The choice was not easy. Selecting the best detective authors, we had to conduct a tough competition, during which very worthy people were left behind: Gilbert Keith Chesterton with his stories about Father Brown, Graham Grinn, and even some Japanese man who draws detective cartoons (in the sense, anime).
Since the number of voters has exceeded a hundred, and the incomprehensible nervousness of those who disagree with the results led to broken windows of my house and three arson attacks (and this is only in the last month), it is time to reconsider my attitude towards the masters of the detective genre. The last ones will be the first, won't they, Mr. Chase? At the same time, the rating has been expanded to 15 positions - so meet newcomers 🙂
So, the best detective authors!
- The poll at the bottom of the article now counts 21 writers. When voting, you can choose from 1 to 7 options. Perhaps, by joint efforts, we will be able to make this rating more objective.
- Year of birth: 1964;
- Popular novels: The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons;
- What is interesting: the book Angels and Demons says that Raphael was originally buried in Urbino and not in Rome. Although this is just a fantasy of the writer, due to the popularity of the novel, a plaque had to be installed in the Pantheon (where Raphael is buried) explaining that the artist's ashes have always been here, and Brown can go much further.
Dan Brown does not write much, but he is successful: everyone has heard about the sensational novel "The Da Vinci Code". In total, the writer has published 6 novels, 3 of which are filmed ("Inferno" is coming out this year). His books are characterized by conspiracy theories, Masons, Illuminati and other mysteries. At the same time, Dan Brown is not always historically accurate and can give facts that do not correspond to reality.
The funny thing is that some of his fans forget what they read. piece of art and, faced with the discrepancy between the next creation of the writer and secular sources, they are in a hurry to see in this some kind of conspiracy from the series "the authorities are hiding."
14th place. Stig Larsson
- Years of life: 1954 — 2004;
- Popular novels: the Millennium trilogy;
- Popular character: Mikael Blomkvist;
- What is interesting: the photo above is a letter from 1972, in which "experts" from the Stockholm College of Journalists explain to Larsson that he is not good enough and will not make a journalist.
During his life, Stig was able to prove that “experts” should not be trusted - he not only became an excellent journalist, but also a pretty good writer. True, apart from the aforementioned trilogy due to an early death from a heart attack, Larsson did not have time to write anything else. Alas, this tragedy can hardly be called accidental - the writer's acquaintances say that he smoked about 60 cigarettes a day. But the Ministry of Health warned ...
The Millennium trilogy was published after Larsson's death. In 2009, the Swedish film adaptation of all 3 novels was released, and in 2011 there was a more famous Hollywood version of one of them: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
13th place. Raymond Chandler
12th place. Dashil Hammett
The heroes of the new genre relied not only and not so much on a sharp mind, but also on a revolver - detective novels became more action-packed, and the murders of counts and barons with the help of poisoned strawberries and cream have sunk into oblivion.
11th place. William Wilkie Collins
Since there are not so many good detectives written (after all, he lived not only as detectives, but also short stories, short stories and opium), he occupies only 12th place in our rating.
10th place. John Grisham
- Year of birth: 1955;
- Popular novels: The Firm, The Pelican Case, The Client.
John Grisham was an ordinary lawyer who tried to make ends meet in the 80s. Things weren't going well - there weren't many clients. One day, while in the courthouse, John heard about the case of the father of a 12-year-old girl, who killed his daughter's rapists. Out of curiosity, the lawyer remained at the hearing, which inspired him to write his first book, Time to Kill. The book came out in small edition, but nevertheless it was the beginning.
Since the lawyer had enough time, he took up the second book - "The Firm". Unexpectedly for everyone, it became a bestseller - in 1991, 1.5 million copies were printed.
Grisham ended his career as a lawyer and focused on writing detective stories. He is currently working on a series of teenage detectives, where Theodore Boone is the main character. The circulation of all Grisham's books is about 300 million copies, which is a very solid indicator.
9th place. Ian Fleming
- Years of life: 1906 — 1964;
- Popular character: James Bond.
English writer Ian Fleming gave the world agent 007 James Bond, who, with his inherent aristocracy, emerges victorious from any trouble. In total, Ian wrote 12 Bond novels, as well as 2 collections of stories dedicated to this hero. Nevertheless, twice as many films have been filmed based on these books - to date, 25.
