4. The Hollow Man (1935) – John Dickson Carr
When it comes to locked-room mysteries specifically, few are as high calibre as The Hollow Man. The novel is specifically referenced in Wake Up Dead Man by Daniel Craig's detective Benoit Blanc, and Knives Our creator Rian Johnson has praised it as "an incredible, intricate locked-door puzzle". Featuring Carr's regular detective lead, Gideon Fell, it sees him left to solve the murder of Professor Charles Grimaud, found shot dead in his study moments after receiving a mysterious visitor, who has vanished without trace. The tricksy novel won plaudits from crime fans and general readers alike, not least for its in-character lecture from Fell late on about the very nature of locked-room mysteries and their possible solutions; such was its impact, this chapter has itself been re-published as a standalone essay on numerous occasions, in spite of being delivered by a fictional detective.
5. Green for Danger (1946) – Sidney Gilliat
Adapting a novel by lesser-known golden-age crime author Christianna Brand,
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