Popular detectives. Rating of the best detective books
If you are interested in serious and controversial literature, mysteries and intellectual heroes, then this is the place for you. Here we have collected best detective books, which will definitely be of interest to you.
The detective genre is a very interesting phenomenon in modern literature. It has no prototype in ancient culture. It is the result of thinkers and writers of the new era, the late 18th and early 19th centuries. But all the most interesting detective books appeared in the later period of development of this genre in England, towards the end of the 19th century. The best detective books, who left behind immortal heroes, relevant even in modern world. Their personalities, their actions are still relevant, and the methods of investigation will not leave the criminals unpunished.
The best rating of detective books, created by real experts, especially for the sophisticated reader
If you are looking for the best detective books, the list presented here will definitely interest you. Reading works from the rating of detective stories and books, you will find yourself in the secret world of the last century, so beautiful on the outside and very unique on the inside, you will be able to find yourself together with the heroes in seemingly dead-end situations from which it is not easy to find a way out.
But the rating of detective books is also full of works by modern writers, whose heroes are much closer to us in worldview, habits, and understanding. The game is big here - countries competing for supremacy, powerful organizations in whose affairs simple but very talented detectives interfere. The detective world is full of mysteries that you will unravel together with romantic heroes, heroes who will achieve justice, no matter what the cost. For the convenience of the reader, all the best detectives in the book are presented as a list where it will be easy to navigate, since reading requires a certain sequence.
The choice was not easy. When selecting the best detective authors, we had to hold a tough competition, during which very worthy people were left out: Gilbert Keith Chesterton with his stories about Father Brown, Graham Greene, and even some Japanese who draws detective cartoons (in the sense of anime).
Since the number of voters exceeded a hundred, and the incomprehensible nervousness of those who disagreed with the results led to broken windows of my house and three arson attacks (and this is only in the last month), it’s time to reconsider my attitude towards the masters of the detective genre. Last will be first, won't it, Mr. Chase? At the same time, the rating has been expanded to 15 positions - so welcome the newcomers :)
So, the best detective writers!
- The poll at the bottom of the article now has 21 writers. When voting, you can choose from 1 to 7 options. Perhaps, through joint efforts, we will be able to make this rating more objective.
- Year of birth: 1964;
- Popular Novels:"The Da Vinci Code", "Angels and Demons";
- What's interesting: the book Angels and Demons states that Raphael was originally buried in Urbino, not Rome. Although this is just the writer’s fantasy, due to the popularity of the novel, a sign had to be installed in the Pantheon (where Raphael is buried) explaining that the artist’s ashes have always been here, and Brown can go to hell.
Dan Brown doesn’t write much, but he does it successfully: everyone has heard about the acclaimed novel “The Da Vinci Code.” In total, the writer published 6 novels, 3 of which were filmed (Inferno is coming out this year). His books are characterized by conspiracy theories, Masons, Illuminati and other mysteries. However, Dan Brown is not always historically accurate and may present facts that are not true.
The funny thing is that some of his fans forget that they are reading a work of fiction and, faced with a discrepancy between the writer’s next creation and secular sources, rush to see in this some kind of “the authorities are hiding” conspiracy.
14th place. Stieg Larsson
- Years of life: 1954 — 2004;
- Popular Novels: the Millennium trilogy;
- Popular character: Mikael Blomkvist;
- What's interesting: The photo above shows a letter from 1972, in which “experts” from the Stockholm College of Journalism explain to Larsson that he is not good enough and will not make a journalist.
During his life, Stig was able to prove that “experts” should not be trusted - he not only became an excellent journalist, but also a pretty good writer. True, besides the aforementioned trilogy, due to his early death from a heart attack, Larsson did not have time to write anything else. Alas, this tragedy can hardly be called accidental - the writer’s friends say that he smoked about 60 cigarettes a day. But the Ministry of Health warned...
The Millennium trilogy was published after Larsson's death. In 2009, a Swedish film adaptation of all 3 novels was released, and in 2011 a more famous Hollywood version of one of them appeared: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
13th place. Raymond Chandler
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12th place. Dashiell Hammett
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The heroes of the new genre relied not only and not so much on a sharp mind, but also on a revolver - detective novels became more action-packed, and the murders of counts and barons with the help of poisoned strawberries and cream sank into oblivion.
11th place. William Wilkie Collins
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Since he didn’t write many good detective stories (after all, he lived not only detective stories, but also novellas, short stories and opium), he ranks only 12th in our ranking.
10th place. John Grisham
- Year of birth: 1955;
- Popular Novels:"The Firm", "The Case of the Pelicans", "The Client".