And perhaps the only thing that can confuse an astute reader is the absence of detective stories in his books. Bondiana is an adventure thriller, a spy thriller, but a detective? .. However, fans of the genre claim that Fleming's novels are full of political intrigue, so that they can be considered as representatives of a certain political detective.
8th place. Earl Stanley Gardner
7th place. Boris Akunin
In the harsh 90s, publishers unanimously disowned the stories about Fandorin, but at the beginning of the 2000s, detectives in the spirit of Conan Doyle's romance went to "Hurray!" This is confirmed by several successful film adaptations, which, oddly enough, can also be called successful - which does not often happen with modern Russian cinema.
Today it has become popular to traditionally declare that Akunin is not the same. But let's not rush - time will tell.
6th place. James Heidley Chase
It's no secret that my subjective attitude towards Chase prompted me to send this writer to the margins of our rating of detective authors - as for me, his novels are quite the same type. But admirers of James stood up for their favorite and, willingly, not willingly, I had to glaze the broken windows and raise Heidley to 6th place. Although, according to the vote, he deserves the best. But let's not rush - maybe it is one of his grandchildren who "winds up" the vote? I see no more logical explanation.
At one time, the Riga Film Studio created a fairly tolerable screen version of his novel "The whole world in your pocket."
This selection contains the best foreign detectives - books by famous authors. In the list, you will find the bestsellers that have become famous due to their adaptations in films and TV shows.
Donato Carrisi. Prompter
The main actor the novel by Mila Vasquez. She is a detective who must, together with her team "Albert", look for six girls who are not related to each other in any way. The heroes managed to find a burial with five left hands, which means that the last victim can still be saved from death ...
The novel tells about the police academy of Quebec, which has a notoriety. Corruption and illegal acts of the teaching staff reign here. The main character- a retired senior inspector who became the head of the Academy. His name is Armand Gamache. After a map was found in the wall, Armand instructed the cadets to deal with this, but the matter took an unexpected turn. Further
Camilla Parker works as a journalist for a small Chicago publication. The girl was instructed to write an article about a maniac who takes the lives of schoolgirls by pulling out teeth from victims. During the investigation, it turned out that all urban residents keep terrible secrets... Further
People are in mortal danger in the form of wasps that can take away human life with just one bite. With all this, they lay eggs in the bodies of their victims. To understand this, the Sigma detachment gets down to business, because only they can prevent this terrible catastrophe that can destroy humanity. Further
Donato Carrisi. Girl in the fog
The detective story "Girl in the Fog" will focus on the disappearance of a young person named Anna Lu. She went to church, but never made it to her destination. To figure this out, Detective Vogel gets down to business. It was he who attracted media workers to cooperation. But will this help the investigation? Where has Anna gone? Further
Yu Nesbo. Thirst
Detective Harry has always sought to eliminate crime and bring order to this world. He returned to work in Oslo to catch a serial killer who preys on dating site dating. This brings the hero back to his dark past. Further
Peter James. Jump over the abyss
Vera Ransom is married to a plastic surgeon. They have a son, Alec. Thanks to her husband, Vera looks great, but for what reason did she have a deep depression? Perhaps it's all about the spouse, who controls every step of the faithful? Further
Megan Miranda. All the missing girls
Psychologist Nicoletta Farrell is based in Philadelphia and is leading wedding preparations. She left her native land after the disappearance of her friend Corinna. After her brother's call, the girl returned to her father's house, because her father lost his mind, and again repeats about the disappeared friend. In his words, the police find new facts about the missing girl. Soon everything will be revealed, but is the heroine ready for this? Further
Dan Brown. Lost symbol
Robert Langdon prepares to give a lecture at the National Statue Hall of the Capitol, but suddenly hears a scream. Rushing, he sees a severed hand with a ring on a pedestal. She symbolizes the "Hand of the Mysteries". The main thing is that the owner of the hand is a longtime friend and mentor of Robert, whose name is Peter ...
