Bruce Murphy's Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery is a comprehensive guide to the genre of the murder mystery that catalogues thousands of items in a broad range of categories: authors, titles, plots, characters, weapons, methods of killing, movie and theatrical adaptations. What distinguishes this encyclopedia from the others in the field is its critical stance.

BRUCE MURPHY is a writer and poet who updated and revised the Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia for its fourth edition. He received an NYPL award for Best of Reference Books, 1999.