In Raymond Chandler's first novel, hard-boiled private eye Philip Marlowe was introduced with great success. He became one of the most popular detectives in crime fiction history.

One of the most famous characters in all of detective and crime history was also Dame Agatha Christie's greatest creation. Read Hercule Poirot's amazing story.

Noir is a subgenre of the hardboiled detective fiction that came into being in the late 1920's. Read about the pioneers of a genre often described as realistic and gritty.

The Hardy Boys were created in 1926 and became the most popular juvenile crime series in publishing history.

During the 1920's and early 1930's, the United States experienced the Wall Street crash, the rise of Al Capone and the mob, prohibition, and the beginning of the Great Depression. The mystery stories of the time reflected the reality of life in America with the rise of the hard-boiled genre.

The Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine is filled with stories from the classic whodunit to hardboiled detective tales, a mysterious photo contest, mystery-themed puzzles, book reviews, and more.

Cozy mysteries are a very popular subgenre of detective fiction. Numerous themes such as culinary, herbal, cats, B&B's and more have garnered loyal fans for authors who often write a series of stories in their particular topic.

Janet Evanovich is the author of the popular Stephanie Plum series. The comedic mystery genre has increased in popularity with readers and authors over the past thirty to forty years.

Donald Westlake was one of the most prolific writers of our time, writing under several pseudonyms including Richard Stark and Samuel Holt. While he was known for his early hard-boiled criminal novels, he also created the comedic mystery niche.

The MWA Grand Masters Award winners for 2009 are James Lee Burke and Sue Grafton. Read a short bio of each that highlights their best known work.