Joel Dicker. The truth about the Harry Quebert case
Markus Goldman suffers from the fact that his muse has not visited him for a long time, so he goes to his friend, the successful writer Harry Quebert. Harry is accused of long-term murder. Marcus begins his own investigation, and unexpectedly gets advice on how to write a bestseller. Further
Once again, readers will find the continuation of the adventures of the detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellakot. This time, the heroes will be looking for a psycho who kills victims with a machete. In this book, the author will reveal the secrets of the former lives of the heroes, so the reader will be able to understand what contributed to the fact that Cormoran and Robin became such personalities. Further
A group of girls receives a message from their friend Kate, which is exactly the same as 17 years ago, when Kate's father died. The heroines have always been inseparable, but received a bad name because they lied to others, but did not lie to each other, playing the game. Now they must come together again to realize that the main rule of their fun has been broken. Further
Richard always wanted to get into the closed club of the class of ancient culture, but getting here is not so easy. Over time, his dream came true. And so, one day a student of this closed club died, but the perpetrators escaped punishment. Now hard-hitting secrets begin to emerge, turning into a series of tragedies. Further
Stig Larsson. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
For 40 years now, the elderly tycoon has been worried about the secret disappearance of his relative. He asks for help from a journalist - Mikael Blomkvist, who takes up this case in order to distract himself. But, when he comes close to the answer, the life of a man is in danger. The investigation leads to a quiet town in which hell reigns. Further
Mayfly. James Hazel
Charlie Priest is a lawyer and former police officer who was assaulted at his own home. The offender demanded what the hero did not have, then the enemy left the house. Very soon they found him impaled. Charlie cannot leave the case without investigation, so he conducts his own investigation. Further
Jonathan Kellerman. The killer's daughter
The main character of the novel is Grace Blades. She is a successful psychotherapist who approaches each patient. The girl has a hobby - casual relationships with strangers. Everything changes when one of her patients turns out to be one of her casual lovers. He was found dead, and the police had a lot of questions for Grace. Further
Liana Moriarty. Big little lies
The book will tell about three mothers whose children are trained in one educational institution... Everything is safe in their families, but everyone keeps an impartial secret. How to overcome difficulties in families? What is the cause of domestic violence, misunderstandings and disrespectful behavior? Will these secrets become the subject of everyone's attention? Further
Robert Bryndza. Dark waters
In this novel, Erica Foster continues her detective investigations. This time the heroine will deal with the case of the girl who disappeared 6 years ago. Recently she was found dead, and Erica gets down to business. Gradually, new facts about the family of the deceased are revealed, and the woman herself fears for her own life ...
Gillian Flynn. Dark secrets
Libby in early childhood lost all her relatives except her brother. The girl grew up and turned into an egoist who does not take into account other people's opinions. It was her brother that she blamed for the death of loved ones, but is he guilty? Will Libby be able to accept the truth about the nightmarish event that happened 24 years ago? Further
The story will tell about a psychiatrist named Mathias Frere. His life changed after one patient suffering from patient without baggage syndrome. Now the hero is forced to collect memories bit by bit in order to become what he was before. In addition, several events contributed to the fact that Matthias was accused of murders. Further
These were the best foreign detectives - books from the most popular world-famous authors. If you've already read something from our list, tell us about your impressions. 😉
Detectives are a trend in books about investigating a wide variety of crimes. Few people have not read the stories about Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, and also have not heard about the famous writer Agatha Christie with her adorable Miss Marple. All these books have become classics, which fascinated us even in childhood and to this day we are attracted to pick up our favorite edition and become a real detective and detective.
Foreign detectives are very popular. It is always interesting to learn about how crimes are investigated in other states, or even better, that all this happened in the past, where we can visit only thanks to books.
Our literary portal contains the best books by foreign detectives from around the world. You can read online or download them for free and without registration in formats that are suitable for any gadget: epub, rtf, fb2, txt, pdf. Here you will find both classic detective stories and modern ones.
The detective story has been a favorite trend in literature with readers from all over the world for a long time and remains so to this day. The genre itself has not changed over the years, but the characters, places, era and the psychology of history itself have changed. Previously, detectives were very meticulous and accurate. Modern main characters usually act more unexpectedly, hot-tempered, plunging deeper and deeper into the abyss of crime. In any case, the meaning of the story will not change, and everywhere there are irrefutable merits.
Today, American detectives are very popular, where action is often present, unpredictable events, bright and extraordinary main characters. But whichever book you choose, from an American writer or an English one, you will always have a lot of reading pleasure.
The main task of a foreign detective is to force the reader, together with the main character, to begin an investigation of any crime. It is necessary to gradually collect evidence, observe the people around, see what is hidden from view common man... Here justice and lawlessness always clash.
And if earlier writers tried to end with a work with the victory of good over evil, today more and more often a book can end with impunity for the criminal. And this was done for a reason, but in order to show readers the realities, to make them think about the kind of world we live in and how it can be changed.
