John Cullen Gruesser

A decent collection of early detective stories. Ostensibly the author says this was published as a textbook for the class he teaches on this subject. Given that, I'd have liked more information about each story and its significance or relevance. To me it seems the notes added are more an aide de memoire for him more than a service to readers outside his classroom and that he goes into more detail there. Still, I think the pieces selected present a good arc of progress through the genre and early experiments with it and have introduced to me some authors I hadn't read before.… (plus d'informations)

This collection of mystery short stories spans a century that defined the genre of detective fiction. "A Century of Detection: Twenty Great Mystery Stories, 1841 - 1940" provides a thematic survey of detective fiction and the stories are presented chronologically. John Cullen Gruesser has included an introduction that explains each of the themes and a brief introduction is included for each author featured.

Gruesser's study of detective fiction begins appropriately with Edgar Allan Poe and continues with stories by well-known authors like Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dashiell Hammett. However, what makes this collection unique is the inclusion of some lesser known authors that illustrate the development of the genre. Through the study of themes including "Gender, Sexuality, and Detection" as well as "Race and Detection," the reader is exposed to memorable stories by authors like Anna Katharine Green, Susan Glaspell, Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, and Chester Himes.

The Bottom Line: This collection of twenty mystery short stories is a fascinating study of how detective fiction developed over the course of one hundred years. It serves as an insightful study to both the academic scholar and the armchair detective. Additionally, this tome is simply enjoyable to read; there's something for everyone from well-known classic short stories to little known stories that are hard to find. Also, it's a must read for those interested in learning the craft of mystery writing. Highly recommended for both students and fans of detective fiction.… (plus d'informations)

This book is intended to be useful both as a textbook for the study of detective fiction and also as an enjoyable overview of the history of detective fiction for the casual reader. It succeeds at both. The author's notes in the general introduction and in the introductions to each story are succinct and interesting. Occasional footnotes to explain unusual words are unobtrusive and helpful. And the stories chosen are enjoyable and work very well within the book's framework. My only quibble is the editor's choice of "The Road Home" to represent the contributions of Dashiell Hammett. An author who had such an impact on the genre deserves to be represented by a better story than the unfinished-seeming juvenile effort here.… (plus d'informations)

This collection of twenty mysteries from 1841–1940 ranges from the earliest stories to the more modern hardboiled and feminist offerings in the ever-popular genre of detective fiction. The short bios of the authors, appearing before their work, are a nice addition for both the casual reader (like me) and the student of the mystery genre.

Edgar Allen Poe leads us off with three mysteries, including his famous “The Purloined Letter” and “The Gold-Bug.” G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown puts in an appearance in “The Blue Cross,” and Mark Twain makes fun of the whole genre (and especially the police) in “The Stolen White Elephant.”

And no collection of mystery fiction would be complete without Sherlock Homes! I never knew Holmes had been parodied (though I should have known he would be – every piece of literature that is really loved usually has its accompanying farces). And though I am a fan of Holmes, Bret Harte’s “The Stolen Cigar Case,” coming right after three Holmes stories (which, incidentally, seems a lot in a collection of twenty) made me laugh. Harte knows just how to mimic Watson’s admiration of Holmes and turn it into the most ridiculous species of hero-worship. It had to be fun to write!

I enjoyed the hardboiled contributions to the collection, especially Carroll John Daly’s “The False Burton Combs.” I’ll be looking for more of his work. Dashiell Hammett’s very short “The Road Home” is less satisfying, but Cornell Woolrich’s “Murder at the Automat” is one of those short, well-written mysteries that I’ll probably remember forever.

Baroness Orczy’s “The Ninescore Mystery” was very enjoyable and I have high hopes of Lady Molly at Scotland Yard that I picked up at a booksale once. Orczy makes much of the prejudice women in the police force of the time faced, and shows that far from being a liability, Lady Molly’s female mind and intuition are valuable assets in the murder case. I will say, however, that although it was fun to read, this particular mystery itself isn’t brilliant in the technical sense. I guessed the solution almost immediately.

Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers” is less fun as a mystery, but again, very memorable in its elliptical and unspoken conclusion. I was less impressed with “The Long Arm” by Mary Wilkins Freeman. “Missing: Page Thirteen” by Anna Katharine Green is surprisingly Gothic and modern at the same time, and I wouldn’t mind reading more of Green’s work.

The only story I didn’t think was appropriate to the collection is the last one, Ralph Ellison’s “The Birthmark.” It isn’t really a mystery at all, being rather a short story of a young woman and her brother being taken to see their brother’s mangled body and realizing that he had been lynched, not hit by a car as the authorities insist. Stories like these are disturbing (rightly so) and should jolt us out of our complacency – but they aren’t mystery stories, and shouldn’t be included in a collection of mystery stories simply by virtue of their subject matter.

All in all, I enjoyed this collection and it has given me several new authors to seek out. Mystery fans who are curious about its development could do worse than explore the stories and authors here, and students of the genre will find it a helpful resource. Recommended.… (plus d'informations)