Following the clues: a select list of reference tools and information resources for crime and mystery readers’ advisory work Resources referred to in a presentation at Murder in the Metcalfe: a readers’ advisory seminar for crime and mystery State Library of NSW, 23 March 2010 Sherrey Quinn Director, Libraries Alive Pty Ltd Note: all URLs cited below are valid as of 21 March 2010 Introduction The presentation was a case study in researching crime fiction readers’ advisory (RA) reference tools, by someone working in a reference and readers’ advisory setting, but not familiar with crime fiction. Reference tools and resources include starting points; general genre guides; specialised crime/mystery RA guides; sources of reviews; databases; websites; blogs, newsletters and social networking sites; and some other useful resources. Print sources listed are limited (in general) to those published within the past 10 years. Some Australian sources are listed. Starting points For starters: consult general guides to readers’ advisory work (such as Saricks 2005), see what they say about crime fiction resources, then move on to more specialised sources check the library catalogue and workroom to see what tools you have in your own collection relevant resources are available in print and online. Saricks, Joyce, Readers’ advisory service in the public library, 3rd ed. American Library Association, 2005 Saricks’ index leads to useful information, including: ‘crime fiction’ has various labels, such as ‘crime’, ‘mysteries’, ‘detective fiction’ there are many sub-genres; a few examples are: ‘crime/caper’, ‘detective stories’, ‘police procedurals’ , ‘private investigators (PIs)’ the names of some key contemporary authors titles of some important readers’ advisory reference works and names of their publishers. One path to take next is to follow-up the listed key authors in the library, and read some of them. Another is to explore additional reference sources, especially as Saricks’ book is now five years old. © 2010 1 Next step – general genre guides From Saricks (2005) we learn that the two major publishers of readers’ advisory print resources are Libraries Unlimited (Genreflecting Advisory series) and the American Library Association (ALA Readers’ Advisory series). We also learn that there are two general guides to genre fiction: Saricks, Joyce G., The readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction. 2nd ed American Library Association, 2009 Herald, Diana Tixier 2006, Genreflecting: a guide to reading interests in genre fiction, 6th ed. Libraries Unlimited, 2006 Each has a chapter relevant to crime/mysteries: Saricks: ‘Mysteries’, covering definitions, characteristics and appeal, key authors and subgenres, overlap with other genres, trends, readers’ advisory interview and tips Herald: ‘Crime’, key authors and subgenres, themes in crime fiction, types of stories, overlap with other genres, reference sources. By reading one or both of these chapters, the readers’ adviser will learn the background to what may be the most popular of all genres. The authors give detailed information about sub-genres, types of stories, and overlap between mysteries and other genres (for example, thrillers, historical mysteries), and cross-overs (or ‘doorways’) into non-fiction, such as ‘true’ crime. They also give more names of key authors. Huse, Roy & Huse, Jeanne 2008, Who else writes like ... ? A readers' guide to fiction authors. 6th ed. Library and Information Statistics Unit, Loughborough University, 2008 and online for subscription access at: www.whoelsewriteslike.com Who else writes like …? is widely used in public libraries by staff and patrons who wish to identify alternative authors. The authors listed are said to reflect ‘a good cross section of the stock of public libraries across the UK and Australia’ (p. iii). The online version builds on the book and includes additional authors As a ‘crime’ fiction resource, WEWL provides: ‘crime’ genre index: authors listed by genre/subgenre characters and series index winners of UK awards and literary prizes (e.g., Crime Writers Association, Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year) further reading (books and websites). Nancy Pearl includes thematic lists in her books. Examples of crime-related themes include: ‘I love a mystery’, ‘Les crimes noir’ and ‘Crime is a globetrotter’: Pearl, Nancy 2003, Book lust: recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason. Sasquatch Books, 2003 Pearl, Nancy 2005, More book lust: recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason. Sasquatch Books, 2005 © 2010 2 Specialised crime readers’ advisory titles There are many specialised crime readers’ advisory titles. Here are titles from the two main publishers. American Library Association (ALA): The mystery