Talking About Detective Fiction by P. D.…

Talking About Detective Fiction (original 2009; edition 2009)

by P. D. James (Author)

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P. D. James--one of the most widely admired writers of detective fiction at work today--gives us a personal, lively exploration of the human appetite for mystery and mayhem, and of those writers who have satisfied it. She examines the genre from top to bottom, beginning with the mysteries at the hearts of such novels as Charles Dickens's Bleak House, and bringing us into the present with such writers as Colin Dexter and Sara Paretsky. She compares British and American Golden Age mystery writing. She discusses detective fiction as social history, the stylistic components of the genre, her own process of writing, how critics have reacted over the years, and what she sees as a renewal of detective fiction--and of the detective hero--in recent years.--From publisher description.… (more)

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Member:	mcoverton
Title:	Talking About Detective Fiction
Authors:	P. D. James (Author)
Info:	Vintage (2009), 210 pages
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Talking About Detective Fiction by P. D. James (2009)

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Showing 1-5 of 49 (next | show all)

Dare I say this about the great P.D. James? This book could have used an editor. Lots of delicious tidbits, insights, and discussion about crime/mystery/detective fiction in all its aspects. It read like she was just having a long, uninterrupted chat, ranging here and there, and moving on to new topics abruptly.

Still worth a read. After all, it IS P.D. James!! (

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Dorothy2012 | Apr 22, 2024 |

In this slim volume, the author has a bit of a chat with us about the state of detective fiction. Her perspective is distinctly British, and rooted in the middle of the 20th century, but that doesn't mean her observations aren't keen or widely applicable or out of step with modern readers and authors. On the contrary, from this elder stateswomen of detective writing we gain perspective, depth and understanding about the past, present and future of the genre. (

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zot79 | Aug 20, 2023 |

Fun short book on the art of detective fiction. It's an enjoyable read if you like this genre. Also a few tips are given on the writing process. (

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kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |

Rather a slight work, a basic survey of the subject written for a charitable cause (

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ponsonby | Jun 24, 2022 |

James focuses mostly on "golden age" detective fiction, and her discussions of Christie, Sayers, Allingham, and Marsh are good. In other sections, she touches on a few other writers such as Edmund Crispin and Michael Innes. There is a sidetrack to acknowledge Hammett and Chandler and how their work differs from British writers. All in all, this is interesting, but it is hardly an in-depth look at the genre. Of course, written as it is by one of the acknowledged masters, there are some insights into the writing process. The audiobook is well read by Diana Bishop. (

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datrappert | Feb 6, 2022 |

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thingScore 75

James's style is every bit as elegant here as it is in her fiction: she presents her views with a modesty that makes it hard to take exception to them, coupled with an intellectual vigour that makes it impossible not to take them seriously. At almost 90, with more than 20 books behind her, she remains a writer of tremendous energy and intelligence, and this essay comes as no mean addition to her oeuvre.

added by souloftherose | editThe Observer, Edmund Gordon (Oct 10, 2010)

Slim as it is, Talking About Detective Fiction has biblical heft. Like her own novels, the style is clean, thoughtful and full of grace.

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times Book Review, Marilyn Stasio (Dec 13, 2009)

[This book dispels] any doubts as to whether the nearly 90-year-old, demure-looking P. D. James has the toughness to dissect the world of crime writing.

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times, Janet Maslin (Dec 7, 2009)

Fans of Baroness James’s 20 novels will be rewarded by plenty of... insights into how she approaches her chosen profession, as well as some intelligent and well-read discussion of a genre that has perhaps never been more popular.

added by Shortride | editThe Christian Science Monitor, Yvonne Zipp (Nov 27, 2009)

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Awards

Agatha Award (Nominee – Non-Fiction – 2009)

Edgar Award (Nominee – Critical/Biographical Work – 2010)

Macavity Award (Winner – Non-Fiction – 2010)

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Talking about detective fiction

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2009

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Death in particular seems to provide the minds of the Anglo-Saxon race with a greater fund of innocent amusement than any other single subject.
Dorothy L. Sayers

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These words were written by Dorothy L. Sayers in her preface to a volume entitled Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror, Third Series, published by Gollancz in 1934.

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▾Book descriptions

P. D. James--one of the most widely admired writers of detective fiction at work today--gives us a personal, lively exploration of the human appetite for mystery and mayhem, and of those writers who have satisfied it. She examines the genre from top to bottom, beginning with the mysteries at the hearts of such novels as Charles Dickens's Bleak House, and bringing us into the present with such writers as Colin Dexter and Sara Paretsky. She compares British and American Golden Age mystery writing. She discusses detective fiction as social history, the stylistic components of the genre, her own process of writing, how critics have reacted over the years, and what she sees as a renewal of detective fiction--and of the detective hero--in recent years.--From publisher description.

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Book description

To judge by the worldwide success of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Poirot, it is not only the Anglo-Saxons who have an appetite for mystery and mayhem. Talking about the craft of detective writing and sharing her personal thoughts and observations on one of the most popular and enduring forms of literature, P.D. James examines the challenges, achievements and potential of a genre which has fascinated her for nearly fifty years as a novelist. From the tenant of 221b Baker Street to the Village Priest from Cubhole in Essex, from the Golden Age of detective writing between the wars to the achievements of the present and a glimpse at the future, P.D. James explores the metamorphosis of a genre which has gripped and entertained the popular imagination like no other type of novel. Written by the author widely regarded as the queen of the detective novel, this book is sure to appeal to all aficionados of crime fiction.

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