Author Description

This book discusses British and American crime fiction from the eighteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first. From the mean streets to the country house to cyberspace and from Poe to Margery Allingham to Ian Rankin, the guide identifies key trends in theories and histories of crime fiction. It traces the history of crime fiction in the British and American tradition as well as authors, such as Henning Mankell and Akimitsu Takaqi, who published outside of the Anglo-American tradition. The book discusses writers, concepts and issues and explores the ways in which such diverse texts as The Leavenworth Case, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, A Rage in Harlem, and Postmortem can be read in the light of critical approaches. The book concludes with a guide to studying crime fiction as well as a student resources section. Key Features: *Clearly identifies the main trends in British and American crime fiction and locates them in their historical and cultural contexts *Provides an informed account of key texts and issues, discussing the work of range of well-known and lesser-known crime writers *Introduces students to a variety of critical and theoretical approaches to writing about crime fiction *Encourages reflection on questions of literary value and the study of genre fiction