Kenneth Martin Edwards ( born Kenneth Martin Edwards , born July 7, 1955 ) is an English writer, detective novelist, critic, and lawyer.
| Martin Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Martin edwards | |
| Birth name | Kenneth Martin Edwards |
| Date of Birth | July 7, 1955 ( 64) |
| Place of Birth | Knutsford , UK |
| Citizenship | Great Britain |
| Occupation | prose writer, critic, lawyer |
| Years of creativity | 1990- |
| Genre | detective |
| Language of Works | |
| Debut | All the Lonely People (1991) |
| martinedwardsbooks.com | |
Biography
Born in Knutsford, Martin Edwards was educated in Cheshire (Sir John Deane's Grammar School), where Robert Westal, who later became a famous children's writer, was one of his teachers. Edwards then attended Oxford University's Balllee College, graduating with honors in 1977 and earning a degree in law. Having passed the qualification minimum for a solicitor , in 1980 Edwards joined the law firm Mace & Jones , where he became a partner in 1984. He currently heads the labor law department at the same firm. In 1988, Martin Edwards married Helena Shanks, he has two children, Jonathan and Katherine.
Detective Prose
Martin Edwards is a detective writer who has won several literary awards. His first novel, All the Lonely People , which tells about Liverpool lawyer Harry Devlin, was published in 1991 and was immediately nominated for the John Creasey Dagger Award for the best debut novel of the year in the genre of detective [2] [3] . To date, Edwards has written eight novels about Devlin, the last novel to be released is called Waterloo Sunset . The Coffin Trail was the first of three pieces in the Lake District series that featured Inspector General Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind; the novel was included in the list of finalists of Theakston's Old Peculier Award in the category of best detective novel of 2006. The Arsenic Labyrinth was nominated for the 2008 Lakeland Book of the Year Award. Martin Edwards also wrote an out-of-series psychological suspense novel, Take My Breath Away , and he also completed The Lazarus Widow [4] for Bill Knox, who had passed away before. In addition to detective works, Edwards also owns the historical novel Dancing for the Hangman , about the life and misadventures of Harvey Crippen .
Edwards wrote over forty stories that were published at various times in various publications and anthologies. His early stories are compiled into a collection of Where Do You Find Your Ideas? and other stories, with a preface by Reginald Hill. Story Test Drive was nominated by the Crime Writers' Association for the best story of 2005. In 2008, Edwards' story The Bookbinder's Apprentice won this prestigious award. Since 1996, Martin Edwards has been the editor of the annual anthology of the Association of Detective Writers [4] [5] .
Since 1987, Edwards has been writing detective literature reviews. He also writes a lot about this literary genre and is involved in the creation of several reference books, including The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing . [6] He published the book Urge to Kill , a study on real crime and its investigation.
Edwards is the founder and member of the Northern Section of the Association of Detective Writers 'Association ( Northern Chapter of the Crime Writers' Association ) and the Murder Squad of detective writers ( English Murder Squad collective of crime writers ) [7] . He chairs the subcommittee of the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award; this is the main British award in the field of detective literature, the final decision is made by the Awards Committee of the Association of Forensic Writers , candidates are selected by members of the Association. In 2007, Edwards was appointed Keeper of the Association Archive. In 2008, Edwards joined the Detective Club , and in 2015 was elected its president.
Edwards Critical Reviews
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the work of Edwards, there are more and more critical studies of his works. In The Mammoth Encyclopaedia of Modern Crime Fiction, Mike Ashley notes that the author’s legal background lends credibility to books about Devlin, but their true strength is in the revived Liverpool, both modern and past.
Similar notes and Russell James in the directory " Great Authors of the Detective Prose " (Great British Fictional Detectives) [8] , according to him, books about Devlin are complete and encyclopedic.
In their book Scene of the Crime [9] , Julian Earwaker and Kathleen Becker describe a series of books about Devlin as “a mixture of classic detective and urban legends,” and also note that "The decisive tonality of the early books ... gives way to a lighter atmosphere and a more complex storyline of later works."
At Whodunit? Rosemary Herbert [10] writes that Edwards “quickly made a name for himself as a writer whose legal experience complements the well-written image of Liverpool ... Edwards, as an anthology compiler, is also highly regarded.”
In the British Crime Writing Encyclopedia : an encyclopaedia, Michael Jecks describes him as a “writer with imagination and innate talent” and with “subtle storytelling skills” working out described him as 'a writer of imagination and flair' and as possessing 'a rare skill for acute description' [11] . In the same publication, Philip Scowcroft praised Edwards' books on the Lake District, "which he describes vividly and expressively in a series of detective stories with a beautifully constructed plot" [12] . Jack sums up the above, calling Edwards “a writer of writers” [13] .
Legal Proceedings and Career
Edwards wrote several articles and published seven books on equal opportunities, labor law, and other legal issues. He has a certain authority in the field of labor and commercial law; his first book was devoted to the legal aspects of acquiring computers for solving business problems, and in 1985 he was a legal consultant to the creators of the film Letter to Brezhnev . Since 1990, Edwards specializes exclusively in labor law. He is at the origins of the UK Labor Law Committee's Labor Law Committee. In the independent legal directories The Legal 500 and the Chambers Directory UK, Edwards has consistently been rated high. In 2007, The Legal 500 directory described Martin Edwards as “one of the country's leading labor lawyers” [14] , and the Chambers Directory UK as Mr. Employment Law [15] . His clients include the Football Association, the Wembley Stadium, the Liverpool Football Club, and the National Museums Liverpool. In 2008, the name Edwards was listed by EN Magazine as one of the top 50 professional advisers in the North-West, and also as a finalist for the Insider Professional Liverpool Lawyer of the Year.
