With its high stakes and uncertain outcome, the mystery tale is the most popular form of fiction in the United States. Crime Classics presents spellbinding works by such masters as Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dashiell Hammett, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie, as well as delightful gems from less familiar writers like Cornell Woolrich and intriguing tales by authors not usually associated with mystery writing- Flannery O'Connor, Jorge Louis Borges, and William Faulkner.

Burns and Sullivan introduce the anthology by tracing the history of the genre and providing a biography of each author. Mystery stories demand superb craftsmanship and attention to detail; these enticing pieces combine fine writing, inventive plots, and challenges that readers will find irresistible.

Contents:

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe
Purloined Letter (1845) by Edgar Allan Poe
A Scandal in Bohemia (1891) by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Speckled Band (1892) by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Problem of Cell 13 (1905) by Jacques Futrelle
The Invisible Man (1911) by G.K. Chesterton
A Jury of Her Peers (1917) by Susan Glaspell
The House in Turk Street (1924) by Dashiell Hammett
The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba (1928) by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Blue Geranium (1929) by Agatha Christie
Murder at the Automat (1937) by Cornell Woolrich
Hand Upon the Waters (1939) by William Faulkner
Death and the Compass (1945) by Jorge Luís Borges; trans. by Anthony Kerrigan
The Adventure of Abraham Lincoln’s Clue (1965) by Ellery Queen
The Comforts of Home (1960) by Flannery O’Connor
The Sleeping Dog (1965) by Ross Macdonald
Sadie When She Died (1973) by Ed McBain