Latest posts
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Fu-Manchu and the ‘Yellow Peril’: Reading a Problematic Classic
There is a particular kind of cowardice in pretending a book does not exist, and a different kind in pretending it is harmless. Sax Rohmer’s Fu-Manchu…
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The Complete Sherlock Holmes: Reading Doyle Beyond the Hits
Almost everyone arrives at Sherlock Holmes through the same four doors: A Study in Scarlet, “The Speckled Band,” The Hound of the Baskervilles, and “The…
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Dashiell Hammett and the Invention of Hard-Boiled Crime
Before Dashiell Hammett, the detective was a brain in a chair. Poe’s Dupin reasoned out crimes from his armchair; Conan Doyle’s Holmes deduced a man’s…
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Wilkie Collins and The Moonstone: The First Great Detective Novel
T. S. Eliot called it “the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels,” and the verdict has held for a century and a half, which…
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Arsène Lupin: The Gentleman Thief Who Mocked Sherlock Holmes
At the end of his great duel with the English detective, Arsène Lupin loses. The case is decided against him; the master of method has, on points,…
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Hard-Boiled vs Cozy: The Two Souls of Crime Fiction
What is the difference between hard-boiled and cozy mysteries?
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Sherlock Holmes vs Father Brown: Two Kinds of Detective
How is Father Brown different from Sherlock Holmes?
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The Complete Sherlock Holmes: A Reading Guide
In what order should I read Sherlock Holmes?
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The Best Detective Fiction in the Classics
What are the best classic detective novels?