The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Valancourt Books is a small press based in Richmond, Virginia. We're two book lovers who founded our press in 2005 and started out by reprinting rare Gothic novels and Victorian fiction. In the last few years we've expanded our selection to include neglected literature of the 20th century that has fallen out of print and sometimes into complete obscurity. Our catalogue includes transgressive fiction, horror, mystery, thrillers and gay interest (some of the titles don't easily fit into genre categories and include elements from more than one genre).

Although we're a two person operation, we have a catalogue of over 230 titles and we have several new titles every month. You can visit our website for more information about us, the books and the authors we've helped to revive. Below is some information on a few of our recent titles that I thought group members might be especially interested in.

Salt Is Leaving (1966) by J.B. Priestley - The only detective story by the prolific playwright and novelist J. B. Priestley (1894-1984), Salt is Leaving (1966) was originally written for the author’s own amusement but has gone on to be recognized as a classic of the mystery genre. This edition features a new introduction by Mark Mason.

‘[A] formidable exercise, distinguished by Priestley's undiminished gusto for storytelling.’ – New York Times Book Review

‘[A] cosy, old-fashioned detective story.’ – Francis Iles, Guardian

‘[C]omfortably old-fashioned novels are hard to come by these days. Good old Priestley has written a good old book.’ – The Critic


Panic (1971) by Colin Spencer - First published in 1971, Colin Spencer’s Panic, with its seedy Brighton setting, drew comparisons to the works of Graham Greene and earned widespread critical acclaim for its psychological insight into the mind of a killer. This edition features a new introduction by the author.

‘This is a disturbing, beautifully imagined novel, serious in intent . . . and written with a great sense of commitment.’ – New Statesman

‘Spencer indulges his taste for the lurid, the grotesque and the macabre to the full in Panic . . . a writer of brilliant . . . talent.’– Sunday Telegraph

‘It is a book written with deep compassion and understanding. It is a firm statement, the like of which far too few novelists dare make.’ – Time Out


Brother Death (1948) by John Lodwick - One of the best selling authors of his day, John Lodwick wrote seventeen novels characterized by their fast pace, sardonic humour and brilliant prose. Though admired by Somerset Maugham and Anthony Burgess and compared with Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh, Lodwick fell into obscurity after his untimely death in 1959 at age 43. This edition of Brother Death (1948) is the first republication of any of his novels since his death and includes a new introduction by Chris Petit.

“Brother Death is perhaps John Lodwick’s most original and ambitious thriller, combining the moral questioning of Graham Greene with the edge-of-your-seat suspense of Geoffrey Household or Hitchcock.” – Michael Moorcock

“Mr. Lodwick writes with great accomplishment, softening his brutalities with a sardonic humour.” – Lionel Hale, Observer


Blue Octavo (1963) by John Blackburn - A prolific author of thrillers and horror novels, John Blackburn (1923-1993) also managed a secondhand bookstore, and he draws on this background in Blue Octavo (1963), a clever and fast-paced tale set in the shady world of antiquarian bookselling. This edition features a new introduction by award-winning author and critic Mike Ripley.

‘[A] well-planned story ... thrilling ... persistently interesting.’ - Times Literary Supplement

‘An interesting ... case concerning a rare book which some madman is collecting at the rate of a murder per copy.’ - New York Times Book Review

----

Thank you for your interest in Valancourt and we look forward to sharing our future releases with you! We love to interact with people so feel free to friend us here on Goodreads. You can see what we're reading for fun and you can recommend titles you would like to see us bring back in print.

-Ryan Cagle & James Jenkins
http://www.valancourtbooks.com

Best of luck! It's always exciting to see another small press, as well as to see someone reviving out-of-print titles.

Will you be offering your titles in eBook form? I clicked on the link for Blue Octavo but saw only DTB versions.

Valancourt Books wrote: "Valancourt Books is a small press based in Richmond, Virginia. We're two book lovers who founded our press in 2005 and started out by reprinting rare Gothic novels and Victorian fiction. In the las..."

