In the first major history of crime fiction in fifty years, The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators traces the evolution of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present, offering brand-new perspective on the world's most popular form of fiction.

"A fascinating portrait of the overlooked Dashiell Hammett--from his years as a Pinkerton detective to becoming the author of arguably the most iconic detective novels of the twentieth century"--

Widely known as the crime fiction writer whose work led to the movies Get Shorty and Out of Sight, Elmore Leonard had a special knack for creating "cool" characters. In Being Cool, Charles J. Rzepka looks at what makes the dope-dealers, bookies, grifters, financial advisors, talent agents, shady attorneys, hookers, models, and crooked cops of Leonard's world cool. They may be nefarious, but they are also confident, skilled, and composed and cope without...

"Crime fiction expert Susanna Lee tracks the evolution of the hard-boiled character type over time and media in the United States. She shows how crime fiction rose in popularity at times of national conflict. Readers and viewers crave the sort of grit and independence that the hard-boiled detective offers when reality may leave them feeling they lack control over their own lives. This is a study of literature and film and also a work of cultural studies"--...