So this has to be first "Murder in Retrospect" since 2019 not starting on somber or outright depressing note, because the first-half of the 2020s has been a ride, but now can delve right into the annual blog roundup – beginning with the lists and some filler stuff. This year, I cobbled together only three posts under "The Hit List" banner. The first of these lists was "Top 10 Locked Room Mystery Novels That Need to Be Reprinted" for obvious, self-explanatory reasons. "Top 10 Favorite Cases from Motohiro Katou's Q.E.D. vol. 26-50" is a follow up to "Top 10 Favorite Cases from Motohiro Katou's Q.E.D. vol. 1-25" and "Top 7 Most Murderable "Victims" in Detective Fiction" is most recent one. I probably could have picked a better topic for the last list, but a few ideas are knocking about for next year. I also made an ill-fated, largely ignored attempt to make headway in "The Unbreakable Discussion on Impossible Alibis."
Last year, I looked ahead at the reprints, translations and new detective fiction scheduled to be published in the coming year and 2026 already looks packed! Let's look what has been announced as forthcoming as of this writing.
British Library Crime Classics is going to publish reprints of Carter Dickson's The Unicorn Murder (1936), Joseph Shearing's Airing in a Close Carriage (1943), Carol Carnac's The Double Turn (1956) and Leo Bruce's Jack on the Gallows Tree (1960). Yes, I'm very pleased with the Carnac reprint! Galileo Publishers have reprints of Joan Coggin's Why Did She Die? (1946) and Clifford Wittings' Villainous Saltpetre (1962) in the pipeline, while Dean Street Press is likely going to continue reissuing Brian Flynn and Sara Woods. In the US, Otto Penzler's American Mystery Classics is reprinting Lassiter Wren & Randle McKay's The Baffle Book (1928), Mignon G. Eberhart's While the Patient Slept (1930), Ellery Queen's The Tragedy of Y (1932), Phoebe Atwood Taylor's Sandbar Sinister (1934), C. Daly King's Obelists Fly High (1935) and the anthology Golden Age Suspense Stories (2026). Pushkin Vertigo 2026 lineup doesn't disappoint either with translations of Seishi Yokomizo's Yoru aruku (It Walks by Night, 1948), Yukito Ayatsuji's Kuronekokan no satsujin (The Black Cat House Murders, 1992), Akane Araki's Konoyo no hate no satsujin (Murder at the End of the World, 2022) and Haruo Yuki's Hakobune (The Ark, 2022). While the BBB is going to publish the full translation of MORI Hiroshi's Shiteki shiteki Jack (Jack the Poetical Private, 1997), which they're currently serializing. When it comes to the translations, you can really feel John Pugmire's absence by the lack of Paul Halter and other French mysteries.
Before going down the yearly list of best and worst mysteries, a few comments about the list itself. Firstly, the Japanese honkaku and shin honkaku mysteries have had a strong present on this list ever since the translation wave began. And, usually, they delivered the best locked room mysteries and impossible crimes of the year. But most of the Japanese mysteries this year were either non-impossible crimes or the impossibilities were minor elements. Danro Kamosaki kindly filled that gap with his first two “Murder in the Golden Age of Locked Rooms” novels. Secondly, I was pleased to see a solid block of 2020s mysteries emerge when putting the list together, exactly like I envisioned it all those years ago. Lastly, I tried to bring more order to this years list, but it's still a mess. I'm probably just going to do a top 20 next year.
So let me all wish you a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2026! Hope to see all back next year when I do what I usually do.
Another year, another list.
THE BEST DETECTIVE NOVELS:
Golden Age:
The Moving House of Foscaldo (1925/26) by Charles Chadwick
For me, this was one of the most surprising reprints of the year! The Moving House of Foscaldo is more a novel of adventure and romance with detective story elements than a detective novel with a dash of adventure and romance, but what it does it does very well. Not to mention a surprisingly good and even original impossibility centering on a string of disappearances from a old, creaking cliff side windmill.
The Garston Murder Case (1930) by H.C. Bailey
A serious satire of the turn-of-the-century Gothic novel and introduces Bailey's second series-character, the lawyer Joshua Clunk. A hall of fame hypocrite who sucks sweets, hums hymns, tut-tuts the authorities at every opportunity they hand him making Clunk a strangely compelling anti-hero.
Top Storey Murder (1931) by Anthony Berkeley
A pretty straightforward, regular whodunit by Berkeley's own standards, but, while not a masterpiece, it's a top-notch early 1930s mystery showcasing Berkeley's talent for fabricating false-solutions. A small scale version of Berkeley's The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) and Leo Bruce's Case for Three Detectives (1936).