Oh my gosh! You two are so prolific! We have a number of readers here who are into vintage crime, so this is great. I have two Valancourt titles in my library so far: The Elementals, by Michael McDowell (horror, not mystery, which I'm 5 pages away from finishing), and He Arrived at Dusk, by R.C. Ashby, which looks to be a cross between a mystery novel and a ghost story.

Thanks for joining us. I will definitely be bending your ears on titles that I'd like to see in print.

Deborah wrote: "Best of luck! It's always exciting to see another small press, as well as to see someone reviving out-of-print titles.

Will you be offering your titles in eBook form? I clicked on the link for B..."

Hi Deborah! Most of our titles are available on Kindle (a select few may have restrictions to US only, but for the most part worldwide availability). There are links to each on our website if it's not showing on Goodreads.

Thanks!

Hi Nancy! I hope you enjoyed The Elementals. It's one of my favorite titles and authors that we've had the privilege to bring back.

Recommend away. We're always on the hunt for more great titles! Thanks for letting us use this thread.

Thanks. I just picked up one on kindle, and got samples of two others.

I must say, Blue Octavo sounds interesting. Thank you for providing us a look at some of your releases.

New Release

Fans of both our 18th century series and our 20th century rediscoveries will enjoy Colin Wilson's THE GLASS CAGE (1966), a philosophical serial killer story featuring a murderer who scrawls cryptic quotations by the mystic poet William Blake (1757-1827) at each crime scene. Baffled, the police turn to Damon Reade, a reclusive Blake scholar, for help in unravelling the clues. Out of print for decades, this tremendously entertaining novel, which Wilson called "perhaps my own favourite of my novels" returns to print with a new introduction by Geoff Ward and a new Blake-themed cover design by M.S. Corley.



For more on this book and author, check out the Goodreads pages and our website:

The Glass Cage
Colin Wilson
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-gl...

Saw your twitter feed about this book and ordered it today!

Great! Let me know what you think. :)

Definitely. I'll be reading that bad boy as soon as it gets here.

New Release

James Kennaway's THE MIND BENDERS (1963) is a weird novel in the best kind of way. Part Cold War espionage story, part psychedelic horror, it was the basis for a cult classic film starring Dirk Bogarde. The story opens with a Nobel Prize-winning physicist committing suicide by throwing himself from a fast-moving train: why did he do it? British Intelligence thinks he was passing secrets to the Communists, but his colleague believes his death is connected to bizarre experiments using an isolation tank for sensory deprivation. To find out the truth, he'll have to repeat the terrifying experiment on himself, with horrifying consequences.... Kennaway's compelling and harrowing tale returns to print for the first time in decades, with a new intro by Paul Gallagher and cover art by M.S. Corley.



For more on this book and author, check out the Goodreads pages and our website:

The Mind Benders
James Kennaway
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-mi...

Hope you enjoy!

-Ryan

seriously - I love that you're bringing back these old classics, but every time you make a post or I see your twitter feed, my tbr pile grows. arrghh!

Sorry about that!

The funny thing (maybe not so funny, unless you're ill) is that for every book we decide to take on we go through about 10 others that we pass on. You should see our office! Never mind, no you shouldn't. :)

I've added The Mind Benders to my 'want' list. I'll definitely be looking for it. Thanks.

I'm loving the cover designs!

Thanks Deborah! M.S. Corley has done almost all of our covers for the past year or so. He's amazing!

http://mscorley.blogspot.com

Here's one I'd like to see in print - Cutter and Bone, by Newton Thornburg. I just went to buy one, but a decent copy is around $56 used.

I'm not familiar with the book but we'll definitely look into it since you have such great taste! :)

Thank you! Not for the "great taste" remark, but for looking into it.

New Release

Colin Wilson's fifth novel, NECESSARY DOUBT (1964), is one of his most enjoyable. What starts out as a standard murder mystery, with an elderly professor suspecting a former student of killing several rich men for their money, quickly turns into something quite different: a metaphysical thriller in which there may not have been any murders committed at all, and something even weirder and more disturbing may be going on instead.... Reprinted for the first time in decades, with a new intro by Colin Stanley and vertiginous 60s-inspired cover art by M.S. Corley.



