759:. Archer, like Hammett's fictional heroes, was a camera eye, with hardly any known past. "Turn Archer sideways, and he disappears," one reviewer wrote. Two of Macdonald's strengths were his use of psychology and his beautiful prose, which was full of imagery. Like other 'hardboiled' writers, Macdonald aimed to give an impression of realism in his work through violence, sex and confrontation. The 1966 movie Harper starring Paul Newman was based on the first Lew Archer story The Moving Target (1949). Newman reprised the role in The Drowning Pool in 1976.
228:
725:. His style of crime fiction came to be known as "hardboiled", which is described as a genre that "usually deals with criminal activity in a modern urban environment, a world of disconnected signs and anonymous strangers." "Told in stark and sometimes elegant language through the unemotional eyes of new hero-detectives, these stories were an American phenomenon." According to the best-selling author Michael Connelly,"Chandler credited Hammett with taking the mystery out of the drawing-room and putting it out on the street where it belongs."
766:, is generally considered the author who led the form into the Modern Age. His private investigator, Dan Fortune, was consistently involved in the same sort of David-and-Goliath stories that Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald wrote, but Collins took a sociological bent, exploring the meaning of his characters' places in society and the impact society had on people. Full of commentary and clipped prose, his books were more intimate than those of his predecessors, dramatizing that crime can happen in one's own living room.
736:, who brought a more intimate voice to the detective than the more distanced "operative's report" style of Hammett's Continental Op stories. Despite struggling through the task of plotting a story, his cadenced dialogue and cryptic narrations were musical, evoking the dark alleys and tough thugs, rich women and powerful men about whom he wrote. Several feature and television movies have been made about the Philip Marlowe character. James Hadley Chase wrote a few novels with private eyes as the main heroes, including
493:, but differs on several points. Most of the Sherlock Holmes stories feature no suspects at all, while mystery fiction, in contrast, features a large number of them. As noted, detective stories feature professional and retired detectives, while mystery fiction almost exclusively features amateur detectives. Finally, detective stories focus on the detective and how the crime was solved, while mystery fiction concentrates on the identity of the culprit and how the crime was committed, a distinction that separated
594:
modern police work does for the police procedural. The legal thriller usually starts its business with the court proceedings following the closure of an investigation, often resulting in a new angle on the investigation, so as to bring about a final outcome different from the one originally devised by the investigators. In the legal thriller, court proceedings play a very active, if not to say decisive part in a case reaching its ultimate solution.
25:
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This genre features minimal violence, sex and social relevance, a solution achieved by intellect or intuition rather than police procedure, with order restored in the end, honorable characters, and a setting in a closed community. The murders are often committed by less violent tools such as poison and the wounds inflicted are rarely if ever used as clues. The writers who innovated and popularized the genre include
224:, many towns would have constables and a night watchman at best. Naturally, the constable would be aware of every individual in the town, and crimes were either solved quickly or left unsolved entirely. As people began to crowd into cities, police forces became institutionalized, and the need for detectives was realized – thus the mystery novel arose.
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criminals, not the circumstances behind the crime. Very often, no actual mystery even existed: the books simply revolved around justice being served to those who deserved harsh treatment, which was described in explicit detail." The overall theme these writers portrayed reflected "the changing face of
America itself."
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was recognized by a panel of 17 mystery authors and reviewers as the best locked-room mystery of all time in 1981. The crime in question typically involves a crime scene with no indication as to how the intruder could have entered or left, i.e., a locked room. Following other conventions of classic
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as the main characters. These stories may take a variety of forms, but many authors try to realistically depict the routine activities of a group of police officers who are frequently working on more than one case simultaneously, providing a stark contrast to the detective-as-superhero archetype of
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Cozy mysteries began in the late 20th century as a reinvention of the Golden Age whodunit; these novels generally shy away from violence and suspense and frequently feature female amateur detectives. Modern cozy mysteries are frequently, though not necessarily in either case, humorous and thematic.
713:
and the Mob were inspiring not only fear, but piquing mainstream curiosity about the
American crime underworld. Popular pulp fiction magazines like Black Mask capitalized on this, as authors such as Carrol John Daly published violent stories that focused on the mayhem and injustice surrounding the
593:
The legal thriller or courtroom novel is also related to detective fiction. The system of justice itself is always a major part of these works, at times almost functioning as one of the characters. In this way, the legal system provides the framework for the legal thriller as much as the system of
514:
of the 1920s-1940s, when it was the primary style of detective fiction. This subgenre is classified as a detective story where the reader is given clues throughout as to who the culprit is, giving the reader the opportunity to solve the crime before it is revealed. During the Golden Age, whodunits
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mystery. There may also be subsidiary puzzles, such as why the crime was committed, and they are explained or resolved during the story. This format is the inversion of the more typical "whodunit", where all of the details of the perpetrator of the crime are not revealed until the story's climax.
