The
1920s and 1930s are called the Golden Age of crime fiction. I propose
that we use that handle—”Golden Age”—as a nomenclature convention and
not as a judgment label (I just don’t like the implication that
everything was awesome back then and has gone downhill since; yes, the
Golden Age was great, but the genre grows and changes and produces other
great stuff all the time).
The Golden Age was dominated by female detective fiction writers, most of them British. You might have heard the expression “the Queens of Crime”; it probably was used to refer to Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. Singularly, “the Queen of Crime” usually refers to Agatha Christie, the most prolific of those ladies.They codified and popularized a standard of quality detective fiction: the plots must be absorbing, the characters memorable (often offbeat, eccentric, or otherwise brightly colored), and whodunnit must be a satisfying surprise (unless the reader was paying very close attention).
- See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/crime-read-along-may-2012-introduction-to-josephine-teys-the-man-in-the-queue/1060/#sthash.TLuUA0rV.dpufeens of Crime
The Golden Age was dominated by female detective fiction writers, most of them British. You might have heard the expression “the Queens of Crime”; it probably was used to refer to Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. Singularly, “the Queen of Crime” usually refers to Agatha Christie, the most prolific of those ladies.They codified and popularized a standard of quality detective fiction: the plots must be absorbing, the characters memorable (often offbeat, eccentric, or otherwise brightly colored), and whodunnit must be a satisfying surprise (unless the reader was paying very close attention).
- See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/crime-read-along-may-2012-introduction-to-josephine-teys-the-man-in-the-queue/1060/#sthash.TLuUA0rV.dpufeens of Crime
The
1920s and 1930s are called the Golden Age of crime fiction. I propose
that we use that handle—”Golden Age”—as a nomenclature convention and
not as a judgment label (I just don’t like the implication that
everything was awesome back then and has gone downhill since; yes, the
Golden Age was great, but the genre grows and changes and produces other
great stuff all the time).
The Golden Age was dominated by female detective fiction writers, most of them British. You might have heard the expression “the Queens of Crime”; it probably was used to refer to Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. Singularly, “the Queen of Crime” usually refers to Agatha Christie, the most prolific of those ladies.They codified and popularized a standard of quality detective fiction: the plots must be absorbing, the characters memorable (often offbeat, eccentric, or otherwise brightly colored), and whodunnit must be a satisfying surprise (unless the reader was paying very close attention).
- See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/crime-read-along-may-2012-introduction-to-josephine-teys-the-man-in-the-queue/1060/#sthash.TLuUA0rV.dpuf
The Golden Age of crime fiction, roughly the period between
WWI and WWII, was a period when female detective fiction writers (British ones
mostly) were producing popular novels that maintained a high and dependable
standard for readers of crime novels. They had memorable characters, intriguing
plots, and the books (if not the detectives) always observed the rules of fair
play—no last minute tricks, the reader is told everything they need to know to
solve the mystery. Typically they are also told a whole lot of other stuff that
obfuscates the question, but without that were is the challenge. Four women: Agatha
Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham were the stars of
this period and are known as the “Queens of Crime.” This is one of my favorite genres and this page is a place for me to collect info about these amazing writers and to keep track of my reading of their work. Linked titles take you to my postings about those books. The Golden Age was dominated by female detective fiction writers, most of them British. You might have heard the expression “the Queens of Crime”; it probably was used to refer to Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham. Singularly, “the Queen of Crime” usually refers to Agatha Christie, the most prolific of those ladies.They codified and popularized a standard of quality detective fiction: the plots must be absorbing, the characters memorable (often offbeat, eccentric, or otherwise brightly colored), and whodunnit must be a satisfying surprise (unless the reader was paying very close attention).
- See more at: http://www.sohopress.com/crime-read-along-may-2012-introduction-to-josephine-teys-the-man-in-the-queue/1060/#sthash.TLuUA0rV.dpuf
Margery Allingham
Allingham published many of her books under multiple titles and some under the pseudonym Maxwell March. This list uses the titles from the Allingham Society bibliography except where I read an edition that had one of the variant titles.
