You obviously aren't alone with this opinion! Mary Higgins Clark has written multiple best selling novels, and in 2000 was chosen by Mystery Writers of America as Grand Master of the Edgar Awards. While she likely falls in both the oldie and the newbie files, she has put thrill and suspense within the grasp of the readers for many years so far, and hopefully many years to come. Her first published novel was in 1968 (Aspire to the Heavens/Mount Vernon Love Story), and she is still publishing through today.

Oh goodness, I read many of these when I was growing up. My grandmother introduced me to them, and I just loved the reading (though as a child and early teenager, I did not see the appeal of the mustache). Lilian Jackson Braun's first novel was released in 1966, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. Ironically, that is the first book of hers that I have read. Since then, she has written nearly 30 Cat Who mysteries for James Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats to entertain readers.

Well, Erle Stanley Gardner and Arthur Conan Doyle were both covered in the last newsletter, but we have not yet spoken of Agatha Christie or Rex Stout!

Agatha Christie was not just a mystery writer, though she did write 80 mysteries within her lifetime. She was also a romance writer under the pen name of Mary Westmacott. Her mysteries, however, are what made her most famous. The notable characters, of course, were Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, both of which could be seen on television well after her death in 1976. (How do I know? Well, I wasn't born yet in 1976, and I got to watch them on television. ) Both characters were incredibly well written, and the mysteries were simply fascinating. If there were a vote going on, Agatha Christie would have won for the most mentions!

Rex Stout has probably one of the most interesting histories of all the authors we have mentioned so far. He is certainly (in my opinion) the most political, and possibly the most outspoken on his views. J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI came down hard on Stout in 1965 when his novel The Doorbell Rang was published. As with many of the other memorable authors already mentioned, he published countless novels before his death in 1975. His first was Fer-de-Lance, published in 1934.

I don't think anyone on this site would deny Poe's talent. However, since this is the Mystery newsletter, I'll focus on the second part of that comment - Wilkie Collins! Now, this is a true oldie. Wilkie Collins, unlike the rest of the authors we have discussed in this particular newsletter, lived his entire life during the 19th Century. Many of his novels were actually published as serials in magazines, rather than as a firm chapter book. He was a master of suspense, and was well known for his ability to keep the readers interested and on the edge of their seats, waiting impatiently for the next installment within the upcoming magazine publishing. He was a good friend and companion of Charles Dickens (another truly talented author), and had a most interesting love life, it seems.