An insight into a popular yet complex genre that has developed over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The volume explores the contemporary anxieties to which crime fiction responds, along with society's changing conceptions of crime and criminality. The book covers texts, contexts and criticism in an accessible and user-friendly format.

HEATHER WORTHINGTON lectures in the School of English, Philosophy and Communication at Cardiff University, UK.

General Editors' Preface
Introductory Essay
Chronology
Contexts: History, Politics, Culture
Literature: Texts, Themes, Issues
Criticism: Approaches, Theory, Practice
Index.