• September 2008 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Blum, Howard, American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century .. Buy this book
  True crime about the notorious 1911 LA Times bombing, featuring Clarence Darrow and real-life P.I. William J. Burns among the cast of thousands.
  
  
• Schechter, Harold, editor, True Crime: An American Anthology .. Buy this book
  Crime is evidently as American as apple pie, and this anthology goes out of its way to prove it, with a boffo selection of red, white and blue mayhem from a star-studded list of contributors that includes everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Jim Thompson.
  
  
• May 2008 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Wenzl, Roy, et al, Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK, the Serial Killer Next Door ..Buy this book
  The BTK killer stalks Kansas. More serial killer porn, illustrated.
  
  
• January 2008 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Geary, Rick, J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography ..Buy this book
  Now here's something you don't see everyday: a no holds-barred biography of the FBI head honcho (and headcase) done in comic book form. Geary, famed for his Treasury of Victorian Crime series and numerous grahic novel adaptations of literary classics, does his usual bang-up job of extensive research, finely rendered period detail and good ol' storytelling. It's all here, from the Bureau's early, Depression-era gangbusting days to the shadowy world of Watergate, with plenty of professional (and personal) malfeasance (and rumours of malfeasance) to ponder. Hoover might not have been all bad, but he sure was drawn that way.
  
  
• November 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Freeman, Judith, The Long Embrace ..Buy this book
  It's a shame about Ray, or at least that's what the author of this alternately trashy and insightful biograghy seems to want to imply. Freeman sniffs through the flotsam and jetsam of Chandler's personal life and particularly his marriage to Cissy, a beautiful but much older woman. Freeman pawed through Raymond Chandler's papers and letters, interviewed some of the people who actually knew them, and tracked down over thirty of the California homes and apartments the Chandlers lived in, all in an effort to figure out what made Chandler tick, but the result is still inconclusive, and alternately intriguing and more than a little creepy. Plus, it doesn't change one iota the work Chandler left behind. Or how I feel about it.
  
  
• Life: The Most Notorious Crimes in American History ..Buy this book
  Culled from the pages of Life Magazine and other sources, this is one coffee table book that's hard to resist. Ambitious in its scope, even if it eventually settles for only "Fifty Fascinating Case from the Files," this is an utterly engaging romp through the history of American crime, covering everything from Lincoln's assassination to school shootings, with forays into Lizzie Borden, Patty Hearst, the Boston Strangler, the Lindbergh kidnapping and more. Well presented, generously illustrated and sporting concise but engaging overviews of each crime, it's almost impossible to put down once you start browsing through it. The only real disappointment is the aftermath, when you realize they've missed several interesting -- and equally notorious -- crimes. The assassination of Jesse James? Charles Whitman? Bonny and Clyde? I can hardly wait for Volume Two.
  
  
• October 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Leonard, Elmore, Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing (non-fiction) ..Buy this book
  A slim book that expands upon, as Leonard puts it, "'the rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what's taking place in the story."It's padded out with illustrations from Joe Ciardiello.
  
  
• Rosen, Fred, When Satan Wore A Cross (true crime; wacko priest kills nun!)....Buy this book
  
  
• August 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Chapman, Duane, You Can Run But You Can't Hide .. Buy this book
  TV's bounty hunting "Dog" barks up a storm.
  
  
• Green, Bill, Ben Peskoe, Will Russell & Scott Shuffitt, I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski....Buy this book
  Subtitled "Life, 'The Big Lebowski' and What-Have-You" this is the ultimate fan book for those who know. Featuring an intro by Jeff Bridges. The Dude abides.
  
  
• Richmond, Cliff, The Good Wife (true crime)....Buy this book
  The author promises all the dirt on "The Shocking Betrayal and Brutal Murder of a Godly Woman in Texas" and he delivers, in this fascinating look at the 1996 killing of wealthy, conservative Texan lecturer Penny Scaggs and "a seemingly model Christian marriage gone horribly wrong."
  
