Feb 1, 2010
This is a book for anyone who reads mysteries and has wonder about the origin of a favorite fiction detective. Mr. Penzler has gathered some 21 short essays by various popular mystery writers to address this. Different writers have developed the main character in their books in very different ways; John Lescroart's character, Dismas Hardy, was briefly mentioned in Lescroart's first, and unpublished book. He continued to use the name because he thought it was a memorable name. Akin to the names Travis McGee and Sherlock Holmes. There are many interesting facts of this sort. The who, why, and how of an author's characters and style are available for the interested reader.