A reference and overview of the genre of crime fiction, primarily covering the 1950s onwards, although major earlier writers, such as Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler, also have entries. The general introduction discusses the purpose of the book and also includes a glossary which explains some of the common terms and expressions used, such as "hard boiled", "impossible crime" and "police procedural". A historical introduction relates the background and development of crime fiction from the earliest days through to the modern exponents of the craft. The author A-to-Z covers 500 entries on the major writers in the crime fiction field, from Edward S. Aarons to Mark Zubro. Each entry gives a brief biographical background, highlight the key words, gives a brief bibliography and notes significant films/series adapted from their works. The four appendices at the end of the volume cover key characters, key books and magazines, key films and TV series and awards and award winners, including the Edgar Awards, the Dagger Awards, the Shamus Awards and other important awards.