The 36 Most Read Mysteries of 1936: The Results

A couple of weeks ago, in preparation for the 1936 Club, which is being hosted by Stuck in a Book and Kaggy’s Bookish Ramblings this week, I unleashed a 340-book long poll to find out the 36 most read mystery novels of 1936. The response to this poll was great, the most I have ever had, with 2134 votes being submitted, and only 33 of them were mine!

Given the obscurity of some of the titles on this list, I was not surprised to find books which received zero votes. If there are no copies available then reading them is going to be tricky, after all! In the end 167 titles found themselves in this position, which is around 56% of the total amount. A few readers were interested to know which books met this fate so I have listed them below, should anyone want to make it their mission to read them all…

1. The Old Jew Mystery by Herbert Adams
2. The Uncounted Hour by Warner Allen
3. The Vanishing Yacht by Edgar Anstey
4. Three Men Murdered by A. A. Archer
5. Calamity Comes to Flenton by Charles Ashton
6. Murder of a Matriarch by Hugh Austin
7. Ring Around a Murder by George Bagby
8. Round Robin by Graham Ward Bain
9. Death Calls Three Times by Glyn Barnett
10. Murder on Monday by Glyn Barnett
11. Poison in Public by Charles Barry
12. The Eight Crooked Tranches by Francis Beeding
13. Prelude to a Murder by George Clinton Bestor
14. Murder Goes Fishing by Timothy Brace
15. Death Tolls the Gong by John G. Brandon
16. The Case of the Withered Hand by John G. Brandon
17. The Dragnet by John G. Brandon
18. The Pawnshop Murder by John G. Brandon
19. The Snatch Game by John G. Brandon
20. Suspicion was Aroused by Alan Brock
21. The Grouser Investigates by Edwy Searles Brooks
22. Murder at Elstree by Thomas Burke
23. Death Goes by Bus by Leslie Cargill
24. The Devil Drives by John Newton Chance
25. No End of a Rogue by Frank A. Clement
26. Amateur Crook by Hugh Clevely
27. The Death Pool by James Corbett
28. No Other Killer by James Corbett
29. Four Doors to Death by John Courage
30. Framed Evidence by Joan A. Cowdroy
31. Murder Unsuspected by Joan A. Cowdroy
32. Murder in a Road Gang by Maurice Cresswell
33. The Mark of the Four by Mark Cross
34. Corpses Can’t Walk by Robert Curtis
35. Invitation to Murder by Robert Curtis
36. Red Murchison by Roland Daniel
37. The Secret Hand by Roland Daniel
38. The Slayer by Roland Daniel
39. Slick-Fingered Kate by Roland Daniel
40. Snake Face by Roland Daniel
41. The Stedman Gang by Roland Daniel
42. The Stool Pigeon by Roland Daniel
43. The Ming Vase Mystery by Rex Dark
44. The Wardour Street Mystery by Rex Dark
45. Emily Coulton Dies by Maurice B. Dix
46. The Fixer by Maurice B. Dix
47. The Hand of Justice by Francis Duncan
48. Detectives in Gum Boots by Roger East
49. A. B. C.’s Test Case by Ephesian
50. The Hanging Judge by Gwyn Evans
51. Rogue Royal by Gwyn Evans
52. The Sign of the Saracen by Gwyn Evans
53. Dangerous Beauty by J. Jefferson Farjeon
54. Murder Mars the Tour by Mary Fitt
55. Death Took a Publisher by Norman Forrest
56. Was Murder Done? by Sydney Fowler
57. Post Mortem Evidence by Sydney Fowler
58. Director’s Corridor by Caroline Francis
59. It Couldn’t Be Suicide by Caroline Francis
60. Number 1-2-3 by Francis Gerard
61. Concrete Castle by Francis Gerard
62. The Black Emperor by Francis Gerard
63. The Dictatorship of the Dove by Francis Gerard
64. Death Goes Ashore by Alec Glanville
65. Tidings of Joy by George Goodchild and C. F. Bechhofer Roberts
66. Death by Desire by Richard Goyne
67. Hanged I’ll Be! by Richard Goyne
68. Cardyce for the Defence by Bruce Graeme
69. Blackshirt the Adventurer by Bruce Graeme
70. It Walks the Wood by Alan Grant
71. Henry Prince in Action by Cecil Freeman Gregg
72. Stolen Death by Leo Grex
73. Riley of the Special Branch by Leonard Gribble
