Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)

He hoped to be remembered for more "serious" writing, but it was Sherlock Holmes, the brilliant, eccentric detective of 221B, Baker-street, London, who brought Arthur Conan Doyle fame and a still-thriving legacy. Try as he might to move on (he makes Holmes disappear in a climactic waterfall struggle with Professor Moriarty in "The Final Problem"), Doyle repeatedly gave in to his public and his publisher, producing 60 stories in all, and 4 novels including The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Strip away embellishments piled on by others over the past 8 decades -- the deerstalker cap, the dramatic cape, the meerschaum pipe, even the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson," none of which appear in the original stories -- and you can savor what captured the public imagination then and now: Adventurous stories, skillfully structured, narrated with charm and polish by Dr. Watson, who chronicles Holmes' signature powers of deduction (and less flattering traits: ego, aloofness, cocaine) in case after case. Every story is vividly drawn with details of gas-lit London -- horse-drawn carriages rattling over cobble streets at all hours.

These decidedly old-fashioned stories remain crackling good reads today. Doyle may owe a debt to Edgar Allan Poe's detective Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin, but his own impact on the detective genre is inescapable. One notable innovation: using the same detective character each month in a series of self-contained stories, rather than sequential installments. That makes each story complete in itself -- a pleasure still evident today.

Holme's voracious media habits would have thrived in today's instant news and messaging environment: He devours the morning newspapers and train and shipping schedules, posts personal notices in the evening papers, files away obscure clippings, and has mastered an extraordinarily efficient London postal system.

Listen to a Holmes tribute on Studio 360.

Gifts for mystery lovers

Otto Penzler, proprietor of New York City's Mysterious Book Shop, commissioned short pieces from crime writers in this most readable treat for mystery lovers: The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives (2009)

P.D. James writes about writing mysteries in Talking About Detective Fiction

Watch online:
Alfred Hitchcock Presents [Hulu]
Hawaii Five-O [Hulu]

Mysteries on TV
Set your TiVo to collect the best British mysteries on TV from PBS Masterpiece Mystery, including Wallender, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Inspector Lewis. While you're at it, check out the other Masterpiece selections: Classic for literary dramas, and Contemporary for modern dramas.

Best Mystery Movies
American Film Institute's Top 10

Recent winners of the Edgar Allan Poe Award® for Best Motion Picture Screenplay:
   In Bruges by Martin McDonagh (2009)
   Michael Clayton by Tony Gilroy (2008)
   The Departed by William Monahan (2007)
   Syriana by Stephen Gaghan (based on the novel by Robert Baer) (2006)
   A Very Long Engagement by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot) (2005)

Coming soon:
The Cause of Death Quiz
A playful test of your mystery novel knowledge.