P.D. James' Talking about Detective Fiction is pretty much what its title implies, James writing some informal essays on detective fiction. Overall, it was a pretty lightweight bit of criticism. James has some astute observations, such as her discussion of the importance of setting. But, in general, it's a bit idiosyncratic -- there's a bit of history (but only through the Golden Age, and even there skipping around quite a bit), a bit of theory (like the importance of setting), a bit of talking about how things have changed since 1930. And, in each case, just as things are getting interesting, James is onto the next thing.
I was also a bit disappointed that she didn't talk much about her own work. I think that James is one of the authors most instrumental in moving detective fiction towards a literary status, and I'd be interested in hearing more about what led her down that path.
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