Elisabeth Sanxay Holding’s psychological thriller asks the question: How far will an ordinary woman go to safeguard her family?
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
Edgar Allan Poe is the mystery master. Set in Paris, this gruesome tale introduces amateur detective Auguste Dupin and his trusty sidekick.
“The Purloined Letter” (1844)
Edgar Allan Poe called it “perhaps the best of my tales of ratiocination.” It’s a great mystery — minus the Gothic horror of “Rue Morgue.”
Bleak House (1853)
In Charles Dickens’ masterpiece, Inspector Bucket, the first important police detective in English literature, investigates a murder.
The Woman in White (1860)
Wilkie Collins’ book has it all — switched identities, false imprisonment, foreign agents, blackmail, conspiracies, and shocking secrets.
The Notting Hill Mystery (1862-3)
A woman dies after drinking acid. Was it an accident? The intrigue includes a kidnapping, a sinister mesmerist, and many dastardly crimes.
The Moonstone (1868)
Wilkie Collins’ amazing mystery includes red herrings, plot twists, a small circle of suspects, and a stolen Indian gem with a bloody past.
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886)
Set in Melbourne, Fergus Hume’s literary sensation puts a spotlight on social class as a crime is committed by an unknown assassin.
A Study in Scarlet (1887)
Arthur Conan Doyle introduces us to Sherlock Holmes, the world’s most famous “consulting detective,” and Watson, his sidekick.
The Big Bow Mystery (1892)
In Israel Zangwill’s locked-room mystery, two detectives race to solve a murder and the startling solution is revealed at the very end.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
In Arthur Conan Doyle’s Gothic-inspired spine-tingler, the great Sherlock Holmes must discover the truth about a deadly spectral hound.
Lady Molly of Scotland Yard (1910)
Baroness Orczy’s short story collection stars one of the first female detectives in fiction. Lady Molly solves crimes using feminine intuition.
The Innocence of Father Brown (1911)
G. K. Chesterton’s first collection of short stories featuring a Catholic priest who solves crimes by tapping into spiritual and philosophic truths.
Trent’s Last Case (1913)
In E. C. Bentley’s “whodunit,” new clues appear throughout the story, making readers feel as if they’re solving the crime along with Trent.
The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915)
In John Buchan’s prototype of the “man-on-the-run” adventure, a spy is murdered in Richard Hannay’s flat. Can Hannay evade his pursuers?
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
Agatha Christie’s incredible whodunit introduces brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings, and Inspector Japp.
Whose Body? (1923)
Dorothy Sayers introduces Lord Peter Wimsey, the father of the “gentleman sleuth” who will appear in British novels for decades to come.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)
One of Agatha Christie’s most controversial novels due to an unexpected twist at the end. Agatha Christie considered it her masterpiece.
Red Harvest (1929)
Dashiell Hammett’s portrayal of the Continental Op as a “hard-boiled” detective became a prototype for many detective stories to come.
The Maltese Falcon (1930)
Dashiell Hammett introduces Sam Spade. The third-person-objective narrative includes no insights into characters’ thoughts and feelings.
Malice Aforethought (1931)
Frances Iles’ novel is an early example of the “inverted detective story,” in which the murder AND murderer are revealed at the beginning.
The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933)
We meet criminal defense lawyer and detective Perry Mason. Erle Stanley Gardner went on to write 150 books that sold 300 million copies.
Murder on the Orient Express (1934)
Agatha Christie’s books have sold more than two billion copies. This page-turner starring Hercule Poirot helps to explain why.
The Nine Tailors (1934)
The murder method in Dorothy Sayers’ marvelous story was unique. The idea came from a sixpenny pamphlet about bell-ringing.
The Thin Man (1934)
Dashiell Hammett’s Thin Man is known for its clever plot twists, witty dialogue, comedic turns – and the fabulous Nick and Nora Charles.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934)
In a dusty roadside diner, love and lust ignite a murderous plot. The novel’s climax is pretty shocking. Kudos, James M. Cain.
The Hollow Man/The Three Coffins (1935)
John Dickson Carr’s novel is celebrated for its execution of the locked-room mystery — maybe the best locked room mystery of all time.
The League of Frightened Men (1935)
Rex Stout introduces brilliant and eccentric detective Nero Wolfe and his wise-cracking sidekick, Archie Goodwin. They’re amazing.
