Second tranche of Penguin Modern Classics crime and espionage titles unveiled

A second tranche of titles scheduled to be published as part of Penguin Modern Classics’ revived crime and espionage list has been unveiled, including the likes of The Big Sleep & Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré. 

The list is being curated by author and Penguin Press publishing director Simon Winder after being initially discontinued in the 1980s. The publisher said the revival of Penguin Crime and Espionage “has seen Simon dig deep into the archives, reading hundreds of books to determine which of our existing titles should make the list, and which titles, previously not published by Penguin, should have been included years ago". 

The first 10 titles announced for the list, released in summer 2023, included Call for the Dead by John le Carré, SS-GB by Len Deighton and Maigret and the Headless Corpse by Georges Simenon.

Now, added to the list, alongside Chandler and le Carré, are: Maigret’s Revolver by Georges Simenon; Sleeping Dog by Dick Lochte; Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey; Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert; The Black Lizard by Edogawa Rampo; Payment Deferred by C S Forester; The Mask of Dimitrios by Eric Ambler; and Other Paths to Glory by Anthony Price.

Winder said: “These books are united by atmosphere, anxiety, a strong sense of time and place, and an often-appalling ingenuity, both on behalf of the authors and their characters. They have also all aged very well, gaining an additional pleasure from shifts in manners, clothes, wisecracks, politics, murder weapons and potential alibis.”