John Grisham was an ordinary lawyer who was trying to make ends meet in the 80s. Things were not going too well - there were few clients. One day, while in the courthouse, John heard about the case of the father of a 12-year-old girl who killed his daughter's rapists. Out of curiosity, the lawyer stayed at the trial, which inspired him to write his first book, A Time to Kill. The book was published in a small edition, but nevertheless it was the beginning.
Since the lawyer had enough time, he took up the second book, “The Firm.” Unexpectedly for everyone, it became a bestseller - 1.5 million copies were printed in 1991.
Grisham ended his career as a lawyer and concentrated on writing detective stories. Currently working on a series of teenage detective stories, where Theodore Boone is the main character. The circulation of all Grisham's books is about 300 million copies, which is a very respectable figure.
9th place. Ian Fleming
- Years of life: 1906 — 1964;
- Popular character: James Bond.
The English writer Ian Fleming gave the world Agent 007 James Bond, who, with his characteristic aristocracy, emerges victorious from any scrape. In total, Ian wrote 12 Bond novels, as well as 2 collections of short stories dedicated to this hero. Nevertheless, twice as many films have been made based on these books - 25 to date.
And perhaps the only thing that can confuse an astute reader is the absence of detective stories in his books. Bond is an adventure thriller, a spy thriller, but a detective story?.. However, fans of the genre claim that Fleming’s novels contain a whole web of political intrigue, so that they can be considered as representatives of a kind of political detective story.
8th place. Earl Stanley Gardner
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7th place. Boris Akunin
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In the harsh 90s, publishing houses unanimously disowned stories about Fandorin, but at the beginning of the 2000s, detective stories in the spirit of the romance of Conan Doyle went “Hurrah!” This is confirmed by several successful film adaptations, which, oddly enough, can also be called successful - which does not often happen with modern Russian cinema.
Today it has become popular to traditionally state that Akunin is no longer the same. But let's not rush - time will tell.
6th place. James Hadley Chase
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It’s no secret that my subjective attitude towards Chase prompted me to relegate this writer to the margins of our ranking of detective authors - as for me, his novels are quite of the same type. But James' fans stood up for their favorite and, unwillingly, I had to glaze the broken windows and raise Hadley to 6th place. Although according to the vote he deserves better. But let’s not rush – maybe one of his grandchildren is “inflating” the vote? I don't see a more logical explanation.
At one time, the Riga Film Studio created a fairly passable film adaptation of his novel “The Whole World in Your Pocket.”
Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote a series of stories in 1840 about the amateur detective Dupin, who solved mysterious crimes using intelligence, logic and an eye for detail. In England, the first author of detective stories was Wilkie Collins, who wrote the novel “The Woman in White” in 1860, and the famous “Moonlight” in 1868.
The passion for detective literature gave rise to many interest clubs, whose participants came up with and solved crime mysteries, guided by strict rules.
It is difficult to definitively answer the question of who is the most famous. In addition, the genre implies many options: psychological, classical, hermetic, historical, adventure, fantasy, ironic, political, spy, crime. Such diversity greatly complicates the search for the most famous author, because, for example, many researchers include the novel “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoevsky in the psychological detective genre. However, detective fiction has several writers who are clearly perceived as the authors of the best detective stories.
The best writers around the world
The heyday of the British detective story can be considered the beginning of the 20th century, when Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Gilbert Chesterton created their works. Each of these authors made a huge contribution to the development, inventing such brilliant detectives as Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Father Brown. It was thanks to their works that the detective genre gained the most benefits, such as the frequent presence of a detective's companion, attention to the psychological component of crimes, and the careful development of a crime scheme. These are books that you don't want to part with.
Many rules have been invented that a detective novel must supposedly comply with, but only one of them is almost always followed. According to him, the detective investigating the crime cannot be a criminal.
As for other countries, the most famous author of detective stories in France is rightly considered to be Georges Simenon, who wrote a series of novels about the detective Maigret. In the USA, one of the most popular authors was Ed McBain, who described the work of '87. The most in the genre of ironic detective story, Joanna Khmelevskaya, lived in Poland, and one of the best authors of historical detective stories, Boris Akunin, is a citizen Russian Federation. One cannot help but pay tribute to the Russian authors Daria Dontsova and Alexandra Marinina, who created a huge number of female detective stories.
For decades, books in this genre have helped not only to pass time with interest, but also to develop one’s own ingenuity, for which they are loved by almost everyone. There are many subgenres of this type of literature, but how can you not get lost in this variety of both good and not so good books? We have compiled for you a list of the 15 most worthy representatives of the detective genre, which you will definitely not regret reading! in our library.
