Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul3 reviews Barbara Reynolds St. Martin's Press, 2002 Anything But Whimsical + My New Friend Dorothy + One of the most beautiful biographies I have ever read! Dorothy L. Sayers did more in her life than just create the aristocratic detective Lord Peter Wimsey. In addition to writing the Wimsey novels and short stories, she was one of the first female graduates of Oxford, a translator of Dante, a poet and a Christian apologist whose reputation at the time ...             The 8:55 to Baghdad: From London to Iraq on the Trail of Agatha Christie and the Orient Express12 reviews Andrew Eames Overlook Hardcover, 2005 EXQUISITE NOSTALGIA FOR TRAIN LOVERS + Wish I could take this trip + Like it + Captures people, place, and time vividly--well recommended + Appeals on many levels.             The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle1 review John Dickson Carr Da Capo Press, 2003 Exuberant Victorian Some listings of biographical archives appear at the end of the book. Charles Doyle, the father, was by profession an architect. Charles Doyle liked fishing. Arthur was educated by the Jesuits at Stonyhurst. At age 15 he visited relatives in London and was a rabid sight-seer. He studied in ...             They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated and Forgotten Mystery Novels2 reviews Crum Creek Press, 2002 Great Book As the noted mystery critic Marilyn Stasio pointed out in the New York Times Book review this book is a great way to find new and obscure books and authors. What's really wonderful about it is that each and every one of the essay writers feels a deep passion for the book they write about and often ...             The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder27 reviews Daniel Stashower Dutton Adult, 2006 One girl goes missing and transforms history + Murdered, or Victim of a Botched Abortion? THE BEAUTIFUL CIGAR GIRL is attention-holding social and literary history nimbly written by Daniel Stashower. It is the story of a real crime committed in July 1841 in or about New York City that transfixed the media of the day, challenged Edgar Allan Poe to put his detective fiction theories to ...             Agatha Christie (Pocket Essential series) Mark Campbell Pocket Essentials, 2005 Pocket Essentials is a dynamic series of books that are concise, lively, and easy to read. Packed with facts as well as expert opinions, each book has all the key information you need to know about such popular topics as film, television, cult fiction, history, and more. In this book, Mark Campbell provides an informed introduction to the Agatha Christie phenomenon, including a biography of the ...             Final Seance: The Strange Friendship Between Houdini and Conan Doyle9 reviews Massimo Polidoro Prometheus Books, 2001 Fascinating book for more than just Houdini - Conan Doyle fans + The Skeptic vs. the Believer I was so fascinated by this book that I read it in one evening. In a narrow sense, the topic is the discussion/debate between Houdini and Conan Doyle about spiritualism that first made them friends and then opponents. In a larger sense, I think that it has a great deal to say about the human ...             What About Murder? A Guide to Books About Mystery and Detective Fiction Jon L. Breen The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1995 Identifies and annotates 239 books about mystery and detective fiction published through the end of 1981.             Detecting Women Pocket Guide: Checklist for Mystery Series Written by Women (Mystery Series)6 reviews Willetta L. Heising Purple Moon Press, 1998 Great place to keep track of mystery reading + Remember what I read, please! + A must for mystery readers + A 'must have' for every mystery reader             Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books3 reviews Keating Carroll & Graf, 1996 "Crime & Mystery" is the Mystery Reader's Reference Book. + A good resource for turning up classics "Crime & Mystery" is a must own for mystery readers. Those new to the genre will get a "leg up" to the best of the best. Long-time readers will learn of out-of-print works unavailable in traditional book stores. If you were only to read the 100 titles listed in "Crimes & Mysteries," you would ...             Cornell Woolrich from Pulp Noir to Film Noir1 review Thomas C. Renzi McFarland & Company, 2006 A "must-read" for anyone interested in the evolution of the film noir concept in pulp and film Cornell Woolrich From Pulp Noir To Film Noir is an in-depth examination of pulp writer Cornell Woolrich, who wildly popular in the 1930s and 1940s and the single most adapted writer for films of the noir period. Featuring a detailed analysis of twenty-two of Woolrich's novels and short stories, as ...             