Given the comments on Saturday's post, I think it is fairly clear that the consensus is to add Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo's, Roseanna, as the final book on the classic crime curriculum. That makes the full list:James Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934)
Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (1940)
Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)
Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (1930)
Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr Ripley (1955)
Dorothy Sayers, The Nine Tailors (1934)
Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, Roseanna (1965)
Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance (1934)
Jim Thompson, The Killer Inside Me (1952)
One thing that strikes me about this list is that 1934 was a very good year for crime fiction! I'm looking forward to reading these over the next 12 months. Many thanks for everybody's suggestions. I'll post more on the full list over the coming days.
2 comments:
You are wellcome Rob. I'm anxious to read your comming posts.
Hi, Rob,
I'm pleased to have found your blog, which I just added to my blogroll. I love the classic crime curriculum. I've read 6 of the 10 titles on the list & would like to read the other 4 as well.
You might be interested in posts on my blog concerning Patricia Highsmith & Dashiell Hammett. I belong to a wonderful mystery book discussion group, whose members enjoy tackling the classics.
Here are links to the posts I referred to above:
http://robertarood.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/the-cheaper-the-crook-the-gaudier-the-patter-the-cynical-knockdown-take-no-prisoners-universe-of-dashiell-hammett/
http://robertarood.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/the-wilderness-of-the-time-passed-into-the-soul-of-the-people-the-maltese-falcon-by-dashiell-hammett-a-book-discussion/
http://robertarood.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/he-felt-like-a-machine-beyond-danger-and-invulnerable-he-had-been-here-many-many-times-before-strangers-on-a-train-by-patricia-highsmith-a-book-group-discussion/
Thanks again for your fine blog & good luck with your writing.
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