  
• June 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Grams, Martin, The Radio Adventures of Sam Spade....Buy this book
  All you ever wanted to know about the immensely popular radio show starring Howard Duff: the good, the bad and the blacklist. The success of the show upped the ante on Hammett's already popular creation, and the book delves into the subsequent comics strips, magazine articles and radio cross-overs and imitations, including bios on the principal players, a complete episode guide, an unproduced radio scrip and t is reprinted, and a reprint of "Babe Lincoln," a female detective that never came to be. Grams is the author of numerous books on old-time radio and old-time television, , including he staggering Radio Drama A Comprehensive Chronicle of American Network Programs, 1932–1962.
  
  
• Pinkerton, Allan, Thirty Years a Detective....Buy this book
  The founder of the detective agency that bears his name, Pinkerton was instrumental in bringing down the James gang, the Molly Maguires, and the Reno brothers and foiled an assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln, wrote countless books tooting his own horn but in this reprint, the most famous dick of his day tones down the BSP and simply tells readers how to protect themselves from criminals. The scams may change, but human nature doesn't.
  
  
• May 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Francis, Monte, By Their Father's Hand: The True Story of the Wesson Family Massacre ....Buy this book
  Wife, children, grandchildren and a 300-pound dad in a true crime tale that promises " incest, abuse, madness and murder." Sigh...
  
  
• Paretsky, Sara, Writing in an Age of Silence ....Buy this book
  Still fighting the good fight, V.I. Warshawski's creator instills her powerful memoir with all the passion, anger and righteous indignation you'd expect. Paretsky refuses to separate her art and her politics -- and argues that no artist should -- but when she zeroes in on "the Junior Mr. Bush" and the much-hated Patriot Act, the long smouldering rage ignites. Not for the timid or the intellectually slack-jawed, this is as timely and as truly patriotic a tome as I've come across this year. No doubt the stormtroopers will be banging on her door any day now.
  
  
• Thomas, Rob, Neptune Noir ....Buy this book
  Collection of essays on cult fave Veronica Mars, edited by the creator and executive producer of the show, but evidently not authorized by the network.
  
  
• April 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Mosley, Walter, This Year You Write Your Novel ....Buy this book
  Mosley hits on one key note again and again in this primer for beginning writers: a writer must write every day at a prescribed time to be a writer. No excuses, he says. "Let the lawn get shaggy and the paint peel from the walls."
  
  
• February 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Williams, John, Back to the Badlands: Crime Writing in the USA ....Buy this book
  Long-awaited follow-up to his 1991 classic Into the Badlands finds U.K. newshawk Williams returning to the U.S. to discover how much America -- and its crime fiction -- has changed in the ensuing years. He visits with James Lee Burke, James Ellroy, James Crumley, Sara Paretsky, Eugene Izzi, Elmore Leonard, George V. Higgins, Vicki Hendricks, Kem Nunn, Kinky Friedman, Daniel Woodrell, and George P. Pelecanos, and gets the goods. Highly recommended.
  
  
• January 2007 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• McAleer, John and Andrew, Mystery Writing in a Nutshell ....Buy this book
  It bills itself as "The World's Most Concise Guide to Mystery Writing" but "guide" is far too generous for this slim but useful volume. It's more a series of tips, pointers and suggestions, plus some random ponderings and rhetorical musings on mystery writing from the father and son authors (both writing professors), plus Robert B. Parker, Robin Moore and Ed Hoch, who also kicked in an introduction. Nonetheless, novice writer or seasoned pro will find more than a few choice morsels to chew on here, and beginners in particular will enjoy the informal approach. John McAleer is the acclaimed biographer of Rex Stout, while son Andrew is the editor of the Crimestalker Casebook and the writer of the James P. Hillton mysteries.
  
  
• Thompson, George "Rhino", Hammett's Moral Vision....Buy this book
  The latest installment in Vince Emery's "Ace Performer" series is sub-titled "The Most Influential In-Depth Analysis of Dashiell Hammett's Novels" and he's not kidding. It's not only arguably the most influential but also perhaps the first and certainly one of the shrewdest, detailed and best-written. This volume collects the long-sought-after seven part essay that originally appeared in The Armchair Detective back in the early seventies, plus an intro by Hammett biographer/crime novelist William F. Nolan and a new chapter in which English professor-turned-cop Thompson discusses the impact Hammett has had on his own life.
  
