The Top-50 Crime Novels of All Time

1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-50

Truman Capote (1994) In Cold Blood.

A masterpiece. Capote invented a new genre.

Agatha Christie (2001) And Then There Were None: A Novel. (First published in 1939)

Agatha Christie's version of the nursery rhyme is often considered the best mystery novel ever written. 10 strangers are trapped in an Indian island, where the sinister Mr. Owen is accusing them of murder. One by one is found dead, until ... (the resolution of the novel is very different from that of the movie versions).

Dashiell Hammett (1989) The Maltese Falcon. (Reprint Ed.)

Archetypal tough guy, detective Sam Spade, risks his reputation by trying to help a beautiful young lady. As his partner gets killed Spade is suspected for murder. The story is a complex web of betrayal and deception, in which everyone tries to get the gold statuette of a falcon. Sam's masculine strength is refreshing in today's world of male insecurity. Also an excellent movie with Humphrey Bogart - but the book is better.

Patricia Highsmith (2001) Strangers on a Train. (First published 1950)

In her first novel published in 1950, Patricia Highsmith introduced the character of a subtle, murderous, sociopath who lives unsuspected for years. Highsmith's psycho-thriller was the source of a famous Alfred Hitchcock film in 1953. The book is one of the great classics of psychological crime fiction.

Patricia Highsmith (1992) The Talented Mr. Ripley. (First published 1955)

Patricia Highsmith wrote stories in which you almost physically feel the coming of a catastrophe. It is so unnerving that you might just want to throw away the book, because you can no longer stand the tension. But then you read on through the night. Don't get confused by the silly title or lousy cover. This is one of the best psycho-thrillers - ever!

Harper Lee (1988) To Kill a Mocking Bird.

First published in 1960, the novel is a classic. It is set in Maycomb, a fictional representation of Monroeville, Alabama. The novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and within two years sold more than five million copies in 13 countries. Shame on you, if you have not read "the best novel of the century" (Library Journal).

James M. Cain (1989) The Postman Always Rings Twice. (Reprint Ed.)

Cain's book started a new genre in 1934: American noir fiction. It may be full of despair, sweltering greed, dark violence, and raw sex, but the no-nonsense description of human drama heading towards destruction is impossible to resist. With his unique laconic style Cain tells the story of Frank, a tramp, who his attracted to Cora, the young wife of brutally violent Nick. When Frank and Cora start an affair behind her older man's back, the story is heading for disaster.

Arthur Conan Doyle (2005) The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Novels. Includes: A Study in Scarlet (1887), The Sign of Four (1889), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901), The Valley of Fear (1914).

Many illustrations, some from the novels' original appearances. A must-have for any serious mystery fan.

Graham Greene (1991) Our Man in Havana: An Entertainment. (First published in 1958)

Mr. Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman in a city of power brokers becomes a spy to earn extra income. This crisply written novel will drag you down with unbearable tension, while at the same time make you giggle with its satirical parodies and absurd plot. A masterpiece!

Ross Macdonald (1996) The Drowning Pool. (First published in 1950)

Hard-boiled novel noir filled with sex, blackmail, deceit and murder. This is the second novel in Macdonalds Lew Archer series. Complex plot, combined with psychological depth, in economic prose.

This list of the top-50 crime novels of all time is a work in progress. The ranking may change during the next few weeks. Comments and suggestions are welcome (claudia.heilig@chello.at)

In cooperation with Amazon.com

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