Bibliography
Novels
- All the Lonely People (1991)
- Suspicious Minds (1992)
- I Remember You (1993)
- Yesterday's Papers (1994)
- Eve of Destruction (1996)
- The Devil in Disguise (1998)
- First Cut is the Deepest (1999)
- The Lazarus Widow (with Bill Knox) (1999)
- Take My Breath Away (2002)
- The Coffin Trail (2004)
- The Cipher Garden (2006)
- The Arsenic Labyrinth (2007)
- Waterloo Sunset (2008)
- Dancing for the Hangman (2008)
Stories
- Where Do You Find Your Ideas? and Other Stories (2001)
Anthologies (edited by M. Edwards)
- Northern Blood (1992)
- Northern Blood 2 (1995)
- Anglian Blood (with Robert Church) (1995)
- Perfectly Criminal (1996)
- Whydunit? (1997)
- Past Crimes (1998)
- Northern Blood 3 (1998)
- Missing Persons (1999)
- Scenes of Crime (2000)
- Murder Squad (2001)
- Green for Danger (2003)
- Mysterious Pleasures (2003)
- Crime in the City (2004)
- Crime on the Move (2005)
- ID: crimes of identity (2006)
- The Trinity Cat and other mysteries (with Sue Feder) (2006)
- MO: crimes of practice (2008)
Nonfiction
- Understanding Computer Contracts (1983)
- Understanding Dismissal Law (two editions)
- Managing Redundancies (1986)
- Executive Survival (two editions)
- Careers in the Law (six editions)
- Know-How for Employment Lawyers (with others) (1995)
- Urge to Kill (2003)
- Tolley's Equal Opportunities Handbook (four editions)
Notes
- ↑ Barry Forshaw. An Encyclopedia: British Crime Writing, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84645-022-8 (pp. 776-777)
- ↑ Great British Fictional Detectives Handbook, edited by Russel James, Pen & Sword Books Limited, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84468-026-9 (p. 86)
- ↑ Modern Crime Fiction, edited by Mike Ashley, Running Press Book Publishers, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7867-1006-5 (p. 148)
- ↑ 1 2 Handbook of Modern Crime Fiction, edited by Mike Ashley, Running Press Book Publishers, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7867-1006-5 (p. 149)
- ↑ Barry Forshaw. An Encyclopedia: British Crime Writing, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84645-022-8 (p. 25)
- ↑ The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing. Oxford University Press, USA (1999), ASIN: B000OK66I6
- ↑ Murder Squad official website
- ↑ Great British Fictional Detectives, edited by Russell James, Remember When; illustrated edition edition, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84468-026-9
- ↑ Scene of the Crime: A Guide to the Landscapes of British Detective Fiction, edited by Julian Jarwaker and Kathleen Becker, Aurum Press, 2002, ISBN 978-1-85410-821-0
- ↑ Whodunit ?: A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing, edited by Rosemary Herbert, Oxford University Press, USA (May 8, 2003) ISBN 978-0-19-515761-1
- ↑ An Encyclopedia: British Crime Writing, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84645-022-8 (p. 239)
- ↑ Barry Forshaw. An Encyclopedia: British Crime Writing, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84645-022-8 (p. 704)
- ↑ Barry Forshaw. An Encyclopedia: British Crime Writing, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84645-022-8 (p. 240)
- ↑ Legal 500: Who's Who in the Law, edited by John Pritchard, Legalease Publishing, ISBN 978-1-870854-49-8
- ↑ Chambers UK: A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession 2007, edited by Michael Chambers, London: Chambers 2007, ASIN: B002JCJMGK
Sources
- Martin Edwards in The Mammoth Encyclopaedia of Modern Crime Fiction ed. Mike Ashley (2002) (Robinson)
- Scene of the Crime by Julian Earwaker and Kathleen Becker (2002) (Aurum)
- Martin Edwards in Whodunit ?: a who's who in crime & mystery writing ed. Rosemary Herbert (2003) (Oxford University Press)
- Employment - North West 'in The Legal 500 (2007) (Legalease)
- Employment in Chambers Directory UK (2007) (Chambers)
- Harry Devlin in Great British Fictional Detectives by Russell James (2008) (Remember When)
- The Shires: Rural England and Regional Crime Fiction 'by Philip Scowcroft in British Crime Writing: An Encyclopaedia ed. Barry Forshaw (2009) (Greenwood)
- Martin Edwards by Michael Jecks, in British Crime Writing: An Encyclopaedia ed. Barry Forshaw (2009) (Greenwood)
Links
- Martin Edwards Books.com - Official Writer Site.
- Murder Squad - The Murder Squad Writers Association.
- Do You Write Under Your Own Name? - The author’s official blog, where there are comments on novels, a story about real crimes and the craft of the author of a detective novel.