''The Colour of Murder'' is a 1957

crime novel Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

by the British writer

Julian Symons Julian Gustave Symons (originally Gustave Julian Symons, pronounced ''SIMM-ons''; 30 May 1912 – 19 November 1994) was a British crime writer and poet. He also wrote social and military history, biography and studies of literature. He was born ...

. It was awarded the

Gold Dagger The CWA Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year. From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. ...

of the

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

for that year.Winks, Robin W. & Corrigan, Maureen. ''Mystery and Suspense Writers: The Literature of Crime, Detection, and Espionage, Volume 2''. Charles Scribner's, 1998. p. 902. . It was republished by

British Library Publishing The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

in 2018 along with another Symons novel '' The Belting Inheritance''.

Plot

Unhappily married John Wilkins meets Sheila, an attractive young

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

. He fantasises about killing his wife, so he can leave her and start a new life with Sheila.

References

Bibliography

* Walsdorf, John J. & Allen, Bonnie J. ''Julian Symons: A Bibliography''. Oak Knoll Press, 1996. 1957 British novels Novels by Julian Symons British crime novels British mystery novels Collins Crime Club books Novels set in England {{1950s-crime-novel-stub