
Writing the Detectives
Character and the Series Form
Elspeth Latimer(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 21. August 2025
Book
Hardback
82 pages
978-1-009-50246-7 (ISBN)
Description
Crime fiction first emerged in the Victorian era and its series form continues to dominate the genre. Despite the prevalence of crime series, very little research has been done on how character is conceived. The Element's focus is contemporary, from the 1970s onward, and it determines the theory and conventions behind writing the detectives in these modern meganarratives. Exemplary series and a range of subgenres are analysed, thriller to cosy crime, professional investigator to amateur sleuth, embracing diversity and different gender identities. Previous examinations have tended to interpret the detective figure as either mythic or realist, but the author argues that both modes are combined in the contemporary crime series, generating a mythorealist protagonist. This creative-critical Element celebrates the vibrancy of the form and its capacity to investigate the human condition. It also considers future trends and concludes with the author's own guide to writing a crime fiction series.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
283 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-50246-7 (9781009502467)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
08/2025
Cambridge University Press
€26.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Content
1. Introduction; 2. Creating and curating character; 3. Mythorealism; 4. Iconically masculine?; 5. Character in extremis; 6. 'An underappreciated revolution in storytelling'; 7. Writing a crime fiction series; References.