During the 1920s and 1930s, detective fiction was booming. The post-war realities had people looking for escapism. Mystery novels were a kind of "puzzle-mania" that took hold during this period. The genre was flourishing, and many emerging writers started their careers by writing a whodunit or two.
Then a really interesting thing happened. A group of female authors established themselves as the "Queens of Crime". They began to push the boundaries of the genre. They started exploring the confines of the dective novel. They began writing about nuanced human relationships, complex psychological and social issues. Their novels began to transcend the genere, even redefining it.
Read a novel from each of the following "Queens of Crime".
August -- November 2021
Challenge
During the 1920s and 1930s, detective fiction was booming. The post-war realities had people looking for escapism. Mystery novels were a kind of "puzzle-mania" that took hold during this period. The genre was flourishing, and many emerging writers started their careers by writing a whodunit or two.
Then a really interesting thing happened. A group of female authors established themselves as the "Queens of Crime". They began to push the boundaries of the genre. They started exploring the confines of the dective novel. They began writing about nuanced human relationships, complex psychological and social issues. Their novels began to transcend the genere, even redefining it.
Read a novel from each of the following "Queens of Crime".
Agatha Christie
Dorothy L Sayers
Ngaio Marsh
Josephine Tey
Margery Allingham