Murder Will Out: Detective in Fiction from Poe to the Present

This study follows the trail of the detective story from its earliest appearance to the present. It is the history of a character: the fictional detective in his many guises, ranging from brilliant, eccentric amateur to plodding, imperceptive policeman. It illustrates not only how the genre has grown out of the character but also how the character of the detective has often overshadowed its creator. The book is aimed at those who are interested in detective fiction on any level.