This collection surveys 100 of the writerswho have made the most lasting contributionsto the genre. Most articles are 2,500words, with longer articles on such majorfigures as Raymond Chandler, DashiellHammett, Ellery Queen and Rex Stout.Handy, ready-reference listings aredesigned to accommodate the uniquecharacteristics of mystery and detectivefiction, including author?s pseudonyms,types of plots, principal series and principalseries characters, and even a glossaryof terms peculiar to the genre.Reference elements include a complete,up-to-date list of authors? works, a glossaryof mystery and detective fiction terms,annotated bibliographies, a time line, anindex of series characters and a list ofauthors by plot type.

Essays taken from Salem Press's Critical survey of mystery and detective fiction, published in 1988.

Essays taken from Salem Press's Critical survey of mystery and detective fiction, published in 1988.

In 1972, in an attempt to elevate the stature of the "crime novel," influential crime writer and critic Julian Symons cast numerous Golden Age detective fiction writers into literary perdition as "Humdrums," condemning their focus on puzzle plots over stylish writing and explorations of character, setting and theme. This volume explores the works of three prominent British "Humdrums"--Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, and Alfred Walter Stewart--revealing their work to be more complex, as puzzles and as social documents, than Symons allowed. By championing the intrinsic merit of these mystery writers, the study demonstrates that reintegrating the "Humdrums" into mystery genre studies provides a fuller understanding of the Golden Age of detective fiction and its aftermath.

For more than a century, the mystery and detective story has been among the most popular forms of fiction in bookstores and libraries. Some writers (Edgar Allan Poe or Dashiell Hammett, for example) have attracted a considerable body of critical response; others have been the focus of less scrutiny. This bibliography is intended for the student, general reader, or mystery buff who needs some basic information about the mystery genre and its representative authors. Selective, rather than exhaustive, it serves as an introduction. Entries on the life and work of seventy-five writers from Margery Allingham, Raymond Chandler, and Amanda Cross to P.D. James, John D. MacDonald, Edgar Allan Poe, Ellery Queen, and Georges Simenon appear.

Excerpt as a response in the presence of Locke which was not inspired in his own society. He hurried her into the library. It was as though the entrance of Paul and Eva had been preconcerted. The partners, in their dispute, stopped and turned as the young people entered and moved over to a divan. Balcom lowered his voice and plucked at Brent's sleeve as he nodded toward the couple. "I could trust you better if they were married within a week," suggested Balcom. Brent recoiled, but Balcom affected not to notice. "Then I will believe that you are dealing fairly with me," he emphasized.

An old seafaring stranger with a heavy, locked op chest turns up from nowhere seeking lodgings with Hugh Moneylaws and his mother in Berwick-upon-Tweed, a rural English town bordering Scotland. One night he sends Hugh, a young solicitor's clerk, to meet a man instead of him, as he is too ill, but when Hugh arrives at the destination, he finds a man murdered. Hugh's law firm gets involved to resolve the mystery. Joseph Smith Fletcher (1863-1933) was an English author and journalist, one of the leading writers of detective fiction in the Golden Age. After his journalist career Fletcher first started writing poems, then historical fiction, and finally moved on to write detective mysteries.

Crime fiction is one of the most popular literary genres and has been for more than a century. At the heart of almost all forms of mysteries—from the Golden Age puzzler to the contemporary police procedural, from American hardboiled fiction to the Japanese timetable mystery—is the investigator. He—or, increasingly, she—can be a private eye, a police officer, or a general busybody. But whatever forms these investigators take, they are the key element of crime fiction. Criminals and their crimes come and go, while our attention is captured by these fascinating characters who exist at the intersection of so many different literary and social roles. 100 Greatest Literary Detectives offers a selection of the most influential, important, and intriguing fictional sleuths—amateur or professional—from around the world. From Sherlock Holmes to Harry Hole, Kinsey Millhone to Kiyoshi Mitarai, the detectives profiled here give readers a broader picture of one of fiction’s most popular genres. Each entry summarizes the distinctive features of notable investigators and their approaches to crime, provides a brief outline of major features of their fictional careers, and makes a case for their importance based on literary-historical impact, novelty, uniqueness, aesthetic quality, or cultural resonance. The characters profiled here include Lew Archer, Martin Beck, Father Brown, Brother Cadfael, Adam Dalgliesh, Mike Hammer, Miss Jane Marple, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, Kay Scarpetta, Sam Spade, Phillip Trent, V. I. Warshawski, Lord Peter Wimsey, Nero Wolfe, and many others. Readers will find some of their favorite detectives here, learn more about their literary and cultural significance, and discover other great sleuths—old and new, local and international—in this engaging volume. 100 Greatest Literary Detectives provides a fascinating look into some of the most intriguing fictional characters of all time.