Dreams of Justice

By Dick Adler and Dashka Slater

"It's only detective stories." "You only read them and write them for fun," crime writer Harriet Vane says to her husband, Lord Peter Wimsey. He replies, "You seem not to appreciate the importance of your special form. Detective stories contain a dream of justice. They project a vision of a world in which wrongs are righted...murderers are caught and hanged, and innocent victims are avenged and future murder is deterred." -Jill Paton Walsh in Thrones, Dominations, the 12th Lord Peter Wimsey book, based on notes left by Dorothy L. Sayers In this collection of reviews written over a span of several years, author and Chicago Tribune columnist Dick Adler explores the social implications of the genre he reviews and admires, and traces its evolution into one of today's most respected literary forms. Dick Adler, editor, book reviewer, novelist, and blogger, was a magazine and newspaper editor in New York, London, and Los Angeles. He also won two Maggie Awards for his editing. With the late Edmund G. (Pat) Brown, he co-authored Public Justice, Private Mercy: A Governor's Education On Death Row, called by the New York Times Book Review "a compelling and important book." Adler also wrote Sleeping with Moscow, an account of the Richard Miller FBI espionage case. His mystery novel, The Mozart Code, was published in 1999 as an electronic book and was a Frankfurt eBook Award nominee in 2000. Adler died in California in 2011 at the age of 74. "Through his longevity, keen writing and near faultless taste, Adler became the dean of American mystery reviewers. Dreams of Justice is a fine tribute to his career." -David Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590581792
• ISBN13: 9781590581797
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A fine collection from the dean of mystery critics

Dick Adler, the longtime Chicago Tribune mystery columnist, has published his first collection of reviews and essays. "Dreams of Justice: Mysteries as Social Documents" includes some of his favorite pieces on mystery books and authors, most focused on developing the title's theme. The strongest examples of Adler's writing are the longer columns, especially those devoted to the careers of authors Chester Himes and Ross Macdonald, and the books of Walter Mosley and George Pelecanos. Also particularly fine is his essay on pioneering critic Anthony Boucher ("the man who invented mystery reviewing" as Adler calls him), who once plied his trade in the pages of the Chicago Sun-Times. Through his longevity, keen writing and near faultless taste, Adler has become the dean of American mystery reviewers, and "Dreams of Justice" is a fine tribute to his career.

A Magnificent Study

Dick Adler is a highly regarded crime fiction reviewer for 'The Chicago Tribune' and this book gathers together an eclectic selection of his insightful critiques, with the emphasis on relatively recent books. In his introduction, Tom Nolan notes that the book can serve 'as reader's/buyer's guide' and applauds Adler for his ability to convey the special flavour of such a diverse range of titles. He compares Adler to the late and legendary reviewer Anthony Boucher - and this is not over-praise. After a couple of introductory chapters, one of which describes Boucher as 'the man who invented mystery reviewing' (in the US, perhaps, but Dorothy L. Sayers and others made an impression much earlier), Adler collects reviews in a series of themed chapters: 'black mysteries', 'history as mystery', 'Brits behaving badly' and so on. A notable feature is that, like Boucher, he is admirably keen to pick out rising stars: an example is Jim Kelly, two of whose books are acclaimed. Reviewers as perceptive as Adler are uncommon; collections of reviews such as this are even rarer. This is a book to relish, not only as a guide to unfamiliar yet excellent novels, but also for Adler's sympathetic, intelligent analyses of a very varied group of writers, from Arsenault to Zafon. An indispensable book for mystery lovers.

Tangled Web UK's review

Tangled Web UK Review December 2005 File Updated: 21/12/2005 Dreams of Justice: Mysteries as Social Documents by Dick Adler pbk out December 05 (Poisoned Pen Press) at £8.59 Dick Adler is a highly regarded crime fiction reviewer for 'The Chicago Tribune' and this book gathers together an eclectic selection of his insightful critiques, with the emphasis on relatively recent books. In his introduction, Tom Nolan notes that the book can serve 'as reader's/buyer's guide' and applauds Adler for his ability to convey the special flavour of such a diverse range of titles. He compares Adler to the late and legendary reviewer Anthony Boucher - and this is not over-praise. After a couple of introductory chapters, one of which describes Boucher as 'the man who invented mystery reviewing' (in the US, perhaps, but Dorothy L. Sayers and others made an impression much earlier), Adler collects reviews in a series of themed chapters: 'black mysteries', 'history as mystery', 'Brits behaving badly' and so on. A notable feature is that, like Boucher, he is admirably keen to pick out rising stars: an example is Jim Kelly, two of whose books are acclaimed. Reviewers as perceptive as Adler are uncommon; collections of reviews such as this are even rarer. This is a book to relish, not only as a guide to unfamiliar yet excellent novels, but also for Adler's sympathetic, intelligent analyses of a very varied group of writers, from Arsenault to Zafon. ( Martin Edwards - author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)