683:
An inverted detective story, also known as a "howcatchem", is a plot structure of murder mystery fiction in which the commission of the crime is shown or described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator. The story then describes the detective's attempt to solve the
414:
Interest in mystery fiction continues to this day partly because of various television shows which have used mystery themes and the many juvenile and adult novels which continue to be published. There is some overlap with "thriller" or "suspense" novels and authors in those genres may consider
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The locked-room mystery is a subgenre of detective fiction. The crime—almost always murder—is committed in circumstances under which it was seemingly impossible for the perpetrator to commit the crime and/or evade detection in the course of getting in and out of the crime scene. The genre was
796:
These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves the solving of a mystery or crime (usually murder). Though works combining these genres have existed since at least the early 20th century, many credit
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In the 1940s the police procedural evolved as a new style of detective fiction. Unlike the heroes of
Christie, Chandler, and Spillane, the police detective was subject to error and was constrained by rules and regulations. As Gary Huasladen says in his book
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than the mystery genre. Unlike fiction of the kind, it does not focus much on the identity of the culprit and has no red herrings or clues, but often emphasizes how the culprit was caught and their motivations behind their actions.
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were finally published in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Each author's detective, also female, was brainy and physical and could hold her own. Their acceptance, and success, caused publishers to seek out other female authors.
216:
and, as people began to read over time, they became more individualistic in their thinking. As people became more individualistic in their thinking, they developed a respect for human reason and the ability to solve problems.
657:, "not all the clients were insatiable bombshells, and invariably there was life outside the job." The detective in the police procedural does the things police officers do to catch a criminal. Writers of the genre include
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in 1894, is one of the first examples of the modern style of fictional private detective. This character is described as an "'Everyman' detective meant to challenge the detective-as-superman that Holmes represented."
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until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a
311:. Books were especially helpful to the genre, with many authors writing in the genre in the 1920s. An important contribution to mystery fiction in the 1920s was the development of the juvenile mystery by
982:
Davies, Helen; Marjorie
Dorfman; Mary Fons; Deborah Hawkins; Martin Hintz; Linnea Lundgren; David Priess; Julia Clark Robinson; Paul Seaburn; Heidi Stevens; Steve Theunissen (14 September 2007).
831:
detective fiction, the reader is normally presented with the puzzle and all of the clues, and is encouraged to solve the mystery before the solution is revealed in a dramatic climax.
698:
820:
established in the 19th century. Poe's The
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) is considered the first locked-room mystery; since then, other authors have used the scheme.
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Sherlock Holmes. Some of these stories are whodunits; in others, the criminal is known, and the police must gather enough evidence to charge them with the crime.
196:. That contrasted with parallel titles of the same names which contained conventional hardboiled crime fiction. The first use of "mystery" in that sense was by
212:
The genre of mystery novels is a young form of literature that has developed since the early 19th century. The rise of literacy began in the years of the
300:, whose creative imagination rivaled the "deduction" of Sherlock Holmes, who was disparagingly included in some Lupin stories under obvious pseudonyms.
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Perhaps a reason that mystery fiction was unheard of before the 19th century was due in part to the lack of true police forces. Before the
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159:. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a
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In the 1930s, the private eye genre was adopted wholeheartedly by
American writers. One of the primary contributors to this style was
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mystery in which the solution does not have to be logical and even in which there is no crime involved. This usage was common in the
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in the 1930s and 1940s increased interest in mystery fiction. Pulp magazines decreased in popularity in the 1950s with the rise of
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543:. Criticized by many as being insensitive to those personally acquainted with the incidents, it is often categorized as
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748:(1950). The heroes of these novels are typical private eyes, very similar to or plagiarizing Raymond Chandler's work.
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155:), who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Some mystery books are
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offered what were then described as complicated to solve and weird stories: supernatural horror in the vein of
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presents crime and mystery short stories by some of the world's best established and emerging mystery writers.
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The detective story shares some similarities with mystery fiction in that it also has a mystery to be solved,
292:, whose mysteries are said to have been singularly responsible for the huge popularity in this genre. In 1901
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or the even-more-recent web-based detective series, have helped to re-popularize the genre in recent times.