The Crown Crime Companion: The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time1 review Inc. Mystery Writers Of America Three Rivers Press, 1995 Excellent Volume for Mystery Fans Having trouble deciding on which mystery novel to read? This book is a great starting point. This volume lists the "Top 100" mystery novels (actually 101) as voted by members of the Mystery Writers of America. For each book (technically some are not novels), Otto Penzler has written a brief ...             Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing2 reviews Rosemary Herbert Oxford University Press, USA, 2003 A NEW AND TRIM COMPENDIUM OF EVERY ASPECT OF THE MYSTERY GENRE Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum (see all my other reviews at BOOKREPORTER.COM Our culture is awash "Mystery Related" ephemera. Bookstores, public libraries, school and college libraries offer all kinds of "how to write a mystery" to scholarly and not so scholarly books, movies, plays, ...             Hardboiled Mystery Writers: Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, Ross Macdonald: A Literary Reference Carroll & Graf, 2002 The action is violent, the characters are tough, the atmosphere's dark, the tone impersonal, the speech colloquial, and the voice of the author, whatever his origins or background, authentically American. Hard-boiled crime fiction, which captured the national imagination in the bitter, hard-bitten 1930s and flourished for many decades after, is a leading example of endemically American literary ...             Conan Doyle, Detective: The True Crimes Investigated by the Creator of Sherlock Holmes1 review Peter Costello Running Press, 2006 Outstanding True Crime Book Peter Costello's Conan Doyle: Detective is one of the most fascinating true crime books published in the 21st Century. Like his fictional creation, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a detective. However, Doyle was strictly an amateur and many of his cases, such as that of Jack the ...             Behind the Mystery: Top Mystery Writers Interviewed by Stuart Kaminsky and Photographed by Laurie Roberts7 reviews Stuart Kaminsky Hot House Press, 2005 Charming photos, mystery author interviews. + Essential reading for all budding writers + Enter the mystery on a personal level Kaminsky is an award-winning mystery writer himself, and is in the perfect position to introduce his fellow mystery writer friends to audiences in BEHIND THE MYSTERY: TOP MYSTERY WRITERS INTERVIEWED. Working with professional photographer Laurie Roberts, who captures images of these writers in ...             Discovering The Maltese Falcon and Sam Spade: The Evolution of Dashiell Hammett's Masterpiece, Including John ...5 reviews Vince Emery Productions, 2005 A "must-read" for mystery movie trivia buffs + Amazing Collection of Materials on the Genesis and Legacy of "The Maltese Falcon". + No Question Left Unanswered + A Rare Treat For The Fan Of Sam Spade + Dashiell Hammett             The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: The Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle10 reviews Andrew Lycett Free Press, 2007 The Real Holmes, The Real Doyle + Satisfying Biography, But Perhaps Not for Sherlockians + More About the Man Than His Work + The Man Who Was Wanted + The Strange Adventure of the Scottish Doctor who created Sherlock H olmes and believed in fairies             Twentieth-Century Crime Fiction Lee Horsley Oxford University Press, USA, 2005 Twentieth-Century Crime Fiction aims to enhance understanding of one of the most popular forms of genre fiction by examining a wide variety of the detective and crime fiction produced in Britain and America during the twentieth century. It will be of interest to anyone who enjoys reading crime fiction but is specifically designed with the needs of students in mind. It introduces different ...             Anatomy of Murder: Mystery, Detective, and Crime Fiction Carl Darryl Malmgren Bowling Green University Popular Press, 2001 This text identifies three basic fictional forms dealing with murder and detection - mystery, detective and crime fiction. It attempts to express their interrelations, to define their differences, and to explain why these subgenres take the forms they do. Parts One and Two distinguish between mystery and detective in terms of their narrative worlds and their treatment of the sign. Mystery fiction ...