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...

Small towns have long been a commonplace setting in cozy mysteries, but in recent years writers of realistic crime fiction have discovered fresh possibilities in small town settings. There they can take advantage of distinct facets of small town life a sense of community, slower pace of life, proximity to nature and yet deal with social, economic and environmental issues. Because crimes in small communities hit closer to home, the human element can better be emphasized. This book focuses on the work of ten contemporary authors who have placed small towns like Rocksburg, Pennsylvania (K. C....