Francis Iles

Unsettling and gripping, this innovative classic first published in 1932 was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film Suspicion, and remains an arresting and unique work of literary artistry. Anthony Berkeley Cox, writing as Francis Iles, flips the traditional mystery model of the crime genre to delve into the psychology, fears, and motives of a suspecting victim. This edition includes an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger and Edgar(R) Award-winning author Martin Edwards." Written with refrigerated violence. Disturbing, exciting." --The Listener"Magnificent--a masterpiece of cruelty and wit." --Christopher Morley"One of the finest studies of murder ever written." --John C. Farrar"Some women give birth to murderers, some go to bed with them, and some marry them. Lina Aysgarth had lived with her husband for nearly eight years before she realized that she was married to a murderer." With these opening words, Before the Fact ushers the reader into the dark and experimental world of Francis Iles's crime fiction. Written in the wake of his ground-breaking murderer's-perspective novel Malice Aforethought, Before the Fact sees the author applying his signature flair for thrilling suspense and human insight. The twisting narrative is told from the viewpoint of a wife as she navigates a life with her disquieting yet charismatic husband--and the mounting peril of his murderous intentions.

'Some women give birth to murderers, some go to bed with them, and some marry them. Lina Aysgarth had lived with her husband for nearly eight years before she realized that she was married to a murderer.' Following the success of Malice Aforethought, novelist Anthony Berkeley Cox returned to his Francis Iles pen-name for another experiment in the inverted mystery. Where Malice Aforethought is a study of murder from the perpetrator's perspective, Before the Fact is a masterful tale of the suspicions of a possible victim and her impressions of disquieting husband Johnnie. Unsettling and gripping for its incisive portrayal of human emotion and fears, this experimental classic of crime fiction was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film Suspicion, but remains an arresting literary read today.

Summer. 1930. The hottest day of the year. And Dr Bickleigh has murder in mind. A classic crime masterpiece from 'One of crime fiction's greatest innovators' Independent'A fascinating insight into a troubled mind, and a gripping thriller' GuardianOn a balmy summer's day in 1930 the great and the good of the county are out in force for the annual, much-anticipated tennis party at the Bickleighs, although not everyone has much enthusiasm for the game. The tennis party exists for other reasons - and charmingly mannered infidelity is now the most popular pastime in the small but exclusive Devonshire hamlet of Wyvern's Cross. Which is why, in his own garden, the host, Dr Edmund Bickleigh, is desperately fighting to conceal the two things on his mind: a mounting passion for Gwynyfryd Rattery - and the certain conviction that he is going to kill his wife . . .

"Possibly the best shocker ever written." -- The English ReviewDr. Edmund Bickleigh married above his station. Although popular and well respected in his little Devonshire community, he seethes with resentment at the superior social status of his domineering wife, Julia. Bickleigh soothes his inferiority complex by seducing as many of the local women as he possibly can -- but with the collapse of his latest fling and a fresh dose of sneering contempt from Julia, the doctor resolves to silence his wife forever and begins plotting the perfect murder. With Malice Aforethought, Francis Iles produced not just a darkly comic narrative of psychological suspense but also a landmark in crime fiction: for the first time, the murderer's identity was revealed at the start of the tale. Hailed as a tour de force by the British press of its day, the book retains its shock value and stands at #16 in the Crime Writers' Association ranking of the Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time.