Several of the interviews never have been published before. Silet's book works as a reference on pop culture and genre fiction, as well as an oral textbook on the art of writing. Many of the writers in the book talk about writing for their chosen genre, and about writing in general. Elmore Leonard, for example, builds characters around a voice and name. In the past, crime fiction has often been ignored by the academy.
Some writers view what they do as simply creating entertainment.
But, mystery and crime novels reflect the world we live in, especially when they are built around social issues, like the drug trade and the effects of poverty. And mystery writers certainly take their work very seriously. It's just terrific. Look in any bookstore. Mysteries used to be placed in L.A. or New York, occasionally Miami or Chicago.