The Detective as Historian

History and Art in Historical Crime Fiction
Readers of detective stories turn to historical crime fiction to learn about life in past societies and how citizens and crime fighters coped with laws and restrictions. This study covers all recorded history - from ancient Egypt, through Classical Greece and Rome, to medieval Europe.
Readers of detective stories are turning more toward historical crime fiction to learn both what everyday life was like in past societies and how citizens and crime fighters coped with those who broke the laws and resitrictions of the times. The crime fiction treated here covers virtually all of recorded history - from ancient Egypt, through Classical Greece and Rome; from medieval Europe through to 19th-century England and America.