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The Spoilt Kill

A Staffordshire Mystery
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( 340 ratings, 65 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Spoilt Kill by Mary Kelly is a gripping crime thriller set in the intense and murky world of pottery in Staffordshire. Private investigator Nicholson is hired to unearth industrial secrets but discovers a far more sinister plot. His investigation soon delves into human duplicity, revealing dark motives and intricate deceit.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This crime and thriller novel might captivate you if you enjoy a meticulously crafted plot with rich character development. Set against the intriguing backdrop of the pottery industry, it offers a unique setting along with a strong mystery and complex investigation. Fans of atmospheric and cerebral whodunits will likely find this book appealing.

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Staffordshire in the 1950s. Within the clay tanks at the pottery company Shentall's, a body has been found. Amid cries of industrial espionage and sabotage of this leader of the pottery industry, there is a case of bitter murder to solve for Inspector Hedley Nicholson.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Staffordshire in the 1950s. Within the clay tanks at the pottery company Shentall's, a body has been found. Amid cries of industrial espionage and sabotage of this leader of the pottery industry, there is a case of bitter murder to solve for Inspector Hedley Nicholson.

The Spoilt Kill by Mary Kelly won the CWA Gold Dagger Award in 1961 for its impeccable sense of place and detail, and for the emotional weight of its central crime. The novel is part of a shift from the cosiness of crime novels before to mysteries characterised by their psychological interest and affecting realism. An influential classic.

Series: British Library Crime Classics

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780712353366

Publisher: British Library Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 May 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: British Library Publishing

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Martin Edwards

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 190.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Mary Kelly (1927-2017) was an English crime writer best known for the Inspector Brett Nightingale series and her Gold Dagger Award-winning novel The Spoilt Kill. The Christmas Egg, first published in 1958 and republished by the British Library in 2019, is another fine example of her unique and unconventional mystery writing.

Also by Mary Kelly

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  • Due to a Death
    "Her writing is moment by moment intense, and successful as such... What propels the reader through the pages is not the tug of 'who done it' nor the excitement of men with guns coming through doors, but the sheer excellence of the writing." β€” H.R.F. Keating A car speeds down a road between miles of marshes and estuary flats, its...
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  • Mary Kelly's Concentric Pedagogy
    Selected and introduced by Juli Carson, this book presents a collection of essential essays, interviews, and never-before-published archival materials that trace the development of the teaching of major artist and thinker Mary Kelly, from 1980-2017. As an artist and a theorist, Kelly is known for her foundational contributions to Feminism and Conceptual Art; she is also revered for her innovative...
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