The Outsider

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe

“The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842) by Edgar Allan Poe

“The Purloined Letter” (1844) by Edgar Allan Poe

Sherlock Holmes may be the iconic and best known of the great classic detectives, but he wasn’t the first. Doyle described Edgar Allen Poe’s detective stories featuring C. Auguste Dupin as the model for all others. These three stories introduced all the elements we now associate with the detective genre, most notably the idiosyncratic detective with a brilliant but unconventional mind:

• “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” on SuperSummary
• “The Purloined Letter” on SuperSummary

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (1892)

Sherlock Holmes defined the detective genre and likely remains the most famous fictional detective to this day. Although Holmes encounters several mysteries that appear to be supernatural in nature, he always proves them to have mundane origins.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on SuperSummary

Whereas Sherlock Holmes reduced several apparently supernatural mysteries to their natural origins, other writers took the detective genre and added an occult twist. The following are some of the most successful authors and their detective protagonists:

• Sheridan Le Fanu: Dr.