What Are Locked Room Mysteries?
Locked room mysteries, also called “impossible mysteries,” is fairly simple on the surface: a crime is committed with no possible way for a murderer to get in or out of an area, or, a locked room. But the beauty of the genre is in the details, and the writer provides the reader all the clues they need to solve the case at the very beginning, layering in evidence and red herrings in expertly plotted mysteries that keep readers guessing. One of the most well-known writers of locked room mysteries is Agatha Christie; the device can be seen in her books Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None, to name just two. These crimes take place in “locked rooms” of sorts, as there is a set cast of characters in a set place where the crime is committed, and no one exits or arrives after the narrative has begun. But Christie wasn’t the inventor of the genre; many credit the first locked room mystery to Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), and other early instances include The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux (1907) and The Chinese Orange Mystery by Ellery Queen (1934). By the early 1920s, the literature scene entered the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, which spans the 1920s through the 1930s. The era featured many breakout and prolific writers who specialized in locked room mysteries, like John Dickson Carr, who was known as the “master of the locked room mystery.” Eventually the genre grew to include additional sub-genres, like honkaku and shin honkaku mysteries, which also usually feature a locked room element. Locked room mysteries continued their popularity through the 20th and into the 21st centuries, finding new readers with new books and more familiarity with the concept with the introduction of locked room movies and entertainment like escape rooms.
Best Locked Room Mysteries: The Classics
Whether you’re a newbie to the genre or a seasoned pro, having a go-to list for your next locked room book is a must. Here are some classics if you want to go old-school and read some of the original masters of the genre.
Best Locked Room Mysteries: Newer Releases
Of course there are tons of modern locked room books out, and the genre doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Here are a few standouts in the space. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned pro at the genre, locked room mysteries are some of the best the mystery genre has to offer. And if you’ve already read everything on this list, try more locked room books if you love escape rooms or take this quiz to find out exactly which one to read next.