Foreign detectives remain the most demanded and popular books today. Our site contains the best collection of publications in this genre. You can download it for free or read online, but in any case, you will enjoy it, your nerves will be tense from experiences and emotions, and you will spend an unforgettable time in the world of crimes and mysteries.
Text: Alexandra Bazhenova-Sorokina
The detective story is a relatively young genre. The fruit of the love of realism and Gothic, it arose in the middle of the 19th century, became terribly popular and has not given up its positions since then. The rise of the Japanese mystery detective, the highly social psychological thriller from Scandinavia, the American existential thriller, and the continuing tradition of British puzzle detectives illustrate how varied detective stories can be in both plot and style.
We have selected eleven detective stories published in the 2000s that are in no way inferior to such book hits as "The Girl on the Train" or "Gone Girl", and will not get lost against the background of the hegemony of modern masters of the genre Dennis Lehane, Yu Nesbø, Henning Mankell and Robert Galbright (hello , Joanne Rowling!).
The truth about the Harry Quebert case
Joel Dicker
The sensational debut of twenty-seven-year-old Swiss Dicker about a young popular writer in a creative crisis, the cult novel of his mentor and how novels are created in principle, at one time received conflicting responses. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Case has been criticized for allegedly claiming an intellectual depth that is not actually there. Whether this is so - decide for yourself while reading. What is there for sure is a famously twisted plot with unexpected twists and a setting in the best traditions of noir: an underage fam-fatal, strange and complex men, black humor and a constantly changing picture of events - isn't this a recipe for an excellent detective story?
Sharp objects
Gillian Flynn
American Gillian Flynn became the absolute star of the psychological thriller after the adaptation of her third novel, Gone Girl, which was directed by David Fincher, and the script was prepared by the writer herself. Sharp Objects is her debut and deserves no less attention. A journalist with severe psychological problems living in Chicago and seeking a way out in self-harm and alcohol, is forced to return to her hometown in Missouri to cover the story of the murder of one girl and the disappearance of another. Southern Gothic, well-written characters, a twisted plot - "Sharp Objects" is a clear proof that the writer's success is not accidental. Like the heroine of the book, Gillian Flynn worked as a journalist for many years, which clearly influenced her ability to tell stories.
The voice of the night bird
Robert McCummon
Robert McCammon is an American horror master who at some point decided to try his hand at a historical detective story. The action of "Voices of a Bird of the Night" takes place somewhere in Carolina in 1699. The trial of the witch, who allegedly killed her own husband and had sex with the devil himself, shakes the town of Fount Royal, and the teenage clerk Matthew Corbett grows up before our eyes and turns into a detective in an attempt to establish the truth and save the woman. Adventure, romance, secrets and conspiracies, plus the history and life of America, still subordinate to Britain, is an excellent combination for a detective, it's not for nothing that the author has already published several books about Corbett.
Judgment Day
Kurt Aust
Scandinavia regularly supplies the world with detective and thriller masters, remember, for example, the Norwegian Yu Nesbo and the Dane Peter Hoeg. A resident of the Norwegian Horten Kurt Aust approached the popular genre from a different side: before us is a historical detective, in which there is almost less from a modern northern detective than from Umberto Eco. Cold New year's night In 1699, he finds several people locked in an inn due to snowfall: among them Professor Thomas Buberg and his assistant Peter - they have to figure out what happened to the dead count found in a snowdrift. The deliberate slowness of the narrative and the lack of detective superpowers in the main characters are more than compensated by the local (and temporary) flavor.
Crimes of the past
Kate Atkinson
Fans of the BBC series Case Histories of the same name know and appreciate the skill of Kate Atkinson, who invented Jackson Brody, a former police officer who turned to private detectives. The first novel in the series turned Atkinson's favorite of critics into a real icon of the modern detective, the reading of books of which, for example, Stephen King promotes with might and main. The story of three seemingly unrelated family tragedies, which Brody is forced to take on, is truly dark and cannot be called light reading. However, for those who are not afraid of the world of truly unpleasant people and not the fastest development of events, there is an amazing atmosphere, family secrets and a wonderful author's style.
Over the settled graves
Jess Walter
In the small town of Spokane, Washington Serial killer hunts for prostitutes, revealingly lays out their bodies on the banks of the river, having previously thrust 20 bucks into each victim's fist. Above Settled Graves is an investigative story that subtly combines an intriguing yet plausible consequence with the sophisticated style of high literature. The main character, Caroline Maybrie, suffers from depression, loneliness and asks questions about the limits of her own capabilities as a policewoman. Her former mentor and once failed lover, and now her partner in the business, also suffers - because of family problems and unrequited love. Their personal tragedies and problems are as important in the narrative as the detective plot and the image of the gradually dying city, giving rise to nightmares.
