Recommended Detective Fiction by Kerri WallaceFebruary 11, 2010

Not having a good book to read can be a crime. Inspired by the new release of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., here is a list of recommended crime and detective fiction.   

Sherlock Holmes, by A.C. Doyle & W. Gillette, Digital ID TH-50727, New York Public Library

 

The Complete Stories of Dorothy L. Sayers by Dorothy L. Sayers. A collection of stories by Sayers with many featuring two of her detecting sleuths, Lord Peter Wimsey and Montague Egg.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The infamous Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson investigate the mysterious hauntings that surround the Baskerville family.  
 
The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr. Carr revives detective Sherlock Holmes and Watson to solve mysterious, supernatural occurrences in the Royal Palace of Holyrood of Edinburgh, Scotland. 
 
The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King. The wife of Sherlock Holmes, Mary Russell, is out to help a friend find his missing wife and child.
 
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler. Detective Philip Marlowe investigates the murder of an English ex-patriot’s ex-wife and is also hired to find a writer who has been missing for days.
 
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet. Private investigator Sam Spade, is out to find who killed his partner Miles Archer and search for the missing black bird figurine known as The Maltese Falcon.
 
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie. Miss Marple an elderly, knitting sleuth solves mysteries and crack cases in this collection of short stories by Agatha Christie.
 
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. After inheriting a valuable diamond from her uncle, Rachel Verinder wears it to her 18th birthday party only to have it stolen later that night. Rachel and others are determined to solve the mystery of the missing diamond!
 
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe. C. Auguste Dupin offers his assistance to the French police after the brutal murder of Madame L’Espanaye and her daughter. This short story by Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the first detective stories of the detective/crime genre.
 
Feel free to post some of your favorite detective stories in the comments!
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