For more on this book and author, check out the Goodreads pages and our website:

Necessary Doubt
Colin Wilson
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/necess...

New Release

We've been neglecting our mystery and literary catalogues lately, but we're back with another title release:

The Blackmailer by Isabel Colegate

Julian Fellowes has acknowledged Isabel Colegate's modern classic The Shooting Party (1980) as an influence on Downton Abbey, which we're big fans of. But her other novels are also excellent, including her first, THE BLACKMAILER (1958), now out with a new foreword by the author.



Book description

Anthony Lane is dead, a casualty of the Korean War, and at home in England he is praised a hero. But Baldwin Reeves, who served with him, knows the truth: Lane, a traitor and a coward, was executed ignominiously by his own men. Envious of the wealth and social position Lane possessed, Reeves decides to put his knowledge to good use by blackmailing his widow Judith. Anxious to prevent a scandal and protect Lane’s elderly mother from the disclosure of his disgrace, Judith seems to be wholly into Reeves’s power. But when the blackmailer finds himself falling in love with his victim, the balance of power shifts, and the stage is set for an ironic and surprising conclusion.

Darkly humorous, with a wonderfully offbeat cast of characters and featuring the distinguished style for which she is known, The Blackmailer (1958) was the first novel by Isabel Colegate, author of the modern classic The Shooting Party. This edition, the first in 30 years, includes a new foreword by the author.

For more on this book and author, check out the Goodreads pages and our website:

The Blackmailer
Isabel Colegate
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-bl...

I've never read either. They sound quite interesting.

New Release

The prolific Nevil Shute (1899-1960) is probably best known for On the Beach (1957), his great novel of the final days of mankind after a nuclear apocalypse, but all of his books are highly entertaining. In LANDFALL (1940), one of his early novels, a young English pilot unexpectedly sinks one of his own submarines, with disastrous and unexpected consequences. The NY Times called it "a thriller if ever there was one, and a classic thriller at that."



Book Description

As wartime assignments go, Jerry Chambers doesn't have it too bad. By day he flies routine patrols over the English Channel, leaving his nights free for drinking and dancing with his girlfriend, the lovely barmaid Mona. Everything seems to be going right - until Jerry accidentally sinks a British submarine! Seeking to redeem himself, he accepts a transfer to a dangerous mission, risking his life to test an experimental and deadly new weapon that could help defeat Hitler. Meanwhile, back home, Mona thinks she has discovered proof of Jerry's innocence and sets out to clear his name - but will anyone believe her, and will she be too late?

Based in part on real-life events that occurred during the Second World War, Nevil Shute's seventh novel, Landfall (1940), is a thrilling page-turner that draws on Shute's own experiences as a pilot and engineer. This edition features a new introduction by Rob Spence.

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:

Landfall (1940)
Nevil Shute
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/landfa...

(US/Canada and select other countries only. Not available in the UK/EU)

Seriously! You people are too much! Must add to out-of-control TBR pile! LOL

Looks good.

You should see my 'To Publish' pile. It's most of the office! :P

That's good news for us readers.

New Release

Though he's won numerous awards and has a large following internationally, Christopher Priest is best known in the U.S. as the author of The Prestige (1995), which was adapted by Christopher Nolan for a hit Hollywood film. But all his books are worth reading, especially THE AFFIRMATION (1981), a genre-defying literary mindgame that we both love.



Book Description

Peter Sinclair, a 29-year-old Londoner, is reeling after losing his father, his girlfriend, his job and his flat. Taking refuge in a friend’s rural cottage, he tries to make sense of things and figure out where his life began to go wrong by writing an autobiography. But it is possible that none of this is true . . .

Peter Sinclair is a 31-year-old native of the city of Jethra in Faiandland who has just won the grand prize in a lottery: a trip to the Dream Archipelago, a neverending series of idyllic islands, where he will undergo a medical procedure that gives him immortality. Because the process also results in total amnesia, Peter must first set down all the details of his life in a manuscript in order to recover the memories afterwards. But it is also possible that none of this is true . . .

As the two narratives intersect and intertwine, the reader must decide what is real and what is not in this brilliant literary mindgame from Christopher Priest, the award-winning author of The Prestige and The Separation.

