The Best Mystery Writers Of All Time

Self | 01-02-02 | Self

[monkey]

Ed Poe

[william clark]

C.B. Gilford. His short stories with twist endings are terrific. And although only a portion of his work falls into the classic mystery tradition, Donald E. Westlake should be on the list.

[Quicksilver]

The master was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[eddie willers]

Dorothy L. Sayers....hands down.

[Revolting cat!]

Well, if their names are known, then they're no longer "mystery writers", are they, if you catch my drift?!

But seriously though, it would be hard to disagree with your list, although I'm curious to hear about some "undiscovered" authors. I guess, to get back to my initial point, those would be the real mystery writers.

[Miss Marple]

Old-style: Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh.

Modern: Tony Hillerman

[Ohioan]

I do not know why you would omit Edgar Allan Poe, who invented the genre'--or why you have avoided Wilkie Collins, who gave it a somewhat different slant, but was a superb plotter.

As for Doyle, he was not just someone for purists. Most of the others are simply aping his techniques in one way or another, including the idea that a great detective should be an eccentric.

The thing about Doyle and Poe is that they were also both Conservatives in terms of Social and Political issues--although Poe considered it a cardinal sin to promote any sort of agenda through his art.

Wilkie Collins' best asset, other than his ability to construct a fascinating plot, was that he was better at depicting a variety of female personalities, than most of his contemporaries. (He obviously was more skilled at seduction, one suspects, than his friend Dickens; and the result is some very interesting characters. In Armadale, he creates perhaps the most interesting female villain in Victorian literature.)

Another rather Conservative mystery writer would be Baroness Orczy, who is of course better known for the Scarlet Pimpernel novels.

William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site

[doodad]

bump

[monkey]

A "real" writer who wrote a couple of interesting mysteries is Thomas Berger. I read a book by Elmore Leonard that was O.K.

[tacticalogic]

I'm not sure all of his work qualifies, but I'll nominate Allistair MaClean.

[Ima Lurker]

I don't know about the "best of all time", but I really like Stuart Woods.

[SmartBlonde]

Nelson DeMille

Stephen Hunter

Elizabeth George

[BunnySlippers]

Absolutely ALL of PATRICIA HIGHSMITH'S Ripley books .... not the movie and read in order. I ache to think she can write no more of them.

Eric Ambler

[RogueIsland]

James Lee Burke. One of the finest writers alive today (naturally that's subjective).

[Biblical Calvinist]

ALL of Robert K. Tanenbaum's books.. just a wonderful writer.

[rainingred]

Janet Evanovitch is new on the scene and fun to read.

Martha Grimes was great until she lost it.

Jeffery Deavers is one of my all time favorites.

[Biblical Calvinist]

YES~ James Lee Burke is a Prose Poet.. one of the finest writers in print today.

[monkey]

Graham Greene, another real writer who wrote some mysteries.

[alcuin]

Doyle? No spiritualists! Holmes works, but the narrative, per se, is tiresome and the plotting goofy. Kinda like Jane Austen, minus the flashes of genius.

Raymond Chandler is the best; Ross Macdonald is his heir (so to speak) but labored and pretentious (as opposed to Chandler's preposterous flair).