Prologue_Reader, writer.
Come out into the world of mystery novels!
Mystery Fiction Genealogy: Western
Mystery Fiction Genealogy: East

01 The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
: The first great step taken by mystery novels

02 The Lady in White by William Wilkie Collins
: An immortal masterpiece born in the Victorian era

03 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
: The Greatest Detective, Shaking the World
04 『The Secret of the Yellow Room』 Gaston Leroux
: A historic piece of locked room tricks

05 『813』 Maurice Leblanc
: The greatest masterpiece in the Arsene Lupin series
06 The Innocence of Father Brown by Gilbert Keith Chesterton
: Humor and irony exploring the essence of mystery novels.

07 Psychological Test by Edogawa Ranpo
: A versatile detective born from the father of Japanese mystery novels.

08 The Murder of Roger Rogers by Agatha Christie
: A work that takes mystery novels to the next level

09 The Poisoned Chocolate Case by Anthony Buckley
: Detectives are not omnipotent.

10 The Bishop Murder Case SS
Van Dyne
: The original thriller inspired by nursery rhymes

11 The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
: If you remember Humphrey Bogart

12 Dorothy L.
Sayers
: The immortal list that transcends time

13 The Neck of Another, Georges Simenon
: The Value of Life as Told by Master Sim Nong

14 The Egyptian Cross Mystery by Ellery Queen
: A detective created by two authors

15 The Tragedy of Y by Barnaby Ross
: A masterpiece considered one of the world's top three mystery novels

16 The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr
: The closed lectures alone are worth reading.

17 『Rebecca』 by Daphne du Maurier
: The ghost of a beautiful woman who rules over a splendid mansion

18 Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout
: The original gourmet mystery

19 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
: Perhaps the greatest work in the history of mystery novels.

20. 『Mine』 Kim Nae-seong
: If you are looking for Korea's Edogawa Ranpo

21 The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
: The Birth of Hardboiled Detective Philip Marlowe

22 The Woman of Fantasy by William Irish
: A surprising twist from a master of suspense

23 『Okmundo』 by Yokomizo Seishi
: The #1 best Japanese mystery novel

24. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tay
: A masterpiece of historical mystery

25. "Points and Lines" by Seicho Matsumoto
: Inventing a Social Mystery
26 A King's Ransom by Ed McBain
: The masterpiece of the 87-minute series that has continued for half a century

27 The Laughing Policeman by Per Wahlö, May Szewall
: A masterpiece that set the tone for Nordic crime novels

28 The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
: Reality still hasn't escaped this work.

29 Columbo by Richard Levinson and William Link
: A detective drama with a twist, presented as a novel.

30 The Last Witness by Kim Seong-jong
: Who are the witnesses of the tragic modern history?

31 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
: The Old Spy's Mole Game

32. "Proof of Humanity" by Seiichi Morimura
: Raising the bar for social mystery

33 Coma by Robin Cook
: The pinnacle of medical thrillers

34 The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
: A historical mystery novel written by a world-renowned scholar

35 The Astrology Murder Case by Soji Shimada
: A masterpiece by a writer representing the new era

36 The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
: A masterpiece that shines at the Academy Grand Slam

37 So They Went to Sea by John Grisham
: A new era in legal thrillers

38 The Poet, Michael Connelly
: A model of 21st century American crime drama

39 The Bone Collector, Jeffrey Deaver
: A combination of armchair detective and forensic thriller.

40 『Out』 Natsuo Kirino
A masterpiece that became the first Japanese work to be nominated for an Edgar Award.

41. "The 13 Steps" by Kazuaki Takano
: The shortest time to become a bestseller among Edogawa Ranpo Award winners

42. "Copycat" by Miyuki Miyabe
: A masterpiece by a Japanese new socialist mystery writer

43 "Hyouka" by Honobu Yonezawa
: The taste of sweet, bitter, and cold everyday mystery

44 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
: A problematic work that uncovers the secret of the Holy Grail

45 The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
: A hit drama that expanded the standards of authentic mystery.

46 Confession by Minato Kanae
: A cruel mystery written by the Queen of Iyamis

47 『Biblia Bookstore Casebook』 Mikami En
: An elegant and sentimental Japanese bookstore mystery

48 Millennium: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
: The Nordic thriller that took the world by storm

49 『13.67』 Chan Ho-kei
: A work that captures the dynamic city of Hong Kong.

50 The Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
: A touching mystery in a fantasy setting

From Sherlock Holmes, the detective loved across time,
Even Keigo Higashino, an author whose every published work becomes a bestseller
50 masterpieces of world mystery novels in one volume!