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True crime is a literary genre that recounts real crimes committed by real people, almost half focusing on
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1087:-winning website that compiles resources for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books.
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335:, and other authors). The 1920s also gave rise to one of the most popular mystery authors of all time,
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805:(1977–1994) for popularizing what would become known as the historical mystery.
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where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains
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Fiction genre involving characters investigating and solving a mystery
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Though the origins of the genre date back to ancient literature and
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961:. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.
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259:
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458:", which featured arguably the world's first fictional detective,
450:, the modern detective story as it is known today was invented by
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pseudonyms respectively (and were later written by his daughter,
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406:) is also credited with continuing interest in mystery fiction.
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is often recognized as one of the first examples of the genre.
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popularized the courtroom novel in the 20th century with his
510:. Whodunits experienced an increase in popularity during the
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detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism.
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547:. Having basis on reality, it shares more similarities with
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series. Contemporary authors of legal thrillers include
284:(1868) is often thought to be his masterpiece. In 1887
1043:"'Maltese Falcon' gave flight to the detective story"
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880:
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
882:. Scholastic Professional Books. pp. 142–145.
454:in the mid-19th century through his short story, "
315:. Stratemeyer originally developed and wrote the
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824:was recognized as a master of the genre and his
721:with his famous private investigator character,
506:A common subgenre of detective fiction is the
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351:(1937), and the world's best-selling mystery
178:of the 1930s and 1940s, whose titles such as
986:. Editors of Publications International, Ltd
755:, updated the form again with his detective
732:updated the form with his private detective
384:, a division of Crosstown Publications. The
1061:"Why are locked room mysteries so popular?"
127:Cover of the pulp mystery-fiction magazine
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2418:
1125:
1111:
898:The Classic Era of American Pulp Magazines
515:were written primarily by women, however
238:An early work of modern mystery fiction,
163:. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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122:
892:
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1796:Types of fiction with multiple endings
956:
886:
808:
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1049:. Chicago Tribnune. 16 February 2005.
785:
687:
633:
435:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
18:
984:"21 Best-Selling Books of All Time"
423:have carried on the tradition, and
371:Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
13:
470:stories, considered milestones in
430:
14:
2754:
2199:Third-person omniscient narrative
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582:
204:" during the later part of 1933.
926:"A Short History of the Mystery"
23:
1053:
1035:
1006:"How graphic can a mystery be?"
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512:Golden Age of Detective Fiction
409:
377:Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
34:needs additional citations for
1587:Conflict between good and evil
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998:
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950:
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918:
865:
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762:Michael Collins, pseudonym of
415:themselves mystery novelists.
170:Mystery fiction can involve a
1:
1132:
873:"Genre Characteristics Sheet"
834:
751:Ross Macdonald, pseudonym of
672:
528:
456:The Murders in the Rue Morgue
278:was published in 1860, while
251:The Murders in the Rue Morgue
207:
959:The World of Mystery Fiction
701:, created by British author
644:Many detective stories have
342:Murder on the Orient Express
323:mysteries written under the
248:(1819), was an influence on
7:
2711:science fiction and fantasy
448:One Thousand and One Nights
296:created gentleman burglar,
10:
2759:
812:
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746:Figure It Out for Yourself
691:
676:
637:
586:
559:
532:
439:
360:The massive popularity of
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2234:
2226:Stream of unconsciousness
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1913:
1804:
1757:Falling action/Catastasis
1702:
1607:
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1140:
1016:25 September 2007 at the
2538:Inverted detective story
2463:History of crime fiction
1594:Self-fulfilling prophecy
1081:Stop, You're Killing Me!
742:Lay Her Among the Lilies
496:And Then There Were None
354:And Then There Were None
258:(1841) as may have been
241:Das Fräulein von Scuderi
2221:Stream of consciousness
1684:Suspension of disbelief
1091:Mystery Weekly Magazine
957:Gilber, Elliot (1983).
380:—both now published by
1762:Denouement/Catastrophe
1743:Rising action/Epitasis
1010:World Literature Today
803:The Cadfael Chronicles
655:Places for Dead Bodies
464:Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
339:, whose works include
235:
132:
2108:Utopian and dystopian
1028:Konay, O. O. (2009).
230:
222:Industrial Revolution
126:
2676:Fictional detectives
1662:Narrative techniques
1442:Story within a story
1254:Supporting character
596:Erle Stanley Gardner
499:from other works of
491:detective denouement
489:along the way and a
43:improve this article
2623:Film and television
2367:Political narrative
2209:Unreliable narrator
2066:Speculative fiction
1774:Nonlinear narrative
1722:Three-act structure
1582:Deal with the Devil
1097:German Mystery Blog
1067:. BBC. 21 May 2012.
