Impress’s Best Mysteries of All Time Challenge

As a passionate bibliophile, I have always been drawn to the art of deduction, the allure of suspense, and the captivating charm of a good mystery.

Now, armed with a stack of renowned and timeless works, I am determined to lose myself in the labyrinthine plots and cunning minds that have enthralled readers for generations.

The “Impress’s Best Mysteries of All Time” collection stands as a testament to the power of storytelling, a treasure trove of masterpieces penned by literary giants who have forever etched their names in the annals of crime fiction. From the dark alleys of Victorian London with Sherlock Holmes to the psychological depths explored by Gillian Flynn, each book promises to be a mesmerizing journey that will challenge and intrigue me in equal measure. Join me on this ambitious quest, as we unlock the secrets, analyze the clues, and immerse ourselves in the most compelling mysteries ever crafted.

The Best Mysteries of All Time: The Booklist

A Kiss Before Dying – Ira Levin ✓
Presumed Innocent – Scott Turow ✓
Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
The Doorbell Rang – Rex Stout
Anatomy of a Murder – Robert Traver
The Talented Mr. Ripley – Patricia Highsmith
Postmortem – Patricia Cornwell
Whip Hand – Dick Francis ✓
Where Are the Children? – Mary Higgins Clark ✓
The Maltese Falcon – Dashiell Hammett
“A” is for Alibi – Sue Grafton
Strong Poison – Dorothy L. Sayers
The Eye of the Needle – Ken Follett
The Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth ✓
A Stranger in My Grave – Margaret Millar
The Moonstone – Wilkie Collins
The Case of the Velvet Claws – Erle Stanley Gardner
Shroud for a Nightingale – P.D. James
The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
Mortal Stakes – Robert B. Parker
Laura – Vera Caspary
Death of a Peer – Ngaio Marsh
Dance Hall of the Dead – Tony Hillerman
Mildred Pierce – James Cain
Calamity Town – Ellery Queen ✓
The Chill – Ross MacDonald
I Married a Dead Man – Cornell Woolrich
The Daughter of Time – Josephine Tey
Ice – Ed McBain
The Deep Blue Goodbye – John D. MacDonald ✓
The Black Echo – Michael Connelly ✓
Last Seen Wearing – Hillary Waugh ✓
Crocodile on the Sandbank – Elizabeth Peters
Deadlock – Sara Paretsky ✓
A Coffin for Dimitrios – Eric Ambler
A Great Deliverance – Elizabeth George
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn – Colin Dexter ✓
The Long Goodbye – Raymond Chandler
In the Heat of the Night – John Ball
Briarpatch – Ross Thomas
Green for Danger – Christianna Brand
A Thief of Time – Tony Hillerman
The Tiger in the Smoke – Margery Allingham
Clouds of Witness – Dorothy L. Sayers
I, the Jury – Mickey Spillane
The False Inspector Dew – Peter Lovesey
The Man With a Load of Mischief – Martha Grimes
In a Lonely Place – Dorothy B. Hughes
Ashenden – W. Somerset Maugham
A Morbid Taste of Bones – Ellis Peters
The Sign of Four/The Valley of Fear – Arthur Conan Doyle
The Laughing Policeman – Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
Gorky Park – Martin Cruz Smith
Friday the Rabbi Slept Late – Harry Kemelman ✓
The Scarlet Pimpernel – Baroness Orczy ✓
Above Suspicion – Helen MacInnes ✓
Home Sweet Homicide – Craig Rice ✓
The Quiller Memorandum – Adam Hall
The Franchise Affair – Josephine Tey
Chiefs – Stuart Woods
Final Appeal – Lisa Scottoline ✓
Grave Mistake – Ngaio Marsh
Riddle of the Sands – Erskine Childers ✓
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold – John Le Carre
Judgement in Stone – Ruth Rendell
The Three Coffins – John Dickson Carr ✓
Fletch – Gregory Mcdonald
The Thirty-Nine Steps & Greenmantle – John Buchan ✓
And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie ✓
The Ivory Grin – Ross MacDonald
Payment Deferred – C.S. Forester
L.A. Requiem – Robert Crais ✓
The Perfect Murder – H.R.F. Keating
Burglars Can’t Be Choosers – Lawrence Block
The Lasko Tangent – Richard North Patterson
The Horizontal Man – Helen Eustis
Trent’s Last Case – E. C. Bentley
Hopscotch – Brian Garfield
Smallbone Deceased – Michael Gilbert
I. O. U. – Nancy Pickard
The Moving Toyshop – Edmund Crispin
The Ice House – Minette Walters
Red Harvest – Dashiell Hammett
A Gentle Murder – Dorothy Salisbury Davis

✓ = In my collection

I encourage every avid reader to embark on a similar journey of literary exploration, as there is no greater pleasure than delving into the unknown, unraveling the intricacies of a brilliantly crafted mystery, and savoring the satisfaction of a well-solved case. The “Impress’s Best Mysteries of All Time” collection has been a revelation and a testament to the enduring power of the mystery genre—a genre that will continue to captivate and enchant readers for generations to come.