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Top Ten Detective Novels

The Top 100 ​Crime Novels of All Time​
The Top 100 ​Crime Novels of All Time​

The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time is a list published in book form in 1990 by the British-based Crime Writers' Association. Five years later, the Mystery Writers of America published a similar list entitled The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time.

The Big Sleep​
The Big Sleep​

The Big Sleep (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angeles. The story is noted for its complexity, with characters double-crossing one another and secrets being exposed throughout the narrative.

The Murder of ​Roger Ackroyd​
The Murder of ​Roger Ackroyd​

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in June 1926 in the United Kingdom by William Collins, Sons and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company on 19 June 1926. It is the third novel to feature Hercule Poirot as the lead detective.

The ​Moonstone​
The ​Moonstone​

The Moonstone is often said to be the godfather of the classic English detective story, its founding text. TS Eliot, claiming that the genre was "invented by Collins and not by Poe", declared it to be "the first, the longest and the best of modern English detective novels".

The Maltese ​Falcon​
The Maltese ​Falcon​

The Maltese Falcon is the Hammett novel that jumps from the pages of its genre and into literature. It’s the book that introduces Sam Spade, the private detective who seduced a generation of readers, leading directly to Philip Marlowe. Dorothy Parker, never a pushover, confessed herself “in a daze of love” such as she had not known in literature “since I encountered Sir Lancelot” and claimed to have read the novel some 30 or 40 times.

The Hound of ​the Baskervilles​
The Hound of ​the Baskervilles​

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a great example of how a murder can be a mystery, as the only apparent answer is an impossible one. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, the men in the Baskerville family are rumored to be haunted by an ancestral curse.

source: enotes.com
And Then ​There Were None​
And Then ​There Were None​

And Then There Were None is the best selling crime novel of all time. In 2015 And Then There Were None was voted the World's Favourite Christie in a global vote to mark Agatha Christie's 125th anniversary.

Murder on the ​Orient Express​
Murder on the ​Orient Express​

Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel by Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the United States, it was published on 28 February 1934, under the title of Murder in the Calais Coach, by Dodd, Mead and Company.

The Girl With ​the Dragon Tattoo​
The Girl With ​the Dragon Tattoo​

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original title in Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor; in English: Men Who Hate Women) is a psychological thriller novel by the late Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson (1954–2004), which was published posthumously in 2005 to become an international bestseller.

A Study in ​Scarlet​
A Study in ​Scarlet​

A Study in Scarlet is an 1887 detective novel by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Written in 1886, the story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become two of the most famous characters in popular fiction.

The ​Adventures of Sherlock Holmes​
The ​Adventures of Sherlock Holmes​

This article features the complete list of Sherlock Holmes mystery stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Frequently, "The Adventure of ..." is dropped from some story titles in current-day anthologies.

The Talented ​Mr
The Talented ​Mr

The Talented Mr. Ripley / Ripley Under Ground / Ripley's Game 4.10 avg rating — 1,357 ratings — published 1985 — 7 editions Want to Read saving… Error rating book.

source: goodreads.com
The Murders ​in the Rue Morgue​
The Murders ​in the Rue Morgue​

The characters in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” are said to have become templates for characters in future detective novels such as Sherlock Holms and Hercule Poirot. However, this story is distinct from regular mystery novels because it focuses more on the analysis of the crime in order to solve it.

source: ultius.com
Rebecca​
Rebecca​

Are any crime books better than these? The 20 best, from Rebecca to In Cold Blood

Strangers on ​a Train​
Strangers on ​a Train​

10 of the Best Classic Detective Novels Everyone Should Read. ... greatest ever detective novels? ... sequence from Alfred Hitchcock’s film Strangers on a Train.

image: mashable.com
The Thin Man​
The Thin Man​

Dashiell Hammett was a great mystery writer, who wrote books that have become classic novels and movies, such as "The Maltese Falcon," and "The Dain Curse." A few months after "The Thin Man" was published in 1934, it became a motion picture starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

source: teenink.com
The Name of ​the Rose​
The Name of ​the Rose​

The Name of the Rose (Italian: Il nome della rosa [il ˈnoːme della ˈrɔːza]) is the 1980 debut novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327; an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory.

image: bigwords.com
L.A. ​Confidential​
L.A. ​Confidential​

L.A. Confidential (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy, ... Edmund Exley, the son of legendary detective Preston Exley, is a "straight arrow" who informs on other officers in a police brutality scandal. He is first and foremost a politician and a ladder climber. This earns the enmity of Wendell "Bud" White, an intimidating enforcer with a personal fixation on men who abuse women. Between ...

