An Unofficial Guide to British Female Mystery Writers

The classic mystery novel began with Edgar Allen Poe’s character, C. Auguste C. Dupin and his case, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, in 1841. Since then, there have been many variations of the mystery novel: hard-boiled detective, procedural, locked room, character study, horror, and so forth.

Sherlock Holmes made the mystery story respectable. First appearing as short story installments in The Strand Magazine, the stories were collected and published in book form. Holmes has become an icon - movies, books, travel tours, and websites are dedicated to this fictional detective.

But it was Agatha Christie and her fellow British female mystery writers who really made the mystery novel an addiction for readers. The creation of continuing characters such as Hercules Poirot, Jane Marple, Lord Peter Wimsey, Adam Dalgliesh, Richard Jury, and Mary Russell meant that the reader could learn more about their lives, their habits, their friends, and in particular, their mystery solving skills. Arthur Conan Doyle may have created Sherlock Holmes, but it took Laurie King to make him sexy.   The following is an unofficial guide to some of the best British female mystery writers.