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Classic Crime Short Stories
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The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe
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.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle
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.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
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.
The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green
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.
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
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.
The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill
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.
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
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.
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
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.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
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.
Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe
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.
The Blue Cross by G.K. Chesterton
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.
The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie
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.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
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.
The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling
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.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux
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.
The D. Case or The Truth About the Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens and Various Authors
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.
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
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.
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
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.
The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle
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.
The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson
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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