One of the best is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a chilling story about a man's descent into madness as he murders an old man and is haunted by the sound of his still - beating heart. Another great one is 'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl, where a wife uses a frozen leg of lamb to murder her husband and then cleverly disposes of the evidence. And 'A Jury of Her Peers' by Susan Glaspell is also excellent, exploring the perspectives of women in a murder investigation.
Well, 'The Purloined Letter' could be a good start for beginners. It's a detective story that shows how to look at things from different perspectives to solve a mystery. 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' is also suitable. It has a great narrative structure and the twist at the end is something that beginners can learn to look out for in short stories. And 'The Most Dangerous Game' is engaging. It presents a rather unique and somewhat disturbing concept of human hunting which is an interesting take on the criminal short story genre.
The story of Al Capone is also very interesting. He was a famous American gangster during the Prohibition era. He made a fortune from illegal alcohol sales and was involved in all kinds of criminal activities like bribery, racketeering, and murder. Eventually, he was caught for tax evasion which shows how difficult it was to convict him directly for his more violent crimes.
One common theme is the pursuit of greed. Criminals often commit crimes because they want more money, like in the case of burglars stealing jewels or thieves robbing banks. Another theme is deception. Con artists trick people into giving them money or valuable items. Revenge can also be a theme in some short criminal stories, where a character takes the law into their own hands to get back at someone they think has wronged them.
Revenge is a common theme. In many criminal short stories, a character seeks revenge for some past wrong, like in 'The Cask of Amontillado'. Another theme is guilt. The criminal often feels guilty, as seen in 'The Tell - Tale Heart'. And mystery is also a big theme. Writers create suspense and mystery to keep the readers engaged, as in Sherlock Holmes stories.
Edgar Allan Poe is a very famous one. He wrote stories like 'The Tell - Tale Heart' and 'The Cask of Amontillado' which are full of mystery and dark themes. Arthur Conan Doyle is also well - known for his Sherlock Holmes stories such as 'The Speckled Band' which are classic criminal short stories. Agatha Christie is another great author. Her works often involve intricate plots and unexpected twists in short story form as well.
One interesting criminal short story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is driven mad by an old man's 'vulture - like' eye and ultimately murders him. Another is 'Lamb to the Slaughter' where a wife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then cleverly disposes of the evidence by cooking it. There's also 'A Retrieved Reformation' which shows how a criminal can change his ways.
A burglar broke into a house. He was so hungry that he stopped to make himself a sandwich in the kitchen. While he was eating, the homeowners came back. He was so startled that he didn't even try to run but just sat there with the sandwich in his hand waiting to be arrested.
Here are some recommended criminal investigation novels:
1. The author of Mu Yucheng Covenant: Ye Mi. It was a short and vigorous novel with 12 chapters and 60,000 words. The story was about the love between Mr. Mu and Lady Jade, as well as the difficulties and setbacks they experienced together.
2. The author of "No Minister" is a round of peach. The novel had a total of 70,000 words and 21 chapters. It was light and humorous, and the plot was magical. The female lead was the dumb and cute empress dowager, and the male lead was the abstinent general. The love story between the two was pleasant.
3. The Detective Case on Chang 'an Street. The beginning of the novel might not be too serious, with a little comedy style, but the case at the end was very good. The male lead had a humanist concern and was not rigidly bound by traditional justice and law, which was very attractive.
I hope the above recommendations can satisfy your needs for Gu Yan's short criminal investigation novels.
One common theme is revenge. For example, in some stories, a character who has been wronged in the past takes matters into their own hands and commits a crime as an act of revenge. Another theme is mystery. Many short criminal stories keep the readers guessing about who the real criminal is until the end.