Starting with William Godwin'sCaleb Williamsand Charles Brockden Brown'sEdgar Huntly,this book covers in detail the great works of detective fiction—Poe's Dupin stories, Conan Doyle'sThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Christie'sThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Sayers'Strong Poison,Chandler'sThe Big Sleep, and Simenon'sThe Yellow Dog. Lesser-known but important early works are also discussed, including Wilkie Collins'The Woman in White, Emile Gaboriau'sM. Lecoq,Anna Katharine Green'sThe Leavenworth Caseand Fergus Hume'sThe Mystery of a Hansom Cab. More recent titles show increasing variety in the mystery genre, with Patricia Highsmith's criminal-focusedThe Talented Mr. Ripleyand Chester Himes' African-American detectives inCotton Comes to Harlem. Diversity develops further in Sara Paretsky's tough woman detective V.I. Warshawski inIndemnity Only, Umberto Eco's medievalist and postmodernThe Name of the Roseand the forensic feminism of Patricia Cornwell'sPostmortem. Notably, the best modern crime fiction has been primarily international—Manuel Vasquez Montalban's CatalanSummer Seas, Ian Rankin's Edinburgh-setThe Naming of the Dead, Sweden's Stieg Larsson'sThe Girl with a Dragon Tattooand Vikram Chanda's Mumbai-basedSacred Games. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.