Crime Writers

Photo: Chris Harding/Getty Images (2005)

Sample of authors

Herbert, James

James Herbert from England was one of the best-selling and most praised authors of horror fiction in the late 20th century. Several of his novels have been described as classics, even though reviewers – and others, including Stephen King – have pointed out that they are not particularly remarkable from a literary point of view. Herbert was, however, uncommonly skilful when it came to creating hor...

Further reading

Theme article

History of crime fiction

By: Johan Wopenka

Depending upon how one wishes to define the concept ‘crime fiction’, it is possible to trace its history and roots back in time. When Dorothy L. Sayers compiled her comprehensive three-volume anthology Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror (1928–34) she started with two stories from the Old Testament, and when Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee (alias Ellery Queen) wrote their fundamental The Detective Short Story : A Bibliography (1942), they listed eight Chinese collections of short stories which are believed to have been written down between 600 A.D. and 1800 A.D., some of them containing stories based on an older, oral tradition.

Further reading

Literary figures

Bertie

Gender: Male

Bertie was the popular name for Albert Edward who was the son of Queen Victoria and between 1901 and 1910 King Edward VII. As a young Prince of Wales he was a notorious playboy who caused many scandals to the despair of his mother. He solves crime in a handful historical whodunits by Peter Lovesey.

Further reading