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:

The Affirmation (1981)
Christopher Priest, with a new introduction by the author
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-af...

*Not available in the UK/EU.

This sounds like a fabulous psychological thriller along the lines of Abré Los Ojos / Vanilla Sky and Inception. Before I read, I'd like to know if there is an answer to what is true and what is not, or does this remain debatable after the book is finished?

Barbara wrote: "This sounds like a fabulous psychological thriller along the lines of Abré Los Ojos / Vanilla Sky and Inception. Before I read, I'd like to know if there is an answer to what is true and what is no..."

Oh, not me - I wouldn't want to know beforehand. I think part of the fun and the process would be to have to think about it for yourself.

Just added Salt is Leaving to my to read list.

Valancourt Books wrote: "New Release

The prolific Nevil Shute (1899-1960) is probably best known for On the Beach (1957), his great novel of the final days of mankind after a nuclear apocalypse, but all of his books are h..."

Nevil Shute is such a great writer. I love the way he weaves his stories; he's written some of my favourites.

In addition to Nevil Shute's Landfall, we're also working on An Old Captivity. It should be out later this month or early next month.

We enjoy his works, too! I believe these are the only titles available for us to reprint so that might be all we do.

New Release

With cars, streets, and sidewalks covered in a sheet of ice here at Valancourt Towers, it seemed an appropriate day to post about this new release: AN OLD CAPTIVITY (1940) by Nevil Shute, set in the frozen wilds of Greenland. The first 75% of this odd novel is standard Shute: aeronautical adventure and romance involving a perilous flight to the Arctic in 1933, the early days of aviation. But the last section is wonderfully strange: an exciting reincarnation fantasy that takes us back to the days of Leif Erickson and the Vikings.



Book Description

Donald Ross is a young pilot, out of work and in desperate need of a job. So, despite the extreme danger involved, he jumps at the chance to fly Oxford professor Cyril Lockwood and his daughter Alix to the frozen wilds of Greenland to study Viking ruins. But the perils of the journey are nothing compared to what will happen when they arrive. Ignoring the warnings of the terrified natives, who believe the ruins are haunted, the explorers set up camp there and undergo a strange and mystical experience that will lead to a discovery that none of them could ever have foreseen . . .

One of the best-loved novels by Nevil Shute, An Old Captivity (1940) blends romance and aeronautical adventure with a unique and compelling strain of fantasy into a page-turning story with an extraordinary conclusion. This edition, the first to be published in America in decades, features a new introduction by Rob Spence.

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:

An Old Captivity (1940)
Nevil Shute, with a new introduction by Rob Spence
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/an-old...

*Available in the US and CA only

I love the cover photo. I'll check it out.

New Release

Available for the first time in the US as an ebook!

Set in the smoke-and-mirrors world of Victorian stage magic, Christopher Priest's THE PRESTIGE (1995) is one of those rare books that appeal to literary snobs and genre fans alike: it won both the James Tait Black Prize for best novel of the year and the World Fantasy Award, the only book ever to accomplish the feat. Very highly recommended for fans of intelligent literary fiction, science fiction & horror, or Victorian Gothic.



Book Description

In the smoke-and-mirrors world of Victorian music halls, two talented young stage magicians vie to be known as the best illusionist in London. Each of them performs a masterful and seemingly impossible illusion, and each is determined to unravel the secret of his rival’s trick at any cost. But what starts out as professional jealousy soon escalates into a bitter and deadly obsession whose terrible consequences will still be felt a century later by their descendants, who have their own surprising reasons for wanting to discover the truth.

One of Christopher Priest’s most acclaimed works and winner of both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the World Fantasy Award, The Prestige is an ingeniously constructed entertainment, a masterpiece of misdirection where nothing is what it seems. Readers who have seen the 2006 film adaptation directed by Christopher Nolan will find that though the book shares many similarities with the movie, it also contains many surprises as well as a chilling ending that the reader will never see coming.

