Grange deftly learned how to deal with the reader looking at the end of the book. In the middle of the novel, a substitution takes place: the main secret turns out to be different. We were looking for one clue, but it turned out that everything is much worse and more ambitious. Crimson Rivers is a very violent detective story, but it’s also a detective story in which the plot loops in the middle.
The detective story is one of the most popular genres of literature. We love to read books about deception and understand that the evil, which is so much around us, will be punished. Stories about detectives solving riddles have existed as far back as ancient India. But the first true detective with an intricate criminal case appeared in 1841. It was the story of Murder in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. Later, all the famous works about crimes were written: «The Dog of the Baskervilles», «The Brothers Karamazov», «Murder on the Orient Express», «Drama on the Hunt».
The writer Dmitry Bykov chose 10 detective stories that best reveal the schemes of this genre.
In this course, we will analyze the main books about detectives and criminals — from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to action-packed novels by Jean-Christophe Granger. And consider 10 basic schemes of detectives. For example, there was no murder, the killed was, the detective killed. And also let’s talk about the works in which the author managed to jump over these schemes. And even make the viewer a killer!
We will also find out:
• Who was the prototype of the great literary detectives.
• Why Sherlock Holmes and Poirot are a thing of the past. And why today, in order to catch a criminal, a whole team of professionals is needed.
• How feminism influenced the detective, and the woman became the main criminal.
• What complex topics are covered by detective stories: from terrorism to the search for God.
• How a detective can become a boring history textbook.
• What books can you learn about the life of an English estate or the life of a French intellectual?
• How does an English detective story differ from a French one and how do they both differ from a German and a Russian?