Ross Macdonald (Kenneth Millar 1915-1983)

Creator of 18 detective novels featuring private detective Lew Archer, Millar/Macdonald was a master of the hard-boiled Southern California tradition practiced by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. The Lew Archer novels began with The Moving Target (1949) and ended with The Blue Hammer (1976).

A native Californian raised in Canada, he began writing novels in 1944 while completing his Ph.D. in Literature at the University of Michigan. (His dissertation topic: Samuel Taylor Coleridge.) His work transcended genre conventions, earning him praise from both critics ("a major American novelist," asserted New York Times critic John Leonard) and his public. His books are studied today in college classrooms and have inspired writers such as Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton, Jonathan Kellerman and James Ellroy to push the boundaries of detective fiction.

The Chill (1964) was awarded the Silver Dagger by the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain. Two of his Archer stories were made into theatrical films, both starring Paul Newman: Harper (1966), based on The Moving Target; and The Drowning Pool (1975). Author William Goldman, who wrote the Harper screenplay, called Millar/Macdonald's works "the finest series of detective novels ever written by an American."

See also a 1999 Millar/Macdonald tribute in january magazine.

Gifts for mystery lovers

Otto Penzler, proprietor of New York City's Mysterious Book Shop, commissioned short pieces from crime writers in this most readable treat for mystery lovers: The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives (2009)

P.D. James writes about writing mysteries in Talking About Detective Fiction

Watch online:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents [Hulu]
Hawaii Five-O [Hulu]

Mysteries on TV
Set your TiVo to collect the best British mysteries on TV from PBS Masterpiece Mystery, including Wallender, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Inspector Lewis. While you're at it, check out the other Masterpiece selections: Classic for literary dramas, and Contemporary for modern dramas.

Best Mystery Movies
American Film Institute's Top 10

Recent winners of the Edgar Allan Poe Award® for Best Motion Picture Screenplay:
   In Bruges by Martin McDonagh (2009)
   Michael Clayton by Tony Gilroy (2008)
   The Departed by William Monahan (2007)
   Syriana by Stephen Gaghan (based on the novel by Robert Baer) (2006)
   A Very Long Engagement by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot) (2005)

Coming soon:
The Cause of Death Quiz
A playful test of your mystery novel knowledge.