{"product_id":"detectives-in-the-shadows-9781421437095","title":"Detectives in the Shadows","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA century of American history reflected in the iconic private eye.   Steadfast in fighting crime, but operating outside the police forceand sometimes even the lawis the private detective. Driven by his own moral code, he is a shadowy figure in a trench coat standing on a street corner, his face most likely obscured by a tilted fedora, a lit cigarette dangling from his hand. The hard-boiled detective is known by his dark past, private pain, and powers of deduction. He only asks questionsnever answers them. In his stories he is both the main character and the narrator.   America has had a love affair with the hard-boiled detective since the 1920s, when Prohibition called into question who really stood on the right and wrong side of the law. And nowhere did this hero shine more than in crime fiction. In Detectives in the Shadows, literary and cultural critic Susanna Lee tracks the evolution of this truly American character typefrom Race Williams to Philip Marlowe and from Mike Hammer to J\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne can say many things about crime fiction, and throughout this thoughtful, well-crafted piece of literary history, Lee succeeds in telling the story straight.\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor detective fiction fans, this will prove an entertaining and informative trip through American history alongside their favorite gumshoes.\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublisher's Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA revealing critique of a pop culture icon and required reading for mystery buffs.\u003cbr\u003e—Julie Hale, \u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction. A Silhouette \u003cbr\u003eChapter One. Arriving on the Scene \u003cbr\u003eChapter Two. A Moral Compass \u003cbr\u003eChapter Three. A Rugged Individual \u003cbr\u003eChapter Four. A Lone Wolf \u003cbr\u003eChapter Five. A Person of Honor \u003cbr\u003eAppendix: Selected Authors' Fictional Works\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Johns Hopkins University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408137167191,"sku":"9781421437095","price":20.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781421437095.jpg?v=1730501721","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/detectives-in-the-shadows-9781421437095","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}