Elizabeth S. Celotto
The following list includes texts for the unit, suggestions for free reading, related literature, and material from other media, all suitable for this age and grade level.
Novels
Auchincloss, Louis, ed.
The Edith Wharton Reader
. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1965.
Ethan Frome
(1911).
New England setting, the air of suspense, and the romance of a girl and an older man make this a good companion piece to
Last Seen Wearing
.
Ball, John.
In the Heat of the Night
. New York: Bantam Books, 1965. Straightforward police procedural novel stressing racial tensions. Sense of place and growth of human relationships makes it worth the reading.
Buchan, John.
39 Steps
. New York: Fawcett Popular Library, 1915.
The classic spy-chase novel; very readable and enjoyable in spite of somewhat dated attitudes.
Buckley, William F.
Marco Polo, if You Can
. Garden City, Doubleday, 1982.
Excellent combining of historical and fictional characters in order to detail the workings of American security networks. Some significant human relationships portrayed.
Burns, Rex.
Angle of Attack
. New York: Harper and Row, Pub., 1979.
A Chicano detective employs his own brand of justice in solving the killing of a teenager. Ethnic rivalries, a city in transition, and gangland activity stress the urban scene.
Clark, Walter Van Tilburg.
The Ox-Bow Incident
. New York: The New American Library, 1940.
Not a mystery, but the western setting, the suspense, the problem of mob justice make this a good companion piece to some of the required novels.
Cross, Amanda.
Poetic Justice
. New York: Avon Books, 1979.
Easier reading than Sayers or P.D. James for the student who is interested in female sleuths. Interesting themes of university politics and student unrest.
Faulkner, William.
Intruder in the Dust
. New York: Random House, 1948.
A difficult but excellent novel for the student interested in learning more about justice and race relations before desegregation.
Hall, Adam.
Tango Briefing
. Garden City: Doubleday & Co., 1973.
Quiller searches for a plane in the North African desert in a spy thriller that depicts the dangers of plane gliding in mysterious locales.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel.
The Scarlet Letter
. New York: Pocket Books, 1952.
Out-of-wedlock pregnancy in another time and in another part of the Massachusetts Colony make this a companion piece to
Last Seen Wearing
. Harder reading.
Hillerman, Tony.
The Dark Wind
. New York: Harper & Row, Pub., 1982.
———.
Listening Woman
. 1968.
Two Navaho tribal detectives solving crimes resulting from the clash of cultures. The first of the novels involves seemingly related crimes, tribal rivalries, and rituals; the second involves the more complex themes of patricide, fratricide, religion, and ethnic preservation. Strongest sense of place and people.
Household, Geoffrey.
Rogue Male
. New York: Penguin Books, 1939.
In the style of
39 Steps
, a lone male stalks a dangerous world leader. The hunt and the hiding both depend on Man becoming one with his environment.
Household, Geoffrey.
Dance of the Dwarfs
. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.
The hunter becomes the hunted in this thrilling horror story that brings new dimensions to the genre. Superb sense of place. Careful reading advised. Some diary form used.
James, P.D.
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
. New York: Fawcett Popular Library, 1972.
An attractive, credible, confident young woman solves the mystery of the death of a young man. The Cambridge University setting and the classes of the people make this a unique story.
Kelly, Mary.
Spoilt Kill
. New York: Harper and Row, 1961.
A private detective becomes personally involved as he solves the murder in a pottery town in Northern England. Excellent depiction of the influence of the fiery furnaces on the livelihoods and the mentality of the people and on the landscape.
Kienzle, William X.
The Rosary Murders
. Kansas City: Andrews and McNeel, Inc., 1979.
A Roman Catholic priest solves the murders of several clerics. The coincidences strain credulity but the details of the religious and ethnic elements in the urban sprawl of Detroit make it worth reading. The author, a former priest, writes penetratingly, humanely, with humor.
O’Donnell, Lillian.
The Children’s Zoo
. New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons, 1981.
Not the best series about a female detective, but it is very readable, and the theme of juvenile gang crime and the authenticity of the New York setting make it suitable for students. Emphasizes the difficulty of operating on the levels of woman, wife, and detective.
Stout, Rex.
The Doorbell Rang
. New York: The Viking Press, 1965.
