ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how the genre of the detective novel inherits the ancient practice of hunting. For hunting is more than following and killing an animal. More precisely, hunting is an embodied psychic interaction in nature; one that frames and conditions our ability to live with nature. One of the most intimate transactions with animals, hunting extends from evolutionary deep time, and is still widespread today. Cross-cultural studies reveal hunting to be ubiquitous and variable. Hunting features common activities, such as tracking, and yet is also culturally diverse. The `Big Game Hunting' of rich Westerners is very different from the ethos of mutual respect between hunters and hunted of many tribal peoples.
