THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

By

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

1892

Following two long stories - A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four - where the structure was almost identical (a first part showing the crime and its solution, a second part describing why the crime was done) here we have the first of the collection of short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. For many this is Doyle's major masterpiece. Published on the Strand Magazine between July 1891 and June 1892, each story, with perhaps the exception of The Noble Bachelor, is a classic; each one has a soul of its own; each plot falls perfectly into place; each story makes the reader yearn for another. It is no surprise that readers of the Strand Magazine made a hero out of Sherlock Holmes. The great detective made everything simple and straightforward. Even the most complicated turn of events had an elementary logic. There may be faults, inconsistencies as well as a clear reference to Poe's Dupin and Collins' Inspector Cuff, but nobody can ignore that this is a masterpiece of detective fiction.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

By

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

1902

In The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894), Doyle killed his detective is his famous struggle with Professor Moriarty putting fans into despair. He wanted to concentrate on historical fiction (as well as non fiction) and was particularly annoyed by the fact that he was more considered for what he thought was minor work compared to what he really enjoyed writing. But the pressure to revive the great detective was on. Eight years later, Holmes returned with a book-length adventure that takes place before his death. And what a return. On a par with the great short stories in The Adventures, The Hound of the Baskervilles restores Doyle's great narrative ability and this is no doubt the best long story featuring the famous sleuth. Every positive characteristic of Holmes' stories is enhanced in this whodunit masterpiece read by millions of people. There are some factual faults (wild orchids do not flower in Dartmoor in October for example) but they do not mine the story. To quote H.R.F. Keating here we have "one of the most gripping books in the language".

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD

By

Agatha Christie

1926

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of the great classics of mystery fiction. Despite the fact that many categorize Agatha Christie's novels in the impossible crime area, in this book all pieces of the puzzle are available, ready to be assembled. But the story telling takes the reader away from the truth so the final becomes quite an unexpected coup de theatre that was a source of criticism at the time. A clever cozy whodunit, Christie here introduces the concept of "village". Its inhabitants become part of the plots and gossip is used as a means to discover as well as hide the truth. The general perceptiveness of servants on their jobs is also used by Poirot to find information. Villains, as often Miss Marple teaches, often overlook this point. In sum, a classic detective story, a classic Agatha Christie work, a classic novel full stop.

RED HARVEST

By

Dashiell Hammett

1929

Dashiell Hammett wrote only five novels but each one is a classic. Red Harvest is the first and sees the appearance of the Continental Detective known as simply The Continental Op, one of the most famous characters in the history of mystery fiction. The story is relatively simple: the agent is called to “Poisonville” and following the death of his client decides to eliminate crime from the town forever. He does so by maneuvering everybody against each other. Red Harvest is considered to be the first hard boiled story paving the way for future greats such as Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Ellroy and many more.

THE SURFEIT OF THE LAMPREYS (also published as Death of a Peer)

By

Ngaio Marsh

1940

It is difficult to choose a novel by Ngaio Marsh to place in this section of the Bastulli Mystery Library because, let's face it, all of her work may be considered Classic Mystery Literature. Consequetly we will rely on HRF Keating's choice: The Surfeit of the Lampreys (a.k.a. Death of a Peer). The story follows the typical Marsh structure so dear to authors such as PD James: eighty introductory pages introducing characters, plots and leading up to the crime. Then enter hero Inspector Roderick Alleyn and the hunt for the culprit commences. Very theatrical, one of the most interesting aspects is the portrayal of the Lamprey family, very strange, very British in their old fashion ways, but also very witty. Marsh seems to want to show how the English Victorian aristocracy had difficulty in adapting to a world that was changing both socially as well as economically. In conclusion, we believe that this novel is an excellent starting point for whoever wishes to begin to admire Ngaio Marsh's work.

