My Favorite Classic Mystery Novels

In my ongoing quest to post my "best of" book lists, I've got my favorite classic mysteries for y'all today!
Lipstick: "Charming" by The Balm
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Books Mentioned:
Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie
And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie
Crooked House - Agatha Christie
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
The Sherlock Holmes Short Stories - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers
The Quiet American - Graham Greene
The Father Brown Mysteries - GK Chesterton
The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
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Disclaimers: Unless specifically noted by me in this video, title, or description, this video is not sponsored and I have not been compensated for its creation or publication. If I receive any form of compensation, or if I am provided with any books or goods discussed in this video for promotional consideration, I will disclose that in the video or description.
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[@Brunette_Rapunzel]

I'm a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan. I've read every Sherlock Holmes ever written by Sir Doyle. :)

[@nancyye4572]

Wow! And then there were none and Crooked house are two of my favorite Christie’s novels too! And I also love the murder of Roger Ackroyd!😍

[@nola3963]

THE WOMAN IN WHITE deserves more recognition 😭

[@sayanhalder6470]

I have just read "hags nook" and became a fan of dr gideon fell.

[@madison7871]

Oh my godddd your background covers are so beautiful!

[@maybritt9207]

Thanks for a great list. As Peter Wimsey’s greatest fan, I would say that Gaudy Night is for readers who already know and love him! I would suggest Strong Poison, the first part of the romance and an interesting contemplation on 1930s style feminism!

[@bramvangompel6770]

The Complete Sherlock Holmes is my personal bible, I always keep it close at hand Love the adaptations starring Jeremy Brett, btw!

[@outi3852]

You mentioned so many of my favourites that clearly I need to add the rest to my tbr 😃 Yay to Father Brown and Sherlock, also love Arsène Lupin.

[@nilulal545]

Your suggestions always makes me say whoa!! I just got my copy of woman in white.. Very anxiously waiting to start reading! As always awesome choices😊

[@jaydenreads-kg7pw]

Yay! I love, "The Women in White," and I don't know of anyone else who has read it.

[@kasedraven910]

You probably dont care but if you are stoned like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the new series on instaflixxer. I've been watching with my brother lately :)

[@cesarmichael1692]

@Kase Draven Yea, been using instaflixxer for since december myself :D

[@WomanVsBooks]

Great reccomadations will check some of these out, I don't read a lot of classic mysteries so now you have given me some great places to start 😀

[@jayjones8570]

I pretty much watch your channel for Mystery picks so you know I love this video!

[@LisbethJimenez]

I have to check out Dorothy Sayer and GK Chesterton. I love re-reading all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, it is a shame he was not more prolific. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@debralavoie9095]

Great video! I love Sherlock Holmes so much.

[@trekkiebeth]

You randomly appeared in my recommended videos and I'm subscribing for your love of classics and your great personality! I also love your Penguin clothbound collection. :)

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh yay! Well, welcome, and glad to have you along for the ride :)

[@MaryAmongStories]

loved this video, i needed these recommendations :D

[@srikkanthank]

Nice list and wonderfully presented

[@KristinMomentsOfSanctuary]

Just read the woman in white first time last month and adored it! Maybe favorite classic period. (Need to reread picture Dorian grey to be sure) and I adore Agatha so much! I love and then there were none but don’t recall for sure the other two so will look for those soon! Thanks as always for the reviews.

[@stefaniacattaneo3802]

Enjoyed this video so much! I love all of the mysteries you have reviewed.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed

[@CharlesHeathcote]

I ought to read the Christie novels that aren't part of a series. You've covered most of the classic mysteries I've read. I'm hoping to read some Margery Allingham this month, in order that the classic crime I read isn't all related to Christie, but it's difficult because she's all I really think of when I think classic mystery.

[@MarinaJohan]

I can totally understand being unable to decide between Crooked House and And Then There Were None. After reading Poirot Investigates, I’ve really started to enjoy these short stories and also thanks to you! I really need to start The Woman in White. The length does intimidate me a little though.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Glad you’re enjoying some Agatha short stories!! They are my favs ☺️

[@readin_ritin_rithmetic]

I love Josephine Tey.

[@Tinahgirl83]

Great Agatha Christie choices!!!! I’m currently listening to Cards on the Table for the millionth time as well. I LOVE Gaudy Night. Its actually one of my favorite novels of all time period. I also really loved The Nine Tailors. the Woman in White is sooooo good. Count Fosco...I love him. I also really love some of Ngaio Marsh’s work and John Dickson Carr. And The List of Adrian Messenger by Philip MacDonald is one of the best mysteries I’ve ever read.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Great list!!

[@smz3610]

You beauty! Thanks a ton for this! Really appreciate your work! Big cheers!

[@williammcguire130]

Subbed. Very few videos about classic detective stories on BookTube. Great job.

[@Puddin_Tame]

Great video. Thanks for posting. Did you get your Chesterton hardcover? Which title/publisher/edition? Have you ever tried any of the Albert Campion novels by Margery Allingham? They're a mixed bag to be sure. Some are whodunnits, some are adventure/suspense tales. Even the writing style varies from book to book (I often wondered whether "Margery Allingham" was a pen name for a group of writers). I believe the character of Campion was initially a take-off on Peter Wimsey but he soon became his own beast and he ages in real time with each story. My favorite is "Death of a Ghost." While I don't consider it a great mystery tale, I do think the author did succeed in creating a strong sense of atmosphere and character, something she also did in her most well-known book, "The Tiger in the Smoke" (which is only technically a Campion tale, as he's a background character in it).