74. The Heart in the Box by Francis Grierson
75. Commandments Six and Eight by Aceituna Griffin
76. Death and the Golden Image by Whyte Hall
77. Crime and a Clock by Whyte Hall
78. Documentary Evidence by Robertson Halkett
79. The Black Flame by John Halstead
80. Middle Class Murder by Bruce Hamilton
81. The House of En-Dor by Anne Hocking
82. Stranglehold by Anne Hocking
83. Murder Train by Gavin Holt
84. Steel Shutters by Gavin Holt
85. There Has Been a Murder by Henry Holt
86. Arsenic on the Menu by B. H. Homersham
87. The Doctor Died at Dusk by Geoffrey Homes
88. The Grim Game by Sydney Horler
89. The Traitor by Sydney Horler
90. Bring ‘em Back Dead! by David Hume
91. Meet the Dragon by David Hume
92. The Diamonds of Death by Wallace Jackson
93. Silent Terror by T. C. H. Jacobs
94. Li Kwang’s Dagger by Frank Johnston
95. A Weird Legacy by Frank Johnston
96. Sic Transit Gloria by Milward Kennedy
97. Murder in Rosemary Lane by Helen M. Keynes
98. Enter the Dormouse by Frank King
99. Goring’s First Case by Peter Kippax
100. Death Stands Near by Leonard A. Knight
101. Night Express Murder by Leonard A. Knight
102. The Wheel That Turned by Kathleen Moore Knight
103. His Lordship the Judge by D. H. Landels
104. The Riddle of Wraye by John Laurence
105. The Cloze Papers by Kenneth Livingston
106. I Was Murdered by M. E. Longman
107. Hi-Spy-Kick-the-Can by Victor MacClure
108. Coulson Alone by Jack Mann
109. Detective Coulson by Jack Mann
110. Gee’s First Case by Jack Mann
111. Snatch by Virgil Markham
112. The Denmede Mystery by Wyndham Martyn
113. The House of Secrets by Wyndham Martyn
114. Prologue to the Gallows by Paul McGuire
115. “On the Night of the 18^th…” by Laurence Meynell
116. Brighton Alibi by Arthur Mills
117. The Clue of the Bricklayer’s Aunt by Nigel Morland
118. The Street of the Leopard by Nigel Morland
119. So I Killed Her by Leonard O. Mosley
120. Satyr Mask by Augustus Muir
121. The Bronze Door by Augustus Muir
122. Hazardous Holiday by Elizabeth Nisot
123. A Close Call by Eden Phillpotts
124. The Good Books by R. Philmore
125. The Dumb Witness by T. Arthur Plummer
126. Was the Mayor Murdered? by T. Arthur Plummer
127. The Death Game by Captain A. O. Pollard
128. Unofficial Spy by Captain A. O. Pollard
129. Red for Danger by Evadne Price
130. One Murdered, Two Dead by Milton Propper
131. Leatherface Lonergan Stakes a Claim by Peter Renwick
132. Murder by Twenty-Five by Clifton Robbins
133. Devil or Saint? by Colin Robertson
134. The Marble Tomb Mystery by Colin Robertson
135. The Black Spot by John Ross
136. The Moccasin Man by John Ross
137. The Professor Dies by John Rowland
138. Death in the Wood by Charles Rushton
139. Highly Unsafe by Max Saltmarsh
140. Highly Inflammable by Max Saltmarsh
141. Murder is Infectious by Sutherland Scott
142. Murder Without Mourners by Sutherland Scott
143. The Four Dead Men by Spencer Simpson
144. Murder at the Miramar by Edmund Snell
145. Yellow Jacket by Edmund Snell
146. Or Give Me Death by Erle Spencer
147. The Island Murder by Traill Stevenson
148. Murder at the Bar by Traill Stevenson
149. Death in Diamonds by H. R. Taunton
150. The Crimson Hair Murders by Darwin Teilhet
151. Dead End Street by Lee Thayer
152. Dark of the Moon by Lee Thayer
153. Murder Paves the Way by Seldon Truss
154. Rooksmiths by Seldon Truss
155. The River Men by Gerald Verner
156. Death of a Jazz King by Charles M. Walker
157. Death Flies High by Rowland Walker
158. Death of a Libertine by Carlton Wallace
159. Reduction of Staff by F. J. Whaley
160. Death Calls the Jester by H. E. Wheeler
161. The Spider’s Touch by Valentine Williams
162. Fatal Accident by Cecil M. Wills
163. Which Way Came Death? by Faith Wolseley
164. Hangman’s Child by Andrew Wood
165. King Vagabond by Andrew Wood
166. Nor Proven Castle by Andrew Wood
167. Murder in Thin Air by Anthony Wynne