  
• November 2006 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Huang, Jim, and Austin Lugar, editors, Mystery Muses....Buy this book
  Subtitled "100 classics That Inspire Today's Mystery Writers," the keyword here is definitely "inspire" -- not "inspired." Because the beloved classics chosen here (written by everyone from Edgar Allan Poe to Dennis Lehane) have not only inspired the mystery writers (Ron Kantner, Bill Crider, Dick Lochte, Laura Lippman, Gary Phillips and nonety-five others) who have contributed the short essays to this volume, but continue to inspire both established and upcoming writers of the genre to this day.
  
  
• October 2006 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Franklin, Diane Britt, The Good-bye Door: The Incredible True Story of America's First Female Serial Killer to Die in the Chair....Buy this book
  After a sub-title like that, you probably don't need to know much else, except that it's about Cincinnati's Anna Marie Hahn and that this is probably why they're known as the dirty thirties...
  
  
• Grisham, John, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town?....Buy this book
  Proof once again that the verdict of capital punishment, society's ultimate punishment, too often lies in the hands of the stupid, the vain and the ignorant. Grisham's first non-fiction work shows how a little overzealous prosecution can ruin innocent lives permanently in a small Oklahoma town. The real killers, whoever they are, are probably somewhere laughing their asses off.
  
  
• September 2006 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Evanovich, Janet, and Ina Yalof , How I Write: Secrets of a Best Selling Author....Buy this book.
  Evanovich doesn't really break any new ground here, but damn it, she can write. Which, really, is the point. Packed with examples and behind-the-scene tales from her own works, it's one of the most entertaining and downright readable books on writing since Stephen King's On Writing. You may not end up being able to write like Evanovich, but you're definitely going to want to try.
  
  
• Panek, Leroy, The Origins of the American Detective Story....Buy this book
  Zeroing in on the late 19th century and early 20th, this fascinating and wide-ranging study by an English professor covers the formative years of American detective fiction, and reveals a whole slew of early private detectives I never knew existed. Panek has written a number of books about crime fiction, including Reading Early Hammett, New Hard-Boiled Writers, 1970s-1990s and the Edgar-nominated The American Police Novel.
  
  
• Ryan, Harriet, Court TV Presents: Murder in Room 103....Buy this book
  The "Hang 'em High" Network has its own series of true crime books now, evidently. this one focusses on an american exchange student found naked and stomped to death in a shasbby motel room is Seoul, South Korea. Sex! G.I.s gone wild! Lesbians! With pictures!
  
  
• July 2006 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Cea, Robert, No Lights, No Sirens: The Corruption and Redemption of an Inner City Cop (true crime)....Buy this book
  One of New York's less-than-finest spews out his mea culpa. Soon to be a major motion picture.
  
  
• Philpin, John, Shattered Justice (true crime)....Buy this book
  The 1998 murder of a 12-year old San Diego girl leads to her older brother and his two friends. Or does it?
  
  
• April 2006 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Odell, Robin, Ripperology....Buy this book
  Subtitled "A Study of the World's First Serial killer and a Literary Phenomenon," this is a truly fascinating glimpse into the world of those who study the crimes of Jack the Ripper. Author Odell, who won an Edgar for The Murderers' Who's Who, hauls out every "solution" that's been floated in the last 120 years or so, presents each as objectively as possible, and then proceeds to blow each one out of the water. Odell tries to take the high road, but sometimes he can't help but let a little bite into his bark (don't get him started on Patricia Cornwell's book on Jack a few years ago). And that's really what's so compelling, at least to me -- the surprising heat and animosity these "Ripperologists" occasionally display towards each other's pet "theories," and the depth of their obsessions. They're like the Trekkies of true crime, locked into their own world, speaking Klingon to each other.
  
  
• February 2006 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Moore, Lewis D., Cracking the Hard-Boiled Detective ....Buy this book
  Lewis, a retired professor (are mystery fans getting too darn educated or what?) takes a whack at the development of the hard-boiled dick, tailing him through what he considers three main periods: the Early (1927-1955), the Transitional (1964-1977) and the “Modern”  (from the  late seventies on), noting how the character has developed and evolved over the years.
  
