Whodunit? A Guide to Crime, Suspense, & Spy Fiction

Goodreads tells me that I have been reading Whodunit? for nine months. And now I have finally finished it. That makes it sound like it was a chore, but I enjoyed reading it every time I picked it up. It was one of several books I keep around the house and pick up and read when time permits and the mood hits me.

This is a mystery reference book edited by H.R.F. Keating, published in 1982. Most mystery reference books I would not try to read in their entirety, either due to spoilers or because there is too much to read. But this one is perfect for reading, very entertaining, and I am sure I will be sampling from it often. H.R.F. Keating supplies the introduction. There are lovely black and white photos and illustrations throughout.

Keeping in mind that the book was published in 1982, it obviously doesn't include current authors. But for readers who like mysteries from the Golden Age to the present, it is a fount of information for the older, obscure authors. And a view of the early career of authors who are still writing. Although I am always on the lookout for mystery reference books, new or old, it was Sarah at Crimepieces, in this post on two vintage mysteries by Frances Crane, who introduced me to this book.

This book has several sections:

• Crime Fiction and Its Categories
• How I Write My Books (pieces by Stanley Ellin, P. D. James, Desmond Bagley, Dorothy Eden, Patricia Highsmith, Gregory Mcdonald, Lionel Davidson, Len Deighton, Eric Ambler, and H.R.F. Keating)
• Writers and Their Books: A Consumer's Guide
• The People of Crime Fiction

In August, 2013, I had read the first two sections, and I discussed them in this post. In the first section, I especially enjoyed Hillary Waugh's discussion of the American police procedural, Michael Gilbert's take on the British police procedural, and John Gardner's overview of the espionage novel.

The section about Writers and Their Books was authored by: Dorothy B. Hughes, Reginald Hill, Melvyn Barnes and H.R.F. Keating. For each author listed, one to three books are suggested as a good introduction to the author. Some excerpts from that section:

Ferrars, Elizabeth:

British detective novelist, published in the U.S. as E.X. Ferrars. With 50 books behind her, starting in 1940, she is one of the stalwarts of the traditional British-style crime novel.... Her books always give the reader something to think about, as well as a good puzzle to unravel. Her people are notably real. They eat; they choose clothes.

Lathen, Emma:

Pseudonym of mystery-writing team Mary Latsis and Martha Henissart. ... Lathen is inimitable, witty, intelligent, honest, and just an all-round terrific writer. The key man and crime solver of the Lathen books is John Putnam Thatcher, New York banker. He and his story reflect the modes and manners of today's Manhattan and the surrounding suburbs.

Garfield, Brian:

American mystery writer. A prolific writer of Westerns under his own name and under many pseudonyms, Brian Garfield moved into the mystery field to an immediate and equal success. He writes the hard-boiled novel and many of his stories have been filmed. In 1975, Garfield received the Edgar for Best Novel with Hopscotch.

The People of Crime Fiction section covers 90 popular characters and was written by H.R.F. Keating. The illustrations come from a variety of sources: film and televisions stills when the characters have been portrayed in adaptations; illustrations from books and magazines; and some were specially commissioned for the book. That section is very entertaining and contains many interesting facts about the characters and the authors that I had not known.

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Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold [1982]
Length: 314 pages
Format: Hardback