The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time

The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time is a list published in 1990 by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA).

Five years later, the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) published a similar list named The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time. Many titles can be found in both lists.The Crown Crime Companion "The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time Selected by the Mystery Writers of America", annotated by Otto Penzler and compiled by Mickey Friedman New York, (1995) 

 The CWA Top 100 
 No. Title Author Country Year 1 The Daughter of Time Josephine Tey Scotland 1951 2 The Big Sleep Raymond Chandler USA 1939 3 The Spy Who Came In From the Cold John le Carré England 1963 4 Gaudy Night Dorothy L. Sayers England 1935 5 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie England 1926 6 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier England 1938 7 Farewell My Lovely Raymond Chandler USA 1940 8 The Moonstone Wilkie Collins England 1868 9 The IPCRESS File Len Deighton England 1962 10 The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett USA 1930 11 The Franchise Affair Josephine Tey Scotland 1948 12 Last Seen Wearing ... Hillary Waugh USA 1952 13 The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco Italy 1980 14 Rogue Male Geoffrey Household England 1939 15 The Long Goodbye Raymond Chandler USA 1953 16 Malice Aforethought Francis Iles England 1931 17 The Day of the Jackal Frederick Forsyth England 1971 18 The Nine Tailors Dorothy L. Sayers England 1934 19 Ten Little Niggers (UK)Ten Little Indians (USA)And Then There Were None Agatha Christie England 1939 20 The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan Scotland 1915 21 The Collected Sherlock Holmes Short Stories (stories) Arthur Conan Doyle Scotland 1892–1927 22 Murder Must Advertise Dorothy L. Sayers England 1933 23 Tales of Mystery & Imagination (stories) Edgar Allan Poe USA 1852 24 The Mask of DimitriosA Coffin for Dimitrios Eric Ambler England 1939 25 The Moving Toyshop Edmund Crispin England 1946 26 The Tiger in the Smoke Margery Allingham England 1952 27 The False Inspector Dew Peter Lovesey England 1982 28 The Woman in White Wilkie Collins England 1860 29 A Dark-Adapted Eye Barbara Vine England 1986 30 The Postman Always Rings Twice James M. Cain USA 1934 31 The Glass Key Dashiell Hammett USA 1931 32 The Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle Scotland 1901–1902 33 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy John le Carré England 1974 34 Trent's Last Case E. C. Bentley England 1913 35 From Russia, with Love Ian Fleming England 1957 36 Cop Hater Ed McBain USA 1956 37 The Dead of Jericho Colin Dexter England 1981 38 Strangers on a Train Patricia Highsmith USA 1950 39 A Judgement in Stone Ruth Rendell England 1977 40 The Hollow Man (UK)The Three Coffins (USA) John Dickson Carr USA 1935 41 The Poisoned Chocolates Case Anthony Berkeley England 1929 42 A Morbid Taste for Bones Ellis Peters England 1977 43 The Leper of Saint Giles Ellis Peters England 1981 44 A Kiss Before Dying Ira Levin USA 1953 45 The Talented Mr. Ripley Patricia Highsmith USA 1955 46 Brighton Rock Graham Greene England 1938 47 The Lady in the Lake Raymond Chandler USA 1943 48 Presumed Innocent Scott Turow USA 1987 49 A Demon in My View Ruth Rendell England 1976 50 The Devil in Velvet John Dickson Carr USA 1951 51 A Fatal Inversion Barbara Vine England 1987 52 The Journeying Boy (UK)The Case of the Journeying Boy (USA) Michael Innes Scotland 1949 53 A Taste for Death P. D. James England 1986 54 The Eagle Has Landed Jack Higgins EnglandNorthern Ireland 1975 55 My Brother Michael Mary Stewart England 1960 56 Bertie and the Tin Man Peter Lovesey England 1987 57 Penny Black Susan Moody England 1984 58 Game, Set & Match(Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match) Len Deighton England 1984–1986 59 The Danger Dick Francis WalesEngland 1983 60 Devices and Desires P. D. James England 1989 61 Under World (UK)Underworld (USA) Reginald Hill England 1988 62 Nine Coaches Waiting Mary Stewart England 1958 63 A Running Duck Paula Gosling USAUK 1978 64 Smallbone Deceased Michael Gilbert England 1950 65 The Rose of Tibet Lionel Davidson England 1962 66 Innocent Blood P. D. James England 1980 67 Strong Poison Dorothy L. Sayers England 1930 68 Hamlet, Revenge! Michael Innes Scotland 1937 69 A Thief of Time Tony Hillerman USA 1989 70 A Bullet in the Ballet Caryl Brahms &S. J. Simon England &England 1937 71 Deadheads Reginald Hill England 1983 72 The Third Man Graham Greene England 1950 73 The Labyrinth Makers Anthony Price England 1974 74 The Berlin Memorandum (UK)The Quiller Memorandum (USA) Adam Hall England 1965 75 Beast in View Margaret Millar CanadaUSA 1955 76 The Shortest Way to Hades Sarah Caudwell England 1984 77 Running Blind Desmond Bagley England 1970 78 Twice Shy Dick Francis WalesEngland 1981 79 The Manchurian Candidate Richard Condon USA 1959 80 Killings at Badger's Drift (UK)The Killings at Badger's Drift (USA) Caroline Graham England 1987 81 The Beast Must Die Nicholas Blake Ireland (UK)UK 1963 82 Gorky Park Martin Cruz Smith USA 1981 83 Death Comes as the End Agatha Christie England 1945 84 Green for Danger Christianna Brand MalaysiaEngland 1945 85 Tragedy at Law Cyril Hare England 1942 86 The Collector John Fowles England 1963 87 Gideon's Day (UK)  Gideon of Scotland Yard (USA) J. J. Marric England 1955 88 The Sun Chemist Lionel Davidson England 1976 89 The Guns of Navarone Alistair MacLean Scotland 1957 90 The Colour of Murder Julian Symons England 1957 91 Greenmantle John Buchan Scotland 1916 92 The Riddle of the Sands Erskine Childers EnglandIreland (UK) 1903 93 Wobble to Death Peter Lovesey England 1970 94 Red Harvest Dashiell Hammett USA 1929 95 The Key to Rebecca Ken Follett Wales 1980 96 Sadie When She Died Ed McBain USA 1972 97 The Murder of the Maharajah H. R. F. Keating England 1980 98 What Bloody Man Is That? Simon Brett England 1987 99 Shooting Script Gavin Lyall England 1966 100 The Four Just Men Edgar Wallace England 1906

