|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
Introduction: James Lee Burke's A Stained White Radiance
| Article
# : |
20458 |
|
|
Section : |
BOOK WORLD
|
| Issue
Date : |
5 / 1992 |
229 Words |
| Author
: |
Editor
|
The genius of deduction, the thrill of the chase, the fascination of quirky characters enthrall readers of detective fiction. During World War II, "air raid" libraries were set up to satisfy Londoners' demand for detective novels with which to spend their nights in underground shelters. The genre corners a large section of today's book market.
Readers might not know that the detective story was born in America, from the mind of Edgar Allan Poe. How has detective fiction changed since his day? This month's commentaries explore this question as they respond to a new entry in the field, James Lee Burke's A Stained White Radiance.
Burke's novel, excerpted here, is the story of a Louisiana bayou detective who tries to help a family he knew as abused children, now grown and entangled with various unsavory characters. A Stained white Radiance is the fifth in a series of novels featuring detective Dave Robicheaux. Burke's last two books won the Edgar prize for mystery fiction.
Following the excerpt, commentator Robert Geary chronicles Burke's change from mainstream to detective writer and describes his Dave Robicheaux series, critiquing his latest effort. Then John Tibbetts analyzes the first hundred years of detective fiction, sketching alluring characters and writers. Finally, John Braeman tells us about modern detective fiction and how the genre has developed according to popular values.
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
