The perfect murder
David Lehman
Reading Time
at 250 WPM4h 50m
The average reader, reading at a speed of 250 WPM, would take 4h 50m to read The perfect murder.
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10
days at 30 min/day
290
total minutes
The perfect murder
by David Lehman
Published
January 1, 2001
Publisher
University of Michigan Press
Pages
290
ISBN-13
9780472085859
ISBN-10
0472085859
Description
In this lively, enjoyable look at the best American and British detective fiction, David Lehman investigates the mystery of mysteries: the profound satisfactions we get from evil, disorder, mayhem, and deception--that we know will be put right by the last page. As Lehman shows, the detective story draws deeply from ancient storytelling traditions. The mystery's conventions--the locked room, the clue "hidden" in plain sight, the diabolical double, the villainous least likely subject--work on us as childhood fairy tales do; they prey upon our darkest fears, taking us to the brink of the unbearable before restoring a comforting sense of order. The myth of Oedipus, for example, contains the essential elements of a whodunit, with the twist that the murderer the detective pursues is himself. With their wisecracking gumshoe heroes, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler fashioned an existential romance out of the detective novel. More recent writers such as Ross MacDonald, P. D. James, and Ruth Rendell have raised the genre to a new level of psychological sophistication. Yet the form evolves still, and Lehman guides us to the epistemological riddles of Jorge Luis Borges and Umberto Eco, who challenge the notion of a knowable truth.
Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages are in The perfect murder?
This edition of The perfect murder has approximately 290 pages. Please note, this is an estimate and the exact page count can vary between hardcover, paperback, and e-book versions.
How long does it take to read The perfect murder?
For most readers, The perfect murder typically takes between 6h 3m and 4h 2m to complete. This is based on the book's length of approximately 72,500 words and common reading speeds.
Here's a detailed breakdown: • Continuous reading at 250 WPM: approximately 4h 50m of focused reading • Casual reading (30 minutes/day): you could finish in roughly 10 days • Estimated word count: 72,500 words
Your individual reading time will vary based on your personal reading pace, the amount of daily reading time, and your familiarity with the subject matter.
What is the word count of The perfect murder?
The estimated word count for The perfect murder is approximately 72,500 words. This figure is calculated using industry-standard methods that consider genre-specific word density patterns, typical formatting and layout characteristics, and standard words-per-page ratios for published books.
This is an approximation — actual word count may vary based on font size, formatting, edition, and the presence of illustrations or charts.
Who is the author of The perfect murder?
The perfect murder was written by David Lehman.
When was The perfect murder published?
The publication date for this specific edition is January 1, 2001. The original work may have been published on a different date.