[ Susan Gilruth, crime writer. ] Personal album of material ("guard-book" relating to her seven crime novels, with numerous newspaper cuttings, dustwrappers, a press release, three items of fan mail.

Gilruth was the author of seven crime novels: 'Sweet Revenge' (1951), 'Death in Ambush' (1952), 'Postscript to Penelope' (1954), 'A Corpse for Charybdis' (1956), 'To this Favour' (1957), 'Drown Her Remembrance' (1961) and 'The Snake is Living Yet' (1963). The material in this collection is in good overall condition, lightly aged and worn. Most of the material is laid down on 41pp. of a 25 x 38 cm. album (ownership signature on front pastedown), with press cuttings of reviews grouped around the cut-down dustwrappers of the first six of Gilruth's books. Most of the reviews – which indicate the author's understated and popular style – are from English national and provincial newspapers, but also present are specimens from India, South Africa and Australia. Also present is a publicity release from the publisher of her debut novel, Robert Hale, headed 'High praise for a new 'tec writer | SUSAN GILRUTH | author of | SWEET REVENGE'. Loosely inserted are around 40 further cuttings, several of them concerning Gilruth's last novel, mostly supplied by the press agencies Durrant's and Romeike & Curtice. Also present is a page of reviews of crime novels by Gilruth herself, from Books of the Month, May 1961. At the back of the volume are three items of fan mail, 1956-1961, one of them from a former acquaintance 'Jocelyn Staham (Ledward)', the others from 'Isabel Underwood Blake (Mrs. Joseph Blake)' and 'Erica Ashton'.