"In Private Investigations, twenty fan-favorite mystery writers share their first-person stories of grappling with mysteries they've personally encountered, at home and in the world. Caroline Leavitt regales us with a medical mystery, a time when she lost her voice and doctors couldn't find a cure; Martin Limon travels back to his military stint in Korea to grapple with the chaos of war; Anne Perry ponders the magical powers of stories conjured from...

"This volume covers the formative years of American detective fiction. It examines elements including the rise and decline of police as an institution; the parallel development of private detectives; and the birth of the crusading newspaper reporter. The work also looks at the beginnings of forensic science and criminology--and consequently, the detective story"--Provided by publisher