Contemporary Reviews

“A taut, twisting, prize-winning story of two magicians and their fin-de-siècle rivalry that taints successive generations of their respective families. Electrifying effects and a deft handling of mysteries and their explanations (some remaining tantalizingly incomplete) in an unexpectedly compelling fusion of weird science and legerdemain.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Enthrallingly odd. A carefully calculated period style that is remarkably akin to that of the late Robertson Davies. Priest has brought it off with great imagination and skill.” – Publishers Weekly

“Lushly set in the velvet-cloaked, smoke-and-mirrors world of professional magic in turn-of-the-century London, this extraordinary novel interweaves the bitter rivalry and strange secrets of two magicians. The story is enormously complex yet like a dazzling magic act itself: a series of perfectly executed illusions that build in suspense and difficulty. The result is a surprise that marvelously satisfies the myriad genres that Priest has successfully managed to merge and transform in this eerie fictional sleight of hand.” – Entertainment Weekly

“The Prestige is a brilliantly constructed entertainment, with a plot as simple and intricate as a nest of Chinese boxes … a dizzying magic show of a novel, chock-a-block with all the props of Victorian sensation fiction.” – Washington Post

“It’s an extraordinary performance, his best book in years, perhaps his best ever. Highly recommended.” – The New York Review of Science Fiction

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:
The Prestige (1995)
Christopher Priest
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-pr...

*Available in the US only

For some reason, I didn't realize this was based on a book. I enjoyed the movie so very much. I'll have to check out your website. Thanks for posting this.

Valancourt Books wrote: "New Release

Available for the first time in the US as an ebook!

Set in the smoke-and-mirrors world of Victorian stage magic, Christopher Priest's THE PRESTIGE (1995) is one of those rare books th..."

I love that book. I've probably read it three times and still love it.

The book is waaay better than the movie, imo.

I saw the movie when it first came out and didn't remember a thing about it so I rewatched it a few weeks ago. The book is totally different from the movie! I don't blame them for taking that route, though. I'm not sure you'd be able to adapt a book with so many subplots into a two hour film.

New Release



Book Description

An Irish Republican Army plot goes horribly wrong when its leader, Johnny Murtah, kills an innocent man and is himself gravely wounded. As the police close in on Johnny, his compatriots must make a daring bid to rescue him. But they are not the only ones in pursuit: an impoverished artist, a saintly priest, a sleazy informer, and a beautiful young woman all have their own reasons to be desperate to find him. Meanwhile Johnny wanders the streets injured and alone, trapped in a delirious nightmare, surrounded on all sides by betrayal and faced with the realization that he may die that night with the stain of murder on his soul. The action unfolds over eight hours of a cold Belfast night, with the suspense building towards an explosive conclusion.

Both a critical success and a bestseller, F. L. Green’s masterful thriller Odd Man Out (1945) is best known today as the basis for the classic 1947 film adaptation directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason. This edition, the first in over 30 years, features a new introduction by Adrian McKinty.

Contemporary Reviews

‘A spellbinder . . . takes hold before the first shot is fired’ – New York Times

‘Rarely does a tale about pursuers and pursued reach the intensity of fear, uncertainty and apprehension’ – New York World-Telegram

‘Of unusual interest and distinction . . . very moving . . . produces effects of high and painful excitement’ – Spectator

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:
Odd Man Out (1945)
F.L. Green, with a new introduction by Adrian McKinley
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/odd-ma...

New Release

When we stumbled on a used copy of Philip Loraine's DAY OF THE ARROW (1964), we knew right away from the cover blurbs that it was up our alley: "homosexuals and witches" (Chicago Tribune), "brooding, atmospheric ... highly civilized and aristocratic nightmare" (NY Times), "chilling ... something for the connoisseur" (Charleston News). You may be familiar with the book from its film version, EYE OF THE DEVIL (1966), starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasance, and Sharon Tate. If, like us, you enjoy a good, old-fashioned Gothic horror novel, you won't want to miss this one.



Book Description

James Lindsay has been summoned to the ancient estate of Bellac by his old flame, Françoise, to help her husband, Philippe de Montfaucon, who has inexplicably become convinced that he is about to die. His fears may not be unfounded: in old tomes in the castle’s library, Lindsay learns that almost every male Montfaucon has met with a mysterious and untimely end. Now with the ancient festival of Les Treize Jours approaching and the castle filling up with strange and sinister visitors, Lindsay must unravel an intricate and horrifying web of legend and superstition to save Philippe from a terrible fate . . .

