title: The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing
author:  Rosemary Herbert 
description: <B>Penzler Pick, <a href="/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/33102/${0}">April 2000</a>:</B> Over the years, there have been quite a few reference books in the mystery genre arranged as dictionaries, encyclopedias, companions, and so on. (I coauthored two of them, so I know what goes into their production.) Rosemary Herbert's <i>Companion</i> differs from many others in at least two ways: first, she did not write it but rather edited the work of numerous well-known mystery scholars and academics, each of whom presumably has some expertise in the subjects they wrote about; and second, there are as many articles devoted to umbrella subjects (eccentrics, elderly sleuths, English village milieu, and escapism, to open the book at random) as to authors and characters. It is an interesting way to arrange a reference book and more fun to read than the potted author biographies in similar works, but it seems to be less useful as a reference tool than those works.
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  PRAISE FOR DEBBIE HERBERT
  
  
  
  
  
  COLD WATERS
  
  
  “A compelling story filled with evocative description, deeply drawn
  characters, and heart-pounding drama.”
  
  
  —Elle James, New York Times bestselling author
  
  
  “Herbert’s haunting language, gothic tone, and vivid portrayal of small-town
  southern life add layers to this intriguing suspense. I was hooked from the
  first word!”
  
  
  —Rita Herron, USA Today bestselling author
  
  
  “Herbert delivers a fast-paced mystery where nothing is quite what it seems.
  Family secrets and a cold-case murder are at the heart of her compelling
  novel, where the author masterfully paints the canvas of a sedate southern
  town with intriguing characters and a crafty plot. Readers won’t soon forget
  the chilling thrill of Cold Waters.”
  
  
  —Laura Spinella, bestselling author of the Ghost Gifts novels
  
  
  “Small towns hide the darkest secrets, and Normal, Alabama, is anything but in
  this southern gothic thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the