Have you ever read a mystery by Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck or Norman Mailer? How about Anton Chekhov or Arthur Miller? Are you surprised that these well-known literary giants also wrote mystery tales? In this course we will consider the evolution of literary styles and the success of the authors to engage the reader in finding a solution.

Format: Each week we will examine one story from the 19th century and one from the 20th. How did the culture of the times influence the author? Do you detect differences between the two centuries? Class members will each choose a story to discuss, give a short bio of the author and present the class with questions to stimulate our discourse.

Resources/Expenses: The text, Mystery in the Mainstream, an Anthology of Literary Crimes, is available on Amazon in hard cover for $7.98 used as well as Thrift Books and many other used book online sites. You may also find it at your local library.

Coordinators: Desire Palmer is an 8-year LLC member with a degree in Comparative Literature and a MED in Education. She has worked as a librarian for 35 years as well as a coordinator for two book clubs. Stuart Einhorn, a 6-year LLC member, has coordinated a number of short story courses over the years as well as the continuing Detective Novel Book Club. He loves to incorporate his backgrounds in literature and book restoration whenever possible.