The best foreign detectives
Modern detective books from foreign authors will appeal to those who appreciate not only a mystery, but also the individuality of the author himself and his style. This genre has become an excellent platform for the most daring experiments. If you are ready for unexpected twists, truly shocking mysteries and an unusual atmosphere, these works will suit your taste.1. Mats Ohlsson
Journalist Harri Svensson, who has lost popularity and his former zeal, decides to change his line of work when a sensation falls into his hands. The nationally known artist was caught in a hotel room alone with the tortured body of a young woman. Harry decides not to miss the chance and plunges headlong into the investigation. He also has personal scores to settle - the second victim of the real killer is an acquaintance of the journalist, with whom they became friends over a common passion for BDSM. 2. Jo Nesbø
Oslo policeman Harry Hole encounters Norway's first serial killer, whose hallmark is the first snow. As soon as the ground is covered with a thin white blanket, women in the city disappear. A hastily put together snowman becomes a tombstone for their cruelly taken lives. The novel is replete with bloody details of crimes and a depressive atmosphere, but the charismatic protagonist will not let you drown in the darkness of someone else's madness.
3. Camilla Lackberg
A woman is not a frequent guest of a serious detective, but Camilla Lackberg certainly does not allow anyone to doubt her talent. A lonely lighthouse on an alienated island in the middle of the sea becomes the starting point in the investigation into the murder of Mats Sverin, the director and leader of a serious social project. They say that the lighthouse is cursed and the ghosts of those who died there earlier dragged the man along with them, because he was there a few days before his death. But these are prejudices; the killer must be found and punished. But who could commit a crime if the victim had no enemies?
4. Inger Frimansson
There are women on whose heels death follows. Anyone who finds themselves close to Justine risks going to the next world. Perhaps this is a curse? Or an unhappy childhood and the early loss of her mother turned her into a bloodthirsty monster, forcing her to live in an empty house alone with only one bird. But without reading the novel to the end, you will not know the true reason for Justa’s misadventures. 5. Harlan Coben
Adam's life changes radically when a stranger with a pleasant face sits down with him and tells him that everything he knew about his wife is not entirely true. This stranger was not the only one who warned him. When he appeared, he destroyed lives with the truth and sometimes even demanded money so that this truth would not become public knowledge. But Adam does not want to believe his words. You'll have to find out everything yourself. The best Russian detectives
Domestic detective fiction is a practically separate movement, with its own characteristics and its own style. These books will appeal to those who enjoy reading about mysteries in a familiar setting. It’s easier to empathize with Russian characters and it’s easier to put yourself in the place of the main character in such conditions. Below is a list of the best mystery books.1. Boris Akunin
Baku before the First World War becomes the backdrop for the fateful events of the novel. A gloomy oil city, torn apart by criminals of all stripes. The reader can expect chases, shocking secrets, colorful characters and fear. Will the main character of the novel really die? 2. Tatyana Ustinova
The director and his assistant are in Nizhny Novgorod to work on a radio play. However, instead of ordinary workdays, they are faced with an investigation into a mysterious death that occurred right during one of the performances at the local theater. How to find a killer among those who are naturally endowed with outstanding acting talent? The main characters will have to make every effort to solve the fatal incidents. 3. Natalya Solntseva
The small town is welcoming back those who left it long ago. The heroes Larisa and Renat did not expect to encounter ghosts, animals unknown to science, and certainly did not expect to get involved in the investigation. But who knows, perhaps it was their common past that became the impetus for the devilry happening here. 4. Alexandra Marinina
The heroine goes to a Siberian city to help a friend find a place to build a boarding house. However, this matter fades into the background when she gets involved in the political intrigues of the local authorities. Residents accuse politicians of a whole series of murders, and only a truly flexible mind is able to unravel this bloody tangle of crimes. 5. Anton Leontyev
A popular TV presenter is trying to restore her reputation after a scandal on air. She agrees to a place in a project about psychics and, to her surprise, realizes that not all of them are greedy charlatans. One of the participants learns the terrible details of an old case - the kidnapping and murder of a child. But she does not see her own imminent death... World bestsellers of the detective genre
Every self-respecting detective lover should familiarize themselves with best-selling books. These are the best and most famous books on which you can safely put a quality mark. They are loved and films and TV series are made based on them. But it’s always better to read the original! So, detective books - a list of the best.1. Agatha Christie
A classic plot - a mysterious man gathers completely different people in a remote house. The guests die one after another, but who needs that? 2. Arthur Conan Doyle
A collection of the most interesting cases of Sherlock Holmes. ⦁ Silver
⦁ Yellow face
⦁ Adventures of a clerk
⦁ "Gloria Scott"
⦁ Musgrave House Rite
⦁ Reigate Squires
⦁ Hunchback
⦁ Regular patient
3. James Grady
"Condor" is the nickname of Ronald Malcolm, who suddenly becomes the prime suspect in the murder of his colleagues on the job. He has to take into his own hands the proof of his innocence. But this is not all the troubles that will befall his life. 5. Stieg Larsson
To escape from his problems, journalist Mikael takes up the investigation of a completely hopeless case. A young girl was brutally murdered several years ago. However, this turns out to be not the only crime of the maniac, and the journalist himself is in mortal danger. Anna and Sergei Litvinov are the golden feathers of the Russian detective. That says it all. Let us only add that the plot is built around a heroine already known to readers - Varvara Kononova, an employee of a secret intelligence service who studies everything strange and unknown (our answer to The X-Files). Together with her lover, the psychic Danilov, the beautiful girl is relaxing at a Black Sea resort. Everything is quiet and peaceful, the sea, the beach, churchkhela... And suddenly the base of peaceful vacationers is stormed by special forces. Then everything is as we love: pursuit, intellectual duels and fist fights, and in the finale - the solution to the most burning secrets of the recent past...