A guidebook to mystery novels, 『50 Must-Read Mystery Novels from Around the World』, introduced by five of Korea's most notable mystery novel writers, has been published.
From Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," published in 1841 and considered the world's first mystery novel, to the detective novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," loved by people around the world across time and borders, the masterpiece "813" in the Arsene Lupin series, the historical mystery novel "The Name of the Rose" by a world-renowned scholar, "The Silence of the Lambs," which won the Academy Award Grand Slam, and the hit work "The Devotion of Suspect X," which expanded the standards of masterpiece mystery, it contains everything from monumental novels to recent works.
This is a detailed guide that helps you get a bird's eye view of the world's detective novels.


In fact, selecting 50 must-read books from the nearly 200-year history of mystery novels around the world was no easy task.
To this end, five mystery novel writers from the Korean Mystery Writers Association, each with different tastes and creative worlds, held heated discussions, established several criteria, and selected the works to be introduced.


There are three main selection criteria.
First, it is a work worth reading even as time passes.
For anyone who wants to read a proper mystery novel, we've chosen a must-read that's not difficult to read.
Next, we selected significant works in the history of mystery novels.
We selected works that have unique detective characters and case-solving methods, including Sherlock Holmes, who can be called the epitome of a famous detective, and works that have influenced later mystery novels through their unique attempts.
Lastly, we prioritized works that are easily accessible to domestic readers.
The author says of these criteria, “I hope that through this book, many readers will explore the broader world of mystery novels.”


A perspective that penetrates human nature and the dark side of society,
The essence of a compelling narrative mystery novel

Sherlock Holmes, Arsene Lupin, Detective Columbo, Rebecca, Hannibal.
These are names that even people who say they are not usually interested in mystery novels will be familiar with.
The moment you hear these unique names, a unique atmosphere and story naturally comes to mind. What they all have in common is that they are all characters in mystery novels.
Even today, countless masterpieces of mystery novels are being reborn as TV dramas, musicals, and movies, bringing vitality to our daily lives, and many of the film industry's greatest figures are known to draw inspiration from mystery novels.
For example, Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces "Rebecca" and "The Birds" are both based on the works of British mystery novelist Daphne du Maurier.
Park Chan-wook also frequently mentions that he is a fan of thriller master John le Carré, and adapted his novel The Little Drummer Girl into a BBC drama.
Not to mention the Sherlock Holmes series, which is constantly being adapted into movies and dramas, The Name of the Rose, which achieved global success despite the barrier of vast background knowledge, The Da Vinci Code, which brought both popularity and controversy, the Academy Award-winning masterpiece The Silence of the Lambs, and the Nordic thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that took the world by storm, are all based on mystery novels and received explosive love from the public.

The timeless appeal of mystery novels stems from the intellectual pleasure of solving seemingly inexplicable riddles, predicting future events, and finally, finding a logical resolution to the case.
Additionally, mystery novels reflect the lifestyle and times of that time, and are also novels that fully express human nature and desires.
Each story is a blend of unique characters that showcase diverse human dynamics, insightful and critical awareness of the absurdity of social structures, and a solid and compelling narrative structure that makes it impossible to stop reading once you start.
"50 Must-Read Mystery Novels from Around the World" contains a comprehensive collection of masterpieces that best exemplify the essence of mystery novels. Through in-depth commentary and descriptions by professional writers, it guides readers through the charm of mystery novels.


The wide and deep world of mystery novels,
The most reliable guide to help you on your exploration

"50 Must-Read Mystery Novels from Around the World" introduces mystery novels in chronological order of publication, helping readers understand the meaning and position of each work.
Additionally, the book includes a genealogy of Eastern and Western mystery novels at the beginning, allowing readers to see the flow of mystery novels at a glance.
Through this one book, you will naturally understand how the basic structure of a mystery novel is created, varied, subdivided, and expanded in various ways.


Additionally, this book contains a variety of helpful information for beginner readers who are curious about mystery novels but are hesitant about which book to choose.
Introduce the content of the novel and the main characters, but do not mention the ending or major tricks so as not to lose interest.
It's fun enough to make you immersed in the story like a movie trailer while also making you look forward to the main story, and the analysis of the characters and the work contains the creator's keen insight.
Therefore, even readers who have already read the work and are familiar with it will discover parts they missed and want to read the book again with a new perspective.
Of course, we did not forget to provide detailed information about the author's life and the historical background that helps understand the work.


If you've found a good mystery novel that suits your taste and personality through this book, you can also explore other novels that will keep your interest going.
At the end of the introduction of the 50 works, we carefully select and introduce works that are good to read together.
It introduces other works by the same author, but also includes several works by other authors with similar themes, allowing for a satisfying reading experience.
From classics to detective series, hardboiled, thrillers, spy stories, and mysteries, you can choose from a variety of genres to suit your tastes and broaden your reading horizons.
For readers who enjoy the pleasure of reading that delicately captures and unravels the complexities of each era and society, and the diverse human psychology, this book, "50 Must-Read Mystery Novels from Around the World," will be a solid starting point.