THE MYSTERIOUS ROMANCE OF MURDER
by David Lehman
Cornell University Press
Pub Date: May 15

David Lehman takes an elegant look at all things noir in films, books, TV, and culture in The Mysterious Romance of Murder. There's a language, style, cynicism, and hipness that pervade noir, whether on the printed page or the small or large screen. If you love old movies, you know exactly what I mean and Lehman captures the zeitgeist perfectly.

When I think of noir, I think of Bogie and Bacall, their scenes hazy with smoke, or a Hitchcock flick with murder on a foggy New York night, a body dumped in the East River with ship horns keening.

If you love noir as I do, you will adore this poetic intelligent guide. Now, let's turn on "Rear Window," sip whiskey and puff on our cigs way past midnight. How darkly romantic ...

Thanks to the author, Cornell University Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#TheMysteriousRomanceofMurder #DavidLehman #CornellUniversityPress
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Cornell University Press for an advanced copy of this study on mystery books and films.

The genre of mystery has many different forms and subsections: locked room mysteries, police procedural, noir, thrillers and spys, cozy, cat and serial killers to name a few. Many have sleuths that become friends or even family, the murder or the case is more of a chance to get together see how things are and catch a lawbreaker. Some stories feature bad guys, trying to do good, or just being bad, some have the Napoleon of Crime, some have the Beagle Boys pursued by the Keystone Cops. Whatever the style or even the writings, mysteries reach across all lines and all languages and borders, and fans are very ardent about their sleuths. David Lehman, a poet, mystery lover and reviewer in his book The Mysterious Romance of Murder: Crime, Detection, and the Spirit of Noir has written an ode and a study of both books and films covering a diverse field in both.

The book begins with a brief history of the genre in both written and cinematic form. From there Lehman introduces different themes common to mysteries, then detailing the many known and lesser known writers with biographies and examples. Movies are also covered with a definite attachment to film noir classics from the 40's and 50's with discussions of directors, writers and actors. Thrillers and spy novelists are included with a very good chapter on Eric Ambler which reminded me how much I enjoyed his books, and how long it had been since I read any. As a poet, Lehman also includes some examples of noir poetry, which if found oddly intriguing and would like to read more. There is quite a lot of interesting chapters, including a section on astrological signs of writers and actors, that sounds odd, but is quite engaging.

A very well-written book that has a poet's touch in the writing and presentation in both form and language. Lehman writes in a very personable style that makes it seem that the reader and author are having more of a conversation, rather than being lectured at or taught new things. The book ranges far and wide, and yet doesn't go to crazy or take itself to seriously. The movie sections are particularly interesting, with insightful facts and background information that really fills out what is presented. A very important reference for students of mysteries.

A book that is much more then it seems, not just about a literary genre, but how people see things and see the world. Readers will constantly be stopping to write down or authors, or where to stream movies from, which is part of the fun books like these offer. Much more than a reference but a poem of love and appreciation for a genre that sometimes gets little in the way of respect. Recommended for mystery lovers, literary students and majors, and people who enjoy well written collections on art and how to enjoy it.

Who doesn’t love the lure, style and content of the crime and crime-solving plots told in an entertaining way? David Lehman’s enticing and extensive examination into the murderous world with whodunnits, noirs, spy stories and detectives of all types as he uncovers the style and content of these films, TV and books.

One of the most much-loved and most popular themes discovered in books, film or TV is the crime genre. This genre is illustrated worldwide with crime-based stories, of crimes and crime-solving, that take you to glamorous worlds with detectives and spies, heroes and heroines, villains and villainesses and their victims. Many of these films or television series seen today and yesterday found their origins in novels.

Be it a whodunnit detective story with an Agatha Christie inspired Belgian sleuth using his “little grey cells” or a hard-boiled San Francisco detective who acts alone. Be the plot told in a black and white, film noir or a colour Hitchcock directed mystery or a film adaptation of an Agatha Christie or Raymond Chandler novel. David Lenham has written about these films, books and more in his book, The Mysterious Romance of Murder which chronicles his encyclopedic knowledge of this genre.

Lenham advocates that spies are a “close cousin” of the detective novels. He contributes his knowledge of this sub-genre to this book by detailing many books and films of this kind. These include espionage tales set during the Cold War, World War II or featuring James Bond. In all these cases, Lenham illuminates and informs of their place in this genre with some enthralling examples backed up with quotes and other writers.

