title: Make Mine a Mystery: A Reader's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction (Genreflecting Advisory Series)
author:  Gary Warren Niebuhr 
description: This addition to the Genreflecting Advisory Series is "intended to help readers' advisors, librarians, and others develop a greater understanding of the mystery genre so they can make reading recommendations and successfully answer questions raised by readers who enjoy reading mysteries." The book is divided into two parts. In part 1, "Introduction to Mystery Fiction," Niebuhr devotes considerable space to background material: discussion of readers'-advisory service in general and the appeal of mystery fiction in particular, and how to build and manage a mystery collection, followed by a history of the genre beginning in 1845. Part 2, "The Literature," annotates more than 2,500 titles by more than 200 authors.<P>Niebuhr take a fairly purist view of mystery, omitting crime, intrigue, thrillers, suspense, adventure novels, and true crime. This leaves "mystery detective novels where a fictional character tries to solve a puzzle concerning a crime to the administration of justice." Chapters correspond to three types of detectives--amateur, public, and private--with several variations, such as lawyer detectives and ex-cop detectives. For each different type, as appropriate, Niebuhr identifies those writers who are "historical founding members," "golden agers," and "modern practitioners." Under each writer, titles are grouped by detective and arranged in chronological order by publication date. This grouping by detective is useful because it corresponds to the way mysteries tend to be chosen and read. Each title entry includes publisher, date, and a brief annotation. An appendix lists print and electronic resources, organizations, and publishers. The volume concludes with author, title, character, subject, and location indexes. Niebuhr's type-of-detective approach is a useful way of classifying the factors that appeal to mystery readers, and the indexes offer alternative pointers to titles that readers might like.<P>Among guides to mystery fiction, this one stands out as being thorough and current. Essential for public libraries. REVWR</i><br><i>Copyright &#169; American Library Association. All rights reserved</i>
zlib_text: PRAISE FOR
  
  FIND YOU IN THE DARK
  
  “A well-crafted crime novel that proves utterly absorbing . . . with vivid
  scenes and complex psychology, _Find You in the Dark_ lingers long after the
  last page has been devoured. And Ripley proves a stellar addition to the
  Canadian crime novel scene. An addictive debut.”
  
  > >  _Toronto Star_
  
  “Engrossing. . . . This debut thriller by the pseudonymous Ripley (Journey
  Prize winner Naben Ruthnum) is highly recommended for fans of Lee Child and C.
  J. Box.”
  
  > >  _Library Journal_
  
  “A fast-paced book . . . akin to dark British crime TV dramas such as
  _Broadchurch_ or _Luther_ , satisfyingly sinister and unsettling in their
  explorations of the violent possibilities of humanity.”
  
  > >  _The Globe and Mail_
  
  “Ripley . . . has come up with a fresh angle to the serial murder game . . .
  clever and diabolical . . . This unusual debut thriller has a lot going for
  it.”
  
  > >  _Kirkus Reviews_
  
  “[A] gripping debut thriller . . . _Dexter_ fans will enjoy the creepy v