Seeds of the Pomegranate
Book
A gritty story of a woman learning to survive in 20th century Gangland New York In early...
Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Immigrant Fiction Heritage Fiction Crime Fiction
Angels
Book
A dazzling and savage first novel’ New York Times Angels tells the story of two born losers....
The Black Hand
Book
In the aftermath of Ireland’s most deadly gang war, Dublin’s ruling family has scattered to the...
crime thriller political thriller fiction adult The Black Hand Jonathon Dunne
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Paris Mysteries in Books
Dec 27, 2019
This phrase was clearly coined after Poe's demise, as he doesn't seem to have ever heard it.
Yes, he is undoubtedly the first and most important writer of detective/crime fiction. This by no means suggests it is any good.
The three stories are really just a setting out of a mysterious crime with some facts/suspicions, with a lengthy monologue where C August Dupin solves the mystery. That's it. No suspense. No character development. No real scene setting. Just a slightly puzzling crime followed by a smartarse giving the solution.
The main thing to take away from these three Poe stories is that the police and detectives used to be rubbish and looked for the wrong evidence, or were sidetracked by what they wanted to see. There are many crimes and stories with apparently impossible solutions which can't seem to be unravelled. This idea absolutely was the genesis of the rich and varied crime genre we have today. The idea that a strange set of circumstances can arise where an apparently normal crime can be committed but with the evidence so obscure and tangled that unravelling it would take a genius.
Sadly, Poe didn't put the story around the bare bones of these crimes. So all we have is three exam questions with a know-it-all giving the answer, with no charm, no suspense, no thrilling conclusion. One of them barely even concludes the murderer, just spends an age picking holes in the logic applied by various newspapers in trying to document the crime.
I might be interested in reading a retelling of these stories (except the one where a letter has simply gone missing and is found my looking somewhere obvious), where someone actually weaves a narrative around the bare bones.
I appreciate Poe's efforts because of what followed, but not for what they themselves are.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Die Last in Books
Nov 19, 2017
The story itself surrounds the murky, brutal world of human trafficking, an enterprise that is ever expanding. Parsons humanises the victims, ranging from trafficked sex slaves to servitude.
They are a bit far fetched however - as is all crime fiction, nevertheless, I've enjoyed all of these as they race along and keep you engaged.
Tigs85 (21 KP) rated The Girl on the Train in Books
Jun 5, 2017
Valis
Book
It began with a blinding light, a divine revelation from a mysterious intelligence that called...
Merissa (13739 KP) created a post
Oct 30, 2025
The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion
9.5
Rate It
Book
A perspective-shattering work into the minds of violent criminals that reveals profound consequences...
Non-Fiction True Crime Psychology Mental Health Crime
The Truants
7.0
Rate It
Book
'Where do I find Crime?’ ‘Crime doesn’t have its own section,’ said the librarian without...