Arguably the most popular genre or style of fictional writing in English is the crime novel. Many of the most popular series of books or short stories feature professional or amateur detectives seeking to solve crime, often murders.
What is it about this type of story that appeals? When did the genre first become popular? Who are some of the most famous authors and who are their leading protagonists, or lead characters, attempting to solve these fictional murders or major crimes?
I interview Dave Lee, an English Language and Literature graduate who has a real passion for this style of writing, evidenced by his ownership of thousands of books, many yet to be read, from this category of literature.
Dave talks about the work of New Zealander Naomi Marsh, American Raymond Chandler, the British writer Agatha Christie and many others including Marjorie Ellingham, Gladys Mitchell, Nicholas Blake (Cecil Day Lewis), the American Dashiell Hammett, Caroline Graham and more modern authors such as Ian Rankin, John Lawton (not me), Stephen Booth, Colin Dexter (writer of the Inspector Morse series), Peter Robinson, Emma Lathen (the pen name of two American businesswomen), Aline Templeton, Reginald Hill and most latterly Richard Osman (The Thursday Murder Club).
We examine the plot devices at play in the novels and short stories; how good is expected to triumph over evil in the end, and examine why we are fascinated, as observers, with the difficulties of others. Critically, we examine the story telling qualities of the authors which enable them to be exciting, frightening (but in a vicarious way) and sometimes even humorous.
Dave and I discuss whether the many TV and film adaptations can ever be as good as the books and point to one possible rare exception where this might possibly have been achieved.
For more information on this podcast series, or to make any comments or to ask any questions relating to English Language learning, please contact me at johnscottlawton@hotmail.co.uk or visit my LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-scott-lawton/ or my company page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/john-scott-lawton-consulting/?viewAsMember=true
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