1012:, July–August 2007
944:"Mystery Time Line"
815:Locked-room mystery
809:Locked-room mystery
728:In the late 1930s,
709:By the late 1920s,
214:English Renaissance
2612:historical mystery
2345:Narrative paradigm
2340:Narrative identity
2270:Dominant narrative
2216:Multiple narrators
1500:Fictional location
1343:Dramatic structure
1004:J. Madison Davis:
792:Historical mystery
786:Historical mystery
694:Hardboiled fiction
688:Hardboiled fiction
313:Edward Stratemeyer
286:Arthur Conan Doyle
275:The Woman in White
236:
133:
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2724:
2721:
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2630:Police procedural
2407:
2406:
2350:Narrative therapy
1784:television series
1729:Freytag's Pyramid
1572:Moral development
1475:Alternate history
1185:False protagonist
822:John Dickson Carr
640:Police procedural
634:Police procedural
573:Dorothy L. Sayers
442:Detective fiction
436:Detective fiction
386:detective fiction
348:Death on the Nile
325:Franklin W. Dixon
246:E. T. A. Hoffmann
184:Thrilling Mystery
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118:
111:
93:
58:"Mystery fiction"
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2635:Procedural drama
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2330:Literary science
1873:Narrative poetry
1769:Linear narrative
1679:Stylistic device
1674:Show, don't tell
1637:Figure of speech
1427:Shaggy dog story
1170:Characterization
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1099:with daily news.
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932:on 19 July 2009.
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738:Blonde's Requiem
730:Raymond Chandler
719:Dashiell Hammett
667:Bartholomew Gill
604:Michael Connelly
460:C. Auguste Dupin
425:film adaptations
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501:Agatha Christie
468:Sherlock Holmes
452:Edgar Allan Poe
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431:Classifications
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337:Agatha Christie
294:Maurice Leblanc
290:Sherlock Holmes
256:Edgar Allan Poe
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827:The Hollow Man
813:Main article:
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734:Philip Marlowe
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589:Legal thriller
587:Main article:
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577:Elizabeth Daly
560:Main article:
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541:serial killers
533:Main article:
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517:Wilkie Collins
440:Main article:
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421:graphic novels
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404:Manfred B. Lee
382:Dell Magazines
362:pulp magazines
309:pulp magazines
270:Wilkie Collins
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131:(January 1934)
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1374:In medias res
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1353:Foreshadowing
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699:Martin Hewitt
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545:trash culture
542:
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522:The Moonstone
518:
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509:
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472:crime fiction
469:
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333:Harriet Adams
330:
329:Carolyn Keene
326:
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299:
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281:The Moonstone
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193:Grand Guignol
189:
188:Spicy Mystery
185:
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140:fiction genre
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63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
2554:
2516:Weird menace
2456:General info
2444:
2389:Storytelling
2204:Subjectivity
2194:Third-person
2184:First-person
1988:
1818:
1627:Comic relief
1379:
1372:
1363:Flashforward
1330:
1304:Origin story
1286:
1249:Straight man
1204:
1064:
1055:
1046:
1037:
1029:
1024:
1009:
