On the one hand, this article analyzes the priorities of observing the principles of an outdated detective form during its development in detail, and on the other, the importance of adding a new, own style to the existing traditional form of an American detective. The article discusses the courtroom cases and their artistic originality in contemporary American writers’ works. Their works, affecting the complex social problems that are relevant to contemporary American reality (race relations, the death penalty, corruption), as well as a detailed description of the problems and shortcomings in the actions of the judiciary, the legal system and the state. Literary critics and literary critics have noted a significant contribution of American writers to the development of this trend in American detective prose.