A coherent and chronological investigation, this book explores the way in which writers of crime fiction--the most popular fictional genre of the 21st century--adapt and incorporate features of traditional Gothic fiction into their writing. Offering a study into the origins of the genre, it underscores the Gothic and detective fiction influences that resulted in crime fiction writing. With detailed analysis of the most contemporary and successful crime writers--both American and British--this account also examines the public's thirst for and obsession with true crime in the 19th century.