Just reading the contents page in David Lenham’s love letter to this genre, in his book had me captivated. This book is divided into five enticing sections with each of these then broken up into relevant examples. These sections and individual chapters explore how this topic can be styled in various entertaining ways and then examines its elements, auteurs and individual analyses with a number of film examples. This book ends with a unique and innovative section looking at astrology in relation to three famous names’ star signs and their life and astrological traits.

This author enthusiastically and passionately shares his never-ending and always informative writing and knowledge of these subjects. He fits in so many contributions from the entertainment world to this genre in just under three hundred pages.

Lenham provides solid and illuminating arguments that both define and explain the use of this genre’s themes. His love for these subjects is constantly felt through this book. When Leham discusses his arguments or advocates his points, these chapter themes are brought to life with his richly described examples. His insights are gleaned from books, films, poetry and other mediums.

He refers to, compares, contrasts and illustrates examples from this genre. He supports and analyses his findings with a never-ending supply of examples from book plots or screenplays, quotes and references. His love and knowledge of this subject are felt from these vivid descriptions of film and TV shows, with examples given with plotlines, nuances and quotes from their respective screenplay or novels.

This book is littered with references to films, television series and books from many decades and centuries. For example, there are examinations of films and their storylines as gleaned from detective novels written by the likes of Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler. Lehman gives his insights into many of their books that relate to their detective creations and you’ll recognise many book titles which inspired filmmakers in this and throughout the book.

Lehman adds pertinent examples of the espionage genre such as authors, John Le Carre and spy films including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) and North by Northwest (1959). Detective and espionage are seen as two distinct movie and book genres, but he provides a captivating argument for them to be recognised as “distant cousins”.

Both genres are illustrated individually in-depth. He adds mini-biographies associated with these films such as the actor Humphrey Bogart, actress and director Ida Lupino and filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. There are also individual chapters on a number of films and books.

He shows a tidal wave of knowledge of both books and films with references to these examples from a wide range of these mediums. Lehman generously adds his thoughts of this subject matter where a film adaptation of a book is referred to, as he discusses and compares his thoughts in relation to both mediums.

In the introduction to this book, Lehman looks at “The Mysterious Romance of Murder” and explores the historical origins of this topic. Lehman believes the whodunnit began in biblical times and ancient Greek tragedies. After a murderous act, Lehman says this leaves a “beguiling riddle” with only the perpetrator and his (dead) victim knowing who did the deed.

In this section, Lehman also examines those detectives in print as written about by Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. He shares his insights into many of their works – in book form and film adaptations – and their characters. He also provides a deep comprehension and analysis of the author’s detective creations such as Dupin, Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple respectively. Here – like in other chapters – he takes us into the glamorous world of film noir, detective stories and hard-boiled detectives examining roles played by Humphrey Bogart and whodunnits with an examination of the detectives in Agatha Christie film adaptations.

In the second section, Lehman looks in-depth at how this genre is made glamorous with its use of props or “elements” within the story. He concentrates on the use of alcohol, cigarettes and music.

This content makes interesting reading for every noir or detective fan, where cigarettes can often mean much more than a need for nicotine. But more creatively as part of the storyline. Lehman also echoed my recent thoughts saying that the use of music in a film soundtrack or film and book storyline – both with and without lyrics – also supports and enhances the plot content when this is added. This chapter brought new ways of thinking about a variety of film scenes, where more meaning was suggested by the use of these props.

The third section examines a selection of the auteurs – or artistic creators – of this genre in more detail. Here he selects authors – such as Graham Greene and Raymond Chandler – and – by his own definition – “the first lady of noir”, Ida Lupino. In individual chapters, Lenham examines their contributions to the genre, be it through their books or films. For example, Lupino’s career in noir films is examined as part of her mini-biography and this chapter also has an analysis of her films that includes pertinent plotlines, scenes and quotes.

In his chapter on Hitchcock, Lehman’s vast knowledge of the work of this director and filmmaker is seen in his lengthy appraisal and analysis. This chapter includes a list of his favourite moments in these films. A number of this director’s scenes, motifs and themes are explored and compared with other Hitchock films which share this motif or theme in his detailed analysis. I found this chapter a comprehensive and analytical look at a wide variety of films from Hitchcock’s filmography, and as a film blogger, this is one of many useful reference tools scattered throughout this book.

