You Can't Beat The Classics - By Harini Nagendra

We keep writing new books, but there are so many classics out there. What are the crime fiction classics you think every writer should read?

Like most mystery/crime fiction authors, I started writing my series because I fell in love with this genre when I was very young. Here, in semi-chronological order were the books and authors I loved reading, and still find myself returning to - despite the anachronisms that make me cringe (for some of them).

1. Enid Blyton, Five Find Outers series - The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters

I loved the Five Find Outers, five children who sleuthed with their dog. I especially loved this one because - unlike many other Blyton books, which were strong on characterization and setting, but could be very thin on plot - this one had a lovely mix of red herrings, real clues - and red herrings which the children laid out to fool their nemesis, choleric Inspector Goon, but which turned out to be real clues. I do find these more difficult to read now. The characters are still as loveable, and so is the setting of an old English village - and the food! How does Enid Blyton manage to make boiled eggs sound so appealing? But her books also have an annoying tendency to make the girls seem weak and in need of some masculine help, and overly involved in cleaning and cooking for the boys. While this series is better than many others (the Famous Five being one of the worst offenders), it still bears strong traces of the time in which it was written. Great plotting though!

2. Carolyn Keene (ghostwritten by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams), Nancy Drew series - The Thirteenth Pearl   

After reading far too mysteries where girls were relegated to bit players, I fell in love with the Nancy Drew series. Plots are thin, adventure high, and the settings are deftly sketched out - the bit I liked best was the chance to travel across the world through the eyes of the books. As an older reader, I jumped at the chance to purchase a full set of the books when they were reissued with the original hard covers - some were harder to read now, again because of the way in which some gender roles are characterized. Nancy's best friends, cousins George and Bess, tend to annoy me now - but as a historical fiction writer, I love the way in which these books weave history and science into the story. I selected this one because I got to learn a lot about pearls, natural and artificial, especially how they are made and sold, and what makes some kinds of pearls especially valuable to collectors. This - communicating interesting facts about the world around you without using a series of boring info-dumps - is a skill that's good to have.

3. John Buchan, Richard Hannay series - Thirty Nine Steps

 I love the Richard Hannay series. My personal favourite is book 4, Three Hostages, because it delves deep into the art of hypnotism, and especially into why some people can remain immune to its effects while others are especially susceptible. But Thirty Nine Steps is better known, also made into a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock (though some would say the movie is loosely based on the book). It's more of a spy thriller than a mystery, and the anachronistic descriptions of race and country are rather obvious when one reads them today, and the language rathe more flowery than we are used to now. But the entire series is a fun read, and I love the way Buchan keeps the action rolling, intense but never overwhelming, keeping the anticipation high and the villains evil but steering the book away from the truly gruesome. Not easy to do in a book about war and international intrigue. This book was set in 1914 and written in 1915, in the early part of World War 1 - Buchan was writing about events that would change the face of the world, without the advantage of hindsight, which writers setting books in WW1 now possess. Quite a feat, when you think of it.

4. Dorothy Gilman, Mrs. Pollifax series - The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

OK, I love all the Mrs. Pollifax books, and I couldn't pick one, so I settled on the first one. The plots are completely unbelievable - Mrs. Pollifax is a senior citizen, retired, spending time in her garden with her potted plants - and through a series of accidents, ends up becoming a CIA spy, sent off on various international assignments. In this one, she travels to Mexico but ends up in prison in Albania. Set in the Cold War, what I love about these books - which can get fairly dark in spots - is the regard and appreciation for diverse cultures that Gilman brings to her writing, and the social critique that she subtly embeds into the plots - without overwhelming the books. When I re-read them now, that's what I am looking for, and trying to learn from.

5. Agatha Christie, Why Didn't They Ask Evans

This is the only one in my list that is not part of a series - but it's one of my favourite Christies, nevertheless. The title gives away one of the main plot points - and yet it doesn't. A man dies, but not before asking his rescuer the question. The rest of the book is devoted to figuring out a number of associated puzzles - who is Evans, who are 'they', why didn't they ask Evans, what should 'they' have asked Evans... it's a long list. And the twist, when it comes, is unexpected yet delicious, in the way only Agatha Christie can make it. Small wonder that she's the mistress of crime and mystery writing! 

 What are some of your favourite classics?