First published 2000
Patricia Craig presents detective fiction spanning from the 1850s to contemporary times across multiple continents. The collection includes works by Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dashiell Hammett, Ellery Queen, and Georges Simenon alongside voices from Japan, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Argentina, and Czechoslovakia. Craig demonstrates how different cultures have shaped this popular genre through their unique approaches to mystery and detection. The anthology features women detectives, police procedurals, amateur sleuths, and locked room puzzles. Stories range from classic pioneering works that established genre conventions to modern interpretations that reflect contemporary sensibilities. Craig's introduction analyzes how the detective figure varies across international literature, examining cultural influences on characterization and plot structure. This comprehensive survey reveals the global reach of detective fiction while showcasing the genre's evolution over more than a century.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, mystery, detective, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, locked-room-puzzle
Setting: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Japan
Period: 1850s, Contemporary
604 pages · Paperback · Oxford University Press