Customer Reviews

Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime & Mystery Writing

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Obviously in a field as large as mystery writing some limits had to be established to produce this relatively small book, somewhat longer than 200 pages. However, in this case the limits are so restrictive as to make this book of relatively little value to the mystery enthusiast.

The book is organized alphabetically, with a section for each letter of the alphabet and an index. However, there is no section for X, and the sections for Y and Z are only a half-page each. The entries present are well written, but there are simply too few entries. For example, although the book's title is "Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing" by my count there are only three authors listed under A and seven under T.

Because of the excessive pruning of significant and even important potential entries, this is not a book than can be recommend as a reference.

Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum (see all my other reviews at BOOKREPORTER.COM

Our culture is awash "Mystery Related" ephemera. Bookstores, public libraries, school and college libraries offer all kinds of "how to write a mystery" to scholarly and not so scholarly books, movies, plays, short stories, anthologies, magazines and true crime/true crime novels.. For the novice just coming to the genre this can be an overwhelming, Questions like: Who do I read? What should I read? What are differences between books by Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers or more contemporary writers like Carol Goodman and Dennis Lehane. Just reading reviews is not always the most informative way to choose. In an amazingly large novel form which includes such a diverse selection ranging from: the cozy, procedurals, cop/buddy series, lay detective's adventures, locked room, spy thrillers, romance laced "mystery," historicals, sci-fi and other forms of "mystery stories" are different and usually each attracts its own fans. And of course, experimenting is the best guide to choosing ones' niche.

Nobody, scholar or otherwise can compile a "What Mystery Writers To Read ..." compendium and include every writer who has penned a genre story, regardless of form.

Nevertheless many such books are available and usually helpful. The "Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing" debuted in 1999 is still the most formidable and approachable text covering mystery writers, plots, characters, especially those who appear in a series and much more arcane tidbits. Thus at this hearty staple of the genre is a major source for Rosemary Herbert's encyclopedic "Whodunit: A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing." As is the way of the world her book is not an imprint of the older contribution made by the "Oxford...." She has courageously taken on the task of bringing a new tome that is fresh, literate and timely updated.

Over the past eight years the market has been swamped with every kind of "straight" mysteries along with new approaches to writing them. New authors have emerged who have become stars and whose work is outstanding. Between the easy availability of books through libraries, chain bookstores, genre specific bookstores and independent book sellers mingled with the world of used material readers will gain enormous insight and information from Ms. Herbert's magnum opus: "Whodunit A Who's Who in Crime and Mystery Writing. Happy sleuthing!

Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

.