Highlighting popular works by P.D. James, Colin Dexter, Ian Pears and Umberto Eco, among others, this subtle and intelligently written monograph examines the treatment of religion in the genre of contemporary murder mystery novels, and the implications of this phenomenon for understanding Christian thought in a post-Christian society. The book begins by considering the critical question of authorial intent and the question of genre criticism and what makes a genre, a -serious- literary specialism. Is crime fiction ever destined to be written by -serious authors-? Erb argues that P D James...

An accessible and practical introduction to Christian ethics that explores the relationship between secular views of human nature and Christian ones in a world that commonly sees itself as having adopted Christian ethics.>