The Murder Game by John Curran

#TheMurderGame #NetGalley

Those who feel an affection for the Golden Age of mystery fiction may enjoy spending time with this book. It is written by an Agatha Christie scholar.

This book is packed with examples of works from that time period which was roughly between 1920 and 1945. There is also much detail of what the titles of that time exemplified, as for example, offering all the clues to the reader who might then try (often unsuccessfully) to solve the puzzle while reading.

Those unfamiliar with the time period may decide to try books by Christie, Sayers and others. Those who have read in the genre will get many of the references and will welcome some additional insights.

I do think that this book may feel a bit dense at times for the general reader. This may be due to the deep dive that the author takes. Readers will decide for themselves if this is a plus or a bit of a challenge.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Pub date: 27 January 2026

Post first published on 6 February 2026

About the Author:

from Amazon

Dr John Curran is a lifelong fan of Golden Age detective fiction and one of Ireland’s foremost experts on classic crime. For many years he edited the official Agatha Christie Newsletter and helped to establish the Agatha Christie Archive. He was consultant to the National Trust during the restoration of Greenway House and wrote his doctoral thesis on the Golden Age of Detective Fiction at Trinity College, Dublin. His two volumes about Agatha Christie’s notebooks won three major US mystery awards (the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity), and his history of Collins’ Crime Club, The Hooded Gunman, was nominated for an Edgar and won the 2019 H.R.F. Keating Award for best critical book related to crime fiction. He set up the annual Bodies from the Library conference at the British Library and is in demand as a speaker and lecturer on Agatha Christie from his home in Dublin.