From This Dark Stairway (1931) by Mignon G. Eberhart
Set in Melady Memorial Hospital, during an oppressive July heatwave, where a frail, sickly patient scheduled for surgery disappears from a sealed elevator and locked building – leaving only the body of his surgeon behind. Nurse Sarah Keate and Policeman Lance O'Leary try to figure out what, exactly, happened while keeping the hospital routine running. A small gem of the 1930s American detective novel.
Fear Stalks the Village (1932) by Ethel Lina White
This is not your typical village mystery or countryside whodunit, but a nicely done, leisurely-paced and oddly effective village thriller. Rather than tossing a corpse on the hearth rug of a prominent villager's library, it shows the slow, corrosive effect of poison pen letters on a peaceful community of sun drenched flower gardens, cobbled streets and Tudor cottages. Something good off the beaten garden path.
Obelists en Route (1934) by C. Daly King
Considered at one point be one of the ten rarest, most sought after out-of-print Golden Age mysteries finally returned to print this year. This story of murder aboard a coast-to-coast luxury train from New York City to San Francisco was well worth the wait and an excellent addition to the list of classic railway mysteries.
The Sealed Room Murder (1934) by James Ronald
Unfortunately, the titular sealed room is only a small, fairly routine part of the plot tucked away near the end and not quite as good as Ronald's Murder in the Family (1936) or They Can't Hang Me (1938), but an excellent, twisty piece of pulp fiction you can breeze through in one sitting. Moonstone Press and Chris Verner deserve a ton of praise for succeeding, where past attempts had failed, in finally bringing James Ronald back to print.
The Burning Court (1937) by John Dickson Carr (a reread)
A favorite among Carr's fans for its daring, genre crossing epilogue, but personally didn't care for the supernatural twist and preferred the detective novel preceding the epilogue. A classic JDC mystery with vanishing corpses, disappearing doorways and the lingering presence long-dead poisoners.
Dance of Death (1938) by Helen McCloy
A debutante, who disappeared from her coming out party, is found dead from heat stroke in a snowdrift on a New York sidewalk. A suitably baffling first case for McCloy's psychiatrist sleuth, Dr. Basil Willing, but even more remarkable than the unusual murder is its background of medicine and cosmetic endorsements with the victim being a 1930s analog version of a social media influencer. So, ironically, it's a vintage mystery barely showing its age.
Nine Times Nine (1940) by Anthony Boucher (a reread)
So much better and more fun than I remembered! Boucher, a Californian, had a front row seat when cults, pseudo-religious and fringe sects flocked to California during the 1930s and '40s – which likely provided the idea for this novel. A locked room mystery about the impossible murder of a debunker, apparently done by a cult leader, who miraculously disappeared from the locked and watched crime scene. Nine Times Nine earned a lot of pasts glory for being a good locked room mystery not written by Carr, but even without the unfair comparison it remains a treat for impossible crime fanatics.
Such Bright Disguises (1941) by Brian Flynn
A brilliantly staged, but soul-crushingly grim, inverted mystery in which Dorothy Grant and her secret lover, Laurence Weston, dispose of Dorothy's husband in order to build a new life together. And they get away with it. But even a perfect murder can demand a toll. A superb psychological crime novel full of domestic suspense, heart-wrenching tragedy and a very cruel twist.
Reunion with Murder (1941) by Timothy Fuller
I returned Timothy Fuller's Jupiter Jones series this year when picking Keep Cool, Mr. Jones (1950) from the big pile, but it's the two (reverse) follow ups that earned a spot on the list. Reunion with Murder counts as one of the better American college mysteries in which Jupiter's dragged away from his wedding preparations to engage on some prenuptial sleuthing when a Harvard reunion produces a body. Fuller's best and most subtle detective novel with a brilliant solution and memorable denouement.
Murder, M.D. (1943) by Miles Burton
This one came recommended, likely from Curt Evans, as an excellent and noteworthy WWII village mystery. He was not wrong! The story deals with a village that had its population drained by the war machine and their unpopular locum killed under suspicious circumstances. A mystery not only marked by good, solid detective work, but a better hidden murderer and motive than is usually the case with Rhode/Burton.
Wilders Walk Away (1948) by Herbert Brean (a reread)
I came away more than a little disappointed when first reading Wilders Walk Away, because it was supposed to be one of those great, nearly legendary, impossible crime novels not written by John Dickson Carr or Hake Talbot – which is not what it is at all. Wilders Walk Away is good, old-fashioned and fun whodunit compellingly presented as a prototype of the small town thriller. The string of inexplicably disappearances stretching across the centuries is just a bonus.
An English Murder (1951) by Cyril Hare (a reread)
A Christmas mystery with all the apparent trappings of a good, old-fashioned country house whodunit, but one taking place under post-war austerities and the strain of politics at the dinner table. And it's a whydunit with an original, cleverly-hidden motive.
