I ❤️ Krimis
I am a fan of classic crime novels, specifically (but not exclusively) authors from Britain. So here is my list of favourite books and authors in no particular order.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue - Edgar Allan Poe
Set in Paris during the early 19th century, Mr. Dupin gets called upon by the prevent of the Parisian Police to help solve the mysterious murder of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter. The former victim was found in a yard behind the house, with multiple broken bones and her throat so deeply cut that her head fell off when the body was moved. The daughter was found strangled to death and stuffed upside down into a chimney, wedged so tightly that it took the strength of several men to pull her loose. The murders occurred in a fourth-floor apartment that was locked from the inside; on the floor were found a bloody straight razor, bloody tufts of grey hair, and two bags of gold coins. Their banker is taken into custody but there is nothing to link him to the crime.
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
Mr.Tulkinghorn is found dead. In the room is an apology note from Lady Deadlock. Her husband, Sir Leicester Dedlock, asks Inspector Bucket to locate his wife. The inspector suspects she is guilty of the murder but not everything is as it seems. What follows is a complex tale consisting of several subplots involving deception and greed.
The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins
On her 18th birthday, Rachel Verinder inherits a large diamond from her uncle, British army officer who served in India.. The diamond is of great religious significance and extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it.
Rachel's birthday is celebrated with a large number of guests include her cousin Franklin Blake. She wears the Moonstone on her dress that evening for all to see, including some Indian jugglers who have called at the house. Later that night the diamond is stolen from Rachel's bedroom.
Suspicion falls on the jugglers , a maidservant who begins to act oddly and who then drowns herself in a local quicksand then on on Rachel herself, who also behaves suspiciously and is suddenly furious with Franklin Blake, with whom she had previously been infatuated. Despite the efforts of Sergeant Cuff, the party ends with the mystery unsolved, and the protagonists disperse.
The events leading up to and after the theft, are recounted by a number of friends and family members.
Sir Authur Conan Doyle
Fifty-six short stories and four novels were written about Sherlock Holmes. Most of the stories are written from the point of view of his companion Dr. H Watson.
Certainly the most popular novel is the Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Henry Baskerville returns from Canada to the Dartmoor estate he inherited from his uncle, who recently died under suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival in London he receives a warning to not go out on the moor by night. He also learns about the horrific tale about the hound who mauled his ancestor to death and still prowls the moor by night. We also learn that a convicted murderer has escaped from the nearby prison in Princetown. Could it be the hound or the escaped prisoner that is after Sir Henry.
Dame Agatha Christie
No list can be made without mentioning Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Both characters have been the subject of numerous television series and films.
We are first introduced to Poirot in The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When Mrs Inglethorp is murdered, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery.
There were 33 novels featuring this singular detective. Many of these were made into films; most notably Murder on the Orient Express and Death On The Nile.
Miss Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one of Christie's best-known characters and has been the subject of several films and television series. We are first introduced to her in The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930, and her last appearance was in Sleeping Murder in 1976.
Edith Caroline Rivett (a.k.a. E. C. R. Lorac, Carol Carnac and Mary Le Bourne)
As E. C. R. Lorac her books feature Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald, a Scot and an avowed bachelor with a love for walking in the English countryside. In 28 of these books, he has the help of his assistant, Detective Inspector Reeves.
The Carol Carnac books feature three different series characters. Inspector Ryvet; Chief Inspector Julian Rivers and his assistant, Inspector Lansing, who appears in 18 stories.
I am currently read (or rather listening to) Fell Murder. Set in rural Lancashire during the Second World War, Robert Garth, the patriarch of the Garth family, is found dead, Scotland Yard sends MacDonald north to investigate but he soon discovers that everyone has a motive to murder Garth. To add to the mystery, his estranged son seems to have reappeared just before the murder.
Lupin - Maurice Leblanc
Arsène Lupin is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise who was featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas written by Leblanc. Although originally written in French, the stories have been translated into English.
