
Investigating Evil
Heroic Sleuths and Their Exceptional Cases
Hugo G. Walter(Author)
Peter Lang Verlag
Published on 8. November 2023
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-63667-118-5 (ISBN)
Description
This book is a collection of excellent essays about heroic, intelligent, perceptive, and resourceful private citizens with exceptional investigative capacities and their important contributions to noteworthy criminal cases which are discussed in literary masterpieces by Agatha Christie and Dorothy Bowers. These citizen sleuths are motivated by a strong moral courage, by a commitment to examine the evidence in any case meticulously and thoroughly, by a spirit of civic devotion, by a dedication to searching carefully and honestly for the truth, and by a strong belief in ethical values, fairness, and justice so that the security and wellbeing of a community can be supported and preserved. These citizen sleuths, who often collaborate effectively with law enforcement officials in investigations, all passionately share Miss Marple's belief, which she expresses in Chapter Twenty-eight of Agatha Christie's A Pocket Full of Rye, that it is vital "that wickedness shouldn't triumph" in everyday life and in society. Each of the four chapters focuses on a different type of malevolent character which these citizen sleuths notice and investigate: murderous family members, treacherous friends, devilish figures, and corrupt officials who abuse and exploit their positions of authority. The conclusion examines several fascinating cold case scenarios in the works of Agatha Christie.
"Something between Edgar Allan Poe's detective prodigy of the preternatural and Jane Austen's 'neighbourhood of voluntary spies,' Christie's and Bowers's amateur sleuths have a nose for foul play and an unflinching sense of civic duty and moral courage. A welcome intervention in a critically neglected genre, Hugo Walter's timely study offers rare insight into the history, influence, and mechanics of the modern 'whodunit?'. While focused on Christie and Bowers unassuming-but-intrepid protagonists, this engaging work offers a much broader sociology of citizen detectives and the allure of their uncanny capacity to inhabit diabolical genius and their moral obligation to even the score."
-Gregory S. Jackson, Rutgers University
Reviews / Votes
"Something between Edgar Allan Poe's detective prodigy of the preternatural and Jane Austen's 'neighborhood of voluntary spies,' Christie's and Bowers's amateur sleuths have a nose for foul play and an unflinching sense of civic duty and moral courage. A welcome intervention in a critically neglected genre, Hugo Walter's timely study offers rare insight into the history, influence, and mechanics of the modern 'whodunit?'. While focused on Christie and Bowers unassuming-but-intrepid protagonists, this engaging work offers a much broader sociology of citizen detectives and the allure of their uncanny capacity to inhabit diabolical genius and their moral obligation to even the score."Gregory S. Jackson, Rutgers University
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
439 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63667-118-5 (9781636671185)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Peter Lang Verlag
€92.99
Available for download

E-Book
11/2023
1st Edition
Peter Lang Verlag
€92.99
Available for download
Person
Hugo G. Walter has a B.A. from Princeton University, an M.A. from Old Dominion University, a Ph.D. in literature from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Drew University. Dr. Walter teaches literature and humanities courses in the Division of Continuing Studies at Rutgers University. Two of his most recent publications are Magnificent Houses in Twentieth Century European Literature (Peter Lang, 2012) and Devoted to the Truth: Four Brilliant Investigators (Peter Lang, 2022).
Content
Acknowledgments - Introduction - Murderous Family - Treacherous Friends - Devilish Figures - Corrupt Officials - Conclusion - Works Consulted - Index.