Crime fiction is a generic term used in literature for a genre of fiction that deals with crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. As such, it is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction. It should be noted, however, that boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred. It has several sub-genres, including detective fiction, mystery fiction, legal thriller, courtroom drama, and hard-boiled fiction. Crime fiction began to be considered as a serious genre only as late as 1900. The earliest inspiration for books and novels from this genre came from earlier dark works of Edgar Allan Poe. The evolution of locked room mysteries was one of the landmarks in the history of crime fiction, as it helped involve the reader to a major extent. Sherlock Holmes mysteries are said to have been singularly responsible for the huge popularity in this genre. Later a set of stereotypic formulae began to appear to cater to various tastes.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_fiction

Today's selected anniversaries:

4004 BC The universe was created, according to the Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher%2dLightfoot_Calendar)

1911 First use of aircraft in war: an Italian pilot flew from Libya to survey Turkish lines during the Italo-Turkish War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italo%2dTurkish_War)

1958 Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced a new set of comic strip characters, The Smurfs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smurfs)

1983 Suicide bombers destroyed two barracks of the international peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French Paratroopers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_barracks_bombing)

2002 Moscow theater siege: Terrorists seized a crowded theater in Moscow, took approximately 700 theatergoers and performers hostage and demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_theater_hostage_crisis)

Wikiquote of the day:

"There's a time when a man needs to fight, and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny is lost, that the ship has sailed, and that only a fool would continue. The truth is, I've always been a fool." ~ Albert Finney as "Ed Bloom" in Big Fish (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Big_Fish)