Part four examines a number of films in depth, in individual chapters. Here many plotlines are revealed with a few spoilers, but looking at these films in such a way had an unexpected but pleasing outcome. Lehman delightfully retells much of the plots in these films and he helpfully adds their cast lists.

These plots are embellished with quotes from the film and memorable and pertinent scenes are recreated in his vivid text. These components are added together to make an eclectic review. And it made you feel that you’ve seen and understood this film better, as it’s like reading about a film you’ve actually seen.

The final part of his book takes a creative turn as Lehman looks at the star sign of three famous and then examines their career looks for similarities. It’s a fun, illuminating and engaging end to the book which was an unexpected fun delight to read. And with chapters on the actress, Barbara Stanwyck and author Graham Green, this makes an enjoyable conclusion to this book.

Finally, Lehman gives his thanks to those who helped him write this book. He then informs us this book is one that he’s been keen to write after publishing his first books on this subject. I’m glad that he finally put pen to paper – or more likely his fingers to a keyboard – for this wonderfully informative non-fiction book. I

n this book, his examinations into those odes to crime use such a wide variety of media forms to convince you of their part in this genre, he makes this book an exemplary read for every poetry and book reader and to every film and TV fan, both as a seasoned or newcomer to this field.

In one chapter, Lehman added that if noir films had awards, the award should resemble a Maltese Falcon. After reading this book, I concur with this brilliant idea. After reading Lehman’s warm infectious and enthusiastic analysis, his descriptions and analysis, I’d like to thank him for his contribution to this genre with his book, which shares so many TV Shows films and books. I’m now asking Lenham to accept this award for his many roles as a writer, advocate and researcher when writing this book, where I’ve added much more content to watch, rewatch and to read pile.

You don’t need to be a detective to deduce why he deserves this accolade. But to confess all, it’s for his always passionate and relevant inclusions of these sources, his addition a who’s who of likely and unlikely suspects and for contributing their always engaging motivations in a variety of traditional and unique mediums. And in short, you’ll feel that he’s put a lot of detective work into his personal investigation in this book, which tells of crimes written from the heart, in a screenplay or as a read, prove a look or a book can say much more than a thousand words…

The Mysterious Romance of Murder ties together Noir themes throughout different forms of media in excellent ways. It tells a great story whilst also providing in depth knowledge. A must read for any fan of noir or mystery!

This book hits me in a weird spot. I am sufficiently a fan of mystery and noir fiction to be interested in a book chiefly composed of essays about mystery and noir fiction, but I have not read and watched nearly as much of the genre as David Lehman has -- admittedly a pretty high bar, it seems. As such, I often didn't know the particular examples of mystery fiction Lehman was discussing. In the best case, especially when these discussions were about an author or director's body of work, rather than a single piece, they served as interesting and informative commentary (and often a great source of things to add to the to-read or to-watch list); in the worst case, I ended up skimming or skipping whole essays after feeling he was about to spoil the whole story of whatever he was discussing -- anyone who's ever read a foreword to some piece of "classic" literature that casually spoils the ending, because the author seemingly can't imagine anyone not having already read the story, knows this pain. I suspect one's enjoyment of the book is in direct proportion to how immersed one already is in all the books and movies Lehman discusses, and otherwise has value chiefly as a syllabus.

This book was incredibly well researched by someone who clearly has a lot of love for the genre, however, It was mostly just a list of romances in Murder mysteries, which I wasn't expecting it to be and I know that if I had known that going in I would have liked it more as it would feel less like a lesson which I don't enjoy in books.

An absolute must for any one interested by all the most famous crime fiction published in the US & the UK between 1920 and 1950 & its subsequent adaptation on the silver screen.

An incredible study from start to finish, very well researched and full of incredible details and anecdotes.

I absolutely loved this very entertaining book.
Highly recommended and to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Cornell University for this terrific ARC

This book has a great list and review of murder mysteries. However, I thought there would be a greater thesis or idea running through. Instead, it is almost more a review of tropes and books.

a book that clearly is written by an absolute lover of the genre
but its disjointed narrative style really didn't have me fully interested in what lehman had to say
this reads as a really great recommendation list but an extremely dense study into the noir/murder genre
definitely worth reading if you're a huge fan of mystery, but i just didn't get as much out of it as i wanted

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Cornell University Press for giving me a chance to read and review this book. While reading the synopsis, I thought this book would be up my alley as a fan of murder mysteries and film noir. However, I found this book to be hard to invest my time and energy into it. I did not anticipate the scholarly nature of the book, which is where it falls short. It reads more like a film student’s essay in which he is trying to show the class just how many films he has seen. The book does analyze the topics mentioned; however, I feel like Lehman fails to connect with the reader leaving the book to come across as pedantic and pretentious. While I feel like there is a niche audience for this book—I am not included in that audience.

