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Summary: No 'red herrings' in this index to the great detectives!
Review: I can't imagine anyone being more qualified to put together this compendium of the great detectives of the world than Maxim Jakubowski! Maxim runs the Murder One bookstore in London which houses perhaps the greatest collection of whodunits in England. Right on Charing Cross Road it is, too. (Drop in if you're ever in the area! And he's usually right there at his desk, working on one of his books or answering questions about other writers!) In "100 Great Detectives," he presents 100 essays on various characters (detectives) of the genre. Short, they read quite well. Undoubtedly, you will find your own favorite detectives listed. Among my favorites were the essays: John Malcolm on Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe; Deborah Valentine on P.D. James' Cordelia Grey; Bob Biderman on Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee; Peter Robinson on Simenon's Inspector Maigret; Loren Estleman on Chandler's Philip Marlowe; Wendy Grossman on Christie's Miss Marple; Simon Brett on Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone; Ralph Spurrier on Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse; Robert Wallace on John LeCarre's George Smiley. Other essays include V.I. Warshawski, Lord Peter Wimsey, Nero Wolfe, and Aurelio Zen, to name a few others. What this collection does is to give our favorite characters even more meaning. Of course, as in any literary interpretation, it is just that--an interpretation--and the writers' views may be different from yours; no matter, it still provides plenty of insight into these unforgettable detectives! Billyjhobbs@ tyler.net
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