Criminal Convictions

Universally recognized as a premier writers of crime fiction, Nicolas Freeling here displays yet another side of his original mind in these "enviably perceptive and lyrical" essays (Kirkus) on other players in the same field. Freeling's definition of "crime fiction" is refreshingly broad, comprising not only the usual suspects-tSayers, Conan Doyle, Simenon, to name but a few of those he discusses-but also Dickens, Kipling, Stendhal, and Conrad. For Freeling, the mystery genre embraces multitudinous forms and an astounding variety of practitioners, from great literary stylists to base hacks. As might be expected, he is never at a loss for words nor diffident in his judgments about either. This is a collection for anyone interested in the literature of crime, and indeed in literature tout court -for, as Freeling says, "The nature of crime is also the nature of art".