  December 2005 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Adler, Dick, Dreams of Justice: Mysteries as Social Documents....Buy this book
  A collection of Chicago Tribune crime fiction reviewer Adler's essays and reviews over the last few years. Smart, passionate and ballsy, Adler keeps the bar high for all of us -- and this collection shows why
  
  
• November 2005 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Chandler, Raymond, edited by Marty Asher, Philip Marlowe's Guide to Life....Buy this book
  What took 'em so long? This is a no-brainer -- a collection of the wit and wisdom culled from the greatest series of private eye novels ever, offering the "rude wit," two-fisted wisecracks and bruised romanticism Marlowe was known for. A tip of the fedora to Marty Asher for the stocking stuffer of the year for the P.I. fan.
  
  
• October 2005 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• James, Dean, and Elizabeth Foxwell, The Robert B. Parker Companion....Buy this book
  Everything you always wanted to know about Robert B. Parker's novels -- from Spenser to Jesse Stone to Sunny Randall -- but were afraid to ask. Includes plot summaries, cast of characters, Boston locations, a omprehensive biography of Parker, his stand-alone fiction, memorable quotes, an inclusive bibliographyand a new interview with Parker himself.
  
  
• September 2005 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Cox, J. Randolph, and David S. Siegel, Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer....Buy this book
  Who'd a thought it? Despite the title, this book zeroes in not just on Flashgun and his long career from the "pulps to radio and beyond" but on his creator, George Harmon Coxe, one of the genres great -- but largely unheralded -- masters. Until now, that is. The book includes his first ever short stories, radio scripts, program logs and an intro by William F. Nolan. Good stuff all around.
  
  
• Ephron, Halle, Writing and Selling your Mystery Novel...Buy this book
  Filled with charts and interactive exercises that force you to really think about what you're doingh, this grade-school approach to writing is actually far from simplistic, and may be just what you need to get going. With a foreword by S.J.Rozan, it's one of the best writing books I've seen in a while for practical advice on getting off your duff and actually doing it, followed by some savvy tips on selling your masterpiece.
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• Kaminsky, Stuart, and Laurie Roberts, Behind the Mystery...Buy this book
  Edgar-winning crimescribe Kaminsky and professional shutterbug Roberts went a-calling on eighteen currently best selling mystery writers, and came back with eighteen surprisingly candid and wide-ranging interviews and plenty of great pics of the authors at work - and occasionally at play - in their own homes. Among the suspects given the third degree are Mickey Spillane, Tony Hillerman, Sara Paretsky, Martin Cruz Smith, Faye and Jonathon Kellerman, Sue Grafton, Evan Hunter, Elmore Leonard, Donald Westlake, Joseph Wambaugh, John Jakes, Robert B. Parker, James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Lisa Scottoline, and Lawrence Block. The subjects swing from the expected topics of creativity, inspiration and writing to much more personal - and often illuminating - topics such as their families, childhoods and their politics and spiritual beliefs. A real treat for fans of the genre.
  
  
• Layman, Richard, editor, Discovering the Maltese Falcon and Sam Spade....Buy this book
  Everything you always wanted to know about the Black Bird -- includes documents, photos and memorabilia about the book and movies (all three of 'em!), plus a full account of Hammett's detective career, a bibliography and about a zillion other treasure, the perfect gift for fans of Sam Spade, Hammett, film noir, and the history of cinema and literature.
  
  
• August 2005 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Lesser, Robert, Pulp Art: Original Cover Paintings for the Great American Pulp Magazines (r)....Buy this book
  New, bargain-priced edition of 1997 coffee table book, boasting beautifully reproduced pulp cover illos covering all genres, plus fascinating notes and essays by the author and others.
  
  
• July 2005 Reference, Non-Fiction and True Crime
• Kreyling, Michael, The Novels of Ross Macdonald...Buy this book
  Finally, someone has dug deep into the novels themselves, giving us a fresh, passionate and fiercely intelligent book-by-book look at what William Goldman considers "the finest series of detective novels ever written by an american." Of course, Goldman's full of it, because even a cursory reading reveals the deep, dark (and twisted) Canadian heart of Macdonald's best work, but, territorial pissing aside, this is a book that has been sorely needed for years. Even Macdonald biographerTom Nolan, despite a few small quibbles, gives it a thumbs-up, which tells you something about the literary legwork by Vanderbilt English prof Kreyling on display here. Heartily recommended.
  

Other Favourites From the Last Few Years

• Robertson, Ed, Thirty Years of The Rockford Files. Buy this book
  A new edition of Robertson's already-definitive 1995 Rockford tome, "This is Jim Rockford...", with a lot more information. The book, subtitled "An inside look at America's greatest detective series," now runs close to 500 pages, more than twice as long as the previous edition.
  
