A sub-
genre of the
mystery which features
realistic depictions of
official police investigations. They emphasize everything that the classic
English Drawing Room mystery does not:
teamwork,
methodical pavement-pounding,
lucky breaks,
administrative hassles, and endless
paperwork. Procedurals have a
working-class,
down-to-earth feel, full of
irony,
profanity,
sick humor, and
tragedy.
The first
police procedural novel was
Lawrence Treat's "
V As In Victim" in
1945. Other well-known police procedurals include "
The Mugger" by
Ed McBain, "
One Police Plaza" by
William Caunitz, and "
Prime Suspect 3" by
Linda LaPlante. The police procedural has also
thrived on
television, with shows like "
Dragnet," "
NYPD Blue," and "
Homicide: Life on the Street."