religious elements in detective fiction

[Anja Kraetzsch]

Dear all,

I would like to hear your opinions on religious elements in crime, respectively, crime, fiction:

How apparent are they?

1. e.g. the detective as a saint-like figure with the power to bring redemption about the world within the story;
2. the criminal as the scapegoat;
3. the sacred ( sometimes rather logically simple) solution to the crime puzzle which brings order back to the afore-disturbed society;
4. the perception of evil;              >>>> Anything like or beyond thta is of great interest to me!)

Do you know any primary or secondary sources? If you even knew some from an African background that would be marvelous, as I am writing my masters thesis on the subject of the detective novel in Nigeria and Southern Africa and am always grateful for another hint.

Thanks a lot for any contribution.

Best wishes from Anja.

 

[Stacy]

I rarely mention religion in any of my books. It just doesn't come up during the subject matter. I guess it's because religion isn't big in my life either so it's nothing for me not to mention it. And if the characters go to church or something, I'd simply mention they went to church (if it was important to the story), but stuff like that is on a "need to know basis" in my opinion. Unless the religion aspect is important to the particular plot, I don't think it matters. In fact I rarely see any authors mentioning religion or church in the books I read.

It would depend on the particular crime in my book for me. Like say, a woman was raped by a priest (who claims he was only trying to exorcise her), oh yes then I'd dove a little into the religion aspect of it.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net