Blackkerchief Dick; The White Cottage Mystery; The Crime at Black Dudley; Mystery Mile; Look to the Lady; Police at the Funeral; Sweet Danger; Other Man's Danger; Death of a Ghost; Rogue's Holiday; Flowers for the Judge; The Shadow in the House; Six Against the Yard (with various co-authors); Mr. Campion: Criminologist; The Case of the Late Pig; Dancers in Mourning; The Fashion in Shrouds; Mr. Campion and Others; Black Plumes; Traitor's Purse; The Oaken Heart; Dance of the Years; Coroner's Pidgin; Wanted: Someone Innocent; The Case Book of Mr. Campion; More Work for the Undertaker; Deadly Duo (includes Wanted and Last Act); The Tiger in the Smoke; The Patient at Peacock's Hall; No Love Lost (includes Patient and Safer Than Love); The Beckoning Lady; Hide My Eyes.
In 1959 Crime and Mr. Campion was published and after that there were many omnibus editions including various groupings of the earlier works, sometimes with new works added. I have not listed all these because it makes my head spin to try sorting it all out.
Agatha Christie
Blackkerchief Dick; The White Cottage Mystery; The Crime at Black Dudley; Mystery Mile; Look to the Lady; Police at the Funeral; Sweet Danger; Other Man's Danger; Death of a Ghost; Rogue's Holiday; Flowers for the Judge; The Shadow in the House; Six Against the Yard (with various co-authors); Mr. Campion: Criminologist; The Case of the Late Pig; Dancers in Mourning; The Fashion in Shrouds; Mr. Campion and Others; Black Plumes; Traitor's Purse; The Oaken Heart; Dance of the Years; Coroner's Pidgin; Wanted: Someone Innocent; The Case Book of Mr. Campion; More Work for the Undertaker; Deadly Duo (includes Wanted and Last Act); The Tiger in the Smoke; The Patient at Peacock's Hall; No Love Lost (includes Patient and Safer Than Love); The Beckoning Lady; Hide My Eyes.
In 1959 Crime and Mr. Campion was published and after that there were many omnibus editions including various groupings of the earlier works, sometimes with new works added. I have not listed all these because it makes my head spin to try sorting it all out.
Agatha Christie
I have listed Christie's work by detective with the publication date. There are also numerous volumes of short stories, various plays, non-fiction, and books written as Mary Westmacott. I have not included any of those here.
Miss Marple Novels
Murder at the Vicarage (1930); The Body in the Library (1942); The Moving Finger (1942); A Murder is Announced (1950); They do it with Mirrors (1952); A Pocket Full of Rye (1953); 4:50 from Paddington - aka What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw (1957); The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1962); A Caribbean Mystery (1964); At Bertram's Hotel (1965); Nemesis (1971); Sleeping Murder (1976)
Poirot Novels
The Mysterious Affair At Styles (1920); Murder on the Links (1923); Poirot Investigates (1924); Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926); The Big Four (1927); Mystery of the Blue Train (1928); Black Coffee (1930); Peril at End House (1932); Lord Edgeware Dies -- aka Thirteen at Dinner (1933); Three Act Tragedy -- aka Murder in Three Acts (1934); Murder on the Orient Express -- aka Murder in the Calais Coach (1934); Death in the Clouds -- aka Death in the Air (1935); ABC Murders (1936); Murder in Mesopotamia (1936); Cards on the Table (1936); Dumb Witness -- aka Poirot Loses a Client (1937); Death on the Nile (1937); Murder in the Mews -- aka Dead Man's Mirror (1937); Appointment with Death (1938); Hercule Poirot's Christmas -- aka Holiday for Murder -- aka Murder for Christmas (1938); Sad Cypress (1940); One, Two, Buckle my Shoe -- aka Overdose of Death (1940); Evil Under the Sun (1941); Five Little Pigs -- aka Murder in Retrospect (1942); The Hollow --aka Murder After Hours (1946); The Labours of Hercules (1947); Taken at the Flood (1948); Mrs McGinty's Dead --aka Blood will Tell (1952); After the Funeral --aka Funerals are Fatal (1953); Hickory Dickory Dock (1955); Dead Man's Folly (1956); Cat Among the Pigeons (1959); The Adventure of the Chrismas Pudding (1960); The Clocks (1963); Third Girl (1966); Hallowe'en Party (1969); Elephants Can Remember (1972); Curtain (1975)
