Nina Wachsman and Martin Edwards
Show Notes
We talked to two more of the Agatha Nominees for this episode.
First, we talked with Nina Wachsmann who is nominated for a Best First Novel for her book
The Gallery of Beauties (Level Best Books) In the city that invented the concept of the ‘Ghetto,’
it is surprising to learn that the Jews lived separately but not isolated from the culture around
them in the seventeenth century. Rabbis were not only leaders in the Jewish community, but
scholars, mathematicians, statesmen and playwrights who were well known and respected in
Venetian society and throughout Europe. The music, art and innovative foods which filled the
city, filtered into the Ghetto, finding its way into synagogues and homes.
In a salon-like discussion with trustee David Sable, Nina Wachsman will bring to life this unusual
city and its unusually modern Jews, from her research for her novel of historical suspense, The
Gallery of Beauties.
We then talked with Martin Edwards who is nominated for Best Non-Fiction for his book
The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators (Harper Collins)
In the first major history of crime fiction in 50 years, The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of
Mysteries and Their Creators traces the evolution of the genre from the 18th century to the
present, offering brand-new perspective on the world’s most popular form of fiction.
Author Martin Edwards is a multi-award-winning crime novelist, the president of the Detection
Club, archivist of the Crime Writers’ Association and series consultant to the British Library’s
highly successful series of crime classics, and therefore uniquely qualified to write this book. He
has been a widely respected genre commentator for more than 30 years, winning the CWA
Diamond Dagger for making a significant contribution to crime writing in 2020, when he also
compiled and published Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection
Club and the novel Mortmain Hall. His critically acclaimed The Golden Age of Murder (Collins
Crime Club, 2015) was a landmark study of detective fiction between the wars.
The Life of Crime is the result of a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime fiction, old
and new, from around the world. In what will surely be regarded as his magnum opus, Martin
Edwards has thrown himself undaunted into the breadth and complexity of the genre to write an
authoritative—and enjoyable—study of its development and evolution. With crime fiction being
read more widely than ever around the world, and with individual authors increasingly the
subject of extensive academic study, his expert distillation of more than two centuries of
extraordinary books and authors—from the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann to the novels of Patricia
Cornwell—into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for a compelling listen.
TRIVIA
Last week's question was:
Author Harlan Coben made a deal with whom in 2016 to adapt 14 of his novels into film?
a. Fox Entertainment
b. Paramout
c. Blue Sky Productions
d. Netflix
The answer is d. Netflix. In August 2018, Coben signed a multi-million-dollar five-year deal with
American company Netflix. Under the deal, 14 of Coben's novels would be developed into
original Netflix series or films, with him serving as executive producer on all projects.[30] The
first title released under the deal was The Stranger, based on his novel of the same name,
which premiered in January 2020.[31] In October 2022, it was announced that Netflix had re-
upped the deal for another four years, with the Myron Bolitar series now also available for
adaptation
This week's question is:
Which author used the following pseudonyms in their career. Deanna Dwyer, K. R. Dwyer,
Aaron Wolfe, David Axton, Brian Coffey, John Hill, Leigh Nichols, Owen West, Richard Paige,
and Anthony North?
a. Dean Koontz
b. James Patterson
c. John LeCarre
d. Michael Connelly
Tune in next week for the answer.