Varieties of Crime Fiction

Leading critic S.T. Joshi reviews surveys the work of 13 mystery and crime writers, ranging from the Golden Age, Hardboiled school, the Psychological Mystery, and Contemporary Writers. The Golden Age Dorothy L. Sayers: Lords and Servants John Dickson Carr: Puzzlemeister Margery Allingham: Murder, Gangs, and Spies Philip MacDonald: Expanding the "Cosy" Mystery II. The Hard-Boiled School Dashiell Hammett: Sam Spade and Others Raymond Chandler: Mean Streets Ross Macdonald: Family Affairs III. The Psychological Mystery Margaret Millar: Scars of the Psyche Patricia Highsmith: Guilt and Innocence L. P. Davies: The Workings of the Mind Some Contemporaries P. D. James: The Empress's New Clothes Ruth Rendell: The Psychology of Murder Sue Grafton: Hard-Boiled Female