Contemporary American Crime Fiction

HANS BERTENS is Professor of Comparative Literature at Utrecht University. THEO D'HAEN is Professor of English and American Literature at Leiden University, The Netherlands. He has published widely in the field of modern literature, especially on postmodern and postcolonialism.

This highly accessible, lively and informative study gives a clear and comprehensive overview of recent trends in American crime fiction. Particular attention is given to writers who have reworked established conventions and explored new directions, especially women and those from ethnic minorities.This highly accessible, lively and informative study gives a clear and comprehensive overview of recent trends in American crime fiction. Building on a discussion of the immediate predecessors, Bertens and D'haen focus on the work of popular and award-winning authors of the last fifteen years. Particular attention is given to writers who have reworked established conventions and explored new directions, especially women and those from ethnic minorities.