P D James -- Talking About Detective Fiction

‘TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION’

February 2015

P.D. (Phyllis Dorothy) James was born in Oxford, England, on August 3, 1920. She began working as a civil servant at age 16 through marriage and motherhood, and began writing mystery novels in her late 30s. By the time she retired to write full-time, she had become famous as the creator of fictional detective Adam Dalgliesh. James also wrote the novels Children of Men and Death Comes to Pemberley. James died on November 27, 2014 at the age of 94.

Here are some suggestions for more about Mysteries and lists of titles ….

Check NoveList for suggestions by mystery sub-genre and some articles about mysteries (Look in the Professional Tool Box for these.)

Mystery Categories used by NoveList

• By the Book
• Christian Mysteries
• Classic Mysteries
• Cooking Up Crime
• Crafty Crimes
• Fatally Funny
• Getting Cozy
• Gumshoes and Flatfoots
• Historical Mysteries
• Make Mine Hardboiled
• Not Just for Teens: Mysteries
• Paranormal Mysteries
• Police Procedurals

Getting Up to Speed in Mystery (Dec 2013)    Contributed By: Saricks, Joyce                         Summary: Mysteries are puzzles. The author provides clues to the solution but attempts to obscure some information so that the puzzle cannot be solved too easily. Along with the detective, readers are drawn into the puzzle while attempting to solve it.

Getting Up to Speed in Police Procedurals (Aug 2013)  Contributed By: Zellers, Jessica    Summary: A subgenre of the Mystery novel, Police Procedurals follow police officers and their associates as they investigate a crime, typically a murder

A few of many websites …..

Omnimystery: A Family of Mystery Websites.

www.omnimystery.com/

Our websites are committed to providing visitors with the best and most current information about their favorite mystery books, authors, characters, television

Mystery.ComCozy                                                                                                    www.cozy-mystery.com/                                                                                             A guide to Cozy Mystery books, TV, & movies. Chronological lists of books by hundreds of Cozy Mystery authors. Many Cozy Mystery themes & holiday books.

TopMystery: The Best Mystery Books and Movies                                       www.topmystery.com/                                                                                                      Welcome to Topmystery.com - the website about the top mystery books, movies and authors. Use the menu on the top to navigate through the sections of the …

Mystery Net.com: Online mysteries, mystery games, mystery ...

www.mysterynet.com/    and    mysternet.com/authors/ for links to author websites            Mystery Network. Mystery entertainment and information for everyone who likes mysteries                                           

Looking for a Mystery                                  http://www.sldirectory.com/mystery.html                                            Categorized lists

Some Works about Mysteries in PLS ...

From Detective Fiction m Victorian Sleuths to the Present By Alexander, M. Lee (Spoken-word CD - 2010 )   Professor Alexander offers 14 lectures that cover groundbreaking authors from Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle to Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, and modern writers such as Nevada Barr and Jonathan Kellerman.

Books to Die for The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels (2012)  Mystery authors from twenty countries reveal their favorite mystery novels, in a collection of essays that features contributions from Jo Nesbo, Jeffery Deaver, and Sophie Hannah.

Women of Mystery The Lives and Works of Notable Women Crime Novelists By DuBose, Martha Hailey (2000)  A collection of biographical vignettes focuses on the best female mystery writers in the business, including lawyer Anna Green, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Josephine Tey, and Margery Allingham.

The Dashiell Hammett Tour Thirtieth Anniversary Guidebook By Herron, Don  (2000)  Detailing locations of interest, including all of Hammett’s known residences and the majority of settings from The Maltese Falcon, this guidebook contains maps, self-guided tours, and photographs of Hammett-related locations from both then and now.

Philosophies of Crime Fiction By Hoffmann, Josef (2013)  Josef Hoffmann covers influences and inspirations in crime writing with references to a stellar cast of crime writers including Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Dashiell Hammett, Albert Camus, Borges, Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Ted Lewis. Hoffmann examines why crime literature may provide stronger consolation for readers than philosophy

Crimes of the Scene A Mystery Novel Guide for the International Traveler By King, Nina (1997)

An annotated guide to atmospheric mysteries organized by country allows the traveling reader total immersion in the culture, people, and attractions of a place