Miss Marple is a nosy spinster with a knack for uncovering a mystery and the elegant Inspector Hercule Poirot is a police detective from Belgium forced to relocate to England after the German invasion of his country during the First World War. If you’ve watched the movies and television shows you really need to read the original stories to appreciate Holmes and Watson.Īgatha Christie Novels – In all, Christie wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, many of which included one of her fictional detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories about Sherlock Holmes. Holmes character debuted in 1887 in “A Study in Scarlet.” Additional tales appeared until 1927. The Complete Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Though it was written after Poe’s detective stories, many consider Collins the creator of detective fiction because The Moonstone is a full length novel and has a professional detective as a main character. Collins established many of the ground rules of the modern detective novel. In The Moonstone, Collins utilizes the talents of two investigators, Franklin Blake, a gifted amateur sleuth and gentleman detective and Sergeant Cuff, the celebrated London policeman called in from Scotland Yard to act as a professional investigator. Who is this woman? How does Laura end up at the asylum while Ann’s body is buried as Laura? The Moonstone is considered one of the first detective novels ever written. A mysterious woman in white who is later identified as a mental patient named Ann from an asylum resembles an heiress named Laura who is about to be married. The Woman in White is considered one of the finest mystery novels ever written. The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins.
Read these three short stories and compare them to a modern detective novel. However, Dupin is an amateur sleuth and not a professional detective because that term had not yet been created. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." He reappears in "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" in 1842 and “The Purloined Letter" in 1844. Auguste Dupin is a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe. This short story by Poe was published in 1841 and is considered the first detective story. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allen Poe.
In honor of Mystery Month in This Awful Awesome Life, we’re including some of the best classic mysteries and the latest bestsellers to help you celebrate with us. Mysteries are one of the most popular genres for books, television shows and feature films.