Crime fiction first emerged in the Victorian era and its series form continues to dominate the genre. Despite the prevalence of crime series, very little research has been done on how character is conceived. The Element's focus is contemporary, from the 1970s onward, and it determines the theory and conventions behind writing the detectives in these modern meganarratives. Exemplary series and a range of subgenres are analysed, thriller to cosy crime, professional investigator to amateur sleuth, embracing diversity and different gender identities. Previous examinations have tended to interpret the detective figure as either mythic or realist, but the author argues that both modes are combined in the contemporary crime series, generating a mythorealist protagonist. This creative-critical Element celebrates the vibrancy of the form and its capacity to investigate the human condition. It also considers future trends and concludes with the author's own guide to writing a crime fiction series.
| ISBN: | 9781009502443 |
| Publication date: | 21st August 2025 |
| Author: | Elspeth Latimer |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 75 pages |
| Series: | Cambridge Elements. Elements in Crime Narratives |
| Genres: |
Creative writing and creative writing guides Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction |
Crime fiction first emerged in the Victorian era and its series form continues to dominate the genre. Despite the prevalence of crime series, very little research has been done on how character is conceived. The Element's focus is contemporary, from the 1970s onward, and it determines the theory and conventions behind writing the detectives in these modern meganarratives. Exemplary series and a range of subgenres are analysed, thriller to cosy crime, professional investigator to amateur sleuth, embracing diversity and different gender identities. Previous examinations have tended to interpret the detective figure as either mythic or realist, but the author argues that both modes are combined in the contemporary crime series, generating a mythorealist protagonist. This creative-critical Element celebrates the vibrancy of the form and its capacity to investigate the human condition. It also considers future trends and concludes with the author's own guide to writing a crime fiction series.
Writing the Detectives features in the following genres: Creative writing and creative writing guides, Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction
Writing the Detectives is available in Paperback, Hardback
Writing the Detectives was written by Elspeth Latimer and published by Cambridge University Press
Writing the Detectives has 75 pages
Yes it is part of Cambridge Elements. Elements in Crime Narratives series
£16.20