Although Lupin is a thief, he is involved in solving a number of crimes.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue - Edgar Allan Poe
Set in Paris during the early 19th century, Mr. Dupin gets called upon by the prevent of the Parisian Police to help solve the mysterious murder of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter. The former victim was found in a yard behind the house, with multiple broken bones and her throat so deeply cut that her head fell off when the body was moved. The daughter was found strangled to death and stuffed upside down into a chimney, wedged so tightly that it took the strength of several men to pull her loose. The murders occurred in a fourth-floor apartment that was locked from the inside; on the floor were found a bloody straight razor, bloody tufts of grey hair, and two bags of gold coins. Their banker is taken into custody but there is nothing to link him to the crime.
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
Mr.Tulkinghorn is found dead. In the room is an apology note from Lady Deadlock. Her husband, Sir Leicester Dedlock, asks Inspector Bucket to locate his wife. The inspector suspects she is guilty of the murder but not everything is as it seems. What follows is a complex tale consisting of several subplots involving deception and greed.
The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins
On her 18th birthday, Rachel Verinder inherits a large diamond from her uncle, British army officer who served in India.. The diamond is of great religious significance and extremely valuable, and three Hindu priests have dedicated their lives to recovering it.
Rachel's birthday is celebrated with a large number of guests include her cousin Franklin Blake. She wears the Moonstone on her dress that evening for all to see, including some Indian jugglers who have called at the house. Later that night the diamond is stolen from Rachel's bedroom.
Suspicion falls on the jugglers , a maidservant who begins to act oddly and who then drowns herself in a local quicksand then on on Rachel herself, who also behaves suspiciously and is suddenly furious with Franklin Blake, with whom she had previously been infatuated. Despite the efforts of Sergeant Cuff, the party ends with the mystery unsolved, and the protagonists disperse.
The events leading up to and after the theft, are recounted by a number of friends and family members.
Sir Authur Conan Doyle
Fifty-six short stories and four novels were written about Sherlock Holmes. Most of the stories are written from the point of view of his companion Dr. H Watson.
Certainly the most popular novel is the Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Henry Baskerville returns from Canada to the Dartmoor estate he inherited from his uncle, who recently died under suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival in London he receives a warning to not go out on the moor by night. He also learns about the horrific tale about the hound who mauled his ancestor to death and still prowls the moor by night. We also learn that a convicted murderer has escaped from the nearby prison in Princetown. Could it be the hound or the escaped prisoner that is after Sir Henry.
Dame Agatha Christie
No list can be made without mentioning Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Both characters have been the subject of numerous television series and films.
We are first introduced to Poirot in The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When Mrs Inglethorp is murdered, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery.
There were 33 novels featuring this singular detective. Many of these were made into films; most notably Murder on the Orient Express and Death On The Nile.
Miss Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one of Christie's best-known characters and has been the subject of several films and television series. We are first introduced to her in The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930, and her last appearance was in Sleeping Murder in 1976.
Edith Caroline Rivett (a.k.a. E. C. R. Lorac, Carol Carnac and Mary Le Bourne)
As E. C. R. Lorac her books feature Chief Inspector Robert Macdonald, a Scot and an avowed bachelor with a love for walking in the English countryside. In 28 of these books, he has the help of his assistant, Detective Inspector Reeves.
The Carol Carnac books feature three different series characters. Inspector Ryvet; Chief Inspector Julian Rivers and his assistant, Inspector Lansing, who appears in 18 stories.
I am currently read (or rather listening to) Fell Murder. Set in rural Lancashire during the Second World War, Robert Garth, the patriarch of the Garth family, is found dead, Scotland Yard sends MacDonald north to investigate but he soon discovers that everyone has a motive to murder Garth. To add to the mystery, his estranged son seems to have reappeared just before the murder.
Arsène Lupin is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise who was featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas written by Leblanc. Although originally written in French, the stories have been translated into English.
Although Lupin is a thief, he is involved in solving a number of crimes.
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| By Sidney Paget - Strand Magazine, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=932530 |
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