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The detective figure in contemporary American crime fiction increasingly relies on revenge to bring about justice in a society where there has been a sharp decline in moral values. This study demonstrates how the notion of the detective as a moral exemplar or heroic ideal breaks down in the works of writers such as James Ellroy and Sara Paretsky.

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1. Introduction: The Anti-Detective Figure and the ´New America´ 2. James Ellroy: The LA Quartet and ´Absolute Justice´ 3. James Lee Burke: Dave Robicheaux - Keeping Evil at Bay 4. Walter Mosley: Easy Rawlins and the African American Experience 5. Sara Paretsky: The Female Private Investigator Versus Patriarchy 6. George Pelecanos: Nick Stefanos - The Private Investigator and ´Absolute Justice´ 7. Conclusion: Crime Fiction and Moral Decline Notes Bibliography Index

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Stuart Sim is retired Professor of Critical Theory at Northumbria University, UK. A Fellow of the English Association, he has published widely in the fields of critical theory and the novel as social criticism. Recent works include The End of Modernity (2010), The Lyotard Dictionary (ed., 2011), and Fifty Key Thinkers in Postmodernism (2013).

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