Murder as a Fine Art (1953) by E.C.R. Lorac (writing as "Carol Carnac")
A vintage mystery from the Golden Age's twilight years skewering and satirizing both politics and modern art when a brutal, seemingly impossible murder disrupts the bureaucratic routine at the Ministry of Fine Arts. Lorac takes a surprisingly routine and procedural approach to a non-routine murder case, but the loony solution to the how is grand. Brutalism applied to the fine art of murder!
Moderns:
Reckoning at the Riviera Royale (2022) by P.J. Fitzsimmons
Fitzsimmons is unquestionable angling to be become the Leo Bruce or Edmund Crispin of the Golden Age revival. When it comes to the comedy, Fitzsimmons is succeeding with flying colors, but where the plots are concerned, the quality is uneven. The best, so far, are The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning (2021) and Reckoning at the Riviera Royale. In this fifth novel, Anty travels to the Riviera to discuss with his mother the possibility of her having killed his father and has to clear an elephant from a charge of murder. Great fun!
Black Lake Manor (2022) by Guy Morpuss
A mind bending, genre crossing hybrid mystery, stretching across three centuries, that impossible to encapsulate in a short synopsis, but Morpuss delivered on the promise of a mystery with a twist on reality and playing with the consequences. Only downside is Morpuss writes standalones, not series, which means he's unlikely to ever return to this Hard Light universe.
Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone (2022) by Benjamin Stevenson
The first, of currently three, novels in the Ernest Cunningham series is not merely a superbly plotted, funny meta-mystery, but a genuine, character-driven continuation of the plot-oriented Golden Age detective novel. Stevenson understands how to lie through his teeth without uttering a single untrue word, technically speaking. A sign the revival is slowly turning into a Second Golden Age.
Last One to Leave (2022) by Benjamin Stevenson
Before the success of the Ernest Cunningham series, Stevenson published two detective novels starring a disgraced TV producer and a couple of non-series e-novellas. Last One to Leave stages an impossible crime in the middle of an endurance contest organized by a YouTube content mill. A truly traditional mystery for the modern era!
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect (2023) by Benjamin Stevenson
A sort of sequel-within-a-sequel. Ernest wrote a moderately successful book based on his experiences from Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone and finds himself aboard a train hosting a crime writers festival filled with bickering authors and fans. Even better than the first! Not to mention a great example of how to blend the modern world with a good, old-fashioned whodunit.
The Riddle of the Ravens (2024) by J.S. Savage
The second novel in the Inspector Graves & Constable Carver series of 1920s locked room mysteries. This time, they're called to the Tower of London when the ravens begin to come down with a touch of death. And then the murders begin. A pretty solid, pleasingly tricky historical mystery. Savage hasn't published anything this year. So, hopefully, we'll get the third one next year.
Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (2024) by Benjamin Stevenson
You can say this series is my favorite discovery of the year and the series “Christmas Special” doesn't disappoint. How can you not like a Christmas mystery structured and clued like an advent calendar about a seemingly impossible, onstage decapitation and magicians, hypnotists and even a dead guy as potential suspects.
Hangings at Hempel's Green (2025) by A. Carver
Practically a standalone mystery as both Alex Corby and Cornelia Crow fulfill the role of background characters, in favor of a poor stand-in character, but the plot is a return to the first two novels – especially the numerous impossible hangings. Simply a great village mystery, but hope Alex and Cornelia take the center stage again in their fifth outing.
The House at Devil's Neck (2025) by Tom Mead
The fourth and most inspired of the ongoing Joseph Spector series of retro-Golden Age locked room mysteries. Mead employed the dual narrative split between a haunted military hospital from the First World War and London with a handful of impossible crimes between them. The ending strongly suggests the next few novels will be taking place under the cover of the blackouts and Blitz of World War II.
Translations:
Kuronekotei jiken (Murder at the Black Cat Cafe, 1946/47) by Seishi Yokomizo
This latest translation is a twofer offering two shorter Kosuke Kindaichi novels. The title novel is the best of the two and very different, offbeat and somewhat noir-ish compared to to the previous Yokomizo translations. A grim story concerning a faceless corpse, buried in a shallow grave, behind the Black Cat Cafe in a dark, tucked away in a seedy maze of backstreets, alleyways and passages – dotted with cafes and brothels. What held this crime story up as a detective story are the prologue and epilogue.
Kuroi hakuchou (The Black Swan Mystery, 1960) by Tetsuya Ayukawa
Written decades before the shin honkaku boom, when the Japanese crime story was dominated by the social school of Seicho Matsumoto of Ten to sen (Points and Lines, 1958) fame, but this railway mystery has the heart, soul and plot of a classic, fairly detective novel – like a juiced up Christopher Bush or Freeman Wills Crofts. So even during their genre's “dark era,” the Japanese continued to produce first-rate detective fiction.
