The Idea of Education in Golden Age Detective Fiction

'A well-researched and thoughtfully presented study of a fascinating area of vintage mystery fiction.' Martin Edwards, author of The Life of Crime and the Rachel Savernake mysteries. 'This book is an insightful exploration of how education and Golden Age detective fiction have co-constructed each other. Often dismissed as lacking the qualities of serious literature, detective fiction, the authors argue, is a critical site for examining serious educational issues—something scholars have largely ignored. … detective fiction engages readers in the very ideas of learning. The authors assert that the educational capacity and agency of the detective […] represents “a crucial point of mirroring and identification for the reader who is engaged in a parallel process of decoding the text and the mystery it depicts” (p. 4). The book offers a delightful range of examples, featuring well-known and lesser-known authors, to make a valid case for the role and pedagogic use of detective fiction in education.' K. Wein, University of Wisconsin, Platteville