The best crime/mystery novel of the Twentieth Century

GA Russell · 06-26-2011, 01:28 PM

In the Maltese Falcon Vote thread, I mentioned that I feel that The Maltese Falcon is the best crime/mystery novel of the twentieth century. Apparently no one agrees with me!

So I wonder...Which ONE crime/mystery novel do you consider to be the best of the century?

I'm always open to suggestions!

Mike L · 06-26-2011, 02:41 PM

I didn't disagree with you. It's just that there are so many to choose from.

HarryT · 06-26-2011, 02:52 PM

I'd find it impossible to choose one, but if I had to pick the best author of mysteries, for me it would probably be Dorothy L. Sayers. Her "Lord Peter Wimsey" books are my favourite crime novels as a series, largely because of the continual character development that goes on throughout the series.

issybird · 06-26-2011, 03:00 PM

I've read and reread Sayers, but I think the books would have been better if she hadn't fallen in love with Lord Peter. Busman's Honeymoon was embarrassing.

I have to think about whom/what I consider best, especially since it involves comparing apples and oranges and pineapples and kumquats.

issybird · 06-26-2011, 03:11 PM

Got it. Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.

DMB · 06-26-2011, 03:27 PM

I think it's an impossible question to answer. So much depends on one's own background and general tastes. Sayers was the first crime novelist I ever read. That was at a time when I thoroughly despised genre fiction (I was a very swotty teenager). The only reason I read her was because she had been an undergraduate at my Oxford college. As well as an extremely well-stocked academic library, we had a small reading room for lighter reading. It was mainly supplied with books written by members of the college and one day I ventured to read one of hers. And naturally Gaudy Night appealed most, because it was set in an Oxford women's college.

I'm sorry to say that I never managed to finish The Maltese Falcon. It bored me to tears.

I wonder what qualities we are looking for in judging a crime novel as outstanding?

Greg Anos · 06-26-2011, 04:53 PM

I'd like to put up Agatha Christi's And Then There Were None

or maybe Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely

stonetools · 06-26-2011, 05:32 PM

Quote:

I think it's an impossible question to answer.

+1 on this. First of all, think of the four main branches of the mystery genre tree:

*the cozy mystery
* the "hard boiled" private eye mystery
*the police procedural
*the spy/international thriller

Each have their different pleasures, advantages, and drawbacks- pleasures that that often contradict with each other. With the "cozy mystery", for example, you are shielded from the reality that there is a violent crime and a corpse at the center of the mystery , whereas the police procedural practically rubs your nose in it.
Fans of one variety are unlikely to consider examples of another variety as " best or even "good". Think Val McDermid , with her graphic descriptions of violence and unabashed talk of sex vs Dorothy Sayers: we are practically talking of different planets!!

Maybe we can talk of a best subgenre of mystery fiction: best police procedural, etc.
That at least is conceivable.

phenomshel · 06-26-2011, 05:40 PM

+2 on impossible question. And good point on the subgenres.

carpetmojo · 06-26-2011, 05:55 PM

Yup - impossible.

poohbear_nc · 06-26-2011, 06:30 PM

Agatha Christie - "The Hollow" - Poirot is out-foxed by the most unexpected assemblage of characters ever included in one book.

sun surfer · 06-26-2011, 06:46 PM

I had been meaning to post a reply in the vote thread, but since there is this thread now, I'll say it here: The Maltese Falcon wouldn't even be in the Top 10 of best crime/mystery books of the 20th century for me. Maybe Top 100.

The first one that came to mind upon seeing the thread title was "And Then There Were None". I'm not a huge Christie fan, but that is definitely her best book and the book is so expertly plotted, especially for it being "the first of its kind" and leading to the now well-known die-one-by-one genre that has transferred to films.

I used to read a lot of mystery when younger but it's not often my cup of tea anymore, for the most part. So I may have missed a lot of good ones.

stonetools · 06-26-2011, 09:05 PM

My top candidates in each of my categories:
Cozy mystery- " Hercule Poirot's Christmas", Agatha Christie
Hard boiled private eye- " Devil in a blue dress" , Walter Mosely
Police procedural- "The mermaids singing," Val Mcdermid
International\spy thriller- Shibumi, Trevanian.

Anyway, that's my candidates this week. Note how completely different these books are from each other .

crich70 · 06-26-2011, 10:01 PM

Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep" is a good one.

caleb72 · 06-26-2011, 10:02 PM

I don't read that many crime books but I am a big fan of Barbara Vine on the "mystery" side.

