The Life of CrimeThe Life of Crime

"The Life of Crime is the result of a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime ficiton, old and new, from around the world. Martin Edwards has drawn on his experience as an award-winning novelist to capture the breadth and complexity of crime writing in a study that is both authoritative and eminently readable. He traces the story of the genre's development and evolution in a way that will fascinate and entertain anyone who delights in a good mystery. Crime fiction is being read more widely than ever, and The Life of Crime detects the methods of crime authors and the ups and downs of their literary lives with insight, compassion, and wit. The definitive distillation of more than two centuries of extraordinary books and authors--from William Godwin to the bestsellers of today--into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for compelling reading." --