Golden scales
Parker Bilal
Makana is a refugee from Sudan where his wife and daughter died. He lives in Cairo, barely makes ends meet and works as a private detective. The hero takes on literally any business (because of the difficult financial situation, there is no need to choose), and one day an oligarch with a dark past and no less dangerous present turns to him for a service. The first novel in the series about the detective Makan is by no means the debut of the British-Sudanese-born author Jamal Mahjub, who recently began writing detective stories under the pseudonym Parker Bilal. The protagonist of the "Golden Scales" is not a detective, but the city of Cairo, which, with its implausible life of an oasis in the desert, a dream that turned into a frightening and enchanting reality, resembles Dostoevsky's Petersburg.
Crossing
Ellie Griffiths
In the novels of the British Ellie Griffiths about the forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway, one can hear the echo of another popular heroine - forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan from the TV series "Bones" and the series of books from the American Katie Reich that formed its basis. However, the similarities do not boil down to bones as evidence: if Reich wrote off the heroine from herself, then Griffiths was inspired by her archaeological husband and the Norfolk countryside, to which the writer was introduced to nature and myths by her aunt. The charm of the British writer’s debut novel is made up of a combination of a sinister story with ritual murders, the charm of the sad and funny Ruth and mesmerizing English landscapes.
Thirteen hours
Deon Meyer
The detective is not alone in the northern landscapes, and this is brilliantly proved by the South African writer Deon Meyer, who tells exciting stories in Afrikaans about the life of the Cape Town High Crimes Department. There, Inspector Grissel is torn every minute between averting a potential international scandal, giving instructions to newcomers to the department, and his own problems that require immediate solutions. Just one day, together with Inspector Grissel, involves not only a dashing detective story, but also into the life of a very special multinational world South Africa, about which every page wants to learn more and more.
Collini case
Ferdinand von Schirach
Ferdinand von Schirach himself could become an excellent hero of the novel: the grandson of Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach and the great-grandson of an American woman, whose roots go back to the signers of the Declaration of Independence and directly to the first settlers of the New World. The successful forensic lawyer von Schirach began writing stories based on cases from his practice, and quickly became famous as a writer as well. In the novel “The Collini Case,” the author, in German, subtly and restrainedly raises the question of the difference between justice and justice in the format of a judicial drama. What if you need to defend a confessed killer and you don't know his motives? No surprises and plot twists, but real food for thought, especially important in the context of a global rethinking of their own identity by any resident of Europe after World War II.
Foreign detectives genre - it is a literary genre that for many decades remained popular among readers of different sex, age, social status, level of wealth, and so on. The detective did not change over time. Only the era, the main characters, the living conditions are changing. But the laws of the genre and the plot do not change. This is due to the fact that the motives of crimes do not change - these are good and evil, love and hatred, fortitude and weakness.
A detective story is a literary genre whose works describe the process of investigating an incident. To solve the riddle, you need to find out the circumstances of the crime. The conflict of a detective story is based on the clash of justice and lawlessness. If you read foreign detectives online, you will notice that the ending may be different - the criminal remains at large. Authors are trying to show readers real world, in which not everything is so good. In a classic detective story, goodness and justice always prevail.
The laws of the genre have remained the same. But modern detectives differ from classic ones in terms of theme. Earlier, detectives investigated crimes that were committed out of emotion, most often murders. Nowadays, you can often read books of foreign detectives online not only about murders, but also about financial fraud, robberies, and so on. Heroes in modern books are ambiguous. Criminals are not always bad and deserve to be punished. There can be many extenuating circumstances to justify a hero. In a classic detective story, good and evil are very clearly distinguished.
The main characters have changed a lot too. In classic detective stories, detectives were meticulous and unsuccessful people, often already of mature age. They were attentive, quick-witted and intelligent. For example, Miss Marple could find the culprit if she found a discrepancy in the cake recipes. Holmes paid attention to such details that the reader did not even think about. Readers respected the characters, although they could be just as capable and intelligent.
The heroes of modern detectives are divided into several types. They can be bored housewives who are very lucky, they can be investigators who are looking for the truth on their own. The characters seem natural to the readers, and the detectives are painted precisely by the approximation to reality.