 The MWA Top 100 
 No. Title Author Country Year CWA Rank 1 The Complete Sherlock Holmes (stories and 4 novels) Arthur Conan Doyle Scotland 1887–1927  21, 32 2 The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett USA 1930   10 3 Tales of Mystery & Imagination (stories) Edgar Allan Poe USA 1852   23 4 The Daughter of Time Josephine Tey Scotland 1951   1 5 Presumed Innocent Scott Turow USA 1987   48 6 The Spy Who Came In From the Cold John le Carré England 1963   3 7 The Moonstone Wilkie Collins England 1868   8 8 The Big Sleep Raymond Chandler USA 1939   2 9 Rebecca Daphne du Maurier England 1938   6 10 Ten Little Niggers (UK) Ten Little Indians (USA)And Then There Were None Agatha Christie England 1939   19 11 Anatomy of a Murder Robert Traver USA 1958   12 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie England 1926   5 13 The Long Goodbye Raymond Chandler USA 1953   15 14 The Postman Always Rings Twice James M. Cain USA 1934   30 15 The Godfather (film) Mario Puzo USA 1969   16 The Silence of the Lambs (film) Thomas Harris USA 1988   17 The Mask of DimitriosA Coffin for Dimitrios Eric Ambler England 1939   24 18 Gaudy Night Dorothy L. Sayers England 1935   4 19 Witness for the Prosecution (play) Agatha Christie England 1948   20 The Day of the Jackal Frederick Forsyth England 1971   17 21 Farewell My Lovely Raymond Chandler USA 1940   7 22 The Thirty-Nine Steps John Buchan Scotland 1915   20 23 Il nome della rosa(The Name of the Rose) Umberto Eco Italy 1980   13 24 «Преступление и наказание»(Crime and Punishment) Fyodor Dostoyevsky Russia 1866   25 Storm Island (UK)Eye of the Needle Ken Follett Wales 1978   26 Rumpole of the Bailey John Mortimer England 1978   27 Red Dragon Thomas Harris USA 1981   28 The Nine Tailors Dorothy L. Sayers England 1934   18 29 Fletch Gregory Mcdonald USA 1974   30 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy John le Carré England 1974   33 31 The Thin Man Dashiell Hammett USA 1934   32 The Woman in White Wilkie Collins England 1860   28 33 Trent's Last Case E. C. Bentley England 1913   34 34 Double Indemnity James M. Cain USA 1943   35 Gorky Park Martin Cruz Smith USA 1981   82 36 Strong Poison Dorothy L. Sayers England 1930   67 37 Dance Hall of the Dead Tony Hillerman USA 1973   38 The Hot Rock Donald E. Westlake USA 1970   39 Red Harvest Dashiell Hammett USA 1929   94 40 The Circular Staircase Mary Roberts Rinehart USA 1908   41 Murder on the Orient Express Agatha Christie England 1934   42 The Firm John Grisham USA 1991   43 The IPCRESS File Len Deighton England 1962   9 44 Laura Vera Caspary USA 1942   45 I, the Jury Mickey Spillane USA 1947   46 Den skrattande polisen(The Laughing Policeman) Maj Sjöwall &Per Wahlöö Sweden 1968   47 Bank Shot Donald E. Westlake USA 1972   48 The Third Man Graham Greene England 1950   72 49 The Killer Inside Me (film) Jim Thompson USA 1952   50 Where Are the Children? Mary Higgins Clark USA 