[@ihatefindingapasswor]

I really enjoyed this video. I got a lot of great recommendations, like Dorothy L. Sayers, whom I've never read from before. I read a bunch of Christie books back in the 8th grade. I can't really remember the plots to any of the books but I'd like to go back and re-read all of the ones I've read, as well as the ones I didn't. I want to start with the Miss Marple series and read it all the way through. Did you read any of her series in order or did you pick up ones that looked interesting?

[@bookslikewhoa]

Originally I went in random order, but this reread I’ve been doing chronologically. I think Marple in particular benefits from reading them in order

[@takingteawithcatherine]

Excellent list! I have to get back to Gaudy Night and Sayers in general. Have you read Magpie Murders? Also, I'm seriously salivating over those Penguin Clothbound Classics.

[@bookslikewhoa]

I struck out with Magpie Murders but I’m going to try again sometime soon

[@299brody]

I adore The Woman in White. I Read it for class senior year of high school and I'm reading it again for my crime fiction class senior year of college. I have the same edition as you and those blue birds have started rubbing off onto my fingers. I also have an illustrated edition from the sixties.

[@kyanospantokrator3009]

I love Crime/Detective Books!

[@sanjaykumarrathore50270]

Excellent excellent

[@heman52]

You should give this one a try if you havent already read it....My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk. It is sort of literary whodunnit though you can guess the doer towards the end.

[@JenniferJohnson-ny8mc]

Well looks like I need to read The Woman In White soon that’s been sitting on my shelf for far too long. Thanks for this video!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Hope you enjoy it!!

[@gaildoughty6799]

Great video!

[@SuperBookdragon]

I love your list and I am meaning to get to the Father Brown mysteries straight away. I have recently fallen in love with the character Jackson Brodie from the book ,Started Early took my Dog by Kate Atkinson. The title is taken from the first line of an Emily Dickinson poem. Beautiful writing.

[@marcevan1141]

I agree with you about "The Woman in White." I couldn't put it down. I did think the ending was a bit of a letdown, but otherwise I thought it was smashing.

[@yvettem.holland5072]

Could you please recommend a few great mystery books where the characters are isolated with a killer among them?

[@Syk-ly3qp]

Hey - What about James Hadley Chase's novels?

[@cathymccraw1936]

Love Gaudy Night. Have u read golden age mystery writer Ethel Lina White? She has some creepy English village mysteries.

[@bookslikewhoa]

She’s on my TBR! 🙌

[@theemily1962]

Loved this video. How about a Father Brown read along?

[@bookslikewhoa]

Haha we shall see

[@30dgal]

So guess what ad played before your video?! The promo for The Rook series!! I thought that was funny.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Yaaasss!!! On brand

[@TheNathanj2009]

Have you read any PD James would love to hear what you thought

[@teresateri4803]

Have you read any of georgette heyer mysteries.

[@bookslikewhoa]

I’ve got a couple on my TBR so stayed tuned

[@danecobain]

Good to see Graham Greene represented!

[@bookslikewhoa]

But of course!! 🙌

[@danecobain]

@@bookslikewhoa It only ever seems to be me and you who talk about him!

[@kaajalp9238]

Try the bbc radio audio drama of Gaudy Night! It’s brilliant 🙂

[@bookslikewhoa]

Noted!!

[@antonela5979]

Mara, have you read any cozy mysteries? Any recs?

[@bookslikewhoa]

I can’t say I’ve really enjoyed many cozies. Marple is about as cozy as I get. I think “The Cat Who” series is probably the only cozy series I’ve liked, but it only really gets cozy in the later books

[@antonela5979]

@@bookslikewhoa I haven't read this subgenre I think but I am curious, especially as Penny Reid will write cosy mystery series and I love her writing. Thank you for the recs I will check it out..

[@linamoktafi8733]

"I'm not saying that to sound like you're waiting for my favorites " well I'm waiting for you're favorites 😢

[@gauravdixit6300]

You should read and review Rebecca of Daphne De Maurier.

[@elhaizacuevas212]

I just recently subscribed. Those book spines behind are distracting. 😍

[@bookslikewhoa]

Haha thank you!!

[@amywolfe5673]

Hi Mara, I really enjoy your channel. Afew weeks back you were reviewing a Marple and stated (I think) that you thought the prejudices found in the book were unique to Christie. Having read quite a few novels from the English interwar years, I found those prejudices to be widespread. Especially if someone was Jewish, an immigrant, poor or of a lower social class. It was pretty appalling and of course that condemnation of those who were in anyway other continued right through the postwar years and beyond. I came across this article just the other day and thought it might interest you: crimereads.com/raymond-chandlers-grudge-against-british-mysteries-reconsidered Great video today, I agree with almost all your selections, but found Father Brown too heavy on religion for my tastes. Hope you enjoy the article.

[@amywolfe5673]

Forgot to say that while this article deals primarily with snobism, I think the two go hand in hand.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Awesome thank you for the reference!! 🙌

[@ellendixon8362]

I am always interested in people's favourite Christie books. I dont hear many people talk about it but I loved the ABC murders it's totally my fav

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh see I’ve seen a lot of people who love that one- not my personal fav, but I’m glad it’s so popular

[@treyethantyler3947]

I loved the ABC Murders. There’s a BBC adaptation starring John Malkovich which was decent but the script writer changed some of the plot to make it darker. It’s an interesting view of things but the book was better