For those who like the flavor of Manhattan, food, and exotic hobbies. The sense of regionalism is very strong, and the team of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin untangle the murder and cover-up in their usual clever manner.
Upfield, Arthur W.
Death of a Swagman
. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1945.
One in a series featuring a part-aborigine Australian detective, Napoleon Bonaparte. Written in a rather quaint or dated fashion, but the superb ethnic element and sense of place are beautifully presented.
Waugh, Hillary.
Last Seen Wearing
. New York: Harper & Row, 1952.
A well-written, straightforward police procedural novel set in a New England college town, involving the search for the killer of a female student. There is an excellent portrayal of a police partnership, court processes, use of a diary; authentic picture of town and gown, the change of the seasons, the feeling of New England.
Waugh, Hillary.
The Missing Man
. Garden City: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1964.
The police chief and his sergeant in a small Connecticut shore town search for the killer of a girl found washed up on the beach. Again, a logically and satisfyingly written novel for anyone interested in the local scene.
The Short Detective Story
Hubin, Allen J., ed.
Best of the Best Short Stories, 1946-1971
. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1971.
For those readers who are satisfied with samples from a variety of authors of mixed talent or fame.
Reference Books
Blum, John M.,
et al
.
The National Experience, Parts 1 & 11
. 5th Ed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981.
Concise coverage of major movements and events throughout American history. Excellent titling and indexing to aid class in reviewing material pertinent to the literature.
Highwater, Jamake.
Fodor’s Indian America
. New York: David McKay Co., Inc., 1975.
An amazing work by a young Navajo that is much more than a travel guide. In a sensitive, honest, and informative treatment, he details the history, religions, arts and culture, customs, political currents, and homelands of the indian nations across the continent. A very good companion to the Hillerman novels, especially the sections on Navajo migration, tribal police and legal systems, and on tribal celebrations.
———.
Rand McNally Road Atlas: United States/Canada/Mexico
. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1982.
Well-detailed for visualizing settings of novels.
Van Doren, Mark,
et al
.
Insights Into Literature
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1965.
Contains essential material on the short story and the novel, including some of the mystery genre. Another similar anthology would also serve.
Brain Teasers
Razzi, Jim & Mary.
The Sherlock Bones Mystery Detective, Book 1
. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.
Students can test younger siblings’ deductive skills with this.
Sobol, Donald J.
Two-Minutes Mysteries
. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1967.
Capsule mysteries with answer sections. For intermediate readers.
Treat Lawrence.
Crime and Puzzlement
. Boston: David R. Godine, 1981.
More advanced picture mysteries, each accompanied by a quiz.
Includes suggestions for careful reading. Warning: do not search for too arcane meanings.
Winn, Dilys.
Murder Ink: The Mystery Reader’s Companion
. New York: Workman Pub. Co., Inc., 1977.
An excellent collection of essays written by authors and fans about other mystery writers and their creations. Informative and witty.
Other Media
Rossi, Nick.
The American Indian
. New Haven: Keyboard Pub., 1971. A kit containing written material and a film strip with sound, presenting indian folkways through song, dance sounds, and narrative. Pertinent sections include the Navajo Squaw Dance, and painting-healing rituals, and the Silversmith’s Song.
Newspapers, magazines (news, commentary, literary), film and T.V. (news, documentaries, dramas).
Students should be encouraged to read or view these media for elements that lend themselves to the mystery genre. They may analyze the structure, separate fact from fiction, deduce the truth, find outstanding ethnic or regional influences, and detect parallels in their own life experiences. In the written media, students can also enjoy, and even compare, a variety of reviews of mystery novels or films.
General
Further study of Indians could include these resources: Adair, John,
The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths
; Dockstader, Frederick,
Indian Art in America
; Hassrick, Royal,
North American Indians
; Hillerman, Tony,
The Spell of New Mexico
; Horgan, Paul,
The Rio Grande
; Kluckhohn, Clyde,
Indian Witchcraft & The Navajo
; Trumbull, James,
Indian Names in Connecticut
; Waters, Frank,
Book of the Hopi
; Whipple, Chandler,
The Indian and the White Man in Connecticut
; Wissler, Clark,
Indians of the United States
.
Many excellent paintings and early photographs included.
