Literary Criticism - Mystery & Detective Fiction

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringAgatha Christie is a global bestseller. Her work has been translated into over 100 languages and adapted for stage and screen. Christie's writing life ran from 1920 to the 1970s, and she didn't just write puzzles, she wrote plays,...

"This book is dangerous. A veritable cornucopia of crime fiction and gardening lore, it faces the reader with multiple temptations--books to seek out, plants to obtain, garden tours to book." --Vicki Lane, author of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries "Belongs on the shelf of...

Want to write a mystery for kids or teens, but you're not sure how? Writing for Young Adult (YA) or middle-grade (MG) readers requires a different approach, and writing YA and MG mysteries is extra challenging. Follow award-winning author Fleur Bradley as she shows...

After making his debut in 1997's The Killing Floor, Jack Reacher has quickly become one of the most popular--and most enduring--fictional heroes to emerge in the past half century. Now, his creator tells the stories behind the stories. These are the origin tales of...

Author: Lee ChildPublisher: Thorndike Press Large PrintPublished: 10/01/2025Pages: 1Binding Type: Library BindingWeight: 1.70lbsSize: 8.60h x 5.60w x 1.30dISBN: 9781420527865

In this affectionate and unvarnished recollection of his past, Tony Hillerman looks at seventy-six years spent getting from hard-times farm boy to bestselling author. Using the gifts of a talented novelist and reporter, Hillerman draws brilliant portrait not just of his life, but of...

The new and updated 10 year anniversary edition Winner of the Edgar, Agatha, Macavity and H.R.F. Keating crime-writing awards, this definitive account of the secretive Detection Club and its trail-blazing founders told for the first time the extraordinary story of British detective fiction between...

Author: John CurranPublisher: Collins Crime ClubPublished: 01/27/2026Pages: 480Binding Type: HardcoverWeight: 1.46lbsSize: 9.43h x 6.39w x 1.45dISBN: 9780008679880Review Citation(s): Publishers Weekly 11/24/2025About the AuthorDr John Curran is a lifelong fan of Golden Age detective fiction and one of Ireland's foremost experts on classic crime. For...

Fourteen stories. Fourteen more poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's all made-up ... Agatha Christie is renowned for her captivating plots and creative ways of killing off ill-fated victims. And what better way to add intrigue to a story than poison? The...