Meaning in Mystery: Why Noir Speaks in a Morally Ambiguous World

The Dark Allure of Heartless Criminals and Hardboiled Detectives

My wife and I have cursed our children. There’s no way they can visit a small English village and not wonder “who done it?” if someone dies while they are there. We watch a lot of crime television. How much? My thirteen-year-old son dressed as Columbo for Halloween this year.

My wife’s mystery tastes run to Arthur Conan Doyle, Rex Stout, and Janet Evanov…