Death in the Stocks (1935)
When a man is found dead, the secrets of an eccentric family comedically unravel in this Regency romance by Georgette Heyer.
Gaudy Night (1935)
Harriet Vane learns of a series of odd incidents at her alma mater, Oxford, in Dorothy Sayers’ novel. Brief appearance by Lord Peter Wimsey.
The ABC Murders (1936)
In another Agatha Christie page-turner, a serial killer strikes in alphabetical order, challenging Hercule Poirot to a battle of wits.
The Wheel Spins (1938)
A woman’s train ride takes a sinister turn when her seat mate disappears. Ethel Lina White’s tale is the basis for Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes.
Rebecca (1939)
A young bride is haunted by the lingering shadow of her husband’s first wife. Daphne du Maurier’s tour de force is deservedly famous.
Rogue Male (1939)
Geoffrey Household’s thriller may be the “best escape and pursuit story yet written, with lip-chewing tension right to the end.” Times (UK)
A Coffin for Dimitrios (1939)
Also called The Mask of Dimitrios, Eric Ambler’s modern suspense thriller paved the way John Le Carré, Robert Ludlum, and many others.
And Then There Were None (1939)
Ten strangers are lured to a remote island and drawn into a deadly game. Agatha Christie’s tale is the best-selling mystery novel of all time.
The Big Sleep (1939)
In Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, hard-boiled L.A. detective Philip Marlowe is drawn into a web of blackmail, murder, and corruption.
Farewell, My Lovely (1940)
Celebrated for its moral complexity, atmospheric prose, and P.I. Philip Marlowe, it solidified Raymond Chandler’s legacy as a noir master.
Traitor’s Purse (1940)
In Margery Allingham’s espionage classic, amateur sleuth Albert Campion races to recover his memory and stop a wartime threat.
Laura (1943)
Told through shifting POVs, Vera Caspary’s thrilling tale follows a detective investigating the murder of a glamorous ad exec.
Rear Window (1942)
Known for its tension and claustrophobic atmosphere, Cornell Woolrich’s voyeuristic tale is the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film.
The Rat Began to Gnaw the Rope (1943)
Praised for his wit and unconventional hero, Sue Grafton’s father C. W. Grafton blends hardboiled crime fiction and humor in this fun tale.
The Ministry of Fear (1943)
Set in wartime London, Graham Greene’s thrilling, morally complex tale follows an ordinary man caught up in Nazi intrigue.
Green for Danger (1944)
Christianna Brand’s masterful wartime mystery is set in a British hospital during the Blitz. It’s a standout in Golden Age detective fiction.
Death Comes as the End (1944)
Agatha Christie sets her murder mystery in ancient Egypt in the first full-length novel to merge historical fiction with the mystery genre.
Home, Sweet Homicide (1944)
In this novel by Craig Rice (the Dorothy Parker of detective fiction), three clever children turn amateur sleuths when murder strikes.
Died in the Wool (1945)
Ngaio Marsh’s Inspector Alleyn unravels the murder of a politician in the New Zealand countryside. She’s one of the queens of crime.
The Moving Toyshop (1946)
Edmund Crispin’s Oxford detective Gervase Fen unravels a madcap mystery involving a missing toyshop, a vanished corpse, and odd suspects.
The Horizontal Man (1946)
Set at an Ivy League women’s college, this psychological mystery by Helen Eustis blurs the line between sanity and madness.
The Big Clock (1946)
A journalist is assigned to hunt down a killer—who happens to be himself. Kenneth Fearing’s thriller-noir inspired the film No Way Out.
In a Lonely Place (1947)
Dorothy B. Hughes’s haunting psychological noir is told from the perspective of a charming but deeply disturbed war veteran living in L.A.
The Fabulous Clipjoint (1947)
In Fredric Brown’s gritty mystery, a murder investigation takes place in the burlesque houses, bars, and back alleys of Chicago.
The Blank Wall (1947)
Josephine Tey’s novel about a kidnapping investigation is celebrated for its nuanced psychology and dismantling of false narratives.
Elisabeth Sanxay Holding’s psychological thriller asks the question: How far will an ordinary woman go to safeguard her family?
The Franchise Affair (1948)
Josephine Tey’s novel about a kidnapping investigation is celebrated for its nuanced psychology and dismantling of false narratives.
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