Generous Maggie Mason sent me this wonderful, supersized (1126 pages!) collection of novels from the Roaring Twenties. Leslie Klinger’s annotated edition of these classic crime novels is a reader’s delight! Not only does this old-fashioned Dictionary size book deliver some of the best American mystery fiction of that decade, it provides plenty of additional information on the texts. My favorite novel of this group is Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest. Hammett’s tale of violence and corruption set the template for future crime novels. Next, I enjoyed rereading Ellery Queen’s The Roman Hat Mystery. I prefer the early Ellery Queen puzzle novels to the later ones. Some experts consider The Roman Hat Mystery to be one of the very best of the Ellery Queen novels. I’m not a big fan of Earl Derr Biggers’ The House Without a Key or S. S. Van Dine’s The Benson Murder Case but both novels have historical significance. Little Caesar by W. R. Burnett, an underrated novel, morphed into an iconic movie.
If you’re interested in classic crime novels, Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s is a must-buy. If you have a casual interest in older mysteries, this group offers plenty of entertainment and detailed information. I know plenty of mystery fans who would love to find em>Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s under their tree! Have you read these classic crime novels? Thanks again, Maggie! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction / by Otto Penzler — v
Foreword / by Leslie S. Klinger — ix
A note on the texts — xxvii
The house without a key / by Earl Derr Biggers (1925) — 2
Appendix: The House without a Key on film — 250
The Benson Murder Case / by S. S. Van Dine (1926) — 252
Appendix: S. S. Van Dine sets down twenty rules for detective stories — 497
The Roman Hat Mystery / by Ellery Queen (1929) — 502
Red Harvest / by Dashiell Hammett (1929) — 778
Little Caesar / by W. R. Burnett (1929) — 970
Appendix: Introduction by W. R. Burnett — 1115
Bibliography — 1123
Acknowledgements — 1126