Following the Detectives: Crime Fiction's Greatest Investigators and the Real Cities They Inhabit - Softcover

Whether it be the London of Sherlock Holmes or the Ystad of the Swedish Wallander, Dashiell Hammett's San Francisco or Donna Leon's Venice, the settings chosen by crime fiction authors have helped those writers to bring their fictional investigators to life and to infuse their writing with a sense of danger and mystery. "Following the Detectives" follows the trail of over 20 of crime fiction's greatest investigators, discovering the cities and countries in which they live and work. Edited by one of the leading voices in crime fiction, Maxim Jakubowski, each entry is written by a crime writer, journalist or critic with a particular expertise in that detective and the fictional crimes that have taken place in each city's dark streets and hidden places. The book includes beautifully designed maps with all the major locations that have featured in a book or series of books - buildings, streets, bars, restaurants and locations of crimes and discoveries - allowing the reader to follow Inspector Morse's footsteps through the college squares of Oxford or while away hours in a smoky Parisian cafe frequented by Inspector Maigret, for example. Aimed at the avid detective fan, the armchair tourist and the literary tourist alike, "Following the Detectives" is the perfect way for crime fiction fans to truly discover the settings of their favourite detective novels.

Maxim Jakubowski spent many years in publishing, during which time he was responsible for several crime imprints. He opened London's Murder One bookshop, which he ran for 20 years, and now writes and edits full-time. He is a winner of the Anthony Award for best non-fiction crime book of the year for 100 Great Detectives, and has also been shortlisted on a further occasion. He has compiled many anthologies including the annual Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries for six years, Pulp Fiction, Future Crimes, London Noir, Paris Noir, Rome Noir, Murders for the Fireside, No Alibis and many others. He is a regular broadcaster on radio and TV, reviewed crime fiction for Time Out and the Guardian for 17 years and lives in London.