cdubiel 's review for:

How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook by Mystery Writers of America by Mystery Writers of America

5.0

---

This will be a must-buy for my 800s collection. Many of the great names in mystery today collaborate here to explain and highlight different attributes of writing the mystery. Crime fiction is so varied and complex, which I learned from my time on the board of Sisters in Crime. I like that each essay is focused on a different topic, so readers looking for specific guidance can flip directly to the essay in question. I was particularly inspired by those from Rachel Howzell Hall, Frankie Y. Bailey, Catriona McPherson, and Liliana Hart. It's not all craft: some of the essays are about marketing and publishing, and some very important issues of diversity and intersectionality are covered (though I felt one of the essays was a bit flip about the topic - written by a white man, natch). Apart from that issue, this is definitely a book I will refer to again and again.