Offering analysis of the fiction of 15 authors for whom the setting greatly contributes to their overall literary style, this book focuses on the many ways that place figures in modern crime and mystery novels. The authors and their settings are Georges Simenon Paris, Donna Leon Venice, Tony Hillerman American Southwest, Walter Mosley South Central Los Angeles, George P. Pelecanos Washington, D.C., Sara Paretsky Chicago, James Lee Burke Southern Louisiana, Carl Hiaasen South Florida, Ian Rankin Edinburgh, Alexander McCall Smith Botswana, James McClure South Africa, Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo Stockholm, Paco Ignacio Taibo II Mexico City, Leonardo Sciascia Sicily and Lindsey Davis Ancient Rome.