"In the first major history of crime fiction in fifty years, the book traces the evolution of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present, offering brand-new perspective on the world's most popular form of fiction"--NoveList Plus.

Robin Lockwood is now a prominent defense attorney in Portland, Oregon but a decade ago, she was a ranked and rising MMA fighter. Her career came to a quick end when she was knocked out and concussed in the first round by Mandy Kerrigan, a much more talented fighter. Now the situation couldn't be more different, with Kerrigan on her last legs, her career nearly over, arrested for the quadruple murder of the entire Finch family... and Kerrigan's only...

While reporting on a Tijuana animal shelter, journalist Bettina Blazak falls in love with one of her story's subjects--an adorable Mexican street dog who is being treated for a mysterious gunshot wound. Bettina impulsively adopts the dog, who she names Felix after the veterinarian who saved him. In investigating Felix's past, Bettina discovers that his life is nothing like what she assumed. For one thing, he's not a Mexican street dog at all. A former...

"Justine Poole provides security for wealthy and high-profile Hollywood stars, but that all changes when a job puts her in the limelight. When she prevents a brazen robbery at the Beverly Hills home of two of her clients--killing two of the five armed robbers in the process--she is initially lauded in the media as a local hero. But the spotlight soon puts her in the crosshairs of the crime kingpin behind the burglaries. Unable to stand the embarrassment...

"Every cop in the city knows his name, but no one says it out loud. In fact, they don't talk about him at all. He doesn't wear a uniform, but he is the most powerful cop in New York. Nick Ryan can find a criminal who's vanished. Or he can make a key witness disappear. He has cars, safe houses, money, and weapons hidden all over the city. He's the mayor's private cop, the fixer, the first call when the men and women who protect and serve are in trouble...

"As the head of the New York City Shadow Riders and his branch of the Ferraro family, Geno bears the weight of dual responsibilites on his shoulders, Geno is ready to go scorched earth. He thinks he has the assassin in his sights, but he's unprepared for the firestorm their connection ignites. Amaranthe Aubert's lithe dancer's body conceals a spine of steel. Even held captive and faced with the threat of lethal interrogation, she's not about to cave...

"University of Oxford tutor and bestselling author Jason Verdoodt has it all: acclaim, women, money . . . and an enemy or two. When he's found dead at the bottom of the stairs during a celebratory reception at St Rumwold's College, many wonder if seething jealousy of his literary success has turned someone's mind to murder. Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just becomes inescapably drawn into an investigation that takes him down the historic streets...

"In this collection, betrayal, murder, revenge, greed, and the powers of and connection to spirituality are explored. In "The Horse Chestnut Tree," Benn tells a story of betrayal and murder during the American Revolutionary period. In the speculative work "Glass," an atomic supercollider and the breakdown of the time-space continuum that involves the works of one "Steven Koenig," a Stephen King-like author, change the lives of two cousins devoured...

Barrett Rye has always been told he can be only one thing in life: an enforcer. He's a seven-foot wall of muscle and the most effective collector in the largest criminal enterprise in the Midwest. After he realizes he wants more out of life than hurting people, he and his mob accountant boyfriend, Mickey, decide to steal enough money from their boss to disappear and start over. But they get caught, Mickey is killed, and Barrett is given one chance...

Mystery 101: When a college student is found dead, English professor Amy uses her crime fiction expertise to unravel the case faster than detective Travis, who ends up working with Amy to catch the killer. Playing dead: The local theater is producing a mystery that crime fiction expert Amy unearthed. When one of the actress' life is threatened, Amy & Travis must uncover which character is playing for keeps. Words can kill: When a guest at the college...