In 1995 the Mystery Writers of America complied their ‘Top 100 Mysteries of All Time’, compiled by their ‘active members’. It contains a few surprises, including Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent at number 5, Rumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer at 26 and the Swedish modern classic The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjowall and Per [...]

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In 1987, HRF (Henry Raymond Fitzwarren) Keating (1926- ) compiled his list of the ’100 Best Crime & Mystery Books’ for the London Times, for whom he reviewed crime fiction for 15 years. 1845: Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Mystery and Imagination 1868: Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone 1870: Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood [...]

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Julian Gustave Symons (1912-1994) was a British writer and critic, best known for his crime fiction. In 1958 he completed a list of the 100 Best Crime Stories for the London ‘Sunday Times’ newspaper. Here it is: 1794: William Godwin, Caleb Williams 1845: Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Mystery and Imagination 1860: Wilkie Collins, The [...]

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