Product Description: Small towns have long been a commonplace setting in cozy mysteries, but in recent years writers of realistic crime fiction have discovered fresh possibilities in small town settings. There they can take advantage of distinct facets of small town life--a sense of community, slower pace of life, proximity to nature--and yet deal with social, economic and environmental issues...read more

Product Description: The enormous popularity of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy has raised awareness of other contemporary European authors of crime fiction. As a result, several of these novelists now reach a receptive American audience, eager for fresh perspectives in the genre...read more

Briefly sketches Leonard's life discusses each of his novels, and assesses his place in crime literature

Describes twenty-seven fictional detectives, looks at the major novels and stories in which they appeared, and discusses trends in detective fiction

Discusses the author's achievements as a writer of mystery and suspense and provides insight into all his major works

Examines the state of the private-eye genre in the 1970s, concluding that the contemporary private-eye figure is somewhat younger, even more cynical, and much more political than his forties countepart