readers' advisory: the librarian's clues to murder and mayhem, by John Charles, Joanna Morrison, and Candace Clark, American Library Association, 2002 – introduces the mystery genre and its readers, and includes RA tips, lists organised by theme and genre, recommendations for book discussions, and tips on how to start a book group, annotated list of reference sources. Libraries Unlimited (LU): Caught up in crime: a reader's guide to crime fiction and nonfiction, by Gary Niebuhr, 2009 – crime and true crime Make mine a mystery: a reader's guide to mystery and detective fiction, by Gary Niebuhr, 2003 – includes a history of detective fiction, and focuses on ‘mystery detective novels where a fictional character tries to solve a puzzle concerning a crime’; it doesn’t cover other aspects of crime, or intrigue, thrillers, suspense, adventure novels, and true crime. Read ‘em their writes: a handbook for mystery and crime fiction book discussions, by Gary Niebuhr, 2006 – the title says it all – useful for book discussion groups. Read on...crime fiction: reading lists for every taste, by Barry Trott, 2007 – focuses on appeal characteristics and categorises hundreds of popular crime fiction titles according to five broad features: character, setting, story, language and mood, and then puts them into thematic lists. All LU Genreflecting series titles are available by subscription in The Readers’ Advisor online database. Other specialised sources include those published in the Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide series: Good reading guide to crime fiction, edited by Nick Rennison, 2003 – short articles on 200 featured authors in many crime sub-genres, with read-on suggestions 100 must-read crime novels, edited by Richard Shephard and Nick Rennison, 2007 – includes themes, crime characters and their creators and also: The rough guide to crime fiction, by Barry Forshaw, Rough Guides, 2007 – discusses mystery authors and more than 200 classic crime novels written in the past century, with information on screen adaptations and suggestions for further reading. Although such guides may have similar-sounding titles, the focus and content of each varies as indicated above. © 2010 3 A recent guide with a different focus is: Strange cases; a selective guide to speculative mystery fiction, by Jill Vassilakos-Long and Paul Vassilakos-Long, ABC-CLIO, 2009 – annotations of more than 500 novels, anthologies and short stories, chosen from works variously marketed as fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries. Includes information on authors, themes, subjects, characters, location and timeframe, and series. Non-fiction RA guides include chapters on ‘true crime’ and its many subgenres, such as historical fiction, courtroom dramas, unsolved mysteries (to name only three). They help readers interested in crime fiction move into non-fiction read-alikes. Readers’ advisers will gain ideas on how to exploit the non-fiction section of the collection. Two examples are: The readers’ advisory guide to nonfiction, by Neal Wyatt. ALA Editions, 2007. The real story: a guide to nonfiction reading interests, by Sarah Statz Cords and Robert Burgin. Libraries Unlimited, 2006 Reviews and recommended lists ALA has other resources useful to the crime fiction adviser: Booklist and Booklist Online: www.booklistonline.com Booklist is a book reviews magazine, published for more than 90 years, including author interviews, feature articles and book-related essays. The digital version is available through some vendor compilations (for example Literature Resource Center or ProQuest) or by direct subscription. The ‘Mystery Showcase’ issue, each May, covers a particular region, and articles on the year’s best crime novels, top ten crime fiction for youth, and top crime fiction audiobooks. Free email newsletters, Booklist Read Alert and Booklist Online Exclusives provide advice on new reviews and other content (look for categories such as ‘Adult books – Fiction – Crime Fiction’ , and it’s also on Twitter (ALA_Booklist). The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) publishes Reference and user services quarterly, which has a regular Readers’ Advisory column. RUSA also publishes The Reading List annually, highlighting ‘outstanding genre fiction that merits special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them’. ‘Mystery’ is the category to look for; it includes a summary of the chosen title, read-alikes and the shortlist of titles: The Reading List: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/awards/readinglist/index.cfm There’s a regular ‘Mystery’ column, with short reviews of recent publications, and an annual ‘Mystery Preview’ in: Library Journal (Reed Elsevier): http://www.libraryjournal.com/ © 2010 4 For general news on books (literature and all genres)