Here is a complete, in-depth study of detective movies in America. Through extensive research and personal interviews, Tuska traces the growth of the detective film from the earliest Sherlock Holmes one-reeler to oe of the more recent and important entries, The Late Show. This is a lively account of the orgiinal authors who created the detectives, teh directors and scenarists who brought them to the screen, and the actors and actresses who portrayed them. Included are Hamett and Chandler, Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, Perry Mason, Ellery Queen, Nero Wolfe, Lew Archer and all the rest.