The Last ​London Gangster​
The Last ​London Gangster​

The Last London Gangster has 64 ratings and 2 reviews. MR IAN SIMKINS said: Good book typical of the genreWell written good blend of realistic characte...

source: goodreads.com
image: scoop.it
In Cold Blood​
In Cold Blood​

When finally published, In Cold Blood was an instant success, and today is the second-biggest-selling true crime book in publishing history, behind Vincent Bugliosi's 1974 book Helter Skelter about the Charles Manson murders.

The ​Mysterious Affair at Styles​
The ​Mysterious Affair at Styles​

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1), original publication year 1920 Characters: Hercule Poirot, Inspector Japp, Arthur Hastings, John Cavendish, Emily Inglethorp, Alfred Inglethorp, Cynthia Murdoch, Mary Cavendish, Evie Howard, Lawrence Cavendish.

source: goodreads.com
I, the Jury​
I, the Jury​

I, the Jury is the 1947 debut novel of American crime fiction writer Mickey Spillane, the first work to feature private investigator Mike Hammer.

In the Woods​
In the Woods​

In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl.

The Daughter ​of Time​
The Daughter ​of Time​

The Daughter of Time is a 1951 detective novel by Josephine Tey, concerning a modern police officer's investigation into the alleged crimes of King Richard III of England. It was the last book Tey published in her lifetime, shortly before her death.

Mystic River​
Mystic River​

Mystic River is a 2003 American mystery drama film directed and scored by Clint Eastwood. It stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney. The screenplay, written by Brian Helgeland, was based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane.

Death on the ​Nile​
Death on the ​Nile​

Death on the Nile is a book of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 1 November 1937 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00.

Miss Smilla's ​Feeling for Snow​
Miss Smilla's ​Feeling for Snow​

Posted on May 23, 2018 May 22, 2018 by Matt Posted in literature, writing Tagged art, books, characters, crime fiction, film, linguistics, miss smilla's feeling of snow, mystery novels, novel, novels, peter hoeg, poems, short stories, writing, year of mysteries.

A Dark-​Adapted Eye​
A Dark-​Adapted Eye​

Rendell created a third strand of writing with the publication of A Dark Adapted Eye under her pseudonym Barbara Vine in 1986. Books such as King Solomon's Carpet, A Fatal Inversion and Anna's Book (original UK title Asta's Book) inhabit the same territory as her psychological crime novels while they further develop themes of family misunderstandings and the side effects.

source: goodreads.com
Shutter Island​
Shutter Island​

Shutter Island is a 2010 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Laeta Kalogridis, based on Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel of the same name.

The Girl Who ​Played With Fire​
The Girl Who ​Played With Fire​

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Swedish: Flickan som lekte med elden) is the second novel in the best-selling Millennium series by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009.

Sherlock ​Holmes: The Complete Collection (Book House)​
Sherlock ​Holmes: The Complete Collection (Book House)​

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional consulting detective in London ~1880-1914 created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes, master ... Sherlock Holmes is a fictional consulting detective in London ~1880-1914 created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

source: goodreads.com
Brighton Rock​
Brighton Rock​

Greene establishes Brighton Rock as a detective novel by engaging the reader in the process of investigation. Although not the traditional ‘whodunnit’ that evolved from the journeys of Allen Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, Brighton Rock invites the reader to, in areas; piece together the meanings which Greene has intentionally left vague.

source: darrow.org.uk
The Black ​Echo​
The Black ​Echo​

Michael Connelly introduced his signature protagonist, Harry Bosch, in the 1992 novel The Black Echo. As I write this review in 2016, the twenty-first Harry Bosch novel is expected to be released later this year.

source: goodreads.com
Red Harvest​
Red Harvest​

Red Harvest is a novel by Dashiell Hammett. The story is narrated by The Continental Op, a frequent character in Hammett's fiction, much of which is drawn from his own experiences as an operative of the Pinkerton Detective Agency (fictionalized as the Continental Detective Agency).

image: amazon.com
The Da Vinci ​Code​
The Da Vinci ​Code​

The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It follows "symbologist" Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris causes them to become involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus Christ having been a companion to Mary Magdalene.

