Books about Mystery

Starts off with intense nostalgia. This is the last hunt for Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings as they try to find the person who commits the perfect murder. The plot is set in the same house as the "The Mysterious Affair at Styles". It was written by Agatha Christie and locked up for 40 years before it was finally published. Not the greatest mystery, but still it is the fittest ending to the career of the one of the greatest fictional detectives ever.

Tags: mystery

A serial murder mystery. The murderer taunts Hercule Poirot by advertising his murders before he does that and challenging him and the police to stop him. A massive manhunt followed by a mind-blowing conclusion.

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Using an ingenious story-telling device (which I shall not reveal), Agatha Christie toys with the reader in this tale of blackmail and murder. The retired Hercule Poirot is on the scene once again. He knows that everyone has something to hide. Reading the book for the 2nd time after a long time (and knowing who the murderer was), I was shocked to see that I could not figure out how the crime took place. I guess that is the best compliment I can pay to this book.

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Writing the first Hercule Poirot novel, Agatha Christie nevertheless cannot put a foot wrong, as she creates a murder thriller that you can hardly put down. There are so many red herrings (especially one that is so deliciously fiendish) to put you off the trail of the real murderer.

Tags: mystery

This is my favorite among the four Sherlock Holmes full-length novels. It follows the structure of "A Study in Scarlet" where, aside from the investigation of a crime in the present, there is a lengthy flashback providing greater insight into the reasons behind the mystery. The story within the story is set in coal mines in Pennsylvania and is a thriller with a twist at the end. There are some inconsistencies in the story, particularly with regard to Professor Moriarty, but overall I would rate it excellent.

Tags: mystery thriller

This is the first Sherlock Holmes novel with the story structure of an investigation in the present time and an older moving story that explains the current mystery. The latter is set inside the Mormon community in the United States. Overall, a good start to the Holmes series.

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A detective story that also explores racial issues. Probably, one of the first books that introduced fingerprinting as means of identification. The book contains several memorable quotes.

Tags: mystery drama

Yes, I know this is supposed to be the best and most popular of the Sherlock Holmes novels, but for some reason, the investigation, the discoveries and final outcome have never been satisfactory for me. Unlike the other novels, there is also no long flashback. And since this is a detective novel, not one on ghosts or spirits, the final revelation of the real nature behind the hound was always going to be disappointing.

Tags: mystery thriller

A murder mystery set in Belgium combined with a terrorist going around blowing up works of art - It is a little slow for my taste and it is not really difficult to guess the villain of the piece. But if you ever wind up having to read this book, look out for the bumbling Belgian police and their twisted analysis of crime evidence and alibis.

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A great thriller until the cowardly anti-climax at the end. As Roger Ebert says, "life is too short to read books like The Da Vinci Code". The holes in the book are less evident while reading, but it displays the author's lack of authority and attention to details.

Tags: thriller mystery

I felt that this was the weakest of the Sherlock Holmes novels because of the poor flashback story set in the Andamans (India) and the uninteresting Holmes investigation. Read it only if you want to complete the Sherlock Holmes series.

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Initially thrilling, then exasperating until the book dies in a big fit of absurdity. Towards the end, I could not believe that I was actually rooting for the tobacco company to win. Whatever is given to understanding the protagonist's intentions comes too little, too late.

Tags: thriller mystery