Scene of the Crime

Offering analysis of the fiction of 15 authors, this book focuses on the many ways that setting and place figure in modern crime and mystery novels. After an introductory chapter dealing with a general consideration of place in fiction, subsequent chapters consider the works of recent mystery writers for whom setting greatly contributes to overall literary style. Topics explored include the afro-centric urban Los Angeles environment in Walter Mosleys Devil in a Blue Dress, the small-town exoticism of James Lee Burkes southern Louisiana in The Neon Rain, and the gritty South African setting of James McClures The Steam Pig.