Anacortes Senior College

From Sherlock Holmes to C.S.I., mystery stories have been popular and enduring forms of entertainment. In addition to exploring the world of crime, mysteries can offer insight into the nature of good and evil, raise questions about the human condition, and reveal truths about history and culture.

On an introductory level, this class will examine the basic schools of the mystery genre, ranging from the classic to the contemporary. Over six weeks we will read and discuss:

1. The Roots of Mystery and Classic Detectives (Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle)
2. Golden Age/Cozies (Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None)
3. Hard-boiled Fiction (Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon)
4. Contemporary Literary Mysteries (novel to be determined)

Required Texts: A few days before the course begins, please check your email for a few readings to complete before the first class (I will bring some print copies to class, as well). Two of the novels we read--And Then There Were None and The Maltese Falcon--should be widely available in libraries and bookstores, and any edition is fine. We will discuss options for our third novel in class.

Instructor: Matthew Sullivan

Matthew Sullivan is the author of the novel Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, which has been translated into seven languages and was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, a GoodReads Choice Award finalist, and winner of the Colorado Book Award. His stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and elsewhere. He spent 20 years teaching writing and literature at a community college in rural central Washington. Midnight in the Orchard by the Lake, his new mystery novel, set in Soap Lake, will be published in January 2025 by HarperCollins. He lives in Anacortes.