History Analysis / MysteryFiction

* '''1853''': Creator/CharlesDickens' ''Literature/BleakHouse'' becomes the first full-length novel to feature a police detective (Inspector Bucket) solving a crime as a major plot point. (Of course, this being Dickens, there are LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters and the detective plot is only one thread of many.)

* '''1912''': R. Austin Freeman invents the ReverseWhoDunnit with the stories in his collection ''The Singing Bone'', featuring Literature/DrThorndyke.

** Stratemeyer and writer Mildred Wirt (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene) introduce the world to ''literature/NancyDrew'' in ''The Secret of the Old Clock''.

** Stratemeyer and writer Mildred Wirt (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene) introduce the world to NancyDrew in ''The Secret of the Old Clock''.

* '''1949''': Robert van Gulik translates and publishes ''Celebrated Cases of JudgeDee'', introducing traditional Chinese mystery to Western audiences.

* '''1929''': Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, under the collective pseudonym of their hero, publish ''The Roman Hat Mystery'', the first appearance of ElleryQueen.

* '''1841''': Creator/EdgarAllanPoe publishes the first modern detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," with the prototypical detective, C. August Dupin.

* '''1887''': Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle publishes ''A Study in Scarlet'' (46 years after Poe), which provides the world with Literature/SherlockHolmes. In that story, he includes a TakeThat against Dupin and Lecoq.

* '''1912''': R Austin Freeman invents the ReverseWhoDunnit with the stories in his collection ''The Singing Bone''.

* '''1927''': [[StratemeyerSyndicate Edward Stratemeyer]] (under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon) introduces the world to ''Literature/TheHardyBoys'', probably the first {{Kid Detective}}s, in ''The Tower Treasure''.

* '''1841''': Creator/EdgarAllanPoe publishes the first modern detective story, "The Murders at the Rue Morgue," with the prototypical detective, C. August Dupin.

* '''Unknown''': OneThousandAndOneNights has a story called The Three Apples. Interestingly, in contrast to modern works, the detective in this story has no interest in solving crimes but instead was forced to under threat of death penalty.
* '''1841''': EdgarAllanPoe publishes the first modern detective story, "The Murders at the Rue Morgue," with the prototypical detective, C. August Dupin.

* '''1887''': Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle publishes ''A Study in Scarlet'' (46 years after Poe), which provides the world with SherlockHolmes. In that story, he includes a TakeThat against Dupin and Lecoq.

* '''1920''': Creator/AgathaChristie publishes ''The Mysterious Affair at Styles'', the first with her detective HerculePoirot.
* '''1923''': Starting with ''Whose Body?'', DorothyLSayers gleefully [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the mystery genre so far with her LordPeterWimsey series.

** Creator/AgathaChristie introduces the LittleOldLadyInvestigates trope with ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' and MissMarple.

* '''Unknown''': OneThousandAndOneNights has a story called The Three Apples, which makes the genre OlderThanTheyThink. Interestingly, in contrast to modern works, the detective in this story has no interest in solving crimes but instead was forced to under threat of death penalty.

* '''1910''': Starting with the short story "The Blue Cross," Creator/GKChesterton introduces the widely influential FatherBrown.

* '''Unknown''': OneThousandAndOneNights has a story called The Three Apples, which makes the genre OlderThanTheyThink.

** DashiellHammett writes ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'', the novel which introduces Sam Spade, the TropeCodifier for the HardboiledDetective.

* '''1868''': Wilkie Collins, already well known for his book ''Literature/TheWomanInWhite'', publishes ''TheMoonstone'', the first English detective novel (Poe's being short stories).

** DashiellHammett writes ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon'', the novel which introduces Sam Spade, the TropeCodifier for the PrivateDetective.

* '''1927''': [[StratemeyerSyndicate Edward Stratemeyer]] (under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon) introduces the world to ''Literature/HardyBoys'', probably the first {{Kid Detective}}s, in ''The Tower Treasure''.

* '''1927''': [[StratemeyerSyndicate Edward Stratemeyer]] (under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon) introduces the world to the HardyBoys, probably the first {{Kid Detective}}s, in ''The Tower Treasure''.

** DashiellHammett writes ''TheMalteseFalcon'', the novel which introduces Sam Spade, the TropeCodifier for the PrivateDetective.

* '''1910''': Starting with the short story "The Blue Cross," GKChesterton introduces the widely influential FatherBrown.

* '''1920''': AgathaChristie publishes ''The Mysterious Affair at Styles'', the first with her detective HerculePoirot.

** AgathaChristie introduces the LittleOldLadyInvestigates trope with ''The Murder at the Vicarage'' and MissMarple.

* '''1887''': Sir ArthurConanDoyle publishes ''A Study in Scarlet'' (46 years after Poe), which provides the world with SherlockHolmes. In that story, he includes a TakeThat against Dupin and Lecoq.

* '''1923''': Starting with ''Whose Body?'', [[{{Ptitlewo6dni8e}} Dorothy L. Sayers]] gleefully [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the mystery genre so far with her LordPeterWimsey series.