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'After the murder of Clarice Dodd, the selfish, easy-going, wealthy owner of Rockwater, the tale moves in a familiar pattern of questionings by detectives, indications of the guilt of every person involved—except the murderer—in turn, a second murder, then closes abruptly, with an unsatisfactory solution that leaves a number of ragged edges.'
Source:
'Latest Fiction', The Advertiser, 8 July 1944, p.3.
Notes
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Originally published in the US in May 1943 as Lena Hates Men and subsequently serialised (again as Lena Hates Men), also in the US. Later published in the UK and Australia as Murder in Rockwater.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Issues of Class and Gender in Australian Crime Fiction : From the 1950s to Today
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Sold by the Millions : Australia's Bestsellers 2012; (p. 96-111) In this chapter, Rachel Franks notes ‘‘Australian crime fiction writers imported many types of crime fiction from Britain, including the gothic mystery and the Newgate novel, and from America, including the locked room mystery and the spy story.’ She observes how Australian crime fiction has changed along with the ‘societies that produce it.’ She concludes that for Australian crime fiction to be attractive to mass market and an assured popularity, Australian crime fiction writers must respond ‘to the changing demands of their readers,’ and ‘continue to develop the genre with increasingly sophisticated stories about murderers and those who bring them to justice.’ (Editor’s foreword xii)
-
Issues of Class and Gender in Australian Crime Fiction : From the 1950s to Today
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Sold by the Millions : Australia's Bestsellers 2012; (p. 96-111) In this chapter, Rachel Franks notes ‘‘Australian crime fiction writers imported many types of crime fiction from Britain, including the gothic mystery and the Newgate novel, and from America, including the locked room mystery and the spy story.’ She observes how Australian crime fiction has changed along with the ‘societies that produce it.’ She concludes that for Australian crime fiction to be attractive to mass market and an assured popularity, Australian crime fiction writers must respond ‘to the changing demands of their readers,’ and ‘continue to develop the genre with increasingly sophisticated stories about murderers and those who bring them to justice.’ (Editor’s foreword xii)
Last amended 22 Apr 2020 13:12:31
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