Meirokan no satsujin (The Labyrinth House Murders, 1988) by Yukito Ayatsuji
The third translation in the "Bizarre House Mysteries" series and difficult to encapsulate with its dueling narratives, story-within-a-story structure and the maze-like backdrop. A first-rate, ghoulish fun meta-mystery that's not to be missed!
Tokeikan no satsujin (The Clock Mansion Murders, 1991) by Yukito Ayatsuji
A 400-page gold brick of a detective novel and my favorite entry Yukito Ayatsuji's "Bizarre House Mysteries" series, but, since I very recently reviewed it, I recommend taking a look at the review.
Nanakai shinda otoko (The Man Who Died Seven Times, 1995) by Yasuhiko Nishizawa
From all the Japanese titles on this years list, Nishizawa's The Man Who Died Seven Times could very well be my personal favorite. Kyutaro, a high school student, frequently experiences time loops in which the same day resets, not replays, nine times. Very handy when you need to ace a school exam, but horrifying when you try to prevent your grandfather's murder. Like I said in my review, if it's not perfect, it comes close enough.
Katou no raihousha (Visitors to the Isolated Island, 2020) by Kie Houjou
The second title in the "Ryuuzen Clan" series of genre bending, hybrid mysteries tackling the truly unknown this time. Not time travel or immersive technology, but an otherworldly entities, the Visitors, wreaking havoc on a small, remote island – while remaining a classically-styled, fair play mystery. As good and impressive as the first and third novel.
Oomarike satsujin jiken (Murder in the House of Omari, 2021) by Taku Ashibe
A historical detective novel intricately weaving a tale of murder and old sins casting large shadows presented as a family epoch covering the first half of the previous century. Finally coming ahead as the first American bombers begin to appear on the distant horizon. A masterly done homage to honkaku legends like Akimitsu Takagi and Seishi Yokomizo.
Misshitsu ougon jidai no satsujin – Yuko no yakata to muttsu no trick (Murder in the Golden Age of Locked Rooms – The House of Snow and the Six Tricks, 2022) by Danro Kamosaki
Yes, these Japanese detective novel can be difficult to sum up in a few short, snappy sentences and that's especially true of Danro Kamosaki's "Murder in the Golden Age of Locked Rooms" series. A series taking place in an alternate version of Japan where a successful locked room murder caused an epidemic of impossible crimes. A high school student, Kasumi Kuzushiro, is dragged into the most complicated case of all with no less than six impossible crimes. A love letter to the impossible crime story and locked room trickery! The second novel in the series follows a similar track, but now with seven original, ingeniously-contrived and completely insane impossible crimes on a remote island. So you may take this one as a double entry.
Henna e (Strange Pictures, 2022) by Uketsu
A series of strange, apparently unconnected stories told and linked together through pictures and drawings. I liked it perhaps more than most around these parts and certainly liked it more than Henna le (Strange Houses, 2021), but both should be regarded as more than novelties or gimmick mysteries.
Rechercheur De Klerck en de dode weldoener (Inspector De Klerck and the Dead Philanthropist, 2025) by P. Dieudonné
A very late, practically last minute entry on the list and another timely Christmas mystery, but more importantly, it can stand with the best in the series. Since I recently reviewed it, I suggests taking a look at the review.
THE BEST SHORT STORIES AND SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS:
Golden Age:
"John Archer's Nose" (1935) by Rudolph Fisher
"The Devil in the Summerhouse" (1942) by John Dickson Carr
"The Man Who Talked with Spirits" (1943) by Herbert Brean
Moderns:
"Captain Leopold and the Ghost-Killer" (1974) by Edward D. Hoch
"The Problem of the Pink Post Office" (1981) by Edward D. Hoch (a reread)
"Over the Edge" (2007) by James H. Cobb
Short Story Collections:
The Men Who Explained Miracles (1963) by John Dickson Carr (a reread)
The Will o' the Wisp Mystery (2024) by Edward D. Hoch
The Indian Rope Trick and Other Violent Entertainments (2024) by Tom Mead
It's About Impossible Crime (2025) by James Scott Byrnside
THE WORST DETECTIVE NOVELS:
Novels:
Give Me Death (1934) by Isabel Briggs Myers
Well, I was warned before hand it would be terrible. The premise begins with a fascinating premise: members of a family driven to suicide upon learning a terrible secret. A hazardous piece of information that made death preferable, but the execution went from unintentional self parody to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Belt of Suspicion (1936) by H. Russell Wakefield
Better written than plotted with barely anything to recommend, except the writing and occasional modern, realistic touches to the characterization. But an unremarkable bland as a detective novel.
The Laughing Buddha Murders (1944) by Richard Foster
A pulp-style locked room mystery lacking a substantial plot to prop up the story, while wasting an interesting character, Chin Kwang Kham, who could have been the Charlie Chan of the Pulps.
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