Crime moves on

 Warning - this post has spoilers for anyone who enjoys the British Library Crime Classics.

Specifically a book titled Scandalize My Name, written by an author called Fiona Sinclair and originally published in 1960. I was attracted to the book by the rather intriguing title and the cover, which suggested the London setting with a statue of Eros, although it appears to be in a park, not in Piccadilly Circus. 

I enjoyed it. Reviewers, and Martin Edwards' Introduction, commented on the large cast, introduced rather confusingly in the first pages, when they are all getting ready to attend a  21st birthday party. Being warned, I read the beginning twice and was much clearer on who was who. Martin suggested this was a characteristic of a debut book, which this was, and that suggestion strikes a chord.  Telling the story can often overwhelm technique when you are starting out. My problem was always trying to cram in material that would have been better as two books. 

The plot of Scandalize My Name centres on the murder of a rather nasty blackmailer and the stories of his victims form potential motives. It was convincing given its time, but it struck me that a number of the motives would not exist, of themselves, if the book was being written now. Bigamy and the illegitimacy of the children of the marriage, unfortunate letters that reveal a homosexual affair, the  disgrace of an up and coming young lawyer if it was known his father had been in prison. The revelation of all of these could still be a cause for scandal now, in the right circumstances, and bigamy is still a crime, but with the easing of divorce laws ending a marriage before starting another is not the immense hurdle, maybe impossibility, that it once was. Homosexuality is no longer a criminal offense. Society in general is less censorious. Crime moves on to match.. 

Reputation is still a consideration and preserving it would still provide ammunition for a blackmailer, but attitudes now are very different from those of 65 years ago and the story would be told in a very different way. If any of those characters in the book were real I guess they might be as surprised by  the changes in attitude over things such as illegitimacy as they would by mobile phones and electric cars.  The glimpse of a very different world with different values and lifestyle is what I find interesting in the British Library classics. Their popularity suggest I am not alone in this. And they are also very good stories.