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Classic Crime Short Stories

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The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

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Plot Summary: Considered the first detective story, it follows C. Auguste Dupin as he solves the mystery of a gruesome double murder in Paris. Twist: The murderer is revealed to be an escaped orangutan.

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The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Plot Summary: Sherlock Holmes investigates the death of a woman, apparently from fear, just before her wedding. Twist: The cause of death is a venomous snake used by her stepfather to kill her for her inheritance.

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The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

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Plot Summary: Sam Spade gets embroiled in the search for a valuable statue, facing deceit and murder. Twist: The Maltese Falcon is a fake, and various characters have been deceived.

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The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green

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Plot Summary: A New York City detective uncovers family secrets while investigating the murder of a wealthy industrialist. Twist: The industrialist's niece, the beneficiary of the will, is the villain.

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The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

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Plot Summary: Tommy and Tuppence form a partnership and search for a missing woman and government documents. Twist: The mysterious 'Mr. Brown' is actually a character that has been present throughout the story.

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The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill

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Plot Summary: A landlady discovers her tenant dead with a slashed throat in a locked room. Twist: The tenant's friend, who argues against the death penalty, commits suicide revealing he was the murderer.

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The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

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Plot Summary: An affair between a drifter and a diner owner's wife leads to plotting the husband's murder. Twist: After getting away with murder, their relationship deteriorates, leading to their downfall.

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The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

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Plot Summary: A diamond goes missing after a party at an English country house, with numerous suspects. Twist: The diamond was stolen twice, once by a thief and once by the owner's niece while sleepwalking.

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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Plot Summary: A lawyer investigates the strange relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Twist: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person, resulting from an experiment gone wrong.

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Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe

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Plot Summary: A collection of Poe's stories, each with its own mystery and dark twist. Twist: Twists vary per story, from premature burials to murders that betray themselves.

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The Blue Cross by G.K. Chesterton

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Plot Summary: Father Brown accidentally foils an attempted theft of the titular object by a master criminal. Twist: Father Brown scattered clues to lead the detective to the thief.

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The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie

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Plot Summary: A man is on trial for murder, and his wife is set to testify against him. Twist: The wife's testimony is part of an elaborate plot to secure the acquittal of her guilty husband.

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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Plot Summary: Sherlock Holmes investigates a supernatural hound believed to be haunting the Baskerville family. Twist: The hound is a real dog painted with phosphorus to appear ghostly, used to target the family heir.

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The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling

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Plot Summary: Two British adventurers become kings of a remote part of Afghanistan. Twist: Their rule ends disastrously when one of them decides to marry a local woman, breaking a local taboo.

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The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux

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Plot Summary: Reporter and amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille solves an attempted murder in a locked room. Twist: The culprit is the victim's fiancé, who was hidden in the room all along.

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The D. Case or The Truth About the Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens and Various Authors

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Plot Summary: A continuation and conclusion to Dickens's unfinished novel through a fictional investigation. Twist: Various resolutions are proposed by different contemporary writers, exploring multiple possible endings.

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The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

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Plot Summary: Richard Hannay becomes entangled in a conspiracy and is on the run from the police and enemy spies. Twist: The 'thirty-nine steps' refers to the distance between steps leading to a secret German spy base.

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The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

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Plot Summary: While recovering in the hospital, Inspector Alan Grant investigates the historical case of King Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. Twist: Grant concludes that King Richard III was not the murderer, but rather a victim of historical character assassination.

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The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Plot Summary: Sherlock Holmes investigates the odd case of the Red-Headed League and discovers a criminal plot. Twist: The League was a ruse to distract a pawnbroker while a tunnel was dug from his cellar to a bank vault.

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The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Plot Summary: A man buys a bottle that grants wishes at a cost and struggles with the moral and supernatural consequences. Twist: The man cleverly rids himself of the cursed bottle by exploiting a technicality.

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