  
• Muller, Eddie, The Art of Noir: The Posters and Graphics from the Classic Era of Film Noir (r)....Buy this book
  Now in paperback, it just doesn't get any yummier than this.With over 300 full-color illustrations in all), many of them full-pages, Muller covers the noir beat once again, this time through movie posters. For fans, this is to fucking to die for. I want it.
  

• Rippetoe, Rita Elizabeth, Booze and the Private Eye: Alcohol in the Hard-Boiled Novel....Buy this book
  Who'd a thunk it? A fascinating and well-argued look at hooch and the gumshoe, featuring an overview of the genre, and a close look at the works of Chandler, Hammett, Spillane, Parker and Lawrence Block, plus a chapter of booze and female eyes.
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• Greenwald, Marilyn S.,The Secret of the Hardy Boys: Leslie McFarlane and the Stratemeyer Syndicate....Buy this book
  The biography of Leslie McFarlane, originally a journalist from northern Ontario, who penned the first 16 books of the famous Hardy Boys series under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon, while dreaming of writing the Great Canadian novel.
  
  
• Mizejewski, Linda, Hardboiled and High Heeled: The Woman Detective in Popular Culture....Buy this book
  Illustrated, sharp analysis of women dicks, in print, film and television.
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• Block, Lawrence, Gangsters, Swindlers, Killers, And Thieves: The Lives and Crimes of Fifty American Villains (2004, Oxford University Press) ...Buy this book
  An illustrated rogues' gallery of assassins, outlaws, bootleggers, con artists, and scoundrel from American history, including everyone from Jesse James to Dutch Schultz.
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• Doherty, Jim, Just the Facts: True Tales of Cops & Criminals ..Buy this book
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• Bland, Eleanor Taylor, Shades of Black: Crime and Mystery Stories by African-American Writers . Buy this book
  Touted as "the first anthology to feature exclusively contemporary African-American mystery authors," it includes tales by Gary Phillips (a Chainey story), Gar Anthony Haywood, and Walter Mosley.
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• Braham, Persephone, Crimes Against the State Crimes Against Persons: Detective Fiction in Cuba and Mexico . Buy this book
  Passionate and political but always intriguing look at detective fiction in Cuba and Mexico.
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• Dinan, John A., Private Eyes in the Comics
  Master pulp historian John A. Dinan serves up the first book on PIs in the comics. A history and appreciation of the tough guy, the deadly dame and the dog in the trenchcoat. Illustrated.
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• French, Jack, Private Eyelashes
  A contributor to this site, old time radio historian Jack French presents his opus to radio lady crimefighters! From the thrilling days of yesteryear, he dishes up the dirt on such lady gumshoes as Irene Delroy, Phyl Coe, Carolyn Day, Kitty Keene and Candy Matson.
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• Olson, Brian & Bonnie, Tailing Philip Marlowe ..Buy this book
  This handy-dandy trade paperback features three single-day-tours of Los Angeles, with b&w photo illustrations and color maps, visiting over forty locations referred to by Raymond Chandler in his novels: Marlowe's Hollywood, Marlowe's Downtown, and Marlowe's Drive Santa, are you listening?
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• Melton, H. Keith , and Craig Piligian, with Duane Swierczynski,
  The Spy's Guide: Office Espionage ..Buy this book
  From H. Keith Melton, Craig Piligian and our ol' pal Duane, comes this perfect bathroom book, that details how to bring real spying techniques into your workplace. The come-on suggests that "the same tactics used by CIA and KGB agents can also be used at offices and corporations of any size - and these techniques will help you get ahead fast! ...illustrated step-by-step instructions on tapping phones, sending anonymous e-mails, disguising your identity at a trade show, and much more. The authors also share real-life stories about how these tactics have been employed by professional spies in the CIA, KGB, Fortune 500 companies, and other settings. Advance your career with espionage! " (It actually sounds like a great source for reference and plot ideas).
  
