Colloquium on Crime: Eleven Renowned Mystery Writers Discuss Their Work

Winks, a professor of history at Yale, regularly reviews mysteries in the Boston Globe. Here he gathers essays by British and American writers whom he particularly admires. Responding to the invitation ot discuss their work, the 10 men and one woman express their ideas in the distinctive styles that have made them favorites of crime-fiction fans. Dorothy Salisbury Davis tells about influences on her career during her early life in the Depression and later, when Graham Greene's Brighton Rock and other novels fired her ambition. Michael Gilbert limns the differences between the thriller and the whodunit. K.C. Constantine, Joseph Hansen and the other specialists are equally engaging, meeting Winks's criteria: they write well, make every fact count, use language with care. They entertain, and when they instruct too, it provides additional richness to their work. (April)