Reluctant Sleuths, True Detectives

Jason Jacobs is Professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Queensland in Australia. His previous books include David Milch and Deadwood.

"Jacobs does a wonderful job of drawing us inside the world not only of the films but of the interpreter's and viewer's pursuit of meaning alongside the detective figure. Beyond the inherent value of its close readings, the book's greatest strength is the larger implications of its commitment to the 'true detective' figure. Jacobs makes a compelling case that the detective is something of an authentic seeker of communal meaning in a world bereft of social communion, a world otherwise adrift in mediated isolation. It's a convincing conclusion and one that the study earns, through its close and patient attention to detective work in all the films." — Steven Rybin, Minnesota State University, Mankato"Jacobs's book contributes new readings to the long-running debates about morality in the detective film, drawing on carefully chosen case studies to unpack a passionate argument about why we do what we do—and why we fall in love with the films we fall for." — Daniel Varndell, University of Winchester

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Long Goodbye1. Out of the Past2. Notorious3. Vertigo4. ChinatownConclusion: True DetectivesNotesBibliographyIndex