Interestingly two of the most prolific mystery writers for 1936, Roland Daniel and John G. Brandon, who wrote 6 and 7 novels that year respectively, had very few votes. In fact only one of Brandon’s novels had been read out of the 13 titles. So quantity it seems is not a guarantee of longevity…

…Nor is having an online presence. Whilst I will be looking at the effect of reprints on the results later, I noticed one writer, Edwy Searles Brooks, who despite having a website dedicated to their work, received no votes for his 1936 mystery, The Grouser Investigates. Nevertheless, reprints have been important in getting many titles in my poll back into the spotlight and out of the three books J. Jefferson Farjeon wrote, the only one to not receive any votes, was also the only one of the three that has not been reprinted.

A small body of books, 37 in fact, only managed to avoid the dreaded zero list by one vote. One such mystery was Edwin Greenwood’s French Farce, whose single solitary vote came from me, although given how dreadful a book it is, it really ought to have received minus points! However, here are the remaining 36 stories who narrowly escaped the gallows so to speak:

1. Dark Masquerade by Anthony Abbot
2. Prelude to a Killing by Nicholas Ashe
3. Murder at the ‘Yard’ by John G. Brandon
4. No Alibi by Belton Cobb
5. The Brothers Sackville by G. D. H. and Margaret Cole
6. Thunder in Europe by John Creasey
7. The Way of the Four by Mark Cross
8. The Mark of the Four by Mark Cross
9. The Mystery of the Kneeling Woman by Moray Dalton
10. The Sutton Place Murders by Robert George Dean
11. What Gentleman Strangles a Lady? by Robert George Dean
12. The Treasure of Scarland by Maurice B. Dix
13. Castle Sinister by Gwyn Evans
14. Murder at 28.10 by Newton Gayle
15. French Farce by Edwin Greenwood
16. The Man Who Murdered Himself by Geoffrey Homes
17. Death at Court Lady by Sydney Horler
18. The Wonderful Scheme of Christopher Thorne by Harry Stephen Keeler
19. A Pall for a Painter by E. C. R. Lorac
20. Crime Counter Crime by E. C. R. Lorac
21. The Bloodhounds Bay by Walter S. Masterman
22. The Avenger Strikes by Walter S. Masterman
23. Threepence to Marble Arch by Paul McGuire
24. The Body Lies by Edward J. Milward
25. Crime at the Villa Gloria by George Norsworthy
26. Judy of Bunter’s Building by E. Phillips Oppenheim
27. The Bird of Paradise a.k.a. Floating Peril by E. Phillips Oppenheim
28. One Man’s Muddle by E. Baker Quinn
29. The 13^th Mummy by Garnett Radcliffe
30. Ferryman, Take Him Across by Virginia Rath
31. Death on Dartmoor by John Rowland
32. Death Meets the Coroner by J. Knox Ryland
33. Draw the Blinds by Seldon Truss

34. The Ghost Man by Gerald Verner
35. The Hand of Fear by Gerald Verner
36. Belt of Suspicion by H. Russell Wakefield
37. Come Away Death by A. G. Wilson

Which of these titles did you help save?