A chilling and suspenseful masterpiece of modern Gothic fiction, Day of the Arrow (1964) earned widespread acclaim from critics and was adapted for a 1966 film, Eye of the Devil, starring David Niven, Deborah Kerr, and Sharon Tate.

Reviews

‘The sophisticated and the primitive, the seen and the half-seen . . . homosexuals and witches, in an intriguing mixture of old and new.’ – Chicago Tribune

‘Brooding, atmospheric . . . an ancestral castle and its village are the setting for a highly civilized and aristocratic nightmare . . . full of tantalizing and terror-filled symbols.” – Anthony Boucher, New York Times

‘A story to haunt you.’ – New York Herald Tribune

‘Chilling . . . weaves a spell of terror . . . Day of the Arrow is something for the connoisseur.’ – Charleston News and Courier

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:
Day of the Arrow (1964)
Philip Loraine
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/day-of...

Not an author I'm familiar with but one I'll have to check out. The story looks very interesting.

The words "old tomes in the castle's library" convinced me. I'm there.

It's very Wicker Man (Ritual) but Day of the Arrow came out a few years prior. I haven't had a chance to check out his other books yet. Cuckoo's Child (under his real name) looks promising. Maybe next year.... ;)

New Release

Now up for order: THE INTRUDER (1959) by the brilliant Charles Beaumont (best known for his scripts for The Twilight Zone). In this suspenseful novel, handsome and smooth-talking Adam Cramer has just arrived in the small town of Caxton, where tensions are running high over court-ordered racial integration of the public schools. Cramer begins to stoke the flames of racial prejudice, with violent and deadly results: but who is he really, and what is the sinister truth behind his actual agenda? Features a new introduction by film legend Roger Corman, who directed the movie adaptation starring William Shatner, and the original jacket art by Ronald Clyne.



Book Description

The Supreme Court has ordered an end to racially segregated schools, and folks in the predominantly white Southern town of Caxton are prepared grudgingly to comply with the ruling. But when Adam Cramer, a handsome and smooth-talking young man, arrives in town and begins to make incendiary speeches and stoke the flames of racial prejudice, the situation quickly turns deadly. Who is Cramer, and what is the sinister truth behind his real agenda? As tensions build and violence flares, it all leads to an explosive and surprising conclusion!

As compelling and relevant today as when first published, Charles Beaumont’s The Intruder (1959) has lost none of its power to shock, and modern readers will find Cramer’s bigoted rhetoric eerily familiar in light of today’s civil rights debates. Beaumont (1929-1967), better known for his Twilight Zone scripts and his weird and brilliant short fiction, earned widespread acclaim for this novel, which was adapted for a controversial 1962 film by director Roger Corman, who contributes a new introduction to this edition.

Reviews

“Striking in its timeliness . . . a swift and powerful novel . . . compelling reading” – New York Herald Tribune

“[T]autly and even excitingly written … the situations do not develop so much as explode – the author is in deadly earnest.”
– N. Y. Times Book Review

“An excellent novel that makes the skin crawl with fear and anticipation … Recommended.” – Library Journal

“Lean, muscular prose … a deftly written story with a plot that moves from crisis to crisis with ominous terror … memorably convincing.” – Saturday Review

“Recounted with suspense, drama, and conviction.” – Booklist

View more information on the Goodreads pages and our website:
The Intruder (1959) by Charles Beaumont, introduction by Roger Corman
http://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-in...

Great cover and synopsis...

I check in on Valancourt books on Horror Afficionados and follow them on Twitter. I've yet to read one of their books but believe me the interest is there and eventually I shall spoil myself silly by reading a few.

Justin wrote: "I check in on Valancourt books on Horror Afficionados and follow them on Twitter. I've yet to read one of their books but believe me the interest is there and eventually I shall spoil myself silly ..."

They're habit forming, which translates to wallet-emptying.