What enabled the English mystery to take over the literary world? Why has Agatha Christie been translated into so many languages? This book traces the fascination the English (and the English speaking world in general) have long had with death and the macabre. The rise of formal policing and detecting coincides with the rise of the murder mystery in a fascinating way. Highly recommend this one to fans of mysteries. (Although, fair warning: some sections of this are gruesome and horrifying.)