Returning to the theme of reprints, ignoring continually in print writers such as the Queens of Crime, I have noted that 24 different publishers have reprinted at least one of the books which made it into the poll. At a glance I found at least 66 of the 340 were titles which had been reprinted in the last 10-15 years, with the majority having been reprinted in the last 5. The most prolific publishers are:

1^st Place – Dean Street Press (13 Reprints from 1936)

2^nd Place – Ramble House (7 Reprints from 1936)

3^rd Place – British Library Crime Classics and Harper Collins Crime Club (6 Reprints from 1936)

Interestingly, one reprint I noticed that had not done as well as many of the others was His Excellency, Governor Wallace by Alexander Wilson. This title was reprinted by Allison & Busby back in 2015, yet it only garnered a couple of votes. I thought this unusual on the one hand as the Wallace reprints were available in shops such as Waterstones, but then I wondered whether the fact these books are more in the thriller/espionage vein, made them less appealing. If anyone has any thoughts let me know.

So at last the results you have all been waiting for! In some cases titles shared the same number of votes, which means that with these titles jointly sharing places in the top 36, there are more than 36 titles in the final list.

In 36^th Place is…

Its crowded in 35^th Place with three titles claiming a stake…

Then in 34^th Place is…

Going it alone in 33^rd Place is…

Whilst 32nd Place is held jointly by…

Another twosome shares 31st place…

In 30^th Place is…

In 29^th Place is…

In 28^th Place is…

Meanwhile in 27^th Place is…

Sharing 26^th Place are…

Whilst in 25^th Place is…

24th Place is held by…

23rd Place goes to…

Another duo took 22nd Place…

Followed by another jointly held position with 21st Place going to…

At this stage the number of votes has reached 30+ votes per each title.

In 20^th Place is…

Whilst in 19^th Place is…

18^th Place goes to…

17^th Place is held by…

Followed by another story by Rex Stout in 16^th Place…

This baffled me slightly as I anticipated the two Stout titles being closer together in the votes, since one of the most recent editions of this book, (pictured above), also included the other Stout title in the list The Rubber Band.

15^th Place is shared by…

Both titles gained 40 votes each.

In 14th Place is…

In 13^th Place is…

12^th Place goes to…

Like the book claiming 12^th place, this next title in 11^th Place, also comes from the British Library Crime Classics series…

Now we have reached the Top 10

In 10^th Place is…

Whilst 9th Place went to…

Breaking the chain of British Library Crime Classic reprints we have just seen, and with 52 votes, in 8^th Place are…

In 7^th Place is…

6^th Place goes to…

5^th Place is held by…

In 4^th Place with 64 votes is…

Jumping up to votes in triple figures, it should come as no surprise which three titles hold the Top Three positions…

In 3^rd Place is…

In 2^nd Place is…

And last, but far from least, in 1^st Place, with 123 votes is…

I am not overly surprised by the Top 10 winners, but then I did not expect to be. This must be one of the few occasions in which most people will be far more interested in which titles made the last third of the Top 36. The Queens of Crime have all done very well, all securing Top 10 positions, except Gladys Mitchell. Whilst there are copies of Dead Man’s Morris available, I don’t think they have been as cheaply accessible as the others. Perhaps the most surprising title in the Top 10 is Case for Three Detectives by Leo Bruce, which beat reprints from the British Library series, as well as Nicholas Blake’s Thou Shell of Death and John Dickson Carr’s two offerings. Both the British Library and the Dean Street Press did very well with lots of their titles making the Top 36 and it is a pleasure to find reprints of classic crime are being warmly received by a new audience today.

If you want to take a look at the full list of titles you can find a copy here.

I don’t know when or if I will do another poll like this one, but I hope you enjoyed it and that maybe it has suggested a few new titles for you to track down.