THE BRIDE WORE BLACK

Ladies and gentleman, we are proud to present you THE NOIR. In other words with The Bride Wore Black you just cannot get any darker. Cornell Woolrich masterly depicts one of those situations we have often seen in Alfred Hitchcock's movies or TV series. A woman looking for revenge meets and kills a number of men until… Splendidly written, it is structured in a simple but effective way. Each chapter is divided into a prologue, assassination and enquiry thus making it extremely pleasant to read. Woolrich must be considered one of the greats of literature and its a shame that so few books of his are in print.

GREEN IS FOR DANGER

By

Christianna Brand

1944

Brilliantly plotted, this is one of those books where you think you have worked everything out halfway and read the rest with considerable boredom only to find that it was somebody else whodunit. All the information is given en passant and the suspects are six. It is up to the reader to work out the how and why by following Inspector Cockrill's moves. The ability of the writer lies also in making the six people look like victims thus misleading any clues picked up thus far. Green is for Danger is an excellent portrayal of the continuous sensations of being under siege: London is under constant air raids and six are forced to stay together under the watchful eye of the police who are ready to plunge on the murderer as soon as he/she shows any sign of weakness. All of this told with a cozyist touch of humor that adds to the overall pleasure. In other words, a must for all bookshelves.

THE TIGER IN THE SMOKE

By

Margery Allingham

1952

The Tiger in the Smoke is not your straightforward classic British whodunit. It is a very strange book and for those who are not familiar with London and cockney it can be a little difficult. Margery Allingham does a wonderful job however in describing the atmosphere of the British capital in the period immediately after World War II when thousands of soldiers came back from the war finding that they had to start all over again. It was not an easy task since economies are usually slow to adjust to new realities, thus the wide scale unemployment and consequent poverty. This is the sociological background that is enveloped in thick, yellow fog, typical of London during that period. The characters are all rather bizarre, a sign of the times maybe, with the exception of Allingham's hero Campion who however plays a minor role. A difficult book we said, but fascinating with a plot that slowly wraps the reader just like the London fog. We can call it a classic since this is one of the early examples of the British mystery writing scene leaving the usual conventionalities and entering a new age where the psychological aspect and characters take center stage compared to the actual crime and investigation.

THE LONG GOODBYE

By

Raymond Chandler

1954

The Long Goodbye is often considered to be Raymond Chandler's best work. It is obviously the most autobiographical since one can see the many faces of the author not only in Philip Marlowe but also in the characters of Terry Lennox, the war hero whose life has been damaged by the war, and Roger Wade, drunken writer of historical bestsellers. The book is a description of the decadent world of the rich Californians, almost a moral critique of the period. It is also the story of a strange friendship between Marlowe and Lennox. The PI goes through many pains firstly to save his friend and then to find out the truth of what happened to him. However, apart from the love of impossible causes, Marlowe does not know why he is doing all of this. Chandler does: the two characters are two of the sides of the writer's character. Once Lennox disappears out of the picture, Wade, seemingly the personification of the literary world around Chandler at that time, substitutes him. He is the frustrated writer side of Chandler. The book has a sad feeling of helplessness and betrayal, decadence and drink (explained by the fact that Chandler's wife was ill while he was writing it - she died two years later), but once inside the story all readers will have to admit that they are reading a great book.

THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY

By

Patricia Highsmith

1955

Ripley is a cynical, anxious thief, murderer and general con man. He lives in the fear of being caught but this does not deter him. He can be sweet, lovable and affectionate but it is all an act: he is primarily an actor. Ripley is also lucky: his crimes do not lead to capture since via the turning of unexpected events he always comes out clean. He can be hated or loved, despised or admired. These are the main sensations a reader gets from not an easy book (it is very slow at times - especially in the beginning - but later picks up pace) due also to the main character. However it is considered, and quite rightly, a classic of modern crime literature.

THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD

By

John Le Carré

1963

Spying is no bed of roses. This is perhaps the message behind one of the most brilliant spy stories ever written. The novel has a cold, misty and dark feeling. Le Carré portrays the "art of intelligence" unromantically, as if it is just an administrative job in some way but where winning is extremely vital. He therefore kills the James Bond myth and defines spying as a miserable art where everybody is useful, whatever history they have. Some may think that this type of story is a thing of the past since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but The Spy who came in from the cold is not only a classic of mystery fiction but also a history lesson. Thus something that must not be forgotten.

