E. X. Ferrars ─ A Companion to the Mystery Fiction

"Complex but highly readable" said one reviewer of Ferrars' Alibi for A Witch (1952). The psychological realism of her crime mysteries reflects the fact that Ferrars (1907-1995) was more cosmopolitan than most British authors of the period, writes Macdonald (Nicholls State U. in Thibodaux, Louisiana) in introducing this survey of her prolific output in chronological and alphabetical order, a brief biography, career chronology, and facsimiles of manuscript pages. Entries cover her characters, recurring themes, issues, locations, and literary conventions. She often treated the modern themes of abusive relationships, aging/memory, and alcoholism. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Gina Macdonald was the author of eight books and several other book-length publications. She wrote hundreds of articles and encyclopedia pieces on a variety of literary topics, but mainly on detective/ crime fiction. At the time of her death she had been promoted to full professor at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Elizabeth Sanders obtained her B.A. in English from Nicholls State University in 2008. She was a teaching assistant at the University of Arkansas and will soon pursue a master’s degree in library science at Louisiana State University. Series Editor Elizabeth Foxwell, an Agatha Award winner, is managing editor of Clues: A Journal of Detection.