Devil in a ​Blue Dress​
Devil in a ​Blue Dress​

Devil in a Blue Dress is a 1990 hardboiled mystery novel by Walter Mosley, his first published book. The text centers on the main character, Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins, and his transformation from a day laborer into a detective.

The Postman ​Always Rings Twice​
The Postman ​Always Rings Twice​

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1934 crime novel by James M. Cain. The novel was successful and notorious upon publication. It is regarded as one of the more important crime novels of the 20th century.

The Murder at ​the Vicarage​
The Murder at ​the Vicarage​

The Murder at the Vicarage is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00.

The ​Suspicions of Mr
The ​Suspicions of Mr

This book, by Kate Summerscale ... it’s the story of the intertwining of the detective novel and real ... I picked up and read The Suspicions of Mr ...

The Yiddish ​Policemen's Union​
The Yiddish ​Policemen's Union​

The novel is set in Sitka, which it depicts as a large, Yiddish-speaking metropolis. The Yiddish Policemen's Union won a number of science fiction awards: the Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best SF Novel, the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the Sidewise Award for Alternate History for Best Novel.

A Judgement ​in Stone​
A Judgement ​in Stone​

Shelves: detective-mystery. Often deemed the greatest work of one of the world's great crime novelists, A Judgement in Stone is justly famous for its arresting first sentence: “"Eunice Parchman killed the Coverdale family because she could not read or write.".

source: goodreads.com
image: amazon.co.uk
The Killer ​Inside Me​
The Killer ​Inside Me​

The Killer Inside Me is a 1952 novel by American writer Jim Thompson published by Fawcett Publications.. In the introduction to the anthology Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s, it is described as "one of the most blistering and uncompromising crime novels ever written."

Faceless ​Killers​
Faceless ​Killers​

Faceless Killers is a 1991 crime novel by the Swedish writer Henning Mankell, and the first in his acclaimed Wallander series. The English translation by Steven T. Murray was published in 1997. In 1992, Faceless Killers won the first ever Glass Key award, given to crime writers from the Nordic countries.

The Blue ​Hammer​
The Blue ​Hammer​

The blue hammer turns out to be a pulsing vein at the temple of a sleeping woman who is the love interest of private detective Lew Archer, the so called "hard boiled" PI and hero sleuth of this typical genre piece novel that, well, does what I suppose it sets out to do, [mildly] entertain.

source: goodreads.com
The A
The A

Books shelved as detective-novels: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd...

source: goodreads.com
The Purloined ​Letter​
The Purloined ​Letter​

A summary of “The Purloined Letter” (1844) in Edgar Allan Poe's Poe’s Short Stories. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Poe’s Short Stories and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.

The ​Redbreast​
The ​Redbreast​

The Redbreast is actually the third of Jo Nesbø's detective novels featuring the alcoholic Harry Hole (who is on the wagon for most of this particular novel), but alas, it was the first to be translated into English.

source: goodreads.com
image: buecher.de
The Tiger in ​the Smoke​
The Tiger in ​the Smoke​

The Tiger in the Smoke is a crime novel by Margery Allingham, first published in 1952 in the United Kingdom by Chatto & Windus and in the United States by Doubleday. It is the fourteenth novel in the Albert Campion series. Author J. K. Rowling revealed that it is her favourite crime novel.

The Friends of ​Eddie Coyle​
The Friends of ​Eddie Coyle​

The Friends of Eddie Coyle, published in 1972, was the debut novel of George V. Higgins, then an Assistant United States Attorney in Boston. The novel is a realistic depiction of the Irish-American underworld in Boston. Its central character is the title character Eddie Coyle, a small-time criminal and informant.

I Q.​
I Q.​

Books shelved as detective-series: Still Life by Louise Penny, The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, Faithful Place by Tana French, In the Woods by T...

source: goodreads.com
image: quazoo.com
Two Kinds of ​Truth​
Two Kinds of ​Truth​

Along the way Bosch discovers that there are two kinds of truth: ... Michael Connelly has been President of the Mystery Writers of America. His books have been ...

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