“You have been asked to write the introduction to a new collection of contemporary detective fiction. In your introduction you should: outline the reasons why you think detective stories have enduring appeal, discuss some of the personal qualities you believe are essential in a memorable fictional detective, and explain why you recommend this particular collection of stories to readers.”
Welcome to this latest installment of Detectives on the Beat, where you will find hours of intrigue, mystery and drama, as you follow in the footsteps of our latest fictional detectives as they undertake some of their most daring cases yet. This book of contemporary detective fiction is up there with the best we have produced and I hope you have as much fun reading them as our writers had creating it.
The enduring appeal of detective fiction can be a mystery for some people, but for me, it points to the curious nature of human beings, who can’t help but be drawn in by the mystery and intrigue. We, as a species, are enthralled with the world of crime, a world far removed from our humdrum lives and we love nothing more than to get lost in the gritty settings of city murders and serial killers. One only has to look at the popularity of true crime to see how we are fascinated by evil murderers, audacious con-artists and quick witted thieves.
Another aspect that has kept detective fiction alive is how we love to play the detective ourselves. Few readers can go through these pages without trying to solve the problem ourselves. We are on a journey with our favourite detectives and we all have our own theory on who did it.
The best detectives in my opinion, are lone wolves, who go against the accepted norms of police duty. They care little for the rules and their only concern is catching the bad guy, by whatever means necessary. They should be decisive, determined and not scared to ruffle a few feathers along the way. Some of the best fictional detectives have complicated personal lives and their flaws only add to their mystique. There have been many memorable detectives who possess these qualities, like Harry Bosch, Roy Grace or Jimmy McNulty.
This particular collection will appeal to all readers, as there is a mixture of old style murder mysteries, while the pitfalls of social media and cat-fishing play a central role in others. Each story offers a unique crime that gives our budding detectives hours of sleepless nights, as they try to narrow down the list of suspects and as ever, the culprit is not always obvious.
We hope that you enjoy these stories and that they offer you a chance to test your own detective skills on some of our gruesome crimes. Happy Reading!