THE
PERFECTMURDER
A Study
in Detection
David Lehman
I
n this lively, enjoyable look at a
selection of the best American and
British detective fiction , David
Lehman investigates the "mystery" of
mysteries-and the profound satisfac–
tions we get from evil, disorder, may–
hem, and deception. Examining the
works ofAgatha Christie, Dashiell
Hammett and Raymond Chandler to
more recent writers as Ross Macdonald,
Jorge Luis Borges and Umberto Eco,
Lehman reveals how the mystery's con–
ventions-the locked room, the clue
hidden in plain Sight, the least likely
villain - work on us as childhood fairy–
tales do: they prey upon our darkest
fears, taking us to the brink of the
unbearable before restoring a comfort–
ing sense of order.
"Lehman says penetrating things about the mystery tale's conventions,
its cathartic strategy, its social assumptions, and the parabolic or
psychological structures which underlie the richest specimens of the
genre. A thoroughly intelligent and readable book. "
- RichardWilbur, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
" Apersuasive counter-argument to EdmundWilson's thesis that
detective novels are no more than escapist. A brilliantly executed, often
witty, and eloquent study. "
- The Boston Globe
1989 ISBN: 0-02-919770-8 $19.95
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Partisan Review
Published at Boston University
