Yes, it's out of print but try to track down a copy, scourge the out of print sections, borrow it from a friend (never give it back) do whatever you have to do--this book is a must for anyone interested in Brazilian Modernismo or outright hilarious reading material. I've read it over and over again along the years and Seraphim Grosse Pointe never ceases to astound me. The book tells the story of Seraphim Grosse Pointe: from his shotgun wedding and the drudgery of a public servant's life to his passionate love affair with a fickle danseuse. From the escape during the Revolução Paulista to a life of debauchery and voyages in Europe and the Far East. The secondary characters are just as fascinating as Seraphim. Pinto Calçudo --the hero's best friend and world-class scoundrel--tries to take over the protagonist position during a steamship cruise to Europe (and is immediately kicked out of the novel). This is a book where the 'viscerally surreal' metaphors carry you over to the moeurs and fashions of the 20s and 30s. Please don't expect a traditional narrative. The book is a sequence of glittering literary snippets. Just let yourself go and remember- never give back that copy. It's too precious!

Writing Mysteries, 2nd Ed.: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America
Edited by Sue Grafton, with Jan Burke and Barry Zeman
Writers Digest Books(2002)

"Writing a novel is a long distance run of the imagination...Writers need all the help they can get, wherever they can get it..." (George C. Chesbro, p.91)

So you want to write a mystery? There's a few things you'll need for your journey, among them a healthy dose of curiousity and imagination, but nothing so important as a well-worn copy of Writing Mysteries (2nd Ed.), written by the Mystery Writers of America. Everything you'll need is here, organized into just under 300 pages of collective wisdom, from well-known and not-so-well-known mystery authors.

The handbook is divided into three parts: Preparation, The Process, and Specialties. Part I includes chapters on "The Rules and How to Bend Them," how and where writers get their ideas, the pros and cons of writing with a partner, and several chapters on research and background, all exploring different facets of these subjects.

Part II, The Process, dives right in to beginnings, middles, and endings, with specific sections focusing in-depth on characterization, creating a series character, using point of view, and developing one's personal writing style. Discussions on dialogue, pacing, and "clues, red herrings, and other plot devices" lead into the beginning of the end--thoughts and recommendations on plot, revision, agents, and markets.

Part III, Specialities, contains separate and thorough chapters each detailing a particular type of mystery writing--writing short stories, for younger audiences, true crime, e-book mysteries, and even a list of additional recommended reading and references.

So there you have it--everything you'll need to know to write a mystery--from the inkling of your first clue to the portrayal of the hero/sleuth your audiences will clamor to read about again and again. The best of the best are here--Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Tony Hillerman, Michael Connelly, Stuart Kaminsky, Sara Paretsky, Joan Lowery Nixon, Lawrence Block, and a host of other unique voices to guide the beginning mystery writer on the journey from idea to publication. With humor and honesty, a varied assortment of very different writers share their thoughts and even some of their "trade secrets" in this excellent writer's resource. Every aspiring mystery writer should have a copy of Writing Mysteries within arm's reach.

Put this book at the top of your reference list if you are a mystery writer. From research to writer's block to finding an agent, any problem you encounter will be addressed in this book. You can easily find the subject you're looking for without having to thumb trough the whole book.
It's like having all your favorite writers at your beckon call when you need advice, without the legwork. Unlike most reference books, it doesn't stifle creativity with a lot of rules and this-is-how-it's-done's. Fun to read, and-most importantly- it got me excited about my own writing again.