The Colour of Murder - Julian Symons

The Colour of Murder by Julian Symons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second Julian Symons' novels that I have read. I have to admit that prior to seeing them on Netgalley, I hadn't heard of him. Although these books have a certain similarity in style to those of the golden age of murder mysteries, they are quite different too. They are written and set later, in the post-war era of the 1950s, but this is still 'old-fashioned' enough to us today to seem similar to the earlier books.
The story itself is told in two halves, with the first being the lead up to the murder, told by the accused, as he shares his story to a psychologist. The second half takes place in court, with the cases for the defence and prosecution. This means that it's slightly different to the usual classic puzzle types of murder mysteries, although there is still a question over who done it and why.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Partly because it's a well-written look at both life in the late '50s in England, partly because of the way that the court scene is portrayed and partly because of the story itself. It's a little different to many other books of its genre and I suspect when it first came out it would have been something very new.
This might be my first two Symons' novels, but I'd certainly been keen to look out for some more. They are well written, engaging and a glimpse at an earlier time as well as being good examples of the mystery genre.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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