For beginners, 'The Girl on the Train' by Paula Hawkins can be a good start. It has elements of a locked - room mystery as it mainly focuses on a small set of characters and locations. The mystery is engaging and easy to follow.
Paul Halter's works, like 'The Demon of Dartmoor', are also excellent modern locked room mystery novels. His stories are full of complex puzzles and impossible situations. He often uses classic mystery elements but gives them a modern spin, making them both nostalgic and fresh for mystery lovers.
One of the best is 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a classic that really set the standard for locked room mysteries.
Agatha Christie's 'The Crooked House' is also a great one. It has a complex plot within a seemingly impossible crime scene. The characters are all suspects, and Christie masterfully weaves the mystery.
Another great one is 'The Big Bow Mystery' by Israel Zangwill. It was one of the early locked room mystery novels and is still very engaging today. The setting and the characters add to the overall mystery.
One of the greatest is 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a classic that really set the standard for locked room mysteries. The story's setting and the seemingly impossible nature of the crime within a locked room is both fascinating and mind - boggling.
Agatha Christie is a very famous author. She wrote many mystery novels, some of which are locked room mysteries like 'And Then There Were None'. Her plots are always full of twists and turns.
The key elements often include a seemingly impossible crime scene where the victim is found in a locked room. There's usually a limited number of suspects who had access to the room or were in the vicinity. Another important element is the detective or investigator who uses their wits and deduction skills to solve the mystery.
For beginners, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is a good choice. It's part of the Sherlock Holmes series. The mystery of the Baskerville family and the terrifying hound is really engaging and not too complex for new mystery readers.
John Dickson Carr is a well - known author in this genre. His works often feature complex locked room mysteries.
Well, in a locked room mystery short story, there are a few key things. First, there's the locked room itself, which creates a sense of mystery. Then, there are the suspects with their motives and alibis. The detective has to figure out who did it despite the locked room situation. And there are often hidden clues within the room that are crucial for solving the mystery.