Before the Fact: 127 (British Library Crime Classics): Francis Iles

Some women give birth to murderers, some go to bed with them, and some marry them. Lina Aysgarth had lived with her husband for nearly eight years before she realized that she was married to a murderer.

With these opening words Before the Fact ushers the reader into the dark and experimental world of Frances Iles’ crime fiction. In this classic novel first published in 1932, Iles flips the traditional mystery model of the crime genre to delve into the psychology, fears and motives of Lina as she navigates a life with her disquieting yet charismatic husband Johnnie – and the mounting peril of his murderous intentions.

Written in the wake of Iles’ ground-breaking murderer’s-perspective novel Malice Aforethought, Before the Fact sees the author applying his signature flair for thrilling suspense and human insight to a twisting narrative from the viewpoint of a suspecting victim. Unsettling and gripping, this innovative classic was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s film Suspicion, and remains an arresting and unique work of literary artistry.