Pamela M. Price-Anisman
Note: The four titles on the Student Reading List should be considered to be part of this list; descriptions are included in the body of the unit.
Primary Sources
Buchan, John.
The Thirty
-
Nine Steps in Modern Mystery and Detective Novels
. Jay E. Greene, ed. New York: Globe Book Company, 1951.
This particular volume also includes
Jamaica Inn
,
Portrait of Jennie
, and
Dr
.
Jekyll and Mr
.
Hyde
. It is used at Hillhouse and Lee. The Buchan work is the classic spy thriller. It offers the teacher a chance to study an amateur detective who is unexpectedly involved in a mystery that could lead to the hero’s death.
Burns, Rex.
Angle of Attack
. New York: Harper and Row, 1979.
This is a fine example of the police procedural. Although Ed McBain is considered the master of this type of work, Burns’ work is much more involving and, in many way, superior in style and content. Wager is a solitary figure and a great cop. He is also a man with a definite sense of justice. This book would work well with a quality group who would get the subtler descriptions and decisions made.
Chandler, Raymond.
The Little Sister
. Boston: Houghton, 1949.
Any Chandler would offer the teacher a good view of the American hard-boiled detective in the form of Philip Marlowe. The detective here is a cynical outsider who is more interested in working toward the solution than in making the criminal pay.
Christie, Agatha.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
.
More Stories to be Remembered
. Thomas B. Costain and John Beecroft, eds. New York: Doubleday, 1958.
Christie is the mistress of the English manorhouse mystery. This particular work introduces the teacher to Hercule Poirot, the detective with all those wonderful “little grey cells.” Fair play is the big issue here; did Christie rob the reader at the end?
Hall, Adam.
The Tango Briefing
. Glasgow, Great Britain: Fontana, 1973.
This novel is a personal favorite. The main character is Quiller, of
Quiller Memorandum
fame. Again, the teacher will be thrown into a foreign threatening landscape where the only way to survive is to rely on self only. The book is brilliant to the end, which is a real shocker in itself.
Household, Geoffrey.
Dance of the Dwarfs
. Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1968.
This book clearly illustrates the literary value of the genre. It is too difficult for all but the best of classes, however, it will convince skeptical teachers that detective fiction can be much more than a casual read.
Le Carré, John.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
. New York: Dell, 1963.
This is the classic modern spy novel. It is a believable cold war tale; the spy, Leamas, is both dedicated and alienated. Again, the end is unexpected.
Parker, Robert.
Mortal Stakes
. New York: Berkely Medallion Books, 1975.
Another good choice for teachers who feel they will not like detective fiction at all. This novel is about baseball and is set in Boston. Spenser, a series figure, is another ex= ample of the American hard-boiled detective. Parker uses violence throughout his mystery novels to alter characters’ perceptions of themselves and society.
Sayers, Dorothy.
The Nine Tailors
. New York: Harcourt and Brace, 1934.
Sayers is a difficult author to read but she is the first mystery writer to be admitted to the ranks of “great writers.” This is a
very
English novel and should be viewed as an important piece of background reading for the genre.
Secondary Sources
Haycraft, Howard, ed.
The Art of the Mystery Story
. New York; Grosset and Dunlap, 1936.
This is a collection of essays about both the genre in general and many of the classics.
Winks, Robin W., ed.
Detective Fiction
:
A Collection of Critical Essays
. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1980.
In addition to a marvelous menu of articles, the volume offers two bibliographies designed for college courses and a list of the author’s two hundred favorite titles. Professor Winks was the seminar leader.
Winks, Robin W.
Modus Operandi
:
An Excursion into Detective Fiction
. Boston: Godine, 1982.
This is a personal statement about the importance of the mystery and detective novel both as literary and social work. There is a tremendous amount of information about authors and their works but he gives nothing essential away. This is an enjoyable book, a rare find in the all-too-often boring category of background material.