Tangled Web UK Review December 2008
Great British Fictional Detectives by
Russell James
hbk out December 08
Published by Pen and Sword
at £16.99
This copiously illustrated reference book is an ideal introduction for the general reader to the fascinating world of fictional detectives. At its heart is an A to Z of characters, and Russell James has excelled himself in his choices. There are many detectives from the present day (including one of mine, Harry Devlin) but James has wisely avoided the mistake of overlooking the past, and has come up with a wonderful selection of sleuths from days gone by, a good many of whom are nowadays rather obscure. Examples include Paul Beck (not to be confused with Sweden’s famously gloomy Martin Beck, who has an entry of his own), Peter Darrington, Nelson Lee and Simon Manton. With a book of this kind, there is always scope to quibble about omissions - for instance, Henry Wade’s Inspector Poole is overlooked, yet he strikes me as much more significant than, say, Darrington or Manton. And, as with all such reference works, there are a few slips in terms of accuracy. Taken in the round, though, this is a marvellous gathering of information and should help to encourage interested readers to seek out some good books that they would otherwise never have bothered with. Mark Billingham contributes an introduction, and there are some selective lists, for instance of films with a strong detective element, humorous detectives and so on. But it’s the A to Z section that makes this book a must-read for all fans of the genre.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
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