American Crime Fiction: A Cultural History of Nobrow Literature as Art

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Illustrations

The Most Ossified Popular Genre of All-Of the Standard of Taste-Flogging a Dead Horse-Damned If You Do and Damned If You Don't-Heads I Win, Tails You Lose-Vice and Its Victim-Beachbooks for Intellectuals-Sex, Money, and Revenge

CHAPTER 2. Briefcases for Hire: Dashiell Hammett and John Grisham

The Pauper and the Prince-The Toast of Hollywood-Waldron Honeywell-Who Framed Roger Rabbit?-Pow, You Are There- Seven Thousand Liquor Cases-Vacant Niche in the Market-The Banzhaf Bandits-Worst of Pages-Exhibit A- One Part Hammett, Two Parts Grisham

Good God, I Can't Publish This-Guts and Genitals-Southern Gothic-Murder Capital of the United States-Sanctuary Much-Worse than Dresden-Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?-.38 Police Special-The Great American Paradox

CHAPTER 4. The Not So Simple Art of Murder: Raymond Chandler

CHAPTER 5. The Urban Procedural: Ed McBain

Big Lights, Big City-Salvatore Albert Lombino-Graphic and Photographic-The Worst in Christendom-Colonel Mustard and Lady Buxom-M*E*T*R*O*P*O*L*I*S*-Nothing but a Woman-Mischief-The N Word-Behind the Thin Blue Line-Crime and the City

CHAPTER 6. Take Two: Nelson DeMille and F. Scott Fitzgerald

Eppolito and Caracappa-Jack Cannon-Trouble Brews in Happy Valley-All Its Watches Limp-Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia-The Most Dangerous Country in the World-Take Two-We Keep You Clean in Muscatine-American Dream