Quote from the book:
You deftly put them both down,” Zubtsov said calmly from the back seat. Danilov did not answer. And the retiree continued: “I’m impressed.” Of course, I’ve met guys like you, and the best, but even compared to them, you’re good.
What have you done?! - Varya grabbed her head. - Why did you have to do this?! - like all women, she could not help but saw off her lover - but in this situation, one cannot but agree, there was a reason for it. Alexei, gritting his teeth, was silent, only rushing at a speed of one hundred and fifty. She continued: “Get off the road.” Now we are definitely wanted.
“I know it myself,” Danilov muttered.
Bachelor Vorobyov: It didn’t turn out to be a beautiful fairy tale
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"Universal Conspiracy"
Tatyana Ustinova's latest detective story begins with a trip to the planetarium. Marusya, a twenty-four-year-old girl, a French teacher, goes out of boredom to look at the stars. In the company of my friend Grisha. They accidentally meet scientist Yuri Fedorovich, who has been monitoring UFOs for a long time. And it seems like a little “peek-a-boo.” But he warns that humanity will soon perish in a terrible catastrophe. A meteorite will arrive or worse. While the couple is admiring the constellations in a dark room, the scientist is killed. Who? How? Why? And what about the catastrophe - to wait or not to wait... The investigation will be interesting, and Ustinova’s special, textured language is captivating from the first page. Recommended for long flights and trips, because until you finish reading, you are unlikely to put it down.
Quote from the book:
Grandfather believes that he is in a sect. In the sect of admirers of alien civilizations! Well, all sorts of knights of the Ninth Gate, worshipers of the god Chronos, adorers of the Moon in the Seventh House! Grandfather says this is unforgivable obscurantism. Especially for an educated person. Our yurt is educated, but rubbish.
How - rubbish?
Usually. Just a crappy guy, that's all. I drove Margoshka crazy. I thought that only happened in Victorian novels! Well, when the villain harasses the beautiful Brünnhilde in order to take possession of her castle, land and the inheritance of her late father. But Yurets was fine, and in our time he coped quite well.
His wife died?! - Marusya asked in amazement.
All this did not fit into any gates. Yuri Fedorovich Basalaev, crazy - or not crazy, who knows! - a scientist, an expert on alien civilizations, a funny man with a disheveled beard and a burning gaze, in fact an evil monster?!
Lorak pushed Baskov into the pool at Emin's party
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"Art requires sacrifice"
There are three detective stories in the book, all about love. Stas Babitsky devoted many years to journalism and conducted his own high-profile investigations, often at the risk of his life. That is why the heroes of his works are so realistic and recognizable. Ordinary people who do terrible things. A neighbor hangs a birdhouse in the yard. Nothing suspicious. But what if he is the maniac who kills passers-by with a sniper rifle? A young actor is rehearsing the role of Othello, but is he capable of strangling his cheating wife? Read and find out.
Quote from the book:
Will he really allow Lyudmila to marry his businessman or deputy, but it doesn’t matter who... All you have to do is come up and say: I love you! After all, he loves? Or not? Ruslan did not yet know the exact answer as he approached the girl. She silently exhaled a thin stream of smoke. He silently held out the bouquet.
That's for me? - feigned surprise, although joy sparkled in the eyes. - Thank you.
She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. And then, no, a second earlier, a strange sound was heard. It was as if a string had broken on that huge balalaika. Lyudmila fell, and out of surprise, Ruslan could not hold her. He fell to his knees, clutching his limp body, breaking the roses, which suddenly turned red. And the blood continued to pour into the dress. Ruslan waited for the next bullet to hit him. The brain even threw up a spell suitable for the occasion: Our Father, who art like you... But it whispered something completely different:
Love you. Love you!!!
But there was still no shot.
Baranovskaya: I stood on my knees in front of Andrei and roared
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