Crime fiction is a reliable gauge for a society’s inner condition. How a society deals with deviation is an indicator for its social and political environment. The common past unites and separates the states of Eastern Europe at the same time. Naturally, the fateful events of the 20th century found their way into the countries’ crime fiction. The literary texts analysed in this volume are as manifold as the countries and regions they deal with. On the one hand, the articles give an overview of the process of development and establishment of crime fiction in selected Slavic countries. On the other hand, they show current developments of this popular genre.