The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction 1 (Rough Guide Reference) (Paperback)

by Rough Guides (Author) "With a little ingenuity, it is possible to find literary antecedents to the modern crime novel far back in history..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction takes the reader on a guided tour of the mean streets and blind corners that make up the world’s most popular literary genre. The insider’s book recommends over 200 classic crime novels from masterminds Raymond Chandler and Patricia Highsmith to modern hotshots James Elroy and Patricia Cornwall. You’ll investigate gumshoes, spies, spooks, serial killers, forensic females, prying priests and patsies from the past, present, and future. Complete with extra information on what to read next, all movie adaptions, and illustrated throughout with photos and diagrams …all the evidence that counts

About the Author
Barry Forshaw reviews crime fiction for The Independent and The Express, and edits Crime Time magazine

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 1 edition (July 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843536544
• ISBN-13: 978-1843536543
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A guide? Well, roughly...., January 6, 2008

By	mrliteral - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I like crime fiction. The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction by Barry Forshaw, therefore, is right up my alley. Although designed as a reference text, it is only adequate in that respect. What it is better at, however, is giving mystery fans new directions to go in.

After a brief preface, Forshaw divides most of the rest of the book into different crime fiction subgenres such as cop fiction, private eye fiction and historical fiction. In each one of these chapters, he has a brief introduction and then provides a sampling within that category. For example, under "Hardboiled and Pulp", his recommendations (alphabetical by author) include The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett, Kiss Me Deadly by Mickey Spillaine and The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich. There are also occasional pictures and sidebars, either about a particular author or a movie based on a book.

Overall, this a decent enough book but also imperfect. Those familiar with the books mentioned will find occasional errors (for example, he seems to refer to James Bond villains Dr. No and Goldfinger as being associated with SPECTRE; in fact, they worked with SMERSH). Also, although there are some exceptions, Forshaw tends to focus mostly on recent material (2000 or later). There seems to be a bias to include more English authors than probably merited, and any crime fiction fan will find numerous omitted authors (including Ridley Pearson, Randy Wayne White, Ken Follett, David Morrell, Stephen White, Richard North Patterson, Faye Kellerman, Vince Flynn, T. Jefferson Parker and John Katzenbach).

Of course, a book like this is very subjective, but I think Forshaw could have done a better survey of the genre. Nonetheless, for what it does offer - in particular, a chance to be exposed to new writers - and the fact that it is reasonably entertaining to read, I am giving this a low four stars. If you're a crime fiction fan, this will be an interesting but nonessential book.