"American networks' detective dramas are more procedural, while what the British do are more puzzle mysteries," she said.

The Canary Murder Mystery today is primarily of interest as a classic puzzle mystery with an interesting mechanical solution.

The puzzle mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction where the emphasis is on the "whodunnit" aspect.

Writing in a style that accepts no boundary between morbid and merry, Lovesey proves that the traditional puzzle mystery is always a bit of fun and games.

Taken together, the 22 stories - which range from ghost yarns to a classic locked-room puzzle mystery - read like a literary variety show.

She started out as a fan of classical puzzle mysteries, then fell for hard-boiled writers like Chandler and Hammett.

I cannot end this consideration of the basic puzzle mystery, the blueprint, without drawing attention to two fundamentals which may not at first seem necessary ingredients: story and form.

As he did in "The Death of a Joyce Scholar," another clever puzzle mystery for the brainy detective Peter McGarr, Mr. Gill knows how to have fun with books and bibliophiles.

In an age of flashy but slapdash storytelling, the author's commitment to complicated, suspenseful plot-turning is a real boost for the old-fashioned puzzle mystery.