This book is a study of the 'mothers' of the mystery genre. Traditionally the invention of crime writing has been ascribed to Poe, Wilkie Collins and Conan Doyle, but they had formidable women rivals, whose work has been until recently largely forgotten. The purpose of this book is to 'cherchez les femmes', in a project of rediscovery.

About the Author
LUCY SUSSEX is a Senior Research Fellow at Melbourne University, Australia, with interests in Victoriana, Australiana, crime and women writers. She has published widely, having edited five anthologies, written three short story collections and the award-winning neo-Victorian novel The Scarlet Rider. In addition she is a weekly newspaper columnist.

Reviews

'Lucy Sussex...makes a persuasive case for many of the neglected female progenitors of the detective genre; the final effect of this concise but information-packed volume will be to send readers out to scour bookshop shelves for some neglected but intriguing women writers.'

- Barry Forshaw, Crime Time

'...a wide-ranging excavation of the work of lesser-known authors such as Catherine Crowe and Metta Victoria Fuller as well as more famous figures, including Mary Braddon and Anna Katharine Green.' - Emelyne Godfrey, 'Top History Moments of 2010', History Today

'If ever a volume filled a gap and served a niche audience, this is it...a volume well worth owning...' - Choice

Book Information
ISBN 9780230272293
Author L. Sussex
Format Hardback
Page Count 216
Imprint Palgrave Macmillan
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan