Historical Noir

It's one of the most successful—and surprising—of phenomena in the entire crime fiction genre: detectives (and proto-detectives) solving crimes in earlier eras. Barry Forshaw has written a lively, wide-ranging and immensely informed history of the genre, which might be said to have begun in earnest with Ellis Peters’ crime-solving monk Brother Cadfael in the 1970s and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose in 1980 (with another monkish detective), but which has now taken readers to virtually every era and locale in the past. Forshaw has produced the perfect reader's guide to a fascinating field; every major writer is considered, often through a concentration on one or two key books, and exciting new talents are highlighted.

"Forshaw’s light tone and easy way with detail make for an accessible read. . . . Forshaw, a leading expert on all matters crime, has an eye for balancing the need to be thorough with the need to be concise and to the point." —nudge-book

"A wonderful reference book that any self-respecting and serious connoisseur of crime fiction needs to have on their book-shelf." —Shots Magazine on Brit Noir

Barry Forshaw is the author of American Noir, Brit Noir, Euro Noir, Nordic Noir, The Rough Guide to Crime Fiction, and The Man Who Left Too Soon.