  
• Grossman, Jo, and Robert Weibezahl, editors,
  A Taste of Murder: Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers (r)....Buy this book
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  A Second Helping of Murder: More Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers... Buy this book
  Attention chefs! Ever get the hankering to whip up something yummy but simple like "Kinsey Millhone's Famous Peanut Butter And Pickle Sandwich"? Or maybe you'd like to boil water the Susan Silverman way? There are plenty of recipes in these two light-hearted (but frequently artery-clogging) volumes, with recipes and commentary from everyone from Edgar Allan Poe, Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie right up to today's top writers, including Tony Hillerman, George Pelecanos, Anne Perry and Lillian Jackson Braun (or their characters). Highlights include Liza Cody's "Bacon Buttie,' Donald E. Westlake's "May's Mother's Tuna Casserole," Richard North Patterson's Sea Bass in Orange Sauce and Harlan Coben's "Myron's Potato Latkes." My only gripe is that Hannibal Lechter's recipes for "Shepherd's Pie and Baked Alaskan" have not been included. Probably some complaint from some fussy, overzealous PC types about the ingredients or something...
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• Turow, Scott, Ultimate Punishment : A Lawyer's Reflections on Dealing with the Death Penalty ..Buy this book
  Respected author and lawyer takes a personal look at capital punishment.
  
  
• Marks, Jeffrey,
  Atomic Renaissance ..Buy this book
  Marks, best known as Craig Rice's biographer, chronicles seven women mystery writers of the 1940s and 1950s, including Dorothy Hughes, Margerat Millar, Leslie ford and Patricia Highsmith. Noble in its ambitions but disappoint and superficial in execution.
  
  
• Van Dover, J. Kenneth,               
  At Wolfe's Door: The Nero Wolfe Novels of Rex Stout ..Buy this book
  First published in 1990, this new edition of the indispensable guide features additional material. Includes synopses of every mystery novel and short story. Each entry includes commentary and short essays, and comments on Stout's place in the genre.
  
  
• Moss, Robert F., editor,
  Raymond Chandler: A Literary Reference ..Buy this book
  Private correspondence, previously uncollected essays (both by and about Chandler) and associated material. Is there anything else left to print? Well illustrated, with some cool classic book jackets and photographs.
  
  
• Haut, Woody,
  Heartbreak and Vine...Buy this book
  Subtitled "The fate of hard-boiled writers in Hollywood," this book shines a spotlight on the twisted love/hate relationship between the great crime novelists, from Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler to Elmore Leonard and James Ellroy, and the Hollywood dream factory. Haut is also the author of the acclaimed Neon Noir and Pulp Culture. (February 2003)
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• Server, Lee
  Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Heroes....Buy this book
  More than 200 entries on pulp fiction writers over the last 100 years, from the weird (Jackie Collins?) to the expected suspects. Lots of crime guys: Chandler, Hammett, James M. Cain, Paul Cain, Bruno Fisher, Ross Macdonald, Chester Himes, Charles Willeford, Frank Kane, Henry Kane, Don Pendleton, Jim Thompson, Ernest Tidyman, and many more, including H.P. Lovecraft, Louis L'Amour, Ian Fleming, Mario Puzo, Jacqueline Susann, Baroness Emmuska Orczy, John Faulkner and Achmed Abdullah. Tons of photos, too.
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• Brown, Steven Kerry,
  The Complete Idiot's Guide to Private Investigating ..Buy this book
  Written by a private investigator, and endorsed by peers such as Edmund J. Panka, who wrote the forward, and John Grogan, self-proclaimed "P.I. to the stars," who promises "I will be recommending this book to all my students... (it's) a well-prepared text for all, from beginners through veteran PIs."
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• Collins, Max Allan,
  The History of Mystery...Buy this book
  A highly personal, lavishly illustrated (with tons of scans from the author's own collection) investigation of the entire mystery genre, "Collins' magnifying glass focuses on every aspect of the ouevre and gives us what is arguably the most delightfully comprehensive survey ever published." And Max himself assures us there'll be plenty of "girls-and-gats paperback covers." (September 2001)
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• Grafton, Sue, ed.
  Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by The Mystery Writers of America, 2nd edition...Buy this book
  Revised and expanded version of Grafton's classic mystery writing guide, reprising chapters from Lawrence Block, Sara Paretsky, Jeremiah Healy, etc., while adding new ones by Michael Connelly, Stuart Kaminsky and George C. Chesbro, among others. Still one of the best out there.