Tommy and Tuppence Novels
The Secret Adversary (1922); Partners in Crime (1929); N or M? (1941); By the Pricking of my Thumbs (1968); Postern of Fate (1973)
Superintendent Battle Books
[Some of these also include Poirot]
Secret of Chimneys (1925); Seven Dials Mystery (1929); Cards on the Table (1936); Murder is Easy --aka Easy to Kill (1939); Towards Zero (1944)
Colonel Race Books
[Some of these also include Poirot]
The Man in the Brown Suit (1924); Cards on the Table (1936); Death on the Nile (1937); Sparkling Cyanide (1944)
Standalone Novels
The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930); The Sittaford Mystery --aka The Murder at Hazelmoor (1931); Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1934) ; And Then There Were None --aka Ten Little Indians (1939); Death Comes as the End (1944); Crooked House (1949); They Came to Baghdad (1951); Ordeal by Innocence (1958) The Pale Horse (1961); Endless Night (1967); Passenger to Frankfurt (1970)
Ngaio Marsh
Artists in Crime; Black as He's Painted; Clutch of Constables; Colour Scheme; Dead Water; Death and the Dancing Footman; Death at the Bar; Death in a White Tie; Death in Ecstasy; Death of a Fool; Death of a Peer; Died in the Wool; Enter a Murderer; False Scent; Final Curtain; Grave Mistake; Hand in Glove; Killer Dolphin; Last Ditch; Light Thickens; A Man Lay Dead; Night at the Vulcan; The Nursing Home Murder; Overture to Death; Photo Finish; Scales of Justice; Singing in the Shrouds; Spinsters in Jeopardy; Tied up in Tinsel; Vintage Murder; When in Rome; A Wreath for Rivera
A Ngaio Marsh Challenge from Vanda Symon at Overkill
Dorthy L. Sayers
Whose Body?; Clouds of Witness; Unnatural Death; The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club; Lord Peter (stories); Strong Poison; The Five Red Herrings; Have His Carcase; Hangman's Holiday; Murder Must Advertise; The Nine Tailors; Gaudy Night; Busman's Honeymoon; In the Teeth of the Evidence; Striding Folly; Thrones, Dominations; Six Against the Yard (with various co-authors)
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Misc. Clippings
Web links
The monthly Agatha Christie Challenge Blog Carnival at Mysteries in Paradise
Her series in order of publication at Book Series in Order
Her series in order of publication at Book Series in Order
Ngaio Marsh
Artists in Crime; Black as He's Painted; Clutch of Constables; Colour Scheme; Dead Water; Death and the Dancing Footman; Death at the Bar; Death in a White Tie; Death in Ecstasy; Death of a Fool; Death of a Peer; Died in the Wool; Enter a Murderer; False Scent; Final Curtain; Grave Mistake; Hand in Glove; Killer Dolphin; Last Ditch; Light Thickens; A Man Lay Dead; Night at the Vulcan; The Nursing Home Murder; Overture to Death; Photo Finish; Scales of Justice; Singing in the Shrouds; Spinsters in Jeopardy; Tied up in Tinsel; Vintage Murder; When in Rome; A Wreath for Rivera
Web links
Overview from the New Zeland Book CouncilA Ngaio Marsh Challenge from Vanda Symon at Overkill
Dorthy L. Sayers
Whose Body?; Clouds of Witness; Unnatural Death; The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club; Lord Peter (stories); Strong Poison; The Five Red Herrings; Have His Carcase; Hangman's Holiday; Murder Must Advertise; The Nine Tailors; Gaudy Night; Busman's Honeymoon; In the Teeth of the Evidence; Striding Folly; Thrones, Dominations; Six Against the Yard (with various co-authors)
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Misc. Clippings
- There is an interesting piece in The Guardian which posits that Allingham is the greatest of these writers.
- An article in the National Post makes an argument for placing Canada's Margaret Millar in this list.
- Mysteries in Paradise posted a slideshow of these (and more) women of mystery.