There's something that seems different about her books as mysteries. They seem to dwell in the ordinary but slowly reveal terrible catalysts or unveil buried mysteries that make the stories extraordinary - to me anyway.

She will always be my preferred author in that particular area of fiction.

06-26-2011, 01:28 PM	#1
GA Russell Montreal wins Grey Cup! Posts: 7,583 Karma: 31484197 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	The best crime/mystery novel of the Twentieth Century In the Maltese Falcon Vote thread, I mentioned that I feel that The Maltese Falcon is the best crime/mystery novel of the twentieth century. Apparently no one agrees with me! So I wonder...Which ONE crime/mystery novel do you consider to be the best of the century? I'm always open to suggestions!

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06-26-2011, 02:41 PM	#2
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I didn't disagree with you. It's just that there are so many to choose from.

06-26-2011, 02:52 PM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'd find it impossible to choose one, but if I had to pick the best author of mysteries, for me it would probably be Dorothy L. Sayers. Her "Lord Peter Wimsey" books are my favourite crime novels as a series, largely because of the continual character development that goes on throughout the series.

06-26-2011, 03:00 PM	#4
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,190 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	I've read and reread Sayers, but I think the books would have been better if she hadn't fallen in love with Lord Peter. Busman's Honeymoon was embarrassing. I have to think about whom/what I consider best, especially since it involves comparing apples and oranges and pineapples and kumquats.

06-26-2011, 03:11 PM	#5
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,190 Karma: 222235366 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	Got it. Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.

06-26-2011, 03:27 PM	#6
DMB Old Git Posts: 958 Karma: 1840790 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Switzerland (mostly) Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi	I think it's an impossible question to answer. So much depends on one's own background and general tastes. Sayers was the first crime novelist I ever read. That was at a time when I thoroughly despised genre fiction (I was a very swotty teenager). The only reason I read her was because she had been an undergraduate at my Oxford college. As well as an extremely well-stocked academic library, we had a small reading room for lighter reading. It was mainly supplied with books written by members of the college and one day I ventured to read one of hers. And naturally Gaudy Night appealed most, because it was set in an Oxford women's college. I'm sorry to say that I never managed to finish The Maltese Falcon. It bored me to tears. I wonder what qualities we are looking for in judging a crime novel as outstanding?

06-26-2011, 04:53 PM	#7
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,247 Karma: 35000000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	I'd like to put up Agatha Christi's And Then There Were None or maybe Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely

06-26-2011, 05:40 PM	#9
phenomshel ZCD BombShel Posts: 4,793 Karma: 8293322 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Frozen North (aka Illinois, USA) Device: iPad, STB Kindle Oasis	+2 on impossible question. And good point on the subgenres.

06-26-2011, 05:55 PM	#10
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Yup - impossible.

06-26-2011, 06:30 PM	#11
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,772 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Agatha Christie - "The Hollow" - Poirot is out-foxed by the most unexpected assemblage of characters ever included in one book.

06-26-2011, 06:46 PM	#12
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44637926 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	I had been meaning to post a reply in the vote thread, but since there is this thread now, I'll say it here: The Maltese Falcon wouldn't even be in the Top 10 of best crime/mystery books of the 20th century for me. Maybe Top 100. The first one that came to mind upon seeing the thread title was "And Then There Were None". I'm not a huge Christie fan, but that is definitely her best book and the book is so expertly plotted, especially for it being "the first of its kind" and leading to the now well-known die-one-by-one genre that has transferred to films. I used to read a lot of mystery when younger but it's not often my cup of tea anymore, for the most part. So I may have missed a lot of good ones.

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06-26-2011, 09:05 PM	#13
stonetools Wizard Posts: 2,016 Karma: 2838487 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Washington, DC Device: Ipad, IPhone	My top candidates in each of my categories: Cozy mystery- " Hercule Poirot's Christmas", Agatha Christie Hard boiled private eye- " Devil in a blue dress" , Walter Mosely Police procedural- "The mermaids singing," Val Mcdermid International\spy thriller- Shibumi, Trevanian. Anyway, that's my candidates this week. Note how completely different these books are from each other .

06-26-2011, 10:01 PM	#14
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,306 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep" is a good one.

06-26-2011, 10:02 PM	#15
caleb72 Indie Advocate Posts: 2,863 Karma: 18794463 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Kindle	I don't read that many crime books but I am a big fan of Barbara Vine on the "mystery" side. There's something that seems different about her books as mysteries. They seem to dwell in the ordinary but slowly reveal terrible catalysts or unveil buried mysteries that make the stories extraordinary - to me anyway. She will always be my preferred author in that particular area of fiction.