Finders: Justice, Faith, and Identity in Irish Crime Fiction

by Anjili Babbar

"Irish detectives are idiosyncratic characters, conforming neither to obsolete, stereotypical crime fiction devices nor to sentimentalized notions of Irishness engendered by the American imagination and popular culture representations. As these detectives attempt to reconcile and evaluate standards of religious and legal justice, assessing and ranking their value in a search for absolutes to incorporate in the basis of their own, individual systems, Irish noir makes use of heritage and genre in the establishment of a new one which considers what it means to be both an individual and the product of social systems, both acculturated and globalized, both affected by the past and assuming a role in progress, both aware of imperfections of the self and the world and desirous of having a positive impact"--

Genres: Nonfiction, Irish Literature

273 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2023

Reviews

[K.B. Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anjili Babbar has crafted a brilliant, well-researched examination of how Irish crime fiction authors incorporate faith into their complex heroes. Her personal connections with these authors create a once in a generation look behind the scenes of these iconic novels. It’s no wonder she won the Agatha Award, the Macavity, and was a finalist for the Anthony Award.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very much more a 'casual fan' of Northern Irish crime fiction than I am a 'literary scholar' especially as I was initially drawn to reading it by the particular quality of Irish writing. To a small extent, I found the scholarliness of this impressive study a bit daunting, but having read, been impressed by and thoroughly enjoyed this study of many of my favourite Irish crime novelists I know it will enrich the experience of re-reading, which I most certainly intend to do.

[Philip Girvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high readable and thoughtful examination of the “ways Irish crime writers interrogate … justice, faith, and identity” as the author herself puts it on page 210. Am compelled to seek out a number of the books reviewed.

[L.A. Chandlar · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible and enjoyable study of Irish crime fiction and how it has impacted all of crime writing and mystery. Fabulous book on all things Irish, discovery, identity, justice and faith. Highly recommend.

[Jay Stringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. It's about time someone gave Irish crime fiction its due, with so many great writers doing good work. This book takes them seriously.