Talking About Detective Fiction [Paperback]

P. D. James, the undisputed queen of mystery, gives us an intriguing, inspiring and idiosyncratic look at the genre she has spent her life perfecting.
 
Examining mystery from top to bottom, beginning with such classics as Charles Dickens'sBleak Houseand Wilkie Collins'sThe Woman in White, and then looking at such contemporary masters as Colin Dexter and Henning Mankell, P. D. James goes right to the heart of the genre. Along the way she traces the lives and writing styles of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, and many more. Here is P.D. James discussing detective fiction as social history, explaining its stylistic components, revealing her own writing process, and commenting on the recent resurgence of detective fiction in modern culture. It is a must have for the mystery connoisseur and casual fan alike.“[P.D. James’s] literary sensibility—calm observation and exact description—is on ample display here.”—Wall Street Journal
 
“An avid book-length essay on the roots, ethics and methods of the detective story . . . Her opinions are often surprising and determinedly contrary . . . Refreshingly outspoken.”—New York Times
 
“An amiable, personal appreciation of the genre by someone who has been one of its most accomplished and popular exponents.”—The Times, London
 
“It’s like sitting across from P. D. James over tea, and that, naturally, is a delight.”—Booklist
 
“Anyone who is interested in P. D. James’s own fiction will want to read this, but it stands in its own right as a deeper, more thoughtful enquiry into what it is we get out of detective fiction . . . Elegant and thoughtful.”—The Independent, London

A master class on British mysteries . . . It's hard to imagine a better guide. --Christian Science Monitor