IN COLD BLOOD

By

Truman Capote

1966

The Bastulli Mystery Library considers Truman Capote as one of the fathers of the genre. Despite the fact that he did not write any mystery novels, we believed that since In Cold Blood was the first non-fiction novel he had the right to be placed in that category. The book is brilliant and was a huge success at the time it was published. No wonder. A Kansas family is wiped out savagely with no apparent motive yet alone culprit. Capote, over six years, was able to write about this hideous crime analyzing all aspects and in particular depicting with great thoroughness not only all those involved but also every fact. The reader is thrown into the real world with real facts not through the eyes of a witness, journalist, defendant or accuser but via a storyteller that leaves no stone unturned but also does not take sides. That is left to us. In conclusion, In Cold Blood is a masterpiece.

THE BLUE HAMMER

By

Ross Macdonald

1976

The Lew Archer series is undoubtedly one of the best PI series ever written. Ross Macdonald was able to use the framework created by other greats such as Chandler and Hammett and improve it by adding a psychological impact as well as a touch more whodunit than his predecessors. Despite the fact that other novels in the series are probably more famous, yet again we have followed the HRF Keating's indication and have chosen to add The Blue Hammer to the Classic Mystery Literature section. Nobody could disagree that this is indeed a great novel. Social and psychological analysis, many twists and turns, splendidly written, extremely interesting and diverse characters. What more could you want from a classic.

ARISTOTLE DETECTIVE

By

Margaret Doody

1978

First of all a little history of this book. Published in 1978, Aristotle Detective disappeared from the face of the earth shortly after. A few sources on Internet state that is was re-published a few years ago but now anybody who wishes to purchase it must pay more than $20 for a second hand copy. However foreign editors have come to our rescue so French and Italian translations are widely available. Set in Ancient Greece, it tells the story of Stephanos who, in order to save his cousin Philemon accused of murder, asks for the aid of his former teacher and famous philosopher Aristotle. The relationship between the two main characters is very similar to Doyle's Holmes-Watson relationship even if it is Stephanos who does all the work with Aristotle working in the background and indicating the best path to lead. Cleverly written, it is not only a classic whodunit, but also a historical legal thriller with aspects of Ancient Greek classic culture mentioned en passant. Many consider this book among the best mysteries of the last twenty-five years; we tend to agree.

THE NAME OF THE ROSE

By

Umberto Eco

1980

This is not a typical mystery novel. Umberto Eco has used the whodunit as an excuse to write about history (history of the church in particular), theology and philosophy, that makes this book almost a treatise on the debate between the Franciscan order and the Papacy with Adso - the storyteller - and William of Baskerville - a clear reference to Sherlock Holmes and not just because of the name but also in the way this character is portrayed - witnesses of the events that have taken, are taking, and will be taking place. However all the elements that define a historical mystery are there: murder, investigation, historical setting (by the way, fans of Sharan Newman will recognize some of the characters). The atmosphere of the middle ages, the theological-philosophical debates of the time as well as the contrasting mentalities between the learned and the unlearned priests are a true history lesson to all lovers of this sub genre. A lesson that has to be read.

GORKY PARK

By

Martin Cruz Smith

1981

It is difficult to consider a book that came out in 1981 as a classic and compare it with novels that were published more than 100 years earlier. However the Bastulli Mystery Library believes that Gorky Park is a must for all mystery readers, past, present and future. Brilliantly written, it is a very good portrayal of the darkness and almost drunken sadness of late Communist Russia and, via the role of the US businessmen, it is also a warning of things that will and have become. The characters are very real, some dwell on the past and others dream of escape with Arkady Renko, the main character, left trapped in the middle of these two escapisms, not knowing where to definitely turn. The beauty of the book also lies in the mixing of genres - police procedural, forensics, spy, love story, conspiracy - all aspects that make Gorky Park a page turner.