Murderous Schemes: An Anthology of Classic Detective Stories

Jacket Description/Back: When plotting a murder (figuratively speaking), the mystery writer has at hand any number of M. O.'s including such tried and true conventions as the locked room, the unbreakable alibi, the double bluff, the mistaken identity, and many others. Indeed, one of the challenges (and greatest sources of pleasure) for a mystery writer is to visit a well-known plot construction - to try their hand at "the locked room" or "the caper" - perhaps to honor a writer or story they admire, perhaps to try to top them. Now, in Murderous Schemes, renowned mystery writer Donald E. Westlake and J. Madison Davis (current president of the International Association of Crime Writers) offer an illuminating look at eight such mystery conventions, illustrating each with four short stories written by some of the masters of the form. The resulting collection of thirty-two tales spans a hundred and fifty years of crime fiction and includes virtually every style imaginable, from the hard-boiled detective story to the cozy armchair mystery. Marc Notes: In association with the International Association of Crime Writers.. Publisher Marketing: These 32 classic crime stories illuminate the genre's best-known plot constructions--including the locked room, the caper, hoist on their own petards, and over the edge. Covering over 150 years of crime and detective fiction, featuring styles from the hard-boiled to the cozy, Murderous Schemes profiles the writing of Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Rex Stout, Dorothy L. Sayers, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and many others. Review Citations:

Library Journal 12/01/1996 pg. 151 (EAN 9780195103212, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 10/28/1996 pg. 60 (EAN 9780195103212, Hardcover)

Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/1997 pg. 58 (EAN 9780195103212, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Westlake, Donald E Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008) was one of the most prolific and talented authors of American crime fiction. He began his career in the late 1950s, churning out novels for pulp houses--often writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms--but soon began publishing under his own name. His most well-known characters were John Dortmunder, an unlucky thief, and a ruthless criminal named Parker. His writing earned him three Edgars and a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Westlake's cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of "The Grifters", Jim Thompson's noir classic. Contributor Bio:  Davis, J Madison Donald E. Westlake received the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for his novel God Save the Mark and in 1993 won their Grandmaster Award for lifetime achievement. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for The Grifters. J. Madison Davis is Professor of Journalism in theProfessional Writing Program at the University of Oklahoma and is current president of the International Association of Crime Writers. He is the author of The Murder of Frau Schutz, which was nominated for the Edgar Award.