Status Updates From The Life of Crime: Detectin...

This gets better and better. It has introduced me to Dashiell Hammett who I think is about to become a fave. I might not even finish the book, honestly because I feel that's "what I was looking for" with this book. I wanted to understand the development of the detective/crime/thriller story in the Prohibition and Depression eras, because it's just so interesting to me how that used to be a key perception of life.

It's still good. I still greatly appreciate the information and to hear the story told, but I'm finding the storytelling lacking a sense of the evolution I would like. There's not a through thread I can hang onto. Like when Edwards mentions the golden age of detective novels, he almost says it like a foregone conclusion when that is exactly what I want to hear about! I want to know the cultural forces behind things.

So far this really, really interesting. It's written in a pop non fic tone so it's nice and cozy, but it also has tasty prose so it's a joy to read. I'm having several vague hypotheses affirmed such as the notion that detective/mystery fiction exerted a heavy influence on comic books. I'm most curious to understand the development of the stereotypical atmosphere of the detective/police/crime story.