Honest review for an ARC from @netgalley

I'm a big fan of noir. While I don't read murder exclusively, in film, it's my absolute favourite genre. During lockdown in India, from October 2020 through about July 2021 I watched exclusively noir films. I watched movies from the 20s, 30s, 40s and a few from the 50s. I watched mostly black and white classics, culled from the lists of iconic, best, best-rated, most enjoyable noir films.
And when I saw this title, I have to say, I wanted to read about the movies I'd just watched.
And I wanted more suggestions.
On the second hook, Lehman has delivered and how. Just while reading this (albeit slowly, which I'll get to next), I found and viewed three noirs I'd never seen and I highlighted dozens more for my to-watch list.
So, as a compendium of good noir and mysteries, this is ace!
The reason it took me so long to finish this book is the same -- it's a compendium. It reads like a bibliography or the Notes chapter of an actual book.
Yes, there are essays -- The Cigarette of Boredom, the Cigarette of Seduction, and the very droll astrological profiles of some stars -- but even those are like being on a tour bus that zips through a city while the guide points at highlights that you're best served to make note of and then go visit and explore on your own time over the next few days.
Gripping plot there is not. In fact, if I weren't so damn compulsive, this would have probably been better consumed chapter by chapter to bookend other books. But no, I read it in one go, punctuated only by the movies :)
So! If you're a buff and you're looking for the linkages across movies and characters, you'll savor this.
If you're looking for a suggestions and some recaps, even some character and setting analyses, ditto.
If you're looking for a deep dive into a director or a movie, this is not quite it.

In stark contrast to the cover of this book, this is not a non-fiction meant for the everyday murder/mystery fan looking to find some fun tid-bits or background information. It is not a cute, fun, breakdown of noir. In reality, it is nothing short of an academic essay that would make any ivy league english professor smirk at its astuteness.
It is rife with footnotes and impressively daunting vocabulary.

That being said, there are definitely some new and interesting points of view in here. But I would say that this was written with the assumption that the reader already has an immense backlog of knowledge on the subject. There are an incredible amount of references dating back to the 1800's. I enjoyed reading about the ones I was already familiar with, like Sherlock Holmes, and Agatha Christie. However the references that I didn't already have a degree of familiarity with were laborious to get through, and felt pretentious.

The book overall seemed to suffer from quantity over quality. I would have liked a more in depth discussion of fewer points, rather than an overall smattering of name dropping. There were certain areas that I was particularly interested in, that were breezed by without much thought at all. The near constant name dropping of movies, plays, books, authors, actors, myths, and lore, was exhausting.

I think this book will be great for a very specific type of reader, one who has studied mystery/noir in-depth and is looking for an academic non-fiction, as opposed to a light-hearted atmospheric investigation. I love the cover, but I found it to be very misleading in this instance.

David Lehman says the first murder mystery was Genesis and God was the first detective. There's also the story of Oedipus. Oedipus himself might considered a noir detective who learns truths he wishes he had not. Jocasta may be the first femme fatale.

Grahame Greene considers murder a religious subject. (Maybe because everything was a religious subject to Greene.)

David Lehman's book, The Mysterious Romance of Murder, is a rare book about mysteries—as interesting to read itself as a good mystery. Lehman discusses all the major categories .

He describes the American hard-boiled tradition and the femme fatale.

Lehman includes several serious critics in describing what noir is—and is not.

Auden says art is not escape literature. This is serious business.

Balzac could have been looking forward to Jake Gittes's Chinatown when he said any fortune leads to crime.

One category of noir fiction that sometimes is left out is spy stories. Eric Ambler said spying (fictional spying, that is) is a game without rules.

Except apparently for betrayal. Lehman cites the traitor and Cambridge “Fourth Man,” Anthony Blunt, hoping he would betray his country before his friends.

Thats the theme of John Le Carre's entire body of work.

