Tales: The Purloined Letter

“The Purloined Letter”   

(originally published 1844-1845 in The Gift: A Christmas and New Year’s Present)

This is the third in a series of three detective stories starring Poe's character C. Auguste Dupin. It starts when the Prefect of Police recounts the case of a stolen letter to the amateur detective Dupin and the narrator (who happens to be with Dupin at the time). The Prefect has just finished a very scrupulous search for the letter, and has concluded that he is unable to find it. He believes the case is impossible to solve. A month later when he again visits Dupin, Dupin has the very letter in his possession. Dupin then explains how he found it.

Summary written by Taylor Colegrove, May 2011. Title links to the full text of the story.

Tales: The Mystery of Marie Roget

“The Mystery of Marie Roget”

(originally published as a serial with the subtitle “A Sequel to ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’” November 1842, December 1842, and February 1843 in Snowden’s Ladies’ Companion)

Another detective story featuring C. August Dupin. It is based on the actual murder of Mary Cecilia Rogers, which occurred in 1841.

Summary written by Taylor Colegrove, May 2011. Title links to the full text of the story.

Tales: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”

(originally published December 1840 in Graham’s Magazine)

Possibly the first-ever of the detective genre, this tale introduces the first-ever fictional detective, C. Auguste Dupin, who would later inspire both the characters of Sherlock Holmes and of Hercule Poirot. In the story, Dupin investigates and solves the dual-murder of a mother and her daughter.

Summary written by Taylor Colegrove, May 2011. Title links to the full text of the story. 

The crime-fiction read-along on the Soho Press blog discussed this tale earlier in the year, including some interesting background about the man Dupin is based on.