1975   51 "A" is for Alibi Sue Grafton USA 1982   52 The First Deadly Sin Lawrence Sanders USA 1973   53 A Thief of Time Tony Hillerman USA 1989   69 54 In Cold Blood Truman Capote USA 1966   55 Rogue Male Geoffrey Household England 1939   14 56 Murder Must Advertise Dorothy L. Sayers England 1933   22 57 The Innocence of Father Brown (stories) G. K. Chesterton England 1911   58 Smiley's People John le Carré England 1979   59 The Lady in the Lake Raymond Chandler USA 1943   47 60 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee USA 1960   61 Our Man in Havana Graham Greene England 1958   62 The Mystery of Edwin Drood Charles Dickens England 1870   63 Wobble to Death Peter Lovesey England 1970   93 64 Ashenden (stories) W. Somerset Maugham England 1928   65 The Seven Per-Cent Solution Nicholas Meyer USA 1974   66 The Doorbell Rang Rex Stout USA 1965   67 Stick Elmore Leonard USA 1983   68 The Little Drummer Girl John le Carré England 1983   69 Brighton Rock Graham Greene England 1938   46 70 Dracula Bram Stoker Ireland (UK) 1897   71 The Talented Mr. Ripley Patricia Highsmith USA 1955   45 72 The Moving Toyshop Edmund Crispin England 1946   25 73 A Time to Kill John Grisham USA 1989   74 Last Seen Wearing ... Hillary Waugh USA 1952   12 75 Little Caesar W. R. Burnett USA 1929   76 The Friends of Eddie Coyle George V. Higgins USA 1972   77 Clouds of Witness Dorothy L. Sayers England 1927   78 From Russia, with Love Ian Fleming England 1957   35 79 Beast in View Margaret Millar CanadaUSA 1955   75 80 Smallbone Deceased Michael Gilbert England 1950   64 81 The Franchise Affair Josephine Tey Scotland 1948   11 82 Crocodile on the Sandbank Elizabeth Peters USA 1975   83 Shroud for a Nightingale P. D. James England 1971   84 The Hunt for Red October Tom Clancy USA 1984   85 Chinaman's Chance Ross Thomas USA 1978   86 The Secret Agent Joseph Conrad Ukraine (Russian Empire)UK 1907   87 The Dreadful Lemon Sky John D. MacDonald USA 1975   88 The Glass Key Dashiell Hammett USA 1931   31 89 A Judgement in Stone Ruth Rendell England 1977   39 90 Brat FarrarCome and Kill Me Josephine Tey Scotland 1950   91 The Chill Ross Macdonald USACanada 1963   92 Devil in a Blue Dress Walter Mosley USA 1990   93 The Choirboys Joseph Wambaugh USA 1975   94 God Save the Mark Donald E. Westlake USA 1967   95 Home Sweet Homicide Craig Rice USA 1944   96 The Hollow Man (UK)  The Three Coffins (USA) John Dickson Carr USA 1935   40 97 Prizzi's Honour (UK)  Prizzi's Honor (USA) Richard Condon USA 1982   98 The Steam Pig James McClure South AfricaUK 1974   99 Time and Again Jack Finney USA 1970   100 A Morbid Taste for Bones Ellis Peters England 1977   42 Rosemary's Baby Ira Levin USA 1967  

Related pages
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction – Lee

References

Other websites
The CWA Top 100, Past Offences: classic crime reviews and news

Category:Lists of books
Category:Crime fiction books