Crime Fiction: A Reader's Guide

Are you a lover of crime fiction looking for new discoveries or hoping to rediscover old favorites?Then look no further. There are few contemporary crime fiction guides that cover everything from the golden age to current bestselling writers from the US, Britain and all across the world, but Barry Forshaw, a leading expert in the field, has provided a truly comprehensive survey with definitive coverage in this expanded new edition of the much admired Rough Guide to Crime Fiction. Every major writer is included, along with many other more esoteric choices. Focusing on a key book (or books) by each writer, and with essays on key crime genres, this guide is designed to be both a crime fan’s shopping list and a pithy, opinionated but unstuffy reference tool and history. Most judgments are generous (though not uncritical), and there is a host of entertaining, informed entries on related films and TV.

Barry Forshaw is the author of American Noir, Brit Noir, Euro Noir, Nordic Noir, and The Man Who Left Too Soon. He edits Crime Time and is former Vice Chair of the Crime Writers' Association. Ian Rankin is a bestselling writer whose John Rebus is one of the most enduring characters in crime fiction.