Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James

Respected mystery writer P.D. James wrote this criticism in aid of the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest and most distinguished in the world, as an introduction to detective fiction and mystery writers of the Golden Age.

"The King died and then the Queen died" is a story. "The King died and then the Queen died of grief" is a plot. "The Queen died, no one knew why, until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the King" is a plot with a mystery... (and) "Everyone thought that the Queen had died of grief until they discovered the puncture mark in her throat" is a murder mystery.

Mysteries hold a central crime (usually murder), a closed circle of suspects who have motive and means, and an amateur or professional detective who solves it using clues the reader should be able to deduce. An intellectual challenge of a puzzle where order is restored. It is amazing how writers can bend this locked formula of constraints and conventions in innumerable and unique ways. In the 'Golden Age' of mystery between the wars, a sense of law and order prevailed, whereas in America, authors Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler wrote of social upheaval. James mentions modern authors (Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs), but stays mainly with many classic writers such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Edgar Wallace, G.K. Chesterton, spending the most time on the science and logic of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

This is a classic reading list for anyone interested in the history of detective novels; however, if you are a mystery buff, James does not present new information. Along with some personal background and small synopses of some mysteries, she also offers too much information—such as revealing whodunit—which I do not agree with. Any book that promotes 'Golden Age' mysteries based on character and setting is to be welcomed, but interest may flag based on how much you have already read.

2009 / Hardcover / 200 pages

My other review for P.D. James:

The Mistletoe Murder