Summertime, and the killing is easy… I think that’s how the song goes. Summer is supposed to be full of brightness and light, but all light casts shadows for murderers to hide in, and there are a lot of murderers in this collection of eighteen short stories, from 1924 (Will Scott) to 1983 (Celia Fremlin) stopping along the way at luminaries such as Anthony Berkeley, Ethel Lina White, Christianna Brand, Anthony Gilbert, Michael Gilbert and Julian Symons.

Whether it been a pair of vagrants chasing smugglers, an author seeking refuge from the monsters they created or a dormant serial killer starting again at a seaside guest-house, there’s something for everyone seeking a summer getaway with a hint of risk and excitement…

If you’re reading this fresh on posting day, you’ll know we’re actually currently in the middle of winter, halfway out of the dark, I thought I’d brighten things up and take a look at something the opposite of the many, many Christmas mysteries that I’ve reviewed this year. Also, I’ve been a bit slack on reviewing the British Library Crime Classics range – planning on changing this next year – so I thought this was the ideal title to end the year with.

It’s an interesting collection, not least because a number of the stories are very short, less than ten pages, and only three exceed twenty. Also, when I’ve reviewed these collections in the past, I’ve mentioned that the quality of the tales varied quite a bit. I think there’s only one story that didn’t click with me, unsurprisingly the one by Symons. Not all of the tales are whodunnits, but they all have something clever in them. The opener by Guy Cullingford was one I particularly enjoyed, as was the Sergeant Pockle tale that follows it in the collection.

One of the strongest of the short story collections from the BL range – enhanced by the brief intros to each story by that Martin Edwards chap – definitely worth picking up. Even if you wait until next summer to do so.