Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel

A history of the genre which is very good. But the greater value of this publication is that it gives a long time crime novel reviewer's brutally honest opinion of what he has read. And boy oh boy has he read a lot in eighty years! It will be a great time saver for those who want to spend their precious time reading only the best, what qualifies to be called literature. Interesting to see the criticisms he had about many raved about writers such as Thomas Harris, James Ellroy, Andrew Vachss and others who managed to sell so much. Unfortunately this guide was finished around 1990 so there is nothing about writers making their first appearance in the last 20 years. But still a valuable reference.

I like the fact that the book arrived very quickly and that is a very fine copy. I bought it because I want a reference book that I can turn to when I want to find out about a particular writer of mysteries

This is one of my favorite books about mystery stories and novels. It's a great way to find authors you might like but haven't read. Very well written and entertaining.

Great book.

Historical non-fiction

thanx