I grew up reading several of Lehman's favorite series—police procedurals, especially Ed McBain.

Most of all my favorite detective stories were Ross Macdonald's.

One thing that all noir has is The Look. Lehman suggests anyone wanting to learn fashion design should study noir.

Cigarettes are useful whether you need them or not, maybe mainly because noir characters spend so much time putting off disaster.

Albert Camus credited the author James M. Cain for inspiring him to write The Stranger.

Ambler and Hitchcock are occupied with the Wrong Man theme.

Is there ever a Right Man? Or Woman?

Not in noir.



I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher.

In an Author's Note at the end of this book, David Lehman explains that this book includes topics that he wanted to write more about than he did in his earlier book The Perfect Murder. That may explain why this book felt at times more like a collection of odds and ends rather than a focused book.

Which doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it--noir is probably the main genre covered here, and I've been a fan for a long time, so I've seen most of the movies and read many of the books mentioned. But in many cases, it is just a mention, which stirred memories and created a mood for me, but I'm not sure how much someone unfamiliar with the material will get from the passing references.

You could make a long list of titles while reading this book, but I see that the earlier book, which I haven't read, includes appendices titled Further Reading and Personal Favorites, so you might save some time by simply buying that book as well.

Thanks to Cornell University Press and NetGalley for the advance copy to review.

At the very least, “The Mysterious Romance of Murder” is a go-to recommendation list of murder mystery-esque books and movies to sit on your coffee table and impress your friends. At the most, it’s a brilliant synthesis of what humanity loves most about murder stories. Either way, this book is a winner.

Wow. I consider mystery, specifically murder mystery, one of my favorite literary genres. And after reading this book, I realized how little I know! The author clearly has done so much research and blew me away with the synthesis of themes and symbolism across murder mysteries. Half of the book focuses on film and half on the written word, and it often overlaps. This will appeal to a select group of people who love this genre of film and book.

Some small critiques. At times, it felt a bit disorganized and repetitive. Also, it read almost like a textbook for a murder mystery literature class. (Although, I’d love to take that class.) The author clearly knows his stuff, and I loved when he shared his opinion. I would have really liked even more of the author’s judgments rather than plot summaries.

Finally, readers, please know this book is HEAVY on the analysis of the noir genre. This is not a criticism but rather something to be aware of going into the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m delighted to be the first person to read and review this book. For noir lovers this is a treasure trove.
I love movies. I love watching them, talking about them, I review some of them on my blog. There’s a universal appeal to movies that books (my other love) don’t quite hit. And what’s more, there’s a way that a good movie engages – so impressively, so multi-dimensionally, so strikingly – that oftentimes stays with me longer than a book does.
I don’t get to talk about movies as much as I want to. Blogging /reviewing is a one-way street. So is reading about movies, but it’s a different sort of a street at least. In fact, reading this book was very much like having a good conversation about movies with an intelligent knowledgeable person. In other words – fun.
Sure, the conversation had a format-necessitating one-sidedness to it. So, more of a monologue, really, But still…good.
To be fair, this book doesn’t just concentrate on noir cinema, it also features authors, actors, books, etc. Though the focus does seem to be on the movies.
I’m not actually a huge noir fan. I’ve a fine appreciation of the genre but haven’t watched or read all that much of it. Didn’t need to in order to enjoy this book, though, the author’s enthusiasm, passion and seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the genre was enough for both of us. Sometimes, it’s just nice to read someone go on about what they love if they are eloquent, erudite, and excited about it.
This was very much such a book. Noir, how David Lehman loves thee, let him count the ways.
Well, he loves it enough to tell you all about it, writes poems about it, draw clever comparisons and parallels about it. In other words - plenty.
So, yeah, I enjoyed this. Do I prefer a more comedic tone in my nonfiction? Sure, but it isn’t a must. Do I wish for photos and such? Sure, but also, not a must. Do I wish I read a proper edition and not an ARC? Definitely. Cornell University might offer a first-class education, but their press’ ARCs leave a lot to be desired formatting wise. Going to have to remember to avoid them in the future.
So, that’s it. The dames, the shamus, the femme fatales, the iconic detectives with unforgettable lines and their amicable sidekicks, the criminals and rogues…they are all here, making smoking seem so much more glamourous than repugnant and squinting into the fog of the city pensively. Just waiting to tell you a story. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.