** Talking about Detective Fiction by P.D. James

The great P.D. James is also well-read, at least when it comes to her genre. In  Talking About Detective Fiction, she explores the origins and masters of detective novels, from well-known (to me) authors to lesser known, and dissects styles, violence levels, plausibility, and the strict morality of the genre. Would probably be even better for someone who has actually read many mysteries, as plot summaries are not sufficient to fully engage with the critiques.