Below I list, in alphabetical order, my selections for the Top Twenty Mystery Writers of all time.Before you scan through it, though, be aware that we define the mystery genre rather broadly. We don't insist, for instance, on the mystery novel being separate from the police procedural or the courtroom drama or the detective story. Indeed, we think the best mystery novels are ones that cross the lines, that effectively give you elements of all kinds of stories -- plot, character, insight into human nature, historical color, adventure, and more.
With that in mind, go ahead and check out the list and see how it compares with yours.
* Eric Ambler
* John Buchan
* John Dickson Carr (also those under his pen name Carter Dickson)
* Raymond Chandler
* Leslie Charteris
* G.K. Chesterton
* Agatha Christie
* Charles Dickens
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
* Dick Francis
* Erle Stanley Gardner (also those under his pen name A. A. Fair)
* Donald Hamilton* E.W. Hornung
* Helen MacInnes
* Alistair MacLean
* John D. MacDonald
* Ngaio Marsh
* Dorothy Sayers
* Josephine Tey
* Ellery Queen
