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8 Greatest Classic Detective Books of All Time
There’s one particular genre that produced several of the greatest literary classics of yesteryear (a classic here being defined as any book released before the 21st century), and that’s the detective novel. From Sherlock Holmes to Hercule Poirot, some of the most iconic characters in the history of the printed page have come from detective books that are, through and through, among the greatest works of mystery literature the world has ever seen.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, authors of the stature of Maurice Leblanc and Dashiell Hammett completely revolutionized detective literature. Nowadays, there is virtually no detective book that doesn’t owe at least some level of influence to these groundbreaking classics. From the older to the more modern, from the pulpy to the artsy, and from the serious to the more laidback, these terrific books are all essential reading for anyone who loves a good detective story.
8
‘Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar’ (1907)
Even though it’s English-language literature that has produced the vast majority of the most iconic and widely celebrated detective books in history, other languages throughout history have also housed tremendously memorable detectives. Case in point: Arsène Lupin, the master of disguise and criminal mastermind that has become the center of a multimedia franchise among the most beloved in detective fiction. But it was the French collection of short stories Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar by Maurice Leblanc that started it all.
The thing about Gentleman Burglar, however, is that it’s not a traditional detective book at all. In fact, it’s a clever inversion of classic sleuth stories where Lupin solves puzzles and deduces mysteries to commit crimes rather than solve them. This makes the character a sort of foil to Sherlock Holmes (who he actually encounters in this book), and makes each of the short stories contained in Gentleman Burglar awfully entertaining and inventive.
7
‘The Maltese Falcon’ (1930)
As far as authors of hard-boiled detective books and short stories go, it doesn’t get much more important or groundbreaking than Dashiell Hammett, who pretty much invented the modern hard-boiled crime novel. His best-ever work was, without a doubt, The Maltese Falcon, the source material for the 1941 film starring Humphrey Bogart that’s regarded by some as the first true noir film in history. But as phenomenal as the movie still is over 80 years later, this is one of those common instances where the source material is even better.
The Maltese Falcon is nothing short of one of the best hard-boiled detective books of all time, originally serialized in the Black Mask magazine and later published in novelized form. It’s one of the greatest American detective tales of the 20th century, a gritty piece of elevated pulp fiction that popularized its genre for damn good reason. Told in a fully objective style, never describing the characters’ thoughts or feelings, it’s a masterpiece still worth reading today.
6
‘The Murder at the Vicarage’ (1930)
Few authors have ever re-defined the detective novel quite as much or as well as British writer Agatha Christie, and rarely did she write any books better than The Murder at the Vicarage. It was the debut novel of Miss Marple, Agatha’s second most iconic character, an amateur consulting detective that’s easily among the most popular detectives in the history of fiction. Fittingly, her very first appearance is among the best mystery books of all time.
Aside from doing a masterful job at introducing Miss Marple herself through delectable first-person prose, The Murder at the Vicarage also serves as an absolute masterclass in misdirection and mystery-building all the way until the very end. Making an elderly spinster the protagonist of a detective novel rather than an eccentric mystery-solving man was revolutionary back in 1930, and even today, The Murder at the Vicarage still feels exquisitely fresh. It’s the blueprint for the cozy mystery subgenre of mystery fiction, genius in its structure and unforgettable in its reveals.
5
‘A Study in Scarlet’ (1887)
If there’s any one character who can claim to be not only the single most iconic detective in the history of fiction, but even one of the most iconic and instantly-recognizable characters in the world in general, it’s Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes. But before Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson became the most popular detective duo in all of fiction, they made their big debut in A Study in Scarlet. The first of only four full-length novels in the Sherlock Holmes canon, the book attracted very little interest from readers at the time. Today, though, it’s nothing if not an essential classic.
What a flawless way to be introduced to characters as memorable as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Doyle greatly popularized and perfected the use of scientific elements (from forensic science to general chemistry) in detective fiction, something that was mostly quite uncommon toward the end of the 19th century. By turning deduction and investigation into such a rigorous process, Doyle completely changed the game when it came to the detective genre—and things haven’t been the same since.
4
‘The Last Coyote’ (1995)
Before he was the protagonist of one of the best crime shows of the 21st century, Bosch was the protagonist of a series of crime novels penned by American author Michael Connelly. His Bosch series have set a whole new standard for the Los Angeles noir genre, and never has the genre been better than in The Last Coyote. It was the fourth novel both in the series and in Connelly’s whole bibliography, and it continues to be the highest-rated entry of the bunch on Goodreads to this day — for good reason.
The book, winner of the 1996 Dilys Award handed out by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association, is one of the most gripping mystery thrillers that 1990s literature ever delivered. It’s a masterful police procedural that intelligently balances deep character work, riveting mystery, and atmospheric world-building. Grounded and psychologically intense, it’s perfect for those looking to get into classic detective literature who would rather start with something more in tune with readers’ modern tastes and sensibilities.
3
‘The Long Goodbye’ (1953)
Robert Altman‘s 1973 film The Long Goodbye is one of the best neo-noir mystery movies ever, and it achieves that status largely by lovingly satirizing and deconstructing the work of one of the most historic detective literature authors in history, Raymond Chandler. Chandler created Philip Marlowe, yet another of the most iconic detective characters in the history of fiction, and never was he more interesting than in The Long Goodbye, which Chandler once directly called his best book.
Frankly, it’s difficult to disagree with him. As exceptional as other Marlowe novels like The Big Sleep are, Long Goodbye and its profound critique of the American Dream are simply too perfect for any fan of the genre to pass up. Winner of an Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1955, the book serves as a genius subversion and deconstruction of the hard-boiled detective genre of its time, paying less attention to clever puzzle-solving than to emotional depth and thematic work. It still reads as one of the most delectably unique mystery novels of the entire 20th century.
2
‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ (1902)
There’s really no question as to which Sherlock Holmes novel is the best of the bunch: It has to be the third of the tetralogy, far and away the most universally acclaimed of all, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Anybody who is even slightly intrigued by Holmes and the history of the character ought to read this absolute masterpiece at least once in their lives. Originally serialized in The Strang Magazine, the novel blends the tropes of traditional detective fiction with elements of Gothic horror in ways that feel like they were far ahead of their time.
It’s one of the mystery books with the most plot twists, and that helps it to be an absolute blast from start to finish. Deeply atmospheric and as clever as any detective story ever written, The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably the most famous mystery book in history, and for good reason. The sense of isolation and dread built by Doyle is still awfully effective over 120 years later, and the brilliant structural risks taken by the author (such as essentially removing Holmes himself from the middle section of the book) have aged like fine wine.
1
‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ (1926)
It may not be the single most famous detective story in history, but it sure is high up there—and it sure is the best detective book the world has ever seen. It’s the great Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which is probably not the most iconic book about the meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, though it definitely is the best. It’s one of those mystery books that have aged like fine wine, originally serialized in the London Evening News and then widely praised as Christie’s masterpiece upon release.
Even to this day, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is still largely controversial among diehard fans of detective fiction due to its jaw-dropping twist ending. In the eyes of many, however, that ending is precisely what makes the book so genius and so re-readable. The whole thing is structured and paced brilliantly by Christie, whose absolutely flawless and carefully-worded prose makes this the most deliciously twisty detective book ever written. Even when going in knowing the twist beforehand, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
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