Detecting Fiction

This book belongs to an unusual genre that might well
be called
personal criticism, sharing as it does
characteristics of both literary
criticism and the personal essay. It is an
exploration of detective
fiction, investigating why I like certain mystery
writers (or not) and
trying to detect whether there is more artistic merit
in their writing
than simply proficient plotting and energetic action.
The first essay is a
general inquiry into the thriller/detective genre,
looking at various
authors and why I either like or dislike them; the
second considers
three classic writers of the so-called noir mystery
(Dashiell Hammett,
Raymond Chandler, and Ross Macdonald); and the third
examines a
characteristic that many hard-boiled detectives
display, namely, that
each has been damaged in some way, either socially or
psychologically.
The thrust of these essays is not simply to display
my taste but to
discern as well whether and what kinds of literary
merit is to be found
in the writers I consider.

Autorentext

Dr. Thurman has studied religion, psychology, education, andcomputer science, but his true love has always been English literature and language. Reading thrillers and detective novels began as a simple diversion but later developedinto a serious interest. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and teaches at collegesin the area.

Klappentext

This book belongs to an unusual genre that might wellbe called personal criticism, sharing as it doescharacteristics of both literary criticism and the personal essay. It is anexploration of detective fiction, investigating why I like certain mysterywriters (or not) and trying to detect whether there is more artistic meritin their writing than simply proficient plotting and energetic action. The first essay is a general inquiry into the thriller/detective genre,looking at various authors and why I either like or dislike them; thesecond considers three classic writers of the so-called noir mystery(Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross Macdonald); and the thirdexamines a characteristic that many hard-boiled detectivesdisplay, namely, that each has been damaged in some way, either socially orpsychologically. The thrust of these essays is not simply to displaymy taste but to discern as well whether and what kinds of literarymerit is to be found in the writers I consider.