The acclaimed author of the Inspector Barnaby series offers a madcap manor house mystery: “well-written, witty, and elegantly plotted” (The Guardian, UK). Simon Hannaford is in need of some fast money, and murder seems the obvious solution. Specifically, a 1930s Murder Mystery Weekend, to be held at Madingley Grange, his aunt’s superbly hideous gothic mansion. Simon and his sister are meant to be house-sitting, but surely Aunt Maude would not begrudge them the chance to earn a few nearly honest shekels. As the guests arrive—each one dottier than the last—Simon’s grand plans quickly go awry. Meanwhile, the staff Simon hired on the cheap are busy hatching larcenous plans of their own. But when an actual body turns up, deprived of actual life, Simon’s charade of detection is suddenly forced to begin in earnest.

An art form comes of age when it is imitated, then parodied and finally repeated in pastiche. Crime and detective fiction is now so well established in different formats that it lends itself easily to these literary forms. After a brief history of the genre is an analysis of a large number of parody books and short stories, with details of correspondence and interviews the writer has had with masters of the craft, like Georges Simenon and Margaret Millar. The next section covers those books written by teams of six or more crime writers. The pastiche section deals with a number of books and short stories in-depth, crime stories for younger readers, and the exploits of literary detectives and criminals. "Do It Yourself Sleuthing" covers dossiers, games and books of solvable short crime stories. This leads naturally to all forms of parody and pastiche in films, theater, television and radio, including stage and film musicals.

Provides information on the most influential English-language writers of the crime and mystery genre. Each entry includes author biographies; complete bibliographies; lists of critical studies; locations of manuscripts; the writer's own comments on his or her work, when available; and an essay written by an expert of the genre.

Adult books are categorized by genre (i.e., fiction, mystery, science fiction, nonfiction). Along with bibliographic information, the expected date of publication and the names of literary agents for individual titles are provided. Starred reviews serve several functions: In the adult section, they mark potential bestsellers, major promotions, book club selections, and just very good books; in the children's section, they denote books of very high quality. The unsigned reviews manage to be discerning and sometimes quite critical.

Sequels, the most popular and long-lasting guide to novels in series, returns with greatly expanded series listings. Mysteries continue to be a mainstay, with fantasy, science fiction, and romance listings, plus non-genre fiction selections from authors such as Edward Abbey and Lawrence Durrell. The authors have carefully sifted through a growing group of series to select those most likely to be available in a medium-sized public library, weeding out esoteric, obscure, and less popular series. This classic reference includes hundreds of annotated series, title and subject indexes, and suggestions for reading order. Library professionals will find Answers to the perennial question, "What should I read next?" Guidance on the chronology of a series Easy-to-use tools to identify novels by character, setting, and author The definitive resource for novels in series Including series started since 1989 and updated through 2007, Sequels will be the most complete resource for general readers and library patrons as well as readers' advisors; public, university, and high school reference librarians; acquisition and collection management librarians; and even bookstore staff and book reviewers. The expanded Sequels, 4th edition, will become the RA and reference librarian's resource of choice