1000:
988:. Retrieved
977:
958:
952:
938:
930:the original
920:
897:
888:
879:
867:
855:. Retrieved
851:
842:
826:
818:
799:Ellis Peters
795:
768:
764:Dennis Lynds
761:
750:
745:
744:(1950), and
741:
737:
727:
716:
708:
697:
682:
654:
651:
643:
612:John Grisham
592:
565:
562:Cozy mystery
556:Cozy mystery
538:
520:
505:
494:
483:red herrings
476:
445:
413:
410:21st century
392:Ellery Queen
375:
369:
359:
352:
346:
340:
302:
298:Arsène Lupin
279:
273:
263:
249:
239:
237:
219:
211:
202:weird menace
198:Dime Mystery
197:
191:
187:
183:
180:Dime Mystery
179:
172:supernatural
169:
135:
134:
128:
120:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
2592:Tartan Noir
2565:locked room
2543:Legal drama
2394:Tellability
2360:Metafiction
2355:Narratology
2127:Theological
2019:Pop culture
1900:Short story
1878:Epic poetry
1599:Time travel
1412:Red herring
1397:Plot device
1368:Frame story
1321:Cliffhanger
1264:Tritagonist
1239:Protagonist
902:Prion Books
779:Sue Grafton
663:P. D. James
628:Scott Turow
620:Paul Levine
600:Perry Mason
549:docufiction
487:plot twists
417:Comic books
305:dime novels
288:introduced
157:non-fiction
2732:Categories
2701:historical
2533:Hardboiled
2280:Continuity
2149:Nonfiction
2113:Underwater
2009:Picaresque
1984:Historical
1969:Epistolary
1841:Fairy tale
1752:Peripeteia
1734:Exposition
1490:Dreamworld
1432:Stereotype
1402:Plot twist
1150:Antagonist
835:References
757:Lew Archer
679:Howcatchem
673:Howcatchem
535:True crime
529:True crime
366:television
321:Nancy Drew
317:Hardy Boys
231:Novels by
208:Beginnings
165:hardboiled
144:mysterious
69:newspapers
2669:Character
2597:Tart Noir
2496:Detective
2477:Subgenres
2441:Detective
2171:Narration
2120:Superhero
2044:Chivalric
2029:Religious
2014:Political
1949:Adventure
1934:Biography
1856:Tall tale
1704:Structure
1689:Symbolism
1657:Narration
1557:Leitmotif
1485:Crossover
1480:Backstory
1437:Story arc
1387:MacGuffin
1358:Flashback
1299:Backstory
1175:Confidant
1155:Archenemy
1142:Character
1134:Narrative
848:"mystery"
723:Sam Spade
711:Al Capone
659:Ed McBain
396:pseudonym
151:(such as
149:detective
99:July 2011
2655:Neo-noir
2607:Whodunit
2602:Thriller
2548:thriller
2377:Glossary
2372:Rhetoric
2179:Diegesis
2159:Creative
2132:Thriller
2081:Southern
1999:Paranoid
1994:Nautical
1905:Vignette
1863:Gamebook
1831:Folklore
1738:Protasis
1617:Allegory
1562:Metaphor
1520:parallel
1515:universe
1495:Dystopia
1452:Suspense
1338:Dialogue
1326:Conflict
1234:Narrator
1206:Hamartia
1065:BBC News
1014:Archived
990:25 March
896:(2000).
857:10 April
740:(1945),
508:Whodunit
357:(1939).
345:(1934),
272:' novel
268:(1747).
260:Voltaire
161:whodunit
2696:private
2645:Mystery
2555:Mystery
2528:Gong'an
2445:mystery
2307:Prequel
2263:Related
2249:Present
2142:Western
2098:Science
2071:Fantasy
2039:Romance
1989:Mystery
1974:Ergodic
1939:Fiction
1895:Parable
1890:Novella
1820:Fabliau
1791:Premise
1642:Imagery
1632:Diction
1510:country
1467:Setting
1447:Subplot
1269:Villain
1222:Byronic
485:, some
136:Mystery
129:Mystery
83:scholar
2691:police
2686:female
2587:Spy-Fi
2577:Nordic
2523:Giallo
2511:occult
2447:, and
2311:Sequel
2295:Retcon
2290:Reboot
2254:Future
2088:Horror
2076:Gothic
2061:Satire
1979:Erotic
1846:Legend
1748:Climax
1622:Bathos
1529:Utopia
1417:Reveal
1316:Cliché
1294:Action
1288:Ab ovo
1227:Tragic
1083:is an
965:
908:
389:author
186:, and
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
2706:teams
2660:Trial
2640:Heist
2491:Caper
2484:Theme
2318:Genre
2285:Canon
2236:Tense
2154:Novel
2137:Urban
2049:Prose
2034:Rogue
1959:Crime
1954:Comic
1915:Genre
1885:Novel
1836:Fable
1814:Drama
1779:films
1609:Style
1577:Motif
1567:Moral
1552:Irony
1544:Theme
1457:Trope
876:(PDF)
479:clues
265:Zadig
138:is a
90:JSTOR
76:books
2681:male
2650:Noir
2572:Noir
2560:cozy
2506:girl
2323:List
2244:Past
2103:Hard
2056:Saga
1964:Docu
1920:List
1851:Myth
1806:Form
1694:Tone
1667:Hook
1652:Mood
1647:Mode
1505:city
1392:Pace
1279:Plot
1217:Anti
1212:Hero
1195:Foil
992:2009
963:ISBN
906:ISBN
859:2021
777:and
665:and
626:and
575:and
419:and
402:and
374:and
327:and
319:and
307:and
62:news
2582:Spy
1712:Act
801:'s
466:'s
398:of
262:'s
254:by
244:by
45:by
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