mystery set in the 1930s. A rare treat!”
Ragnar Jonasson
“The author of The Golden Age of Murder has not wasted any of the research he did for that definitive work of non-fiction. In his new crime novel, Gallows Court, Martin Edwards has set a satisfyingly twisty plot against the satisfyingly murky background of 1930s London.”
Simon Brett
“Highly entertaining—a delightful, old-fashioned mystery to be savoured.”
Shari Lapena
“Gallows Court dips into the past, with everything we have come to expect from Martin Edwards: a lovely sense of place, a tight plot, dry humor, and deftly drawn characters we want to spend more time with. Welcome to the Thirties!”
Laurie R. King
“From the opening page, you know you’re in the hands of a gifted writer as he unravels a tale of murder, mystery and intrigue against a vivid backdrop of the 1930s. Right at the heart of Gallows Court is the uniquely intriguing character of Rachel Savernake, who will keep you guessing from the first chapter to the last. More twists than the dankest alleyways of 1930s London, and a detailed evocation of the period that’s an absolute triumph.”
Stephen Booth
“In Martin Edwards’ latest, Gallows Court, an enigmatic woman, a family history, and a thirst for justice weave a web of intrigue and murder you won’t soon forget. Gallows Court draws you in slowly until you are well and truly hooked in a world where death wears many faces. Martin Edwards’ fascinating mysteries should make the Golden Age authors he writes so brilliantly about rise up and salute him for HIS cleverness.”
Charles Todd
“In Gallows Court, Martin Edwards has given us a darkly twisted tale set between the wars. Is the enigmatic Rachel Savernake, daughter of a prominent ‘hanging judge’, an avenging angel or a psychotic killer who has inherited her father’s sadistic aberrations? Highly recommended.”
Margaret Maron
“This erudite and compelling novel opens with a bang – a headless corpse in a locked room in 1930s London. More bodies swiftly follow, and the task of unravelling the connecting dots falls to journalist-on-the-make Jacob Flint, earnest, courageous, and possibly out of his depth. But the standout creation in this puzzlebox of a novel is the ambiguous Rachel Savernake, a wealthy heiress who eschews society’s expectations for her and has the wit, intelligence, and ruthless determination to cross swords with the most powerful men of her day. The author is a renowned expert on the Golden Age of crime fiction, and it shows. The writing is sumptuous, the evocation of the period – down to the finest detail – glorious, and the mystery itself a wonderfully refreshing take on the ‘psychological noir’ genre. The twist – and the terrible secret at the heart of the